Meizu Announces Exit from Smartphone Industry, will Focus on AI

Not too long ago, Chinese smartphone manufacturer Meizu was in the news after rumors of an upcoming Polestar-branded smartphone (yes, that Polestar) revealed that the upcoming handset was in fact, a rebranded Meizu Infinity-series device. With that being said, it looks like the company is now reported on planning to leave the smartphone business altogether.

New information online indicates that Meizu recently announced a shift in its company strategy, and will instead move onto the development of AI software for integration with potential future hardware. The change has apparently been in the works for a while now, with Xingji Meizu Group CEO Shen Ziyu stating last year that the company has evolved from a mere mobile phone brand to an "ecological group."

As a result though, the change in company direction will lead to the cancellation of work on several upcoming smartphone models which include the Meizu 21 Pro, Meizu 22, and Meizu 23, for example. On the other hand, the company is planning to launch a new mobile OS this year, in addition to an upcoming "AI hardware product."

The company does reassure customers though that support for existing products throughout China will remain in effect.