OpenAI has just launched its first device, but it’s not the one you’d expect.

For months, rumors have multiplied about OpenAI’s first physical device. Designed with the help of Jony Ive, Apple’s former design chief, the device would take the form of a connected speaker, with no screen and equipped with a battery, which should make it possible to move the accessory around a home.The device is expected sometime next year, although leaks have suggested an unveiling as early as late 2026. This is the very first time OpenAI is going to launch a physical product… well, not quite.

Also read: The “first ChatGPT hardware” – a completely bogus OpenAI ad sends the Internet into a frenzy

OpenAI surprises everyone with a mini keyboard for developers

Without warning, OpenAI took advantage of the lull of July 2026 to unveil a mini keyboard. Named Codex Micro, the accessory makes it possible to physically control the Codex assistant’s coding agents. It is therefore aimed primarily at developers, rather than the general public. Sam Altman’s startup presents Codex Micro as a “control center for agentic work”, designed to take over the management of AI agents via a smartphone or computer. The accessory was designed in collaboration with Work Louder, a small American company specializing in the manufacture of mechanical keyboards for developers and creatives. The keyboard is also very similar to the brand’s Creator Micro 2 model.

The device looks like a small control pad equipped with 12 to 13 mechanical keys, a joystick and a rotary dial. The latter makes it possible to adjust the “reasoning” level, meaning the computing power and the time a Codex agent spends on a task.

Meet kbd-1.0-codex-micro, built with @work_louder.

Map the buttons and joystick to your workflow, and keep your pinned chats in view.

Get yours before stock returns 410. pic.twitter.com/MGQQ1ISW0l

— OpenAI Developers (@OpenAIDevs) July 15, 2026

The keyboard also features illuminated keys called Agent Keys. They display the real-time status of running coding agents. Each key lights up based on the “ real-time status of Codex, allowing you to see at a glance what is thinking, running, waiting, or complete — without even switching conversations”.

The accessory also features a series of customizable keys that serve as shortcuts for Codex’s main commands. When interviewed by TechCrunch, OpenAI clarified that Codex Micro is a limited edition and is not intended for mass sale worldwide, unlike the mysterious device designed with Jony Ive. Codex Micro is sold for $230.

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