Speculation swirls around possible Meizu smartphone business shutdown as company remains silent · TechNode

Meizu Smartphone Division on the Brink: Development of Flagship Meizu 23 Allegedly Halted Amid Industry Turmoil

In a bombshell development that has sent shockwaves through the tech industry, reports are mounting that Meizu—once a beloved name in the Chinese smartphone market—may be preparing to shutter its smartphone business entirely. The speculation, which the company has yet to officially confirm or deny, gained serious traction after Chinese tech outlet Sanyan Tech reported that development of Meizu’s highly anticipated flagship, the Meizu 23, has been abruptly halted.

According to Sanyan Tech, the writing may have been on the wall as early as mid-January 2026, when Meizu began systematically phasing out its outsourced teams. Once external personnel were let go, the company reportedly found itself unable to sustain the Meizu 23 project due to a lack of internal R&D resources. This move has left industry watchers questioning whether the iconic brand is quietly bowing out of the brutally competitive smartphone arena.

But the signs of trouble didn’t stop there. In early February, Meizu made a surprising adjustment to its annual leave policy, requiring employees to use vacation or personal leave on non-statutory holidays while allegedly adding six extra leave days. While on the surface this might seem like a generous perk, some observers saw it as a calculated move to clear out accumulated leave balances—a potential red flag in corporate circles.

Adding fuel to the fire, on February 10, a former Meizu employee known online as Mao Ge posted a cryptic video hinting at internal turmoil. In the video, he said he “didn’t want to be the one to break the illusion,” a statement many interpreted as a veiled admission that the smartphone division is facing existential challenges.

This speculation stands in stark contrast to earlier public statements from Meizu leadership. In September 2025, Xingji Meizu CEO Huang Zhipan confidently announced that the Meizu 23 had been officially approved and was targeting a mid-2026 launch. At a January 2026 event, China CMO Wan Zhiqiang teased that the device would feature the narrowest bezels in the brand’s history, though it would no longer use Meizu’s signature white front panel. However, surging memory prices reportedly dealt a major blow to the company’s product plans, contributing to the cancellation of the Meizu 22 Air.

Since being acquired by Geely-backed Xingji Shidai in 2022 and forming the Xingji Meizu Group in 2023, the company has undergone a dizzying series of leadership changes, including four CEOs in recent years. Analysts say this revolving door at the top has led to shifting strategies and a lack of clear direction. In 2024, Meizu announced it would halt new “traditional smartphone” projects and pivot toward AI-focused devices, a move widely seen as a response to intensifying competition in the smartphone market.

If the Meizu 23 has indeed been canceled, it could mark a formal exit from the smartphone sector as the company shifts its focus toward building an AI-centered ecosystem. As of now, Meizu has not issued an official statement on the future of its smartphone business, leaving fans and industry watchers alike in suspense.

TAGS: Meizu, Meizu 23, smartphone business, tech industry, China, Xingji Meizu, Geely, AI devices, flagship phone, market speculation, leadership changes, memory prices, smartphone competition, tech news, viral tech story

VIRAL PHRASES: “breaking the illusion,” “narrowest bezels in history,” “AI-centered ecosystem,” “four CEOs in recent years,” “halting traditional smartphone projects,” “accumulated leave balances,” “existential challenges,” “brutally competitive smartphone arena,” “bombshell development,” “tech industry turmoil.”

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