Everything We Know About OpenAI's Planned iPhone Rival

[jz0309]

I am surprised that is has taken this long for someone trying to build an AI agent that sits on top of all the apps (or replaces all the apps). To me, it seems almost archaic that we have to use different apps for different tasks.

A watch would be better but I guess some people like a big screen, for games and photos and such.

so an "AI agent" accessing/managing my financial and health apps? Sure, be my guest and guinea pig ...

 

[Happy_John]

and all the data it collects gets sent to OpenAI - who then sells it to whoever they want.
Nightmare.
Who in their right mind would want to even get near this device?

People who are under the illusion that AI models are their friends. And people who like buying everything that’s “new and shiny”.

 

[chelsel]

This is just a wealth transfer tactic. With a bonus of maybe making money if it takes off, as unlikely as that is.

 

[CrapShack]

THIS is the stupidest business decision since Pied Piper pivoted to The Box.

 

[reyesmac]

Anyone who gets the highly subsidized early models will get a good deal. But just like all other American based AI, it will be a bait and switch that will have you spending more and more over time for what you had when you started. People should know this by now. Not only that but because all your data will be on servers, it will be used against you at some point for any number of reasons not exclusive to marketing ads to you.

 

[elrondominium]

I too will be launching my iPhone competitor next year, because if there is one thing that is getting easier, it's the international electronics supply chain.

 

[CapitalIdea]

It's a concept that doesn't take into account what people really uses their phones for, Gaming, "doom scrolling" on Tiktok, facebook and instagram, this is DOA

But why doom scroll when Sam Altman‘s company can just tell you what you could’ve been seeing? 😳

It’ll be the tech equivalent of when someone’s driving through a suburb with their grandfather and he’s telling them once again about all the old orchards that used to be there.

 

[tyrnnsrs]

I presume they're going to be doing all of this with Android as the OS?

 

[txscott]

Yes, you DO lack vision.

Think of how a really rich person, like even Tim Cook, works. Do you really think he uses apps on a phone to get things done? No way. He tells his assistants what to do and they do it. He asks them to read his emails and tell him if there is anything important and so on. Then, he asks them toset up a meeting with XX and YY sometime next week. Same with anyone who is very productive, they do not waste their time dinking with their phone.



Phones are for "poor people" who can't afford to hire a dozen assistants to follow us around.



So what OpenAI is making is an assistant. You can ask your phone to tell you if anything is important in the pile of emails or maybe you need new shoes. Just tell it, I need shoes, find some and have them here Tuesday. But a smarter assistant would notice you need shoes and just get them for you. A truly smart phone would tell you as you are walking out the door "Hey dummy, your car keys are on the table in the living room." You would not have to ask.



Shopping list app? How primitive. The AI should just notice that someone ate the last banana.



Everyone who says "I don't want AI” thinks that AI is just a stupid chatbot. No, that was only the simplest thing they could make with the technology. The better AI just hangs out in the background and points out things you need to know or takes suggestions and goes off and does stuff for you. It knows what you would want and it knows when it needs to ask you for a decision. It is like those super smart guys that work for the billionaire; they keep out of the way and try not to be seen but are ready to help on two seconds’ notice.

Yeah I hear that, and I'd be down for it. However, the assistants to Tim Cook have NDA's and act in confidence or they are fired and sued. Could I count on this phone assistant to do the same? Would they act in a strictly confidential manner? Where would all the data be held and what access would OpenAi have to it?

I am waiting for easy to use models with sufficient power to do useful things that run exclusively on my local devices. Even then I'd only trust them as far as I could throw them.

 

[McScooby]

Obviously, counter to any work Jony has done before, it'll have the fattest data pipe in a phone ever, where in settings you have to check boxes to turn sniffing off as opposed to on - Version 1 special feature, you can't turn anything off.

 

[brewcitywi]

I agree that it will probably bomb. However, I get a little concerned about AI coming the operating system, if that makes sense. For instance, constant updates, adapting to how each person uses their device. Technically, I have no idea what I'm talking about.

