OpenAI to launch AI-centric smartphone in 2028, in talks with Qualcomm, MediaTek for mobile chipset

It's been almost a year since OpenAI acquired Apple veteran Jony Ive's io Products, Inc.

CEO Sam Altman back then revealed that the company would introduce a generative Artificial Intelligence (gen AI)-centric wearable device.

In late 2025, reports emerged that the company faced technical hurdles with designing the device codenamed Dime, and the launch may be pushed to late 2026 or early 2027.

Now, it has come to light that OpenAI is laying ground work to enter the lucrative, but highly competitive, smartphone market.

Japanese market analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, known for his accurate predictions of Apple products long before official launch, has revealed that Altman's company is in close talks with Qualcomm and MediaTek to source chipsets for its smartphone.

Luxshare, which is already working on OpenAI's smart wearable, will be designing and producing its smartphones.

Like Apple, which has maximum control over the hardware and software of its products, OpenAI also wants similar control over its device to be able to deliver a good user experience.

Also, it is unlikely to use Google's Android. But, introduce its own propreitary AI-centric operating system. Users will be interacting with the voice rather than tapping on the mobile's screen.

It will need a powerful processor to perform most of the AI tasks on-device. And for complex tasks, it is expected to seamlessly connect with a cloud server and respond faster than most devices in the market.

If things go as planned, OpenAI is expected to finalise the device's specification and supply partners for components by the end of 2026 or the first quarter of 2027. And, immediately start work on a prototype. It may probably start mass production in 2028, and possibly launch later in the same year.

OpenAI's ChatGPT service has gained a significant user base, almost touching a billion active users. It will definitely find traction when it launches a smartphone and probably bring competition to the industry, which, in the last several years, has witnessed more of incremental upgrades and far less innovation in any aspect.

Besides the AI smart wearable, OpenAI is also working on smart speaker with a camera. It is expected to make its debut in 2027.

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