Tencent also made a “quark”?
Source: Official publicity
On May 19, Tencent announced that QQ Browser was upgraded to an AI browser. Compared with traditional browsers, the changes in the new version of QQ browser are mainly reflected in two points:
First, the interface design (UI) and function display of the entire product are fresher, simpler and younger;
The second is to launch QBot, equipped with Tencent Hunyuan and DeepSeek dual models, focusing on “simple use of AI”. Its homepage can directly enter QBot to experience five major functions: AI search, AI browsing, AI office, AI learning, and AI writing.
At the same time, QBot can also call Agents to perform complex tasks, and the first batch of agents in grayscale, including the college entrance examination agent “AI College Entrance Examination Pass”, download assistant, update assistant, stock assistant, etc.
AI upgrade of QQ browser
Taking the native HarmonyOS version as an example, the most central position on the homepage of the new QQ browser is a prominent “search box”, and the guide word is marked “search web page, ask AI”.
Click the “Camera” (photo, screenshot) and “+” (more) buttons on the right side of the search box to enter the experience of QBot, which “can help users intelligently search, process files, optimize writing, etc.”
Source: Screenshot of Tang Chen, native Hongmeng version
In addition, long press the “Cloud” icon on the left side of the search box to switch between different search engines, including Sogou, Baidu, etc. The new version of QQ Browser is bounded by a search box, and the homepage is divided into two functional sections:
At the top of the search box, there are settings, weather and the most obvious “QBot usage guide”, click on the default guide word, such as “Help me write: Speak at Versailles with classmates”, you can enter the conversation interface of Chat mode, providing two model options: DeepSeek and Hunyuan.
Of course, there are also regular pull-down actions that can also enter the experience of QBot and enter the “AI dialogue” – QQ browser operation students should pay attention to the “Ai” that guides the copywriting, and the spelling is flawed.
Below the search box, there is a feature aggregation and a new navigation bar. Among them, the “Function Aggregation” section is divided into two parts, one is the AI function toolbox, such as document interpretation, question solving and Q&A, etc., and the other part is the aggregation of related functions of conventional browsers, including files, novels, downloads, etc.
On the mobile terminal, QBot supports multimodal search, including voice, file, and scan search. A special feature is the off-end quick recall, users can evoke QBot at any time on the computer, and screenshots can also evoke QBot for interpretation.
Zhang Jun, public relations director of Tencent, also issued a document on the new upgrade: “QQ browser has been fully upgraded today, and 400 million users have entered the AI era at the speed of light.” ”
Source: Network screenshot
I found that as of the time of publication, the AI upgraded version of QQ Browser has not yet been launched on the App Store. The Android app store is already available for download, and the “QBot AI agent” is directly attached to the “QQ Browser” icon. It is understood that QBot will cooperate with Tencent’s internal products to try agents similar to Manus workflows.
It is worth mentioning that users can enter their needs in the search box to get both “AI search” and “web search” search results at the same time. In this regard, Liu Hanbo, head of QBot product at QQ Browser, said, “We don’t just remove the navigation, because many users will still go to the navigation to address, click on fixed websites or consume some content, and we leave the choice to the user.”
This explanation is reasonable, but it can also be seen that the QQ browser product team has not fully figured out how to make a real AI browser, showing a complex mentality of “both wanting – wanting”: it hopes to upgrade products through AI to bring users a more convenient and smooth user experience to improve user stickiness; I also want to retain old users and take care of their awareness and habits of using traditional browsers.
According to Liu Hanbo, the user activity measured by the AI function has increased, and the tool + platform is the current positioning of QQ browser. In fact, in the era of mobile Internet, the platform value of browsers has been infinitely diluted, and the value of its tools has been continuously increased in the increasingly fragmented user scenarios.
Is this a new “quark”?
Although it is said, “In the era of large models, all products will be reconstructed by AI.” But compared with the official optimism of QQ Browser, many industry insiders and media have seen the upgrade of QQ Browser, and a common sigh is,The UI design and product ideas are simply “the same” as Quark.
For example, the “Super Search Box” on the homepage integrates AI learning, AI office and other functions. In particular, AI learning provides step-by-step analysis (search, problem solving) in mathematics, physics, chemistry and English and other disciplines, “Isn’t this the ability that Quark first mentioned?” QQ browser is directly used.”
Some comments pointed out that after QQ Browser’s AI upgrade, the main five AI capabilities are “almost the same as Quark”, and “the core competitiveness of Goose Factory is to learn from”. QBot and other players benchmark Quark and take the pragmatic AI product and service route, indicating that Quark has been recognized and sought after by the industry.
On the last day of February this year, Quark announced that it had completed a comprehensive upgrade to the Quark App and PC: the homepage was revamped, and Quark AI Search launched “Deep Thinking”. This is the first time that Quark has integrated the deep thinking capabilities of large models into AI search functions.
At that time, Zheng Sishou, head of Quark products, said that based on AI, the search industry has reached the threshold of generational change and will enter a new era of AI search. I understand this statement as a subversive change in the essence and value dimension of AI large models in reconstructing search services. Based on new AI capabilities, the search industry presents the division between traditional search and AI search.