 

[macshmack]

I don't think I could 'capture' my 'full real-time state and context' myself on a good day, so this sounds promising. and if it can also filter, augment, airbrush and loop my context, I'll take two.

 

[AppleTO]

So is it just another Android phone or are they developing a new OS? If it's an Android phone then they are really just competing with other Android phones.

 

[Win$ton l]

Nope. No. Just no.

And Apple fan say no to another phone? SHOCKING

 

[hovscorpion12]

If it's anything like the Ferrari Luche, this will be the second Johnny Ive failure. Sorry.

 

[wilhoitm]

It is almost as if OpenAI is saying our AI is not as good as Anthropic's Claude so we are not going to make enough money with ChatGPT and so we need to sell you our own smartphone.

 

[pol0001]

They are forgetting why Windows Phone failed: not enough apps. … Yes I might be able to hand off a lot to a virtual agent. But I still need WhatsApp, the MS Authenticator app for work, my banking app to generate security codes, and so on. … Without some critical apps, this thing would be just a fancy “novelty toy” to play around with before I return to my real phone.

 

[Win$ton l]

Wow you sound

No. He wasn’t fine before Doge.

That Musk is a spoilt, overgrown man baby has nothing to do with US politics, he was considered a joke of a human being long before then. His using his own child as cannon fodder to get internet “likes” was the tipping point for most people (I.e. those who have more going on in their lives than just “shout at the other dude of the aisle”).

Good wig right cięta though.

just make a spoiled overgrown man yourself. Crying like a baby on a forum ha ha

 

[applebro]

Reminds me of when Apple was looking to make their own car (which they couldn't have manufactured in China hahahaha) they were smart enough to realize it's too large of a leap but not smart enough to partner with an OEM. This is the same mistake but regarding a phone instead of a car. And to me, this is a sign that the exponential/linear growth they've been seeing is not sustainable and is probably asymptotic.

 

[ChamomileTea]

OpenAI is developing a smartphone intended to compete directly with the iPhone, in what appears to be a significant departure from the company's previously stated hardware strategy. Here's everything we know so far.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo published his findings in late April following supply chain checks, describing the device as an "AI agent phone" built around a continuous, context-aware interface rather than individual apps. Kuo argued that the smartphone is the only device that captures a user's full real-time state, including location, activity, communication, and context, making it uniquely suited to AI agent inference.

He said fully controlling both the operating system and the hardware is the only way for OpenAI to deliver a comprehensive AI agent service, and that AI agents will fundamentally shift how people interact with a phone, moving the focus from launching individual apps to completing tasks through a seamless interface.

Specifications

OpenAI's phone is said to use a customized version of MediaTek's Dimensity 9600 processor, built on TSMC's N2P node in the second half of 2026. Kuo initially named both MediaTek and Qualcomm as chip partners but has since said MediaTek appears "better positioned to become the sole processor supplier."

Luxshare Precision Industry is believed to be the exclusive manufacturing partner. Separately, Kuo reported that Sunny Optical has secured component orders for two OpenAI devices, including the smartphone. This is likely for the camera module.

The device's headline known hardware specification today is its image signal processor, which includes an enhanced HDR pipeline intended to improve real-world sensing through the camera. It is also said to use two AI processors for handling different tasks simultaneously, such as vision and language processing, along with fast memory and storage and security features to isolate processes.

What About Jony Ive's Devices?

The phone represents a notable reversal in OpenAI's publicly stated strategy. The company's hardware ambitions had previously been described as centered on non-phone form factors developed with former Apple design chief Jony Ive, whose startup io Products OpenAI acquired for $6.5 billion in May 2025. Ive and CEO Sam Altman had specifically said they did not want to build a device with a screen, with Altman describing a prototype to employees as "the coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen."

The first product from that collaboration was delayed out of 2026 and has since been identified as a smart speaker with an integrated camera, priced between $200 and $300 and expected to launch in early 2027. Other devices reportedly in development include smart glasses, a smart lamp, and potentially earbuds, though those products are further out on the roadmap and some could be cancelled.

