Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 20, 2026

Smartisan

Smartisan Technology Co., Ltd. commonly known as Smartisan, was a Chinese consumer technology company headquartered in Beijing, Sichuan, & Chengdu. It designed and developed a range of smartphones, monitors, & in-ear headphones under the principle of artisanship and perfectionism.

Last revised
Jul 20, 2026
Read time
≈ 8 min
Length
1,761 w
Citations
78
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Smartisan Technology Co., Ltd.
Native name
锤子 [chuí zi]
FormerlyJianguo Technology Co., Ltd.
TypePrivate
IndustryConsumer electronics
FoundedMay 28, 2012 (2012-05-28)
FounderLuo Yonghao
Headquarters
Beijing
,
China
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Luó Yǒnghào (CEO)
Wú Dézhōu (CTO)
ProductsMade by Smartisan Technology Co., Ltd.

Smartisan OS Smartisan T Smartisan U Smartisan M Smartisan Pro Smartisan R

Made by 北京大眼星空科技有限公司
Beijing Big Eye Star Technology Co., Ltd. (ByteDance)
Smartisan Pro 3 (Jianguo Pro 3) (2019)

Smartisan R2 (2020)
Websitewww.smartisan.com

Smartisan Technology Co., Ltd. (Chinese: 锤子科技; pinyin: Chuízi Kējì, literally "Hammer Technology") (briefly called DELTAINNO1) commonly known as Smartisan, was a Chinese consumer technology company headquartered in Beijing, Sichuan, & Chengdu. It designed and developed a range of smartphones, monitors, & in-ear headphones under the principle of artisanship and perfectionism.2

History

Pre-ByteDance (2012-2019)

Smartisan was founded on May 18, 2012 by Luo Yonghao.

On March 27, 2013, Smartisan announced Smartisan OS, a smartphone platform based on the Android operating system.3

On May 20, 2014, Smartisan announced their first smartphone, the Smartisan T1.456 It received the iF Gold Award, noted for its coherent design and polished details.7

On December 29, 2015, Smartisan announced their second smartphone, the Smartisan T2.

In 2018, Smartisan launched Bullet Messenger (later Liaotianbao), a messenger app for iOS & Android devices. It is not available on App Store89 or the Play Store1011 currently. By the second half of 2018 Smartisan had racked up 600,000,000 RMB in debt ($89M). Yonghao Luo declared on Weibo that he wouldn't file for bankruptcy, instead hoping to make money through "busking" (performance arts for money).12

In 2019, Smartisan debuted the disposable vape & e-cigarette sub-brand Flow.13 It was praised by iF for its sleek designs.14

Post-ByteDance (2019 & onwards)

According to ByteDance (parent company of TikTok) for a YiCai article, In 2019, the company acqui-hired15 Smartisan, taking over their patents and signing contracts with all of its hardware division employees and some of its software division employees. It was rumored by market analysts that ByteDance planned to produce education hardware, such as smart desk lamps.16 Notably, Smartisan's next phone, the Nut Pro 3, was preinstalled with Douyin, the Chinese-localized version of TikTok.17

In 2021, ByteDance halted Smartisan's device production to refocus on its line of hardware products for the education sector. 18 It has not yet put on sale any education hardware.

In 2022, ByteDance unveiled "Smartisan TV OS" (also known as MEyou OS19), a "next-generation smart screen operating system" based on Smartisan OS with plans that it would be used on select Konka televisions. It did not feature Smartisan OS-like design, instead opting for a more bubbly, generic aesthetic.20 It has not been used on any production Konka TV.

Yonghao later founded Thin Red Line21, a technology startup with its main product being Jarvis (initially called "J1 Assistant",) a voice-controllable AI assistant app with the main functionality of being able to do multiple things at once, such as noting down something and sending a message all in one prompt. It launched in beta on select Android mobile phones.22

In December 2025, ByteDance and ZTE announced Nubia M153, an "engineering prototype" only available for order online, which included Doubao, an operating system-level large action model. Doubao is able to perform tasks on the phone, such as tapping, through a GUI Agent.23 The phone uses Obric UI, a customized Android environment made by ByteDance.24

Design

Smartisan was known for its often staunch design ethos. Their public mission focused on "artisanship and perfectionism.2"

Software

Yonghao opened the "Smartisan OS (based on Android)" 2012 keynote by criticizing other manufacturer's icons, stating it was "not sensible" they were bound to a squircle or circle. Instead, Smartisan OS followed a design language with irregular shapes, similar to early versions of macOS, in a default 3x3 grid-like home screen arrangement25.

