The first ChatGPT smartphone would arrive faster than expected, with a custom chip.

OpenAI doesn't want to be content with just being a software provider. According to Taiwanese analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who is already well accustomed to leaks regarding American manufacturers, the company is accelerating the development of a smartphone centered on AI agents. Mass production, initially planned for 2028, would now be targeted for the first half of 2027. Two factors would explain this acceleration: increasing competition in the AI phone segment and the prospect of OpenAI's IPO by the end of 2026.

A MediaTek processor tailored for embedded AI

The device would rely on a customized Dimensity 9600, the next high-end chip from MediaTek. It would be manufactured by TSMC using N2P, the Taiwanese foundry's second-generation 2nm process. The standard Dimensity 9600 does not yet exist; it is expected in the second half of 2026. OpenAI would obtain a version tailored to its needs.

Kuo details an architecture designed for continuous AI processing. The SoC would include two dedicated NPU operating in parallel, LPDDR6, and UFS 5.0 storage. The ISP (image processor) would feature an enhanced HDR pipeline, designed for « real-world visual perception ». In short, the phone should be able to analyze its environment continuously, not just take great photos.

In terms of security, the device would integrate pKVM (kernel-level protected virtual machine). MediaTek would be the sole supplier of the SoC, which excludes Qualcomm from the equation. If the timeline holds, Kuo estimates cumulative sales of 30 million units in 2027 and 2028. A bold figure for a first device.

Not the same device as Jony Ive's gadget

This smartphone should not be confused with the project led by Jony Ive within OpenAI. The former chief designer of Apple joined the company in May 2025, when OpenAI acquired his studio io Products for $6.4 billion. His first prototypes were unveiled in November 2025. The device, without a screen, relies on voice and "ambient intelligence." It should be unveiled by late 2026, manufactured by Foxconn.

Kuo's smartphone is something else. A phone with a screen, a high-end processor, and a mass market ambition. OpenAI would therefore develop a complete range of physical products, from a discreet vocal companion to a full-fledged smartphone. Sam Altman had indeed mentioned a "family of devices" during the presentation of Ive's prototypes.

The field is littered with corpses. The Humane AI Pin, launched in April 2024 for $699 (plus $24 per month), was a resounding failure. HP acquired the remaining assets of the company for $116 million in February 2025, less than a year after the product's release. The Rabbit R1 met a similar fate. The question is no longer whether a dedicated AI device can exist, but whether OpenAI will succeed where all others have failed.

We should note that these information comes from a single analyst and that OpenAI has not confirmed anything. But if Kuo is right, the company that popularized ChatGPT would transition from software to hardware in less than two years. With the ambition to compete with smartphone manufacturers on their own ground.

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Source: Ming-Chi Kuo