Tesla competitor Polestar releases its first phone

Tesla competitor Polestar has officially launched its first phone in China. Unlike the previous rumors have suggested, the smartphone isn’t a rebrand of the Meizu 20 Pro. Instead, it’s a rebranded version of the Meizu 21 Pro. That means the phone packs the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 under the hood (Galaxy S24 with the same SoC is curr. $724.99 on Amazon).

The other specs of the Polestar Phone are also the same. Like the Meizu 21 Pro, it features a triple camera setup on the back. This setup has a 50 MP primary camera with OIS, 13 MP ultra-wide, and a 10 MP telephoto. As for the battery, it packs a 5050 mAh cell with 80 watts fast charging support. The phone can also wirelessly charge at 50 watts.

On the front, Polestar’s first phone sports a BOE-made LTPO AMOLED screen with a 120 Hz refresh rate, 21:9 aspect ratio, and 2160 Hz PWM dimming. It’s the same panel as the one found in the Meizu 21 Pro.

What’s a little different, though, is the Android skin of the smartphone. It runs on Polestar Phone OS, which is likely a customized version of the Meizu FlyMe OS. Chinese media reports that it has the same look and feel as the operating system found in Polestar’s electric cars.

Besides that, the operating system of Polestar Phone puts emphasis on AI features. That includes AI image search, image generation features, and text summarization. It also has support for Polestar Link, allowing users to check the paired electric vehicle’s status, get phone-assistant support, and more.

As for the price, the Polestar Phone is available in only 16 GB/1 TB variant, and it costs CNY 7,388 in China (around $1,020). Global pricing and availability details are yet to be confirmed.