TikTok's parent company has released a $400 smartphone in China that opens the video-sharing platform with just a swipe
- TikTok parent company ByteDance has debuted its long-anticipated smartphone in partnership with Chinese phone maker Smartisan.
- The Jianguo Pro 3 is only available for purchase in China, and starts at around $389 US.
- The phone has a few shortcuts for using the Chinese version of TikTok, called Douyin: you can access the app by swiping up on the phone's lock screen, and the app's effects and filters are built into the phone's camera.
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The company behind TikTok, the social app that's launched a generation of viral memes and internet stars, has debuted its first smartphone.
TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, unveiled the Jianguo Pro 3 phone under the brand Smartisan, a Chinese phone maker that ByteDance acquired patents from nearly a year ago, which first sparked rumors the company was working on its own smartphone.
The new phone, however, is only available to customers in China, and it starts at 2,699 yuan - the equivalent of $389 in the US, according to Chinese publication Pandaily.
While the Jianguo Pro 3 is a continuation of an existing line of Smartisan phones, its launch under ByteDance means the new phone comes with a slew of new features. According to Abacus News, the phone comes with shortcuts to use and access Douyin, the version of TikTok that exists in China. Users will be able to access the Douyin app just by swiping up on the lock screen, and the special features and effects in the app's camera will also exist in the phone's native camera app.
Additionally, the Jianguo Pro 3 has an in-display fingerprint sensor, and the Smartisan logo on the back of the phone lights up with notifications. The phone features four cameras, including ultra-wide and telephoto lenses.
TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, is worth $75 billion, making it the most valuable private company in the world. Reuters reported in July that ByteDance founder and CEO Zhang Yiming has long been "dreaming" of creating a phone, and has been leading the project.