NIO’s smartphone granted radio approval by China’s MIIT

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- NIO's smartphone has received radio approval from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology ("MIIT") on June 19, 2023, indicating the Chinese electric vehicle maker is working energetically for the future launch of its smart phone.

According to information provided by the MIIT, the smartphone is registered by NIO Mobile Technology Co., Ltd. with the model number N2301. From the device name, it can be seen that this model will support 2G, China Unicom 3G, CDMA, China Mobile & China Unicom 4G, and 5G network standards. It also supports UWB (ultra-wideband) technology, signaling that NIO's smartphone could potentially be used as a digital key for NIO vehicles or form short-range connections with other smart devices.

However, the specific details of the smartphone's appearance are still unknown.

Photo credit: NIO

During the China EV100 forum held this spring, NIO CEO William Li revealed that the NIO smartphone is scheduled to be released and delivered in the third quarter of this year. Mr. Li mentioned that NIO cannot currently compete with smartphone companies that sell hundreds of millions of units annually, but he believes "making a smartphone is not difficult," and the real challenge lies in "making a smartphone that is easy to use." Li expressed his satisfaction if NIO could sell several hundred thousand units and have half of its users purchase the phone, seeing it as a successful achievement.

NIO co-founder and president, Qin Lihong, emphasized earlier this year that NIO's smartphone will not display advertisements and the company firmly rejects the idea of making money through advertising.

It is reported that NIO's first smartphone is positioned as a high-end device with a price range expected to exceed 5,000 yuan and potentially reach 7,000 yuan. It primarily aims to serve NIO vehicle owners and will not intentionally compete with other smartphone brands.

Previously, NIO Co.,Ltd.  applied to register the trademark "NIO PHONE" under the international classification of scientific instruments. Up until now, the trademark is still in the "waiting for substantive examination" (application) status.