Pretty much every automaker on the plane now has an app allowing you to connect your smartphone to your car and maybe control some of its features. But Chinese brand Nio has gone even further, developing a smartphone it says has been designed specifically for cars.
Reports from China says the Nio Phone gives users access to 30 car-related functions, some of which will be familiar to anyone using a car app on their current phone, and some, far more advanced. So in addition to being able to track and remotely park your Nio, you can raise the windows, open the trunk, and even use it to unlock the door when handset is completely flat by pressing a dedicated button.
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The phone also integrates with Nio’s infotainment system, which owners will be happy about since the brand’s cars don’t come with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. But the phone’s biggest strength could simply be a more seamless connection between handset and car than the often clunky connections many of us endure.
Entertainment and connectivity are considered a major selling point of cars by Chinese buyers, and local automakers often offer gadgets like in-car karaoke systems that would seem crazy to Western buyers. But Nio is the first car firm to produce its own phone, though technically, the handset is the work of Hunan-based Lens Technology, according to Car News China. It won’t be the last – Geely-owned Volvo and Polestar plan to launch their own phones soon.
Prices and availability
Priced from 5,999 yuan ($822) to 7,499 yuan ($1,027), the Nio phone is actually three models, each with a different memory spec, but using the same 6.81-inch 2K screen – which makes it fractionally bigger than an Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max – and packing three rear-mounted cameras.
RAM memory ranges from 12-16 GB, the hard drive memory offers either 512 GB or 1 TB of storage and the 5,200-mAh battery can charge at 66W when plugged in, or 50W through a wireless connection. All three versions are built around a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and work through an Android-based Sky UI operating system.
At least initially, the Nio phone will only be available in China, though it won’t be restricted to Nio car owners, and CNBC says the company expects half of its drivers to make the switch from rival brands such as Huawei.