On the basis of the existing user scale, product volume and business model, the path dependence of traditional search inertia can only be continuously superimposed on AI functions and increased AI content through post-transformation. In the past two years, Quark has continued to upgrade and expand the boundaries of AI search capabilities, and has become a banner for Alibaba AI on the C-end user side.
In 2024 alone, Quark has successively released “Super Search Box” and “System-level All-Scenario AI”. In January 2025, Quark upgraded its brand Slogan to “AI all-round assistant for 200 million people”.
In terms of operational gameplay, QQ Browser has also been focusing on young people. For example, it was the first to launch a guide to 80 colleges and universities and launched the “College Freshman Season” activity. College freshmen can search for “College Freshman Season” through the QQ browser App, go directly to the main page of the event, or enter the “University Name” and select the “Freshman Season” tab to display the university’s school visit guide.
From the user’s point of view, QQ Browser is also facing the same problems as Quark and other similar products, with more and more functions, complicated designs and constantly adjusted entrances with a feeling of stitching monsters. For example, some manufacturers will launch new search products and use some means to divert traffic, but in the end, due to the weakening of marketing methods, they will not be able to produce strong user stickiness, and they will run away after picking the wool.
According to the latest report released by market research agency Statcounter, in April 2025, Chrome ranked first with a market share of 44.64% in China’s all-platform browser market, and QQ browser ranked seventh with 4.62%.
Tencent’s AI tactics logic
Even so, QQ Browser has taken this step and “replicated” Quark within Tencent. But this is understandable under Tencent’s “All in AI” strategy.
At the latest quarterly earnings conference, Ma Huateng expressed his determination to increase AI investment and layout. According to Tencent, in the C-end market, Tencent’s AI applications have achieved user coverage in all scenarios. On the one hand, it is a native AI application: Yuanbao has achieved user growth through the dual-mode drive of Hunyuan and DeepSeek, and has recently entered the WeChat contact list to realize the connection from creation to social sharing.
On the other hand, a number of products with a scale of 100 million users such as WeChat, QQ, Tencent Docs, QQ Browser, and Tencent Conference have successively launched new AI functions relying on Tencent’s hybrid and external leading models.
It should be added that this quarter, Tencent has also adjusted some of the organizational structure of the AI business, transferring Yuanbao’s product team, as well as more products and applications such as QQ browser, Sogou input method, and ima to CSIG (Cloud and Smart Industry Business Group).
In other words, Tencent wants “stability”, and will not pay too much attention to whether it is “disruptive innovation”, and will seize a key node to wait for an opportunity, fully invest and “harvest”. Before and after the Spring Festival, the performance of Tencent Yuanbao is the most typical example. Throughout 2024, Yuanbao will not have any advantage in terms of user volume alone in the “duel” with the same type of products such as Doubao and Wenxin Yiyan.
In May 2024, when Tencent first released Yuanbao, it claimed that it had not yet made preparations for pushing the purchase volume, nor did it plan to increase the overall scale of competing products. But the situation it is facing is surrounded by strong enemies, “there are powerful AI assistants outside”, and Doubao and Wen Xiaoyan DAU have already exceeded one million.
Tencent did not show “very anxious” because of this, and there were indeed not many promotional actions after Yuanbao was launched. This is evaluated by the outside world as Tencent’s late layout of AI and not strong enough.
Around the Spring Festival, DeepSeek was out of the circle, and Tencent keenly seized the opportunity and went all out. For example, Tencent’s largest traffic entrance, WeChat, in addition to searching and accessing DeepSeek, is actually provided by Yuanbao, and also provides download promotion to Yuanbao in the nine-square grid of life services, and is also a red dot, “new” reminder, and also has the mark of “Full Blood DeepSeek”.
In less than 20 days, Tencent Yuanbao quickly surpassed DeepSeek and topped the download rankings through ecological resource investment, high-intensity and high-frequency technology iteration, and huge investment in buying volume, Doubao retreated to third. According to Caijing Tianxia Weekly, as of February 27, Tencent Yuanbao spent a total of 281 million yuan in 27 days, most of which occurred after February 13.
Tencent’s abnormal “anxiety” is also interpreted as Tencent’s investment logic for AI business. The core issue of concern is timing – when to wait and see, when to enter and when to exit.
As Tang Daosheng, CEO of Tencent Cloud and Smart Industry Business Group (CSIG), once responded in an interview: “When we see clear opportunities, we will not hesitate to increase investment, and coordinated operations can be very agile.” ”
In other words, Tencent has always known the significance of the AI large model, and it is just waiting for an opportunity. Once the “opportunity is clear”, there will be no hesitation to increase investment: throw money, give resources, buy volume, work together, and get results.
This is Tencent’s version of “Miracle Force”.
The same is true for QQ Browser, for Tencent, AI wants financial effects and narrative value for the entire market.
Resources:
Beijing Business Daily, “QQ Browser “Renovation”, New Gameplay of AI under Large Models
Tang Chen, “DeepSeek is on Zhang Yiming’s table, but the C position must be a bean bag”, “The “undefined” quark is planning to define AI search? 》
