TechCrunch Industry analyst Ming‑Chi Kuo says OpenAI is planning a smartphone that would replace traditional apps with AI agents. The device, slated to use a custom chip co‑developed with MediaTek and Qualcomm and manufactured by Luxshare, could give the company unfettered access to user data and enable on‑device and cloud‑based AI models. Kuo expects component decisions by late 2026 or early 2027, with mass production targeted for 2028. The move aligns with OpenAI’s push to bring its ChatGPT platform, now approaching a billion weekly users, into everyday hardware. OpenAI has not commented.
Read more →