OpenAI’s hardware plans are starting to sound less like a phone replacement and more like a portable voice companion for the home. According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, the AI device being developed with former Apple designer Jony Ive is “essentially a smart speaker without a display,” built around voice interaction rather than a screen.
The reported product is battery-powered, doughnut-shaped, and roughly the size of a hockey puck. It is expected to launch in 2027 for a price over $300, though the report suggests the device may still be far enough away that more details could emerge before it arrives.
A display-free OpenAI device
The most important detail is what the device is reportedly not: it is not centered on a display. Gurman describes it as a smart speaker without a screen, which points to an interface shaped around listening, speaking, and responding rather than tapping through apps.
That direction fits with the comparison in the report. Gurman says the device will “work similarly to the company’s ChatGPT voice mode on smartphone apps, but with more advanced models for humanlike interactivity.” In plain terms, the concept appears to take the voice experience people already use through ChatGPT on phones and move it into a dedicated piece of hardware.
The rumored form factor also matters. A doughnut-shaped object around the size of a hockey puck would be small enough to sit in different rooms without requiring the footprint of a larger appliance. Because it is battery-powered, it would not be tied to one outlet or one fixed place in the home.
Built to move around the home
Gurman’s sources say the device is designed to be “easy to carry around the home with one hand.” That detail separates it from a traditional speaker that stays on a counter, shelf, or desk. The report compares the idea to Amazon’s now-discontinued Tap speaker, emphasizing portability inside the home rather than pocket-first mobility.
If the report is accurate, OpenAI and Ive appear to be aiming for a product that can follow the user from room to room. That does not require a screen, but it does require the device to make its state clear. A voice-first product needs a way to show when it is listening, thinking, answering, or otherwise engaged.
That may explain another notable part of the report: the device will reportedly have “a unique look, complete with moving parts.” Some of those parts are said to move on their own to show when the device is responding or interacting with the user.
The reported hardware elements include:
- A battery-powered body
- A doughnut-shaped design
- A size roughly comparable to a hockey puck
- Moving parts that can respond during interaction
- Lights
- A camera system
- Other sensors
Those details suggest the device is being designed as an object that communicates physically as well as verbally. The report does not specify exactly how the camera system or sensors would be used, so the safest conclusion is simply that OpenAI is exploring more than a microphone-and-speaker experience.
The Jony Ive factor
Jony Ive’s involvement gives the rumored product unusual attention before it has even been announced. The former Apple designer is closely associated with consumer hardware, but Gurman says this product will look and feel nothing like an Apple product.
That distinction is important because the report also references their ongoing lawsuit. The source does not give additional details in this article, but it does make clear that the rumored OpenAI device is not being framed as an Apple-like object despite Ive’s design background.
Instead, the reported description points to a separate identity: small, portable, display-free, and built around AI interaction. The combination of lights, sensors, camera hardware, and moving parts suggests a product trying to make AI feel present in a room without relying on a conventional screen.
Price and launch expectations
The device is expected to launch in 2027 for a price over $300, according to the report. That price would place it above many basic smart speakers, but the article does not provide a final price, launch date, or confirmed specifications.
Because the product is still described through reporting rather than an official launch, the most useful way to read the details is as a snapshot of OpenAI’s current hardware direction. The company is reportedly working on a speaker or pocket personal assistant that extends ChatGPT-style voice interaction into a dedicated object.
That also means the device may not stand alone for long. The report says the speaker or pocket personal assistant could be the first in a “family of devices” OpenAI has planned. If that happens, this first product would be less of a one-off experiment and more of an opening move into AI hardware.
Why this device matters
The rumored OpenAI smart speaker is notable because it frames AI hardware around presence rather than screens. A phone app already gives ChatGPT a voice interface, but a battery-powered device designed for the home could make that interaction feel more available in everyday spaces.
At the same time, the report leaves several major questions unanswered. It does not say how the camera system will be used, what the moving parts will look like, how advanced the models will be, or what the final product name will be. It also does not confirm whether the price over $300 will hold by launch.
What is clear from the source is the broad shape of the idea: OpenAI and Jony Ive are reportedly building a portable, display-free AI device that behaves like a smarter voice speaker, uses physical signals to show interaction, and could arrive in 2027 as the first member of a larger device family.