OpenAI AI Smartphone Could Enter Production in 2027 With MediaTek Chip

OpenAI’s first OpenAI AI smartphone may enter mass production in the first half of 2027, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, marking a move forward from earlier expectations that pointed to a 2028 timeline. The report suggests the company is preparing a custom hardware push built around AI-first features, a possible MediaTek-based chip and a rollout of roughly 30 million units across 2027 and 2028.

What is happening with the OpenAI AI smartphone right now?

The latest leak points to a faster schedule for OpenAI’s first phone project than many in the industry had been expecting. Kuo said mass production may begin in H1 2027, which would pull the OpenAI phone launch forward by about a year compared with the earlier 2028 outlook.

That matters because smartphone development cycles are long, especially for a new product category. Moving production up would suggest OpenAI’s hardware strategy is becoming more concrete, with manufacturing, chipset work and supply chain planning apparently moving in parallel. The report also frames the device as a limited rollout rather than an immediate global blockbuster, even if shipment estimates are significant.

According to the input, the OpenAI AI smartphone is expected to be made by Luxshare. The same report says the company could ship around 30 million units across 2027 and 2028. That would still be far smaller than the biggest annual volumes seen from Apple or Samsung, but it would be a notable start for a brand entering consumer hardware from outside the traditional phone market.

What does the latest leak reveal about OpenAI’s hardware plans?

The most interesting part of the report is the possible chip change. Rather than a Qualcomm platform, the device is now believed to use a custom MediaTek chip, with the MediaTek Dimensity 9600 architecture mentioned in the leak. The chip is said to be built on TSMC’s N2P process, which would place it among next-generation chipset designs aimed at better power efficiency and performance.

For an AI-first smartphone, the processor matters as much as the industrial design. The report suggests OpenAI wants hardware built around on-device AI rather than a conventional app-centric phone. That would make the device closer to a dedicated AI interface than a standard flagship with a few assistant features added on top.

• Manufacturing timeline: H1 2027 mass production, according to the report
• Expected ship volume: about 30 million units across 2027 and 2028
• Manufacturing partner: Luxshare, expected
• Chipset: custom MediaTek chip, possibly based on Dimensity 9600
• Process node: TSMC N2P

What are the expected specifications of the OpenAI AI smartphone?

The leak lists several OpenAI smartphone specs that lean heavily toward AI performance. The device is expected to include a dual NPU architecture, which would allow more than one neural processing unit to handle parallel AI workloads. That points to stronger support for on-device AI tasks, including context processing and real-time inference.

Other reported hardware details include LPDDR6 RAM, UFS 5.0 storage and an advanced ISP with an HDR pipeline. Security is also part of the pitch, with pKVM and inline hashing mentioned in the report. Taken together, the component list suggests the product is being built around AI hardware integration rather than just camera or display upgrades.

• Dual NPU architecture
• LPDDR6 RAM
• UFS 5.0 storage
• Advanced ISP with HDR pipeline
• Security features: pKVM and inline hashing

That hardware mix fits a broader AI hardware trend in the smartphone industry, where vendors are trying to move more tasks onto the device itself. For OpenAI, the challenge will be turning that into a clear consumer product instead of a technical showcase.

How is OpenAI positioning this AI smartphone and what remains unclear?

The report suggests OpenAI is aiming for an AI-first smartphone, meaning AI would be the main interface rather than one feature among many. That is a different model from today’s phones, where assistants and generative tools are usually layered onto an existing app ecosystem.

What remains unclear is just as important. There is no confirmed pricing, no launch markets and no official product details from OpenAI. The shipment estimate also suggests a controlled rollout, not a full-scale mass-market expansion in year one. It is still not clear how OpenAI plans to compete with the AI strategies already being pushed by Apple and Samsung.

Separate reports also point to broader OpenAI hardware strategy work beyond the phone. One of those projects is said to involve a screenless AI device being developed with Jony Ive. If accurate, that would place OpenAI in more than one category at once: a smartphone, and a separate ambient computing device built around voice and context rather than a display.

For now, the update is best read as a signal that OpenAI’s consumer hardware plans may be moving faster than expected. Whether the OpenAI AI smartphone reaches the market in 2027 will depend on how quickly those reported chip, manufacturing and ecosystem plans turn into a finished product.