OpenAI’s anticipated move into consumer hardware is taking shape, with its first artificial intelligence-powered smart speaker reportedly expected to cost between $300 and $400 when it reaches the market.
The device, being developed as part of OpenAI’s hardware push with former Apple design chief Jony Ive, is expected to launch in 2027. It is reportedly being positioned as a portable, screen-free AI companion designed to bring ChatGPT-style interactions into a dedicated physical device.
According to reports, the smart speaker will have a doughnut-shaped design roughly the size of a hockey puck. It is expected to be battery-powered and portable enough for users to carry around the home, allowing it to be placed on surfaces such as kitchen counters and bedside tables.
The device is also expected to feature a premium metal construction, along with cameras, microphones, speakers, lights and other sensors. Moving components could form part of the design, allowing the device to physically respond during interactions and create a more dynamic experience.
Unlike conventional smart displays, OpenAI’s reported product will not include a screen. Instead, voice interaction is expected to form the primary interface, drawing on the conversational capabilities associated with ChatGPT.
The device is reportedly intended to understand more than spoken commands. Cameras and other sensors could provide contextual information about a user’s surroundings, allowing the AI system to respond based on what is happening around it.
OpenAI is also said to be focusing on personality as a key element of the product. The aim is reportedly to create an AI companion capable of more human-like interactions rather than positioning the hardware solely as another voice-controlled home assistant.
The reported $300 to $400 price range would place the device in the premium segment of the smart speaker market. It would also distinguish OpenAI’s offering from several mainstream smart home speakers that compete primarily on voice assistance, entertainment and connected-home functionality.
The hardware initiative follows OpenAI’s move to bring Jony Ive and his team deeper into its product development strategy. OpenAI completed its acquisition of io, the AI hardware company co-founded by Ive, in 2025 in a transaction valued at approximately $6.5 billion. Ive’s design collective LoveFrom has also been working with OpenAI on the design of new products.
The smart speaker is expected to be the first product from a broader hardware strategy. OpenAI executives have previously indicated that the company is working on a family of devices designed around its AI models, although details of those products have not been formally announced.
The move would bring OpenAI into more direct competition for consumer attention with technology companies that already operate voice assistants and smart-home ecosystems, including Amazon, Google and Apple.
However, several aspects of the product remain subject to change before launch. OpenAI has not formally announced the smart speaker, its final specifications, pricing or release date.
If the reported 2027 launch goes ahead, the product would mark a significant expansion of OpenAI’s consumer strategy beyond software. It would also test whether the conversational capabilities that helped drive ChatGPT adoption can translate into a standalone hardware experience built primarily around voice, context and continuous AI interaction.