Here’s What We Know About OpenAI’s Purported Smartphone.
There are many apps and services that use generative AI, but if you ask most people what “AI” means to them, they’ll likely answer “ChatGPT.” At the time of writing, the chatbot remains the most downloaded free app in both the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store, ahead of competitors like Claude, Gemini, and Meta AI. But it’s one thing to download a free AI app, and quite another to buy a phone built on that AI.
What would a phone running ChatGPT look like?
On Monday, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo made headlines by reporting that OpenAI may be working on its own smartphone. As part of this process, Kuo said, OpenAI may collaborate with MediaTek, Qualcomm, and Luxshare—major players in various smartphone manufacturing fields. MediaTek and Qualcomm will be responsible for manufacturing the chip for OpenAI’s smartphone, while Luxshare may assist in the design and development of the smartphone itself.
The report suggests that OpenAI could offer a different approach to the smartphone concept with this product. Unlike the iPhone and Android, which primarily rely on separate apps, the OpenAI phone could rely on AI to perform similar tasks. Agent-based AI is currently very popular, so it’s logical to assume that OpenAI’s goal would be to have its AI perform tasks and functions on the user’s behalf. Instead of a notes app, perhaps you could ask the AI to dictate and store your thoughts until you need them again; perhaps the Phone app would be replaced by AI that could connect you with someone you want to talk to; even a traditional web browser could look like ChatGPT, retrieving websites and information that interest you.
Replacing apps with agent-based AI will require massive computing power. Kuo believes OpenAI’s plan is to develop two different types of models: one running on the device, possibly to handle simpler requests, and another running in the cloud, possibly to handle more complex tasks and functions. These models could work together, constantly monitoring the user and understanding the context of their actions when submitting new requests.
When will OpenAI release its own phone?
According to Kuo, these are still preliminary discussions. OpenAI may finalize plans with these companies only by the end of this year or by the first quarter of 2027. Therefore, mass production of ChatGPT-enabled phones may not begin until 2028. This doesn’t mean OpenAI will wait two years to introduce any products. The company previously stated that it would announce a device in the second half of this year, possibly a product being developed for OpenAI by former Apple designer Jony Ive . Rumors suggest it could be headphones, which will, of course, work with ChatGPT.
While OpenAI has openly stated its plans to develop real devices in collaboration with its AI services, Kuo’s report is the first tangible evidence that the company is working on a competitor to the iPhone and Android. From OpenAI’s perspective, this may be logical: currently, the vast majority of ChatGPT users run these apps on their smartphones, so why not disrupt this market with a phone developed by the creators of ChatGPT? It also seems to indicate that, despite the push for smart glasses and discreet wearables, OpenAI still considers the smartphone to be the primary device for the foreseeable future.
However, as I see it, the problem is that smartphones have become the defining factor thanks to their modern systems and design. People love their iPhones and Androids not only because they can run ChatGPT, but also because they can run all the other apps they use every day. They don’t buy a phone because of ChatGPT: they install ChatGPT on a device they already use. You won’t be able to convince someone who relies on iMessage, FaceTime, and Apple Maps to switch to a ChatGPT-enabled phone, just as you won’t be able to lure away a customer who uses Google Messages, Google Meet, or Google Maps—not to mention all the other apps and games they might use every day.
I don’t think we’ll be using iPhones and Androids forever: something will inevitably disrupt the status quo and convince people to switch to something new and promising. I seriously doubt that something like the “ChatGPT phone” will be that something.
Note: In April 2025, Lifehacker’s parent company, Ziff Davis, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that the company infringed Ziff Davis’s copyright in the training and operation of its artificial intelligence systems.