OpenAI is making a phone that replaces apps with AI agents
In collaboration with MediaTek and Qualcomm, OpenAI is trying to revolutionize the smartphone industry by building a new smartphone with an AI agent ecosystem. Mass production is expected to start in 2028.
Image by Kim Kyung-Hoon | Reuters
In collaboration with MediaTek and Qualcomm, OpenAI is trying to revolutionize the smartphone industry by building a new smartphone with an AI agent ecosystem. Mass production is expected to start in 2028.
At least, that’s what Ming-Chi Kuo, tech influencer and social media personality, claims.
According to the market analyst, OpenAI has set its mind to deliver a comprehensive AI agent service to its users. This can only be done by fully controlling both the operating system and hardware.
In addition, smartphones are the most important devices for delivering real-time input for an AI agent with real-time results. And lastly, smartphones will remain the largest-scale device category for the foreseeable future.
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Instead of rows and columns of app icons, the interface would consist of the work of an AI agent. To optimize its performance and results, the AI agent would work both locally and in the cloud. Using an AI agent instead of apps would drastically change how we use our smartphones.
“OpenAI’s advantages lie in its consumer brand, years of accumulated user data, and leading AI models. Smartphone hardware is already highly mature, so OpenAI can work with the supply chain to develop the device. On the business model side, OpenAI may bundle subscriptions with hardware and build a new AI agent ecosystem with developers,” Kuo says.
The analyst argues that MediaTek and Qualcomm, as co-development partners, could benefit from long-term replacement demand. He claims that specifications and suppliers are expected to be finalized by late 2026 or in the first quarter of 2027.
A smartphone isn’t the only hardware OpenAI is working on. The tech company has teamed up with former Apple lead designer Jony Ive to develop a series of hardware devices.
“Our intent with this collaboration was, and is, to create products that go beyond traditional products and interfaces,” CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman said in a statement in 2025.
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