StepFun’s STEPX Neo AI Phone Opens Pre-Orders in China at 3,999 Yuan

The notable shift here is architectural: baking the agent into the OS rather than shipping it as an app changes how the phone is positioned and sold, and it puts StepFun in direct competition with established handset makers rather than with app developers. For a startup, the hardware move is a harder commercial test than a software release, since distribution and carrier or retail support matter as much as the agent itself. Whether the OS-level approach translates into a durable differentiator, and how incumbent phone makers respond, is the open question worth watching.