Analysts Ming‑Chi Kuo revealed that OpenAI is accelerating development of its first AI‑agent smartphone, aiming for mass production in the first half of 2027. The move positions the startup directly against Apple’s iPhone as it prepares for a potential year‑end IPO. If the schedule holds, a public debut could arrive in the fall of that year.

MediaTek appears set to supply the sole processor, a custom‑tuned Dimensity 9600 built on TSMC’s N2P node slated for second‑half‑2026 release. The handset will feature an enhanced HDR pipeline for real‑world visual sensing, dual‑NPU architecture for heterogeneous AI compute, LPDDR6 memory paired with UFS 5.0 storage, and security layers like pKVM and inline hashing. Analysts estimate combined 2027‑28 shipments could top 30 million units.

CEO Sam Altman recently urged a rethink of operating systems and user interfaces, hinting that the phone could reshape how people interact with AI. Veteran designer Jony Ive, who has been consulting on OpenAI’s hardware suite, is reportedly steering the device toward mitigating the societal harms linked to smartphones. Should the timeline hold, consumers will have an AI‑first phone option by late 2027.