Artificial Intelligence giant OpenAI is reportedly gearing up for launch of its first smartphone, but not like Apple and Samsung, whose handsets are are built around application developed by third parties whereas the OpenAI smartphone will be an AI agent phone where, instead of navigating through multiple apps, users would use AI to complete tasks. The media reports and experts claim that the company is fast-tracking the development of its first AI agent smartphone, and it is likely to go into mass production as early as the first half of 2027.
Greg Brockman, President OpenAI while appearing as a witness in ongoing trail on Elon Musk’s civil lawsuit against OpenAI, recently confirmed that the company is gearing up for an IPO.
The experts also suggest that the company will launch the phone before IPO to make the company look more attractive to investors whereas another reason behind the quick launch could be increasing competition in the AI-powered smartphone segment where companies are rushing to offer more advanced AI features.
OpenAI Phone Hardware and Chipset
In an X post shared by industry expert Ming-Chi Kuo suggests that OpenAI has partnered with both MediaTek and Qualcomm to develop the processor for the handset. However, it seems that the company has finalised MediaTek as the key supplier of the processor for the smartphone due to better specifications.
The X post further reveals that the chipset for the smartphone will be based on Dimensity 9600 and will be built using the TSMC N2P node (2nm-class semiconductor node). The handset is likely to go into the production phase in the second half of 2026.
“Other key specs include a dual-NPU architecture for heterogeneous AI compute, LPDDR6 + UFS 5.0 to ease memory bottlenecks, and pKVM + inline hashing for security. If development stays on track, combined 2027–2028 shipments could reach around 30 million units,” Ming-Chi Kuo wrote in an X post.
【Industry Check Update】OpenAI appears to be fast-tracking its first AI agent phone, with mass production targeted as early as 1H27. Potential drivers include supporting a year-end IPO narrative and intensifying competition in AI agent phones. MediaTek currently appears better… https://t.co/wtumZ4XgA7
— 郭明錤｜Ming-Chi Kuo (@mingchikuo) May 5, 2026
Why OpenAI is making a smartphone
The company is developing a smartphone as AI agent phones have access to location, activity, communication, and context, which makes AI agents work better on phones than on any other device.
In terms of business model, the company could bundle subscriptions with hardware and develop a new AI agent ecosystem involving developers, potentially reshaping how software is distributed and monetised on mobile devices.
The experts and media reports suggest that if everything goes as per plan, the total number of units shipped over 2027 and 2028 combined could be around 30 million
However, the company has not specified any launch timeline and further details regarding the phone
Syed Ziyauddin is a media and international relations enthusiast with a strong academic and professional foundation. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media from Jamia Millia Islamia and a Master’s in International Relations (West Asia) from the same institution.
He has work with organizations like ANN Media, TV9 Bharatvarsh, NDTV and Centre for Discourse, Fusion, and Analysis (CDFA) his core interest includes Tech, Auto and global affairs.
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