StepFun Launches STEPX Neo, Its First AI Agent Phone, at 3999 Yuan

StepFun's hardware arm 阶跃终端 officially launched the STEPX Neo Pioneer Edition on October 13, the company's first large-model-native agent phone, priced at 3,999 yuan (about $597) for the full stack, including a one-time purchase of a 12-month Token Plan with 10 billion tokens per month. The software-born AI startup chose to build its own operating system, sidestepping the traditional tech giants' route to consumer devices—a landmark move for a Chinese foundation-model company expanding into hardware.

Confirmed

• The phone runs the agent-native OS StepAOS 1.0 with the personal agent 阶跃 Amoo, supporting agent capabilities such as Loop cyclic execution and autonomous ToolCall.
• The product takes a native "model-software-hardware trinity" approach, with hardware designed backward from agent needs: a six-microphone array, the Whisper 1.0 algorithm, and a low-power audio-sensing chip handle hearing; the body features a rear screen and a dedicated AI physical key, in a retro-futurist design.
• Priced at 3,999 yuan, including 12 months of 10-billion-token monthly allowances (per QbitAI).

Hands-on and Reviews

• 新智元 found the key difference from the "traditional phone plus AI shell" approach is that hardware, OS, and model are all designed backward from agent needs, and analyzed its memory, intent execution, and maker ecosystem.
• APPSO's hands-on said it escapes the "legacy phone with a bolted-on AI assistant" model, with highlights including a unified semantic data layer, memory, booking, and maker tools.
• A QbitAI editor, after half a month of use, called it an "Agent-system native."

Why it matters

StepFun is one of the few foundation-model companies building an entire phone itself; STEPX Neo represents a full-stack, in-house attempt spanning model, OS, and hardware, and its pricing and token buyout model offer a new commercial template for AI-native devices.

2026-10-13 ~ 2026-10-14 · 5 related posts

• APPSO hands-on STEPX Neo: conditional booking, natural-language automation, maker tools — APPSO · 2026-10-13
• STEPX Neo hands-on: dual-domain memory, intent-as-a-service and a maker ecosystem — 新智元 · 2026-10-13
• [source] StepFun's STEPX terminal launches STEPX Neo, a $3,999 agent-native AI phone — 智东西 · 2026-10-13
• [source] StepFun launches $549 agent-native phone STEP X Neo with system-level tool calls and 12-month token plan — 量子位 · 2026-10-14
• [source] StepFun launches STEPX Neo AI agent smartphone at 3,999 yuan — pstAsiatech · 2026-10-14