Polestar teased that it was working by itself smartphone on the Guangzhou Auto Present late final yr, with Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath telling CNBC “the place you may have a chance to hyperlink these two worlds, with none border … then you possibly can actually have a seamless transition.”
Now, pictures have surfaced on Chinese language web site Weibo (through Android Police) of the manufacturing Polestar cellphone, with deliveries slated to start within the home market in direction of the tip of April.
There’s little or no in the way in which of specs, however we do know the cellphone has been co-developed by Meizu, a smartphone model owned by Geely, which additionally owns Polestar and sister firm Volvo.
An unboxing video that surfaced on YouTube reveals that the design contains 4 cameras on the rear and a particularly skinny bezel round the principle display, whereas Android Police suggests it options an modern 21:9 side ratio and a display measurement of round 6.5 inches.
However greater than a easy branding train, the Polestar cellphone is tipped to run Xingji Meizu’s FlyMe OS, an working system that additionally seems in Polestar autos bought in China – the latest Polestar 4 being an instance.
This is because of the truth that Android Auto, in addition to Apple CarPlay, do not exist within the Chinese language market. So automakers have been turning to custom-build platforms for his or her infotainment working methods.
“It’s not simply ok to deliver a terrific European design to China, you must be very, very particular about what you provide to the market with regards to software program,” Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath informed CNBC.
Auto Evolution took deep dive into Meizu’s Flyme Auto final yr and concluded that it brings “the cell phone and the automotive in complete sync”, in contrast to something that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto can at the moment do.
The flexibility to customise its backgrounds and wallpapers like a laptop computer or pill, run a number of apps without delay in numerous home windows and use the smartphone’s digital camera for video calls are just some examples of this seamless integration. To not point out the power to make use of a smartphone as a wi-fi gaming controller, full with immersive sound pumped via its smaller audio system.
The place Elon Musk merely hinted that Tesla might make its personal smartphone, in a response to the notion that Apple and Google might block Twitter – or X – entry from their respective app shops, the EV innovator is but to substantiate something.
It seems that alongside slipping EV market share in China, Tesla can be falling behind the kind of tech innovation that might assist it stay aggressive.
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Whereas quite a few smartphone makers have toyed with automotive co-branded units, akin to OnePlus with its 6T McLaren Version and the Porsche Design Huawei Mate 20 RS, only a few have pushed the challenge to incorporate better integration with the car in query.
Though the Polestar cellphone is more likely to help Meizu in pushing additional upmarket with extra luxurious merchandise (it at the moment sells mid-tier smartphones in China), it additionally seems that the Swedish model is selling ever-more integration with units and the infotainment methods present in its fashionable electrical autos.
The flexibility to entry car information and knowledge via Meizu’s AI-powered voice assistant, each within the automotive and probably from Polestar’s smartphone, is one thing we haven’t but seen in Western markets up to now.
Plus, the power to make a scheduled service appointments utilizing pure language is one thing that quite a few producers, together with Kia and Hyundai, have teased however possible gained’t come to fruition till 2026 on the earliest.
Regardless of many Western clients proudly owning an iPhone or Android-powered system, the expertise of transferring from smartphone to infotainment system stays removed from seamless. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto have a tendency to supply a restricted model of your smartphone, moderately than turning into an extension of it.
With the rise of Chinese language smartphone manufacturers, akin to Huawei and Xiaomi, already stating they’ll produce EVs in China, Polestar is doing the good factor by future-proofing its fashions with accompanying units that can work seamlessly with infotainment methods.
Whether or not or not it will likely be successful is but to be seen, however the pace of EV adoption and innovation in China is breathtaking, and lots of legacy automakers are discovering they’re falling nicely behind within the tech race.
Polestar’s Geely possession ensures the model understands its market and the Polestar cellphone is the proper instance of delivering options that its clients clearly need.