Polestar Phone Revealed Ahead of Official Launch: Shut Up and Take My Money

Now, Apple, Google, and others are betting big on software and services, still planning to conquer the automotive world in a way that's significantly more convenient for their staff.

It doesn't mean carmakers are just sitting and watching tech firms having fun. While some have decided to invest big in software, others are trying to expand in the tech space by stepping into Google's and Apple's territory.

Enter Polestar.

We've known for a while that Polestar was working on a smartphone, and now it looks like we're only a few hours from its official unveiling.

The mobile device will be unveiled on April 23 in China and will be positioned as the perfect companion for anyone getting a Polestar.

Teaser images posted on Weibo by Polestar – though I think calling them "teasers" doesn't make sense, considering they reveal almost everything about the phone – offer an early look at this ambitious device. And at first glance, it's a beautiful phone likely to spark interest among non-Polestar owners, too.

As expected, considering Polestar's design language in the automotive space, the so-called Polestar Phone – that's the official moniker, as Polestar didn't go for fancy names, trying to retain its brand identity – will use a minimalistic approach. It features a clean back, with the Polestar logo clearly noticeable from the Tesla sitting in traffic next to you. The "Polestar Phone" tag has been subtly placed in the lower part of the phone.

Polestar is obviously aiming for a premium approach, so the phone comes with 2mm bezels and a very modern look. The metallic frame somehow reminds me of other phones from certain angles (including the iPhone, even the iPhone 4 if you're as old as me – there, I said it), though this isn't surprising, considering the development was made in collaboration with Chinese phone maker Meizu.

Geely owns Meizu, and Polestar operates under the same company's umbrella, so the partnership was an obvious choice.

While I absolutely adore the look of the Polestar phone, the hardware part comes with some strange choices. A hands-on video suggested the device would use a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage space. As anyone can see in the "teasers," the device packs an army of cameras, including 50MP, 13MP, and 10MP lenses on the back. The selfie camera uses a 32MP lens.

It's all good on paper, but the hands-on video reveals one strange choice. There's only one speaker at the bottom of the phone, and unless Polestar integrated a secondary speaker into the earpiece at the top of the screen, it might be a mono phone.

Otherwise, there's little to complain about from a design and hardware perspective. This Polestar Phone looks incredible, and considering it's an Android device (it'll launch with Android 14 out of the box, though it'll run a custom ROM called Polestar OS), it should also be capable of running Android Auto. I wouldn't mind replacing my Samsung Galaxy Ultra with a Polestar phone, considering the premium everything, and I'm sure other diehard Android fanboys not owning a Polestar think the same.

Speaking about owning a Polestar, it's where the Polestar Phone will make the most sense. The carmaker launches the mobile device specifically to join its product offering as a companion to the vehicle. It's unclear what capabilities it'll power, but deeper vehicle integration (deeper than Android Auto, at least) is likely.

Meizu has already demonstrated an advanced mobile phone integration powered by a system called Flyme Auto, and with the Polestar Phone, a similar approach could be brought to the Polestar. A companion app pre-loaded with the mobile device to offer remote access to vehicle functions is also likely.

The official phone launch will happen this week in China, where Polestar and Meizu executives will demonstrate every capability that will make this premium device the right choice for Polestar customers.

One tidbit that has yet to reach the WWW is the selling price. Everything on the Polestar Phone screams premium, so I wouldn't expect the device to cost less than $1,000. Keep in mind that it'll sport a latest-gen processor, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage, so it'll step into Samsung Galaxy Ultra territory. I also expect Polestar to offer bundles, so car buyers could get the phone at a special price, though we'll hear everything from the carmaker's officials in about 24 hours.

It's unclear if Polestar wants to launch the Polestar Phone outside China, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the phone remaining exclusive to local buyers, making everybody else, including me, drool over an international launch.