“The first smartphone released by a car manufacturer” – Kommersant FM

Kommersant FM columnist Alexander Levi talks about a gadget that can be used not only as a phone, but also control a number of functions of the Nio electric car.

Electric vehicle company Nio has unveiled its smartphone Nio Phone. More than 30 machine functions can be controlled through the device. History is familiar with the reverse movement, when the IT giant Huawei, for example, took part in the creation of the Aito electric car. Moreover, the vendor shares its software with other brands, such as Avatr, owned by Changan, or Arcfox, part of the Baic group.

Most likely, I will repeat myself, but cars have already become gadgets. These product categories are increasingly merging and interpenetrating each other. The Meizu company, absorbed by the Geely holding in March, introduced smartphones that connect to Lynx & Co. cars. Xiaomi is moving in a similar direction. Occasionally, the Internet is fueled by similar rumors about Apple. But Nio Phone has a different status – it is the first smartphone released by a carmaker, and not the other way around.

On the device’s display or using the built-in voice assistant, you can control the climate and media systems, open and close electric cars, view on-board computer data, adjust the seats, and even call the car in autopilot mode to the driver’s seat. In China, the law allows such actions in confined spaces and at low speeds. Even if the smartphone is dead, it can still be used as a key for two days.

The developers of Nio Phone have been extremely generous. Included with the current most powerful chipset from Snapdragon – 8 Gen 2 Leading Version – is a memory combination of 12 GB of RAM plus 512 GB of storage, or 16 GB plus 1 TB. Three 50-megapixel sensors from Sony are responsible for the photo: IMX707, IMX766 and IMX890 with phase detection autofocus and optical stabilization.

On the front side there is a 2K Oled display with a diagonal of 6.81 inches, a frequency of 120 Hz, and a peak brightness of 1800 nits. The backdrop is made in seven colors using ceramics and eco-leather. According to Nio CEO William Lee, which he shared with CNBC, at least half of the users of their machines will buy a smartphone. And this is about 200 thousand people.

Nio Phone will begin shipping on September 28th. For now, the brand is focusing on the Chinese market. There is no need to talk about official relations with Russia, including taking into account the combination of smartphones and Nio electric cars. The latter, even in Europe, are supplied to only five countries: Norway, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands.