The world's first AI phone doesn't run Android — here's what it runs instead

Chinese company StepFun — founded by former Microsoft employees in Shanghai — has unveiled what it claims is the world's first AI agentic smartphone: the StepX Neo. The phone runs its own Step AOS operating system rather than standard Android or iOS.

The phone's standout feature is Step Amoo, a personal intelligent AI agent built directly into the operating system. Step Amoo can be spoken to in everyday natural language and handles tasks, decisions and memory management — acting as a persistent AI assistant rather than a simple voice command tool.

Shanghai-based StepFun has previously provided AI services to major companies including Oppo and Geely. The StepX Neo arrives as reports suggest OpenAI is also working on its own smartphone — signalling that the AI phone era may be arriving faster than expected.

StepFun claims the phone's memory recall speed is just 15 milliseconds — and crucially, the AI can function entirely without an internet connection. For complex tasks, it can call upon internet connectivity, but personal data is never sent outside the device during this process.

StepFun describes Step AOS as a mixture of Android, Linux and RTOS (Real-Time Operating System) — designed to give the AI agent an optimised environment for memory, decision-making and task execution. However, it remains unclear whether this is a fully independent OS or an Android skin. (AI generated)

Early videos show the phone features a dot matrix LED display similar to Nothing Phone. Full hardware specifications have not yet been revealed. StepFun has announced partnerships with Chinese apps including Alipay, Baidu and Didi — suggesting an initial focus on the Chinese market. (AI generated)