TECHWEEK
Meizu, which was once almost as popular as Xiaomi, is not so well known, it seems that it has decided to leave the Android smartphone market. The Chinese electronics manufacturer plans to shift its focus to artificial intelligence.
Meizu released a video in which it announced that it would stop working on “traditional smartphone development projects” and would instead focus entirely on artificial intelligence. In the video, the company does not specify whether it plans to finally leave the smartphone market, but says that it is now working on a continuation of the 20th series, which was released last year. Meizu cites Humane AI Pin and Rabbit R1 as examples for its future projects. The first gadget is a miniature projector with a camera that clings to clothing and is controlled using voice commands. The second is a pocket companion with artificial intelligence. Both are seen as potential smartphone replacement devices in the future.
The proprietary Flyme OS shell was also not ignored. Work on it will continue, but it seems the company wants to significantly modify it and put it on devices with artificial intelligence. In simple words, Flyme OS can appear in cars, terminals and so on. According to the company, a “new mobile OS” based on artificial intelligence will appear this year, and several hardware products will be released later. Meizu promises to continue supporting its smartphones in China, and outside of China the company has not been particularly active for some time.
Meizu has been developing and selling Android smartphones for more than ten years. In recent years, the company has repeatedly released devices with crazy ideas. For example, in 2019 a smartphone appeared without buttons and a charging port. The Meizu 20 series of smartphones was introduced in March 2023 after a two-year break. The latest to date is the Meizu 20 Classic smartphone, released in China in October 2023.
