OpenAI reportedly building AI phone

OpenAI is reportedly developing an AI-first smartphone with Qualcomm, MediaTek and Luxshare, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. (cnbc.com) (macrumors.com) Kuo said Qualcomm and MediaTek would co-develop the phone’s processors, and Luxshare would serve as the exclusive co-design and manufacturing partner. He said mass production is scheduled for 2028. (cnbc.com) (9to5google.com) The reported design centers on AI agents, software that carries out tasks for users, instead of relying mainly on traditional app-by-app tapping. TechCrunch said Kuo’s note described a phone where agents could complete tasks across services. (techcrunch.com) (gadgets360.com) That approach fits how current AI phones are being built: small models run on the device for speed and privacy, while larger jobs are sent to cloud servers for heavier processing. Reports on Monday framed OpenAI’s plan around that hybrid setup, not a fully on-device system. (digitaltrends.com) (macrumors.com) The report also lands less than a year after OpenAI folded Jony Ive’s io team into the company. OpenAI said on May 21, 2025 that io had merged with OpenAI and that Ive and LoveFrom had taken on deep design and creative responsibilities. (openai.com) (cnbc.com) That history matters because Ive is the former Apple design chief most closely associated with the iPhone’s industrial design. Monday’s report is the clearest claim yet that OpenAI’s hardware work could extend from companion devices to a full smartphone. (openai.com) (techcrunch.com) Investors treated the report as meaningful for suppliers. Qualcomm shares jumped as much as 13% in premarket trading, and were still up about 7% just after the opening bell, according to CNBC. (cnbc.com) (money.usnews.com) OpenAI has not publicly announced a phone, and the Monday story rests on Kuo’s supply-chain reporting rather than a company product launch. For now, the clearest date attached to the project is 2028. (macrumors.com) (techcrunch.com)