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ZTE denies smartphone sale rumors hinting at ByteDance involvement

DevicesNovember 5, 20261 min read

ZTE, a Chinese phone maker, has denied reports that it plans to move its smartphone business into a joint venture. Online talk linked the deal to ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, but ZTE says the reports are false.

ZTE says the sale reports are false

ZTE told The Paper, a Chinese news outlet, on November 3 that the reports were seriously inconsistent with the facts. The company also said it could take legal action. The reports said ZTE would put its phone business into a new joint venture, which is a company owned by two or more partners. The partners were said to be a major internet company and local state-owned investors. The internet company was not named in the report, but online posts pointed to ByteDance.

Why ByteDance came up

ZTE and ByteDance already work together on AI smartphones. AI means artificial intelligence, or computer systems that can learn and make decisions. The two companies made the Nubia NaviX Ultra phone together. It launched on September 16 with the Doubao Phone Assistant, a helper app. The phone has AI agents built into its core system. These agents are designed to carry out tasks across different apps for the user.

Key facts

ZTE responded on November 3.
The Nubia NaviX Ultra launched on September 16.
The reported deal would move ZTE's handset, or phone, operations into a new venture.
ZTE says it reserves the right to take legal action.

Why it matters

A sale like this would change who owns and runs a major phone maker. Rumors about big deals can move stock prices and shake customer trust. For now, ZTE says there is no such plan. Readers should treat the rumor as unconfirmed until more facts come out.

What to watch

Whether ZTE or ByteDance makes any official statement about a deal.
Whether ZTE follows through on legal action.
Any new AI phone work between ZTE and ByteDance.

Glossary

ZTE: A Chinese company that makes phones and network equipment.
ByteDance: The Chinese internet company that owns apps like TikTok and Doubao.
joint venture: A new company that two or more partners own and run together.
AI agents: Computer helpers that can do tasks for a user, such as opening apps and filling in forms.
Nubia NaviX Ultra: A smartphone that ZTE and ByteDance developed together, launched on September 16.
Doubao Phone Assistant: An AI helper app built into the Nubia NaviX Ultra phone.

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