In 2012, Smartisan had redesigned "about two or three hundred" third-party app icons to fit its design language25, with subsequent plans to redesign thousands.

Smartisan OS debuted with a set of "OCD features," focused on minor design tweaks such as toggling icon labels, symmetry within apps, and a screen wipe gesture to hide notification badges.26

Hardware

Luo Yonghao described their debut smartphone's design as "blemish free" at a press conference.27

Smartisan T1, T2, M1, & M1L included a brightness rocker on the right side of the phone along with the usual volume key for symmetry. For the same reason, the T2 had no dedicated power button.28

Select Smartisan models' SIM trays doubled as a volume rocker.29

Etymology

According to the company website, the English name "Smartisan" is a portmanteau of "smart" and "artisan",30 signifying "artisanship in the smartphone era". "锤子" literally translates to "hammer", as depicted in the company's logo.

Products

Smartphones

Model CPU Cores Bits GPU Screen Type Release date Data Transfer

Download Speed

Battery Back-camera Front-camera Latest OS Official Price Size & Weight
Smartisan T1 3G Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 Quad-core 2.5 GHz31 32-bit31 Adreno 33031 Pixel Eyes 20 May 2014 HSPA+, WCDMA, EDGE, GSM

40Mbit/s

12.78 MP 5 MP Smartisan OS 1.0 ¥3000 (16 GB)

¥3150 (32 GB)

Smartisan T1 4G Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 Quad-core 2.5 GHz31 32-bit31 Adreno 33031 Pixel Eyes October 2014 LTE/A-FDD Cat 4,3132TD-LTE, HSPA+, TD-SCDMA, WCDMA, EDGE, GSM

150 Mbit/s31

12.78 MP 5 MP Smartisan OS 1.5 ¥3500 (16 GB)

¥3650 (32 GB)

Smartisan U132 4G Qualcomm Snapdragon 61532 Quad-core A53 1.5 GHz + Quad-core A53 1.0 GHz3132 64-bit3132 Adreno 40531 TFT 25 August 2015 LTE/A-FDD Cat 4,3132TD-LTE, HSPA+, TD-SCDMA, WCDMA, EDGE, GSM

150 Mbit/s31

12.78 MP 5 MP Smartisan OS 2.032 ¥899 (16 GB) ¥999 (32 GB)
Smartisan T233 4G Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 Dual-core A57 1.82 GHz + Quad-core A53 1.44 GHz31 64-bit31 Adreno 41831 Pixel Eyes 29 December 201533 LTE/A-FDD Cat 9,31TD-LTE, HSPA+, TD-SCDMA, WCDMA, EDGE, GSM

450Mbit/s31

12.78 MP 5 MP+ Smartisan OS 2.5 ¥2499 (16 GB)

¥2599 (32 GB)

Smartisan M1 Qualcomm Snapdragon 82134 2 + 2 Quad-core 64-bit Adreno 530 LCD 600Mbit/s 23 MP34 4 MP34 Smartisan OS 3.0
Smartisan M1L Qualcomm Snapdragon 82134 2 + 2 Quad-core 64-bit Adreno 530 Pixel Eyes 600Mbit/s 23 MP34 4 MP34 Smartisan OS 3.0
Smartisan U3 Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 Octa-core 2 GHz Cortex-A53 64-bit Adreno 506 5.99" FHD 18:9 2160*1080 Display 9 April 2018 GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
Li-Po 4000 mAh, non-removable Dual 13 + 13 MP

Dual LED Flash

Bottom mounted 8 MP Smartisan OS 3.0 ¥1300 (4 GB RAM, 128 GB storage) 154*74.3*7.16 mm

154 g

Smartisan R135 Qualcomm Snapdragon 84536 Adreno 63036 6.17" In-Cell, 2242*1080, 403 ppi35 15 May 2018 3600 mAh35 Dual 12+20 MP, Dual LED Flash35 24 MP35 Smartisan OS 6.037 ¥3499 (6 GB RAM, 64 GB storage), ¥3999 (6 GB, 128 GB),¥4499 (8 GB, 128 GB), ¥4999 (8 GB, 512 GB), ¥8848 (8 GB, 1 TB) 153.3*74.5*7.9 mm, 170g35
Smartisan Nut R2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 865

Portable monitors

TNT (Touch & Talk)

  • Smartisan TNT
  • Smartisan TNT go


Smartisan also released an air purifier in 2018 under the name JOSÉ TRONCO3839, face masks under the same name40, and multiple vape products under the name Flow14.

