{"id":160514,"date":"2025-11-26T11:06:15","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T11:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/160514\/"},"modified":"2025-11-26T11:06:15","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T11:06:15","slug":"i-tried-chinas-hot-vibe-coding-app-it-beat-chatgpt-in-one-big-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/160514\/","title":{"rendered":"I Tried China&#8217;s Hot Vibe Coding App \u2014 It Beat ChatGPT in One Big Way"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A new Chinese vibe-coding tool exploded in popularity last week, so of course, I had to test it.<\/p>\n<p>LingGuang, an AI app for building apps using plain-language prompts, launched on November 18. By Monday, it had racked up over 2 million downloads.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_self\" class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/alibaba-joe-tsai-ai-race-us-china-winner-adoption-integration-2025-10\" data-track-click=\"{&quot;element_name&quot;:&quot;body_link&quot;,&quot;event&quot;:&quot;tout_click&quot;,&quot;index&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;,&quot;product_field&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Chinese tech group Ant Group<\/a>, which built the tool, said the surge of users briefly crashed the app&#8217;s flash program feature.<\/p>\n<p>To see what the hype was about, I took LingGuang for a spin \u2014 and stacked it against <a target=\"_self\" class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/chatgpt\" data-track-click=\"{&quot;element_name&quot;:&quot;body_link&quot;,&quot;event&quot;:&quot;tout_click&quot;,&quot;index&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;,&quot;product_field&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">OpenAI&#8217;s ChatGPT<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The AGI camera stole the show<\/p>\n<p>I logged in with my Alibaba account (Ant Group is an affiliate company of the Chinese conglomerate Alibaba Group) and landed on a moving mountain landscape paired with a Chinese tagline: &#8220;Let the complex be simple.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Compared with ChatGPT&#8217;s plain backdrop, LingGuang looked like it was beamed in from 2030.<\/p>\n<p>LingGuang offers a feature that caught my eye: <a target=\"_self\" class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/databricks-ceo-agi-superintelligence-ali-ghodsi-ai-enterprise-2025-11\" data-track-click=\"{&quot;element_name&quot;:&quot;body_link&quot;,&quot;event&quot;:&quot;tout_click&quot;,&quot;index&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;,&quot;product_field&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">an artificial general intelligence camera<\/a>. Ant Group said it can understand scenes in real time and help users analyze or edit what they&#8217;re looking at without uploading a photo.<\/p>\n<p>I first tested it at work, with wild results. I pointed my phone camera at <a target=\"_self\" class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/base44-vibecoding-tools-easy-to-copy-maor-shlomo-risk-2025-11\" data-track-click=\"{&quot;element_name&quot;:&quot;body_link&quot;,&quot;event&quot;:&quot;tout_click&quot;,&quot;index&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;,&quot;product_field&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">a startup founder speaking<\/a> in a podcast video clip, and LingGuang instantly recognized him and named the company he started.<\/p>\n<p>I took it to my local supermarket to see what else it could do.<\/p>\n<p>I was hunting for a post-workout <a target=\"_self\" class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/soho-house-smoothie-protein-shake-review-2025-7\" data-track-click=\"{&quot;element_name&quot;:&quot;body_link&quot;,&quot;event&quot;:&quot;tout_click&quot;,&quot;index&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;,&quot;product_field&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">protein smoothie<\/a>, and I pointed the AGI camera at three brands on the shelf. The app immediately identified the English-labeled products and surfaced essential information, including protein levels, flavor, whether it contained sweetener, and what it was suitable for. The information checked out, although I needed to make sure the camera had a clear shot of the product.<\/p>\n<p>              <img xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"lazy-image \" encoding=\"UTF-8\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" data-content-type=\"image\/jpeg\" srcs=\"{&quot;https:\/\/i.insider.com\/69269b96abd5e944effb87bd&quot;:{&quot;contentType&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;aspectRatioW&quot;:1290,&quot;aspectRatioH&quot;:2796}}\" alt=\"LingGuang AGI camera shopping\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                      The AGI camera identified the product and surfaced essential information.<\/p>\n<p>              Lee Chong Ming\/LingGuang<\/p>\n<p>To determine which one was the smartest buy, I activated voice mode and asked in Chinese. LingGuang compared protein, brand speciality, and price, pulling data from the image and the web. Then it gave recommendations: most nutritious, best value, and a lactose-free pick.<\/p>\n<p>I tried the same thing with ChatGPT. Because it can&#8217;t analyze scenes in real time, I took a photo of the shakes and uploaded it manually \u2014 a process that felt outdated after using LingGuang.<\/p>\n<p>ChatGPT&#8217;s comparison was detailed and on par with LingGuang&#8217;s, but the experience lacked the immediacy and visual cues that made LingGuang feel seamless.<\/p>\n<p>One user interface difference also stood out. When LingGuang captures an image, it surfaces tappable prompt bubbles that guide you through the next steps.<\/p>\n<p>              <img xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"lazy-image \" encoding=\"UTF-8\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" data-content-type=\"image\/jpeg\" srcs=\"{&quot;https:\/\/i.insider.com\/69266e6d89026fbb4d0e71b1&quot;:{&quot;contentType&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;aspectRatioW&quot;:1290,&quot;aspectRatioH&quot;:2796}}\" alt=\"AGI camera tappable prompts\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                      Tappable prompt bubbles appear to guide the user to the next prompt.