OpenAI is the clearest AI company linked to a potential new smartphone, but it has not announced one. An April 2026 report attributed to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said OpenAI was working toward an AI-first phone with Qualcomm, MediaTek and Luxshare. The reported timeline points to possible mass production in 2028, not a confirmed release date. Nothing has described a future AI-led phone interface, but its CEO’s comments do not amount to a handset announcement.
Is OpenAI making a phone?
That is what analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reportedly expects, but the available reporting does not establish an official OpenAI product announcement. Reuters and TechCrunch covered Kuo’s April 27, 2026 report; both noted the lack of confirmation from the companies involved. Reuters reported that OpenAI, Qualcomm and MediaTek were working on a smartphone processor, with Luxshare as the prospective design and manufacturing partner. Treat those roles as reported plans, not settled supplier agreements or verified product specifications. Reuters’ report, republished by Investing.com and TechCrunch’s coverage both attribute the story to Kuo.
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The reports describe a device intended to put AI at the center of the phone experience. They do not establish its operating system, hardware design, price, supported countries, retail date, or whether the project will ship. Those unknowns matter more than the “AI phone” label: they determine whether a device could offer a meaningfully different experience from phones that already include AI features.
What the reported timeline means
Reuters said mass production was likely in 2028, according to Kuo. TechCrunch reported that specifications and suppliers were expected to be finalized by the end of 2026 or the first quarter of 2027. These are forecasts relayed through reporting about an analyst note—not launch commitments from OpenAI or its prospective partners. A forecast for mass production is also not the same as a retail launch date.
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Why the report needs careful attribution
Earlier reporting described OpenAI’s planned hardware as a device that would not be a smartphone; Sam Altman had also discussed a “third core device” alongside phones and laptops. The April 2026 phone report therefore marks a change from the prior device narrative, rather than confirmation of a previously announced phone. Reuters’ coverage of the earlier device reports and MacRumors’ account of the reported shift provide that context.
Which other AI firms have announced rival phones?
Nothing has described a vision, not a launch
Nothing co-founder and CEO Carl Pei has discussed a future phone interface in which AI agents act on a person’s intentions, reducing the need to navigate app by app. In a March 2026 interview, Pei said, “In terms of AI in software, I think people should understand that apps are going to disappear.” He also cautioned that apps are not going away in the near term. His comments describe a long-term software direction; they do not announce a named phone, commercial plan or launch date. TechCrunch’s interview coverage includes both the quote and its qualification.
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Beyond these reports and statements, the evidence here does not establish other AI firms with confirmed plans to launch competing smartphones. A company’s interest in AI interfaces or hardware is not, by itself, evidence that it is preparing a retail phone.
How a future AI phone would compare with Apple and Samsung
Apple and Samsung are established competitors, not new AI-company entrants. Reuters reported in 2026 that the two together commanded about 40% of the global smartphone market. That is Reuters’ reported figure for that year, not a newly verified market-share measurement. Reuters’ report gives the market context alongside the OpenAI story.
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Samsung’s Galaxy S25 is a concrete example of an existing phone with AI capabilities. The Associated Press reported that it supported cross-app AI functions and identified Google AI as an important part of its software. That makes the S25 a useful product-context comparison, but not evidence of an AI startup launching a rival. AP’s January 2025 launch coverage listed U.S. starting prices of $800 for the standard Galaxy S25, $1,000 for the Plus and $1,300 for the Ultra at that time; those are historical launch prices, not current prices. Read AP’s Galaxy S25 report.
| Comparison | Potential OpenAI phone | Samsung Galaxy S25 |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Analyst-reported prospective project; no company-confirmed phone announcement in the cited reports. | Existing phone lineup covered at launch by AP in January 2025. |
| AI approach | Reported as AI-first, but the cited coverage does not establish final features or how AI would run. | AP reported cross-app AI functions, with Google AI playing an important software role. |
| Timing | Possible 2028 mass production, according to Kuo as reported by Reuters; retail timing is not established. | Announced in January 2025; the cited AP report is historical launch coverage. |
| Price and regions | Not stated in the cited OpenAI reporting. | U.S. launch starting prices in January 2025 were $800, $1,000 and $1,300 for the standard, Plus and Ultra models, respectively, according to AP; current pricing is not established by that report. |
The meaningful distinction will not simply be whether a phone includes an AI assistant. A new entrant would need to show what it can do across apps, what system access it has, how it protects user data, and whether its approach works reliably in the countries where it is sold. None of those details is established for the potential OpenAI phone.
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What to watch for before treating the project as a real rival
- Company confirmation: A public announcement would resolve whether OpenAI intends to sell a phone, rather than merely explore a project.
- Product and launch details: Final specifications, a firm release schedule, supported countries and pricing would make the project assessable as a product.
- AI execution and privacy: Look for clear information about what runs on the device versus in the cloud, what permissions agents receive, and what controls users have over sensitive data.
- App compatibility: An agent-led interface still needs to work with the services people rely on. Nothing’s own comments acknowledge that apps are not disappearing in the near term.
- Hardware and software control: The reported Qualcomm, MediaTek and Luxshare roles suggest prospective supplier dependence, but do not establish who would control the phone’s operating system or final design.
Until those points are answered, the fairest comparison is between a reported ambition and shipping phones with AI features—not between two products with confirmed specifications and prices.
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