OpenAI smartphone reportedly set for 2027 launch

OpenAI is reportedly speeding up work on its smartphone project.

After bringing generative artificial intelligence into the mainstream with the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, OpenAI could reshape the smartphone market as early as 2027. That is at least the implication of comments from prominent analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The company behind ChatGPT has already said it intends to enter the hardware market, and it has joined forces with Jony Ive, Apple’s former head of design, to deliver the project. So far, OpenAI has not revealed what kind of devices it plans to offer. However, Kuo’s latest posts suggest the company is preparing to release its own smartphone.

Expected in 2027

Kuo previously said that the OpenAI smartphone under development would be designed to let users hand tasks to AI rather than rely on apps. Its interface would therefore differ entirely from Android and iOS, replacing app grids, for instance, with streams of actions or tasks assigned to the AI.

In a new post on X, the analyst says OpenAI has accelerated the project, with mass production now expected during the first half of 2027. The post also states that OpenAI is likely to partner with MediaTek to power the smartphone with a customised Dimensity 9600 chip, manufactured by TSMC on a 2 nm process. Its camera would be optimised to help the AI perceive the user’s surroundings more effectively. The OpenAI smartphone would also include two NPUs - components dedicated to AI - whereas conventional devices have only one.

OpenAI smartphone could target major volumes from launch

If Ming-Chi Kuo’s information is correct, this smartphone would allow OpenAI to move beyond the limitations of products supplied by manufacturers and offer hardware tailored to the uses it envisages for its artificial intelligence. For example, the dual-NPU setup could enable the handset to process more AI-assigned tasks locally instead of calling on OpenAI’s servers.

The ChatGPT creator is also said to have highly ambitious targets. According to Kuo, the company is aiming to ship 30 million units across 2027 and 2028.

What we think

These rumours are surprising because, until now, OpenAI was expected to create entirely new product categories rather than introduce a smartphone or computer. Even so, Ming-Chi Kuo’s description does align with the vision Sam Altman and Jony Ive outlined in 2025.

“Computers can now see, think and understand. Despite this unprecedented capability, our experience is still shaped by traditional products and interfaces,” they explained.