OpenAI's first smartphone is coming in 2027 — and it wants to kill the app
OpenAI is building its own smartphone, and it's moving faster than anyone expected. According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, mass production has been accelerated from 2028 to the first half of 2027 — a significant pull-forward that suggests supply-chain partners are already locked in. The company is projecting 30 million units sold across 2027 and 2028, a target that frames this not as an experiment but as a serious hardware push.
The chip inside
The phone will run a customized version of the MediaTek Dimensity 9600, built on TSMC's N2P process node — a 2-nanometer-class fabrication that puts it among the most advanced chips scheduled for 2027 devices. OpenAI didn't pick an off-the-shelf part: the SoC features a strengthened image signal processor and two neural processing units (NPUs), one handling tasks locally and one managing heavier workloads sent to OpenAI's servers. Qualcomm is also involved in co-developing the processor architecture, an unusual dual-vendor arrangement that TechCrunch (27 Apr) says signals each company brings something the other can't. Fast LPDDR6 memory and UFS 5.0 storage round out a spec sheet that should hold up well through the device's intended lifespan. Luxshare is the exclusive manufacturing partner.
Apps out, agents in
The bigger claim is what the phone is supposed to do. OpenAI isn't designing an Android competitor with a ChatGPT shortcut baked in. The device is built around AI agents — software that handles tasks on your behalf rather than launching apps for you to navigate manually. The camera and microphone feed the system real-time context about what you're doing and where you are, with simpler processing kept on-device for speed and privacy. Qualcomm's stock jumped roughly 7% on the partnership news alone, per CNBC (27 Apr), which suggests Wall Street finds the "apps are dead" thesis at least plausible.
What's still unknown
No price has been confirmed. No launch markets have been announced, and it's unclear whether the US gets priority access or whether the device rolls out simultaneously elsewhere. OpenAI hasn't made an official statement — everything so far flows from Kuo's supply-chain reporting. Specs are expected to be finalized by late 2026 or early 2027. Sam Altman has publicly confirmed a hardware announcement for the second half of 2026, but has stopped short of calling it a phone. If the timeline holds, this could be the most consequential smartphone launch since the original iPhone — or an ambitious plan that slips. Either way, Apple and Google have about a year to decide how seriously to take it.