OpenAI Smartphone with Custom Chipset in Development: Could Launch in 2028, According to Ming-Chi Kuo

OpenAI is reportedly designing a dedicated smartphone that aims to deliver full agentic AI on mobile hardware. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo states that the phone is planned for mass production in 2028. Everyday processing should run directly on the device, while heavier jobs will rely on cloud computing to handle more complex requests.

Kuo’s report adds that OpenAI intends to integrate some of its paid AI services with the future handset. That bundling could link hardware and subscriptions in a single product, instead of relying on separate app sign-ups. The phone is also expected to anchor a broader strategy for hardware centred on OpenAI’s software.

OpenAI smartphone agentic AI interface and task stream

Rather than using a traditional grid of apps, Kuo says OpenAI is testing an interface organised around a "task stream". This layout would present tasks and their progress directly on the main screen in a consistent style. The approach suggests users could speak or type goals, then track responses within one flowing feed.

The concept, shown in an OpenAI smartphone UI concept design credited to Ming-Chi Kuo, underlines this focus on context and continuity. Kuo writes that the OpenAI smartphone would "need to continuously understand the user's context," hinting at near constant sensing by the chipset. That design points towards always-on AI that reacts to location, activity, and past requests.

OpenAI smartphone agentic AI ecosystem, chipset and manufacturing

The report claims OpenAI plans an agentic AI ecosystem around the phone, supported by outside developers. Third-party creators are expected to build tools and services that plug into the task stream interface. That ecosystem could help the device handle varied roles, from planning travel to managing media, through a single, AI-led environment.

On the hardware side, OpenAI is said to be working with both MediaTek and Qualcomm on a custom chipset. This chip would split work between on-device processing and cloud servers, matching the agentic AI design. Luxshare is identified in the report as the exclusive co-design and manufacturing partner for the smartphone’s production.

Previous rumours also frame the smartphone within larger ambitions from Sam Altman and Jony Ive. OpenAI bought Jony Ive's "io" startup in 2023, and at that time Sam Altman and Ive spoke of "building a family of devices,". Reports since then have mentioned an AI Pen, AI earbuds, and, more recently, a smart speaker device.

The different roles of companies mentioned by Kuo are summarised below.

If Kuo’s timeline holds, OpenAI’s smartphone reaches factories in 2028 with an agentic AI core, custom silicon, and Luxshare as the main hardware partner. The reported move away from apps toward a task stream interface, combined with bundled AI subscriptions and earlier plans for a ''family of devices'', suggests OpenAI is treating this phone as one element in a wider hardware push.