Last year, Polestar unveiled that it is working on a smartphone together with Meizu, which was once China’s prominent smartphone manufacturer. The partnership emerged after Geely, the Chinese automotive giant that owns Polestar and Volvo Cars, acquired Meizu. The wait is now finally over, as Polestar has officially launched its smartphone in China.
Following multiple leaks, rumors, and official teasers, Polestar has unveiled the Polestar Phone, essentially a re-badged Meizu 21 Pro with some tweaks and aesthetic changes. The phone adheres to Polestar’s vehicle design language, rocking subtle and minimalistic aesthetics.
The Polestar Phone Will Seamlessly Integrate With Polestar’s Electric Vehicles
The Polestar Phone isn’t merely just a re-badge; a lot has been taken into consideration. The design, reflecting Polestar’s subtle design approach, has been finalized by Polestar’s global design team and Meizu in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Work has also been done on the software front. The phone runs a new proprietary user interface dubbed Polestar OS, possibly based on Meizu’s Flyme OS, which itself is based on Android. The Polestar OS comes loaded with features tailored for Polestar’s vehicles. However, only the Polestar 4 car, launched alongside this phone, is currently supported.
Talking about the features, it gets Polestar Link, which will seamlessly help connect the Polestar Phone to Polestar’s EVs. You can also access the phone from the car’s large infotainment screen and run multiple windows simultaneously, with voice commands also supported. Then, the phone also gets UWB (What is UWB?) digital car key support, which will let the vehicle automatically perform certain actions like lock, unlock, etc., based on your proximity.
Besides, the Polestar OS also supports Flyme’s AI tech, including the Aicy voice assistant, AI Gallery, and AI-assisted input. It’s worth noting, though, that some features like Polestar Link, UWB support, AI Gallery, and AI-assisted input aren’t currently live and will soon be pushed via a software update.
The Polestar Phone Boasts Impressive Specifications
Since the Polestar Phone is based on Meizu’s 21 Pro flagship, you won’t be disappointed with its specifications. Under the hood, it gets Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, paired with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of internal storage. Talking about the optics, the Polestar Phone is equipped with a triple camera setup at the rear, comprising a 50MP main lens with OIS, a 10MP periscope telephoto lens supporting OIS and 3X optical zoom, and a 13MP ultrawide sensor.
For selfies, you get a 32MP camera at the front, sitting in the phone’s 6.79-inch LTPO OLED display which supports a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 1,250 nits peak brightness. The display also houses an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor underneath. Interestingly, the phone features a rather unusual aspect ratio of 21:9, similar to what we’ve also seen on Sony’s smartphones (which it’s possibly ditching).
The Polestar Phone features a 5,050 mAh battery, which juices up at up to 80W via the in-box wired charger, or up to 50W wirelessly. It comes with IP68 certification for protection against dust and water. For Polestar EV owners, the Polestar Phone looks like a tempting device, both design and feature-wise.
Polestar Phone: Price and Availability
The Polestar Phone is available in a single 16GB+1TB variant, carrying a hefty price tag of CNY 7,388 ($1020). Compared to the Meizu 21 Pro's 16GB+1TB variant, priced at CNY 5,899, it sees a significant bump in price.
Currently, the phone has only been launched in China, and Polestar has revealed no intention of its global availability. We might see it setting its foot in other countries in the future, as Polestar’s cars are also sold in several countries across Europe, North America, Asia, and the Middle East.