References

References

  1. https://www.smartisan.com/?_x_tr_hist=true
  2. Technology, Smartisan. "Smartisan Technology Introduces Smartisan OS 3.1 Including Revolutionary Open Source Features". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  3. Lai, Richard (April 1, 2013). "Smartisan OS unveiled in China, takes a fresh approach to Android UI design". Engadget. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  4. "Meet the Smartisan T1, a surprisingly unique Android phone from China". Engadget. May 22, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  5. Mu, Eric (May 21, 2014). "Smartisan T1, A Smartphone Built By A Former English Teacher, Debuts In Beijing". Forbes. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  6. "Monsters from Asia: the Smartisan T1 and its stylish, full-glass body". Phone Arena. June 2, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  7. "iF Design - Smartisan T1". ifdesign.com. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  8. "Search results for "bullet messenger"". App Store. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  9. "Search results for "Liaotianbao"". App Store. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  10. "Liaotianbao - Android Apps on Google Play". play.google.com. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  11. "bullet messenger - Android Apps on Google Play". play.google.com. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  12. "罗永浩回应被列入老赖名单：在未来会把债务全部还完". www.chinaz.com. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  13. "China's Smartisan Digital to Debut Vape Brand Amid Slack Mobile Business". www.yicaiglobal.com. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  14. "iF Design - FLOW - Beijing Yuyi Technology Co., Ltd". ifdesign.com. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  15. https://tracxn.com/d/companies/smartisan-technology/__xpUfg_Ut36zf5P-FhMp_87QK1LYHbHeXyoO1ng-XrvM
  16. "China's ByteDance Buys Failing Smartisan's IP to Get Into Smart Education Hardware". www.yicaiglobal.com. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  17. Porter, Jon (November 4, 2019). "TikTok owner ByteDance has released a smartphone in China". The Verge. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  18. "ByteDance moves on from smartphones to devices for education sector". South China Morning Post. January 19, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  19. "TikTok owner ByteDance collaborates on new operating system for TV maker Konka". South China Morning Post. April 19, 2022. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
  20. "智慧屏". www.smartisantv.com. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
  21. "How DeepSeek founder's doubt led serial entrepreneur to embrace his gift of gab". South China Morning Post. June 23, 2025. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
  22. "J1 Assistant". matter.ai. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
  23. "Unveiling the Secret: Why the Doubao Phone with Super Agent Became an Internet Sensation - Insights from AI Scholars". eu.36kr.com. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  24. Wang, 王博源 Boyuan. "An AI assistant with system privileges: what could possibly go wrong?". www.the-hyphen.com. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  25. SmartisanTech (April 26, 2013). Smartisan OS(based on Android) Launch Event. Retrieved February 24, 2026 – via YouTube.
  26. "Meet the Smartisan T1, a surprisingly unique Android phone from China". Yahoo News. May 23, 2014. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  27. Smartisan Technology (March 8, 2016). Smartisan T1 Product Launch - 2014 Summer. Retrieved April 10, 2026 – via YouTube.
  28. Smartisan Technology (March 8, 2016). Smartisan T1 Product Launch - 2014 Summer. Retrieved February 24, 2026 – via YouTube.
  29. Mike (December 31, 2015). "Smartisan's Follow Up Flagship Smartphone Has SIM Tray Hidden Under The Volume Rocker Button". Retrieved April 10, 2026.
  30. "Smartisan - About Us". Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  31. "Compare Snapdragon Processors - Qualcomm". Qualcomm. August 23, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  32. "坚果手机 - 技术规格" (in Chinese). 锤子科技. August 25, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  33. "锤子科技2015夏季新品发布会直播" (in Chinese). Sina. August 25, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  34. "Smartisan M1". www.smartisan.com (in Chinese). Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  35. "Smartisan R1 Specs(in Chinese)". Smartisan official website. Smartisan. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  36. "Qualcomm 845". Qualcomm official website. Qualcomm. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  37. "Smartisan OS 6.0". Smartisan official website. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  38. "Smartisan Lacks Something Vital in Building a Xiaomi-Like Ecosystem-钛媒体官方网站". www.tmtpost.com. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  39. Competition, A' Design Award &. "Jose Tronco Air Purifier by Smartisan ID Team". A' Design Award. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  40. "Smartisan 10Pcs PM2.5 Anti Pollution Mask with Breather Valve Disposable Dust Respirator Face Mask". Electronic Pro. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
External links