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TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is reportedly making its own smartphone. Well, making it with the help of startup Smartisan, who has a track record of making affordable smartphones with crazy UI changes.
Will the phone be sold in China only, or will this be made for the global market, wherever TikTok has large amounts of users? Only time will tell, although Smartisan’s other handsets have been for the Eastern market only.
TikTok’s parent company is making a smartphone
With the portfolio ByteDance owns, you can only wonder what UI tweaks will come on its own smartphone. TikTok built into the usual camera app? ByteDance’s own chat clients and streaming apps by default?
- ByteDance is trying to go toe-to-toe with heavyweights like Baidu and Tencent
- The smartphone has been in development for seven months, with the agreement transferring some patents and staff to ByteDance from Smartisan
- Douyin, the China-only version of TikTok, has 300 million monthly users in the country
For this phone to succeed, it needs only two things, in my opinion. A good camera to power ByteDance’s apps, and a low price so it’s not trying to muscle market share from the heavyweights. Oh, and it’ll still need some luck. Phones from internet companies haven’t done well historically, as the Fire Phone in my desk drawer can attest to.
What do you think? Surprised by this news? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.
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