OpenAI has also been aggressively recruiting from Apple's hardware ranks, hiring over 40 former Apple employees. The hires include former Apple designers Evans Hankey, Tang Tan, and Scott Cannon, prompting Apple to offer its iPhone Product Design team retention bonuses of up to $400,000 in restricted stock units to counter the poaching.

Timeline

Mass production of OpenAI's smartphone was originally believed to be targeted for 2028, but Kuo has since revised that expectation to the first half of 2027. The accelerated timeline is said to reflect OpenAI's planned IPO, where a compelling hardware product could strengthen the company's investor narrative, as well as intensifying competition in the AI agent phone category. Kuo projects combined 2027 and 2028 shipments could reach around 30 million units if development stays on track.

What Does It Mean for Apple?

If the broader hardware lineup ships, OpenAI will be a direct competitor to Apple across several product categories. Apple is rumored to be developing smart glasses, AirPods with cameras, an AI pendant, and a smart home hub with enhanced Siri capabilities. On the day Kuo published his initial report, Altman posted on X that it "feels like a good time to seriously rethink how operating systems and user interfaces are designed."

Article Link: Everything We Know About OpenAI's Planned iPhone Rival

Couldn't care less.

The market already has phones for all tastes and wallets from Apple and Android.

What a pain a phone that doesn't have Apple and Google stuff. This is the result of more than a decade of not only code, but everything else, like Maps or a music streaming service...

 

[Ad47uk]

Android has it's positives, I think the theming and ICON changing aspect is great.

Yes price. That is the only reason I stayed with Android when I got my new phone last year. i refuse to spend more than £150 for a phone.

 

[Happy_John]

Wow you sound

just make a spoiled overgrown man yourself. Crying like a baby on a forum ha ha

Crying? No. What gives you that idea?

It’s possible to have a discussion without reverting to “no, YOU are” childishness.

 

[macshmack]

The market already has phones for all tastes and wallets from Apple and Android.

you can even join the waiting list to 'have your life back' with a boring phone, reportedly a time and attention control device, yours 'for a similar price to the iPhone SE' - 'The background can be changed to remove the BoringPhone logo!'

 

[TracerAnalog]

Completely insane idea.

I love innovation and all, but I don't see this paradigm change happening. For starters: will it run my bank's finance app? My investment portfolio app? Without seeing and absorbing all the data that's in those apps? Privacy nightmare.

 

[teaneedz]

Yes, you DO lack vision.

Think of how a really rich person, like even Tim Cook, works. Do you really think he uses apps on a phone to get things done? No way. He tells his assistants what to do and they do it. He asks them to read his emails and tell him if there is anything important and so on. Then, he asks them toset up a meeting with XX and YY sometime next week. Same with anyone who is very productive, they do not waste their time dinking with their phone.



Phones are for "poor people" who can't afford to hire a dozen assistants to follow us around.



So what OpenAI is making is an assistant. You can ask your phone to tell you if anything is important in the pile of emails or maybe you need new shoes. Just tell it, I need shoes, find some and have them here Tuesday. But a smarter assistant would notice you need shoes and just get them for you. A truly smart phone would tell you as you are walking out the door "Hey dummy, your car keys are on the table in the living room." You would not have to ask.



Shopping list app? How primitive. The AI should just notice that someone ate the last banana.



Everyone who says "I don't want AI” thinks that AI is just a stupid chatbot. No, that was only the simplest thing they could make with the technology. The better AI just hangs out in the background and points out things you need to know or takes suggestions and goes off and does stuff for you. It knows what you would want and it knows when it needs to ask you for a decision. It is like those super smart guys that work for the billionaire; they keep out of the way and try not to be seen but are ready to help on two seconds’ notice.

that's interesting scifi but far from the reality. sounds like AI marketing, but for anyone in the ditches, we see the benefits AI can bring but clearly see the dangers and unreliability of AI. an openAI phone will be a flop that extends beyond a scifi vision. when tires meet pavement, lets see how well an AI phone corners or just makes up a nonexistent road, schedule, contact, product, ect. trust it with your wallet? have fun with that.