<\/p>\n<p>              Lee Chong Ming\/LingGuang<\/p>\n<p>ChatGPT suggests prompts as well, but they sit below the chatbox and still require typing. LingGuang felt like an AR companion, while ChatGPT felt like, well, chat.<\/p>\n<p>The Chinese app had one drawback: Nothing from the AGI session saves. I couldn&#8217;t revisit any photos or responses afterward, which makes it hard to reference anything later. ChatGPT saves every uploaded image in the chat, something I rely on.<\/p>\n<p>Generating videos on the fly<\/p>\n<p>LingGuang also offers something ChatGPT doesn&#8217;t: on-the-fly video and image generation directly from its AGI camera.<\/p>\n<p>Users can snap a photo, tap into the edit tab, and turn the image into a video or edit it with prompts.<\/p>\n<p>I snapped a <a target=\"_self\" class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/labubu-trend-bubble-burst-cost-why-popmart-2025-8\" data-track-click=\"{&quot;element_name&quot;:&quot;body_link&quot;,&quot;event&quot;:&quot;tout_click&quot;,&quot;index&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;,&quot;product_field&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">photo of my Labubu<\/a> on the AGI camera and asked LingGuang to make it smile and dance.<\/p>\n<p>Twenty seconds later, it spat out a clip, including a cute soundtrack, of my Labubu grinning and flapping around like a tiny bat, synced to the movement of my hand in the frame.<\/p>\n<p>ChatGPT has no equivalent feature. To animate an image, I had to switch to Sora, upload a photo I took of Hong Kong&#8217;s harbor, and ask it to &#8220;bring it to life.&#8221; The result was stunning and a little dramatic.<\/p>\n<p>LingGuang handled the same image differently. Its output was strong, with softer waves and a more realistic feel \u2014 almost as if I were on a boat.<\/p>\n<p>              <img xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"lazy-image \" encoding=\"UTF-8\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" data-content-type=\"image\/jpeg\" srcs=\"{&quot;https:\/\/i.insider.com\/69269de789026fbb4d0e72b1&quot;:{&quot;contentType&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;aspectRatioW&quot;:1600,&quot;aspectRatioH&quot;:900}}\" alt=\"chatgpt vs LingGuang photos\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                      Screenshots of the AI-generated Hong Kong harbour videos by Sora (left) and LingGuang (right).<\/p>\n<p>              Lee Chong Ming\/Sora; LingGuang<\/p>\n<p>Visual style comes down to personal preference, but LingGuang allows me to capture, edit, and generate a video in a single, continuous workflow. On user experience, it wins.<\/p>\n<p>I built a flash app in a minute<\/p>\n<p>LingGuang&#8217;s flash app feature \u2014 the one that crashed from overuse \u2014 promised to build mini-apps in 30 seconds.<\/p>\n<p>When I opened it, LingGuang suggested app ideas. One of them was a &#8220;meal decision&#8221; generator that works like a food lottery.<\/p>\n<p>My friends and I regularly spend more time deciding what to eat than actually eating, so I tapped it. The screen started &#8220;thinking.&#8221; It wasn&#8217;t 30 seconds, but about a minute later, a fully formed mini-app appeared.<\/p>\n<p>The instructions from the bot were clear: include the dish names, their origins, and a brief description of why they&#8217;re recommended. The flash app added food emojis and sound effects to mimic the drumroll-and-reveal vibe of a lottery. All I did was click a prompt. It felt like sorcery.<\/p>\n<p>The generator recommended food like curry rice and Japanese ramen. Wanting to push the app further, I asked it to tailor the mini-app to food from Singapore, where I live.<\/p>\n<p>Another minute later, it regenerated the entire interface and swapped in local dishes. One of the first picks: Katong laksa. Hyper-specific to where I live. Another: chilli crab. The classic tourist magnet. The flash app nailed the selection of my local cuisine.<\/p>\n<p>              <img xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"lazy-image \" encoding=\"UTF-8\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" data-content-type=\"image\/jpeg\" srcs=\"{&quot;https:\/\/i.insider.com\/69266f5ee1a9cbb014df017a&quot;:{&quot;contentType&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;aspectRatioW&quot;:1290,&quot;aspectRatioH&quot;:2796}}\" alt=\"Meal generator flash app\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                      The &#8220;Singaporean&#8221; meal generator flash app was built in a minute.<\/p>\n<p>              Lee Chong Ming\/LingGuang<\/p>\n<p>I asked ChatGPT to create a flash app that could &#8220;help me choose what to eat on a daily basis.&#8221; It generated the full code, explained how to build it, and even suggested ways to customize it.<\/p>\n<p>There was no instant app, but I appreciated having actual code to work with, something LingGuang never surfaced. LingGuang&#8217;s flash feature works for simple, everyday use cases. For anything more complex, I&#8217;d still turn to ChatGPT or other <a target=\"_self\" class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/meta-vibe-coding-build-prototype-apps-mark-zuckerberg-2025-11\" data-track-click=\"{&quot;element_name&quot;:&quot;body_link&quot;,&quot;event&quot;:&quot;tout_click&quot;,&quot;index&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;,&quot;product_field&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">vibe-coding tools.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new Chinese vibe-coding tool exploded in popularity last week, so of course, I had to test it.&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":160515,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[220,218,219,61,60,80],"class_list":{"0":"post-160514","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-artificial-intelligence","8":"tag-ai","9":"tag-artificial-intelligence","10":"tag-artificialintelligence","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland","13":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=160514"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160514\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/160515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=160514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=160514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=160514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}