Meizu Technology has announced that it will be leaving the smartphone industry. The company, which is now owned by Geely, a car manufacturer, has stated that it believes AI is the future and will be investing “All in AI”.
In a post on Weibo, the FlymeOS team will be reorganized to focus on developing new AI terminal devices that will utilize globally accessible LLM (large language model) such as Open AI.
FlymeAuto 10.5
Meizu has already started laying the groundwork for its multi-terminal experience with the introduction of Flyme Auto – an infotainment system for Geely-manufactured vehicles, including Polestar and Lotus, which seamlessly connects with FlymeOS 10 devices, such as the Meizu 20 and Meizu 21 flagships.
According to Shen Ziyu, Chairman and CEO of Xingji Meizu Group, the average smartphone user takes longer to upgrade – an average of 51 months, which is over 4 years. Additionally, other companies now offer comparable performance in terms of smoothness, photography, and software features. As a result, there will be no Meizu 21 Pro, Meizu 22, and Meizu 23 series.
A new mobile operating system optimized for the AI era is scheduled to be launched in 2024, and the first AI-enabled hardware product will also be released later this year. Support for current smartphones will be maintained, including access to offline stores in China. However, there is no information on support for overseas devices, as the company has been absent from the international market for the past few years.
