OpenAI, in collaboration with Jony Ive’s io Products, is set to launch its first consumer device, a camera-equipped smart speaker, by 2027, signalling a new chapter in AI-driven hardware and competition with tech giants like Amazon and Apple.
OpenAI’s first consumer hardware product, a camera-equipped smart speaker developed with Jony Ive’s io Products, is now expected to reach the market in 2027, according to reporting from several technology outlets. The device is said to carry a price tag of about $200 to $300, placing it below many premium smart speakers but well above entry-level assistant devices.
Reports from Rozetked and other outlets describe the product as a display-free speaker with a battery, a rounded form roughly the size of a hockey puck and moving parts, illumination and multiple sensors. It is also expected to include a camera and support facial recognition, with some reports saying that feature may be used to authorise purchases. The software is described as behaving in a similar way to ChatGPT’s voice mode, but with more advanced models aimed at more natural, human-like interaction.
The device would mark OpenAI’s first move into physical consumer products after its acquisition of Jony Ive’s startup, io, in May 2025. WinBuzzer and Glass Almanac both reported that more than 200 employees are involved in the hardware effort, underlining the scale of the project and OpenAI’s ambition to extend beyond software into dedicated devices. MacRumors has also reported that the launch slipped from an earlier target in late 2026 after a trademark dispute involving audio startup iyO.
The broader plan appears to go beyond a single speaker. MacRumors and TechBriefly both reported that OpenAI is exploring a family of AI devices, including smart glasses and a smart lamp, suggesting the speaker is intended as the first step in a wider hardware strategy. If that proves accurate, the 2027 launch would represent not just a new product, but OpenAI’s formal entry into a market long dominated by Amazon, Google and Apple.
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