OpenAI Developing $300-$400 Donut-Shaped Smart Speaker With Jony Ive for 2027 Launch, Report Says

OpenAI is developing its first piece of consumer hardware, a battery-powered, donut-shaped smart speaker priced above $300, according to a Bloomberg report citing people familiar with the matter, marking the ChatGPT maker’s first direct move into a device market long dominated by Amazon and Google.

The device, roughly the size of a hockey puck, is being developed in partnership with LoveFrom, the design studio founded by Jony Ive, the former longtime chief design officer at Apple credited with shaping the look of the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. OpenAI acquired Ive’s hardware startup, io Products, for $6.5 billion last year, a deal that marked the company’s formal entry into physical device development and that OpenAI is now working to justify commercially through this first standalone product.

A Premium Price for a Premium Design

According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, who first detailed the device, OpenAI is planning to price the speaker somewhere between $300 and $400, positioning it well above most of the existing smart speaker market. Amazon’s current lineup of Echo devices ranges from roughly $40 to $240, while Apple’s HomePod starts at $299 and the Bose Lifestyle Ultra retails around $299, meaning OpenAI’s device would sit at or above the very top of the category rather than competing on price with mainstream offerings from Amazon or Google.

The company is reportedly aiming for what has been described as a “premium look,” built from high-quality metal and other upscale materials consistent with Ive’s design reputation. Sources told Bloomberg the speaker will feature distinct moving parts intended to give the device a sense of personality, along with speaker grilles, microphones, and lights that indicate when it is actively listening to a user.

Designed to Move With You

Unlike traditional smart home hubs such as the Amazon Echo or Google Nest, which typically remain plugged into a wall in a fixed location, OpenAI’s device is designed to be portable enough to carry from room to room, according to the report. The device is intended to sit comfortably on a nightstand or kitchen counter, or be held during a conversation, reflecting an ambition for the product to function less like a stationary appliance and more like a constant companion moving through a user’s daily routine.

A camera system and additional sensors are also planned as part of the hardware, according to people familiar with the project, allowing the underlying AI to incorporate awareness of its physical surroundings into how it responds to users. One report indicated the device could observe users through video and proactively nudge them toward actions the AI believes would be beneficial, such as suggesting someone go to bed if it detects them staying up unusually late before an important commitment the next day.

An ‘AI-First Computer,’ Not Just a Speaker

OpenAI is reportedly positioning the device as something closer to an