While Apple and Google are adding AI apps to smartphones, Chinese companies are replacing apps with AI.
Chinese OEMs replace app stores with AI agents (ZTE, Honor, StepFun using Anthropic MCP), eroding Apple/Google's 15-30% app revenue model. Chinese super-apps penetrate globally while in-app purchases drop 40%, forcing CTOs to reconsider stack and fintech partnership decisions.
Contributing Columnist
How AI is killing smartphone apps in China
opinion
Aug 3, 20267 mins
Chinese smartphone makers have been followers in the global market, embracing the concepts and paradigms set in the past 20 years by Apple and Google. But AI may be giving the Chinese an opportunity to break away and set their own path forward.
If Tencent can manage it, China’s killer AI app won’t need to be built from scratch, says Catherine Thorbecke for Bloomberg…
Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi and other phone makers’ AI strategies are at an inflection point, with China approving localised versions…
Tech firms are developing AI agent smartphones that could revolutionize mobile use. These advanced phones aim to perform tasks…
Data from Omdia and Counterpoint shows that while Apple and Samsung thrive, the rest of the industry takes a dive
Honor, StepFun and Nubia are pitching agent-powered devices as the industry’s next big thing, but unproven consumer demand and…
A new wave of startups promise to automate everyday tasks — from app development to travel planning — better than chatbots.
