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Chinese startup Smartisan unveils a smartphone that can run a PC

The Smartisan R1 also has 1TB of storage

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Chinese startup Smartisan unveils a smartphone that can run a PC
This article originally appeared on ABACUS

Chinese startup Smartisan launched what it says is the world’s first handset with 1TB of storage. It might seem like overkill for a smartphone, until you discover its other big selling point: It can run a computer.

The Smartisan R1 has a top-of-the-line Snapdragon 845 CPU, with a notch on top and a chin at the bottom. There’s also a fingerprint sensor at the back, which has Smartisan’s hammer logo on it.

Smartisan R1 has a fingerprint sensor on the back, integrated with the company’s signature hammer logo. (Picture: Smartisan)
Smartisan R1 has a fingerprint sensor on the back, integrated with the company’s signature hammer logo. (Picture: Smartisan)

But that’s not as interesting as the second project the company unveiled: The TNT Workstation. It looks a lot like Microsoft’s Surface Studio, with a large 27” multi-touch 4K display that can stand up like a regular monitor or swivel to sit on the desk in front of you.

Its 27-inch 10-point multi-touch display can be tilted between 36° and 90°. (Picture: Smartisan)
Its 27-inch 10-point multi-touch display can be tilted between 36° and 90°. (Picture: Smartisan)

It doesn’t come with any built-in storage or RAM -- because it’s not a standalone computer. The whole thing is just a giant display for the Smartisan R1 smartphone, which connects to it via a dock.

When connected, the computer runs a Smartisan’s modified version of Android. Smartisan OS 6.66 actually looks a lot like macOS, which makes for a funny image: An Apple-like OS running on a Microsoft-like machine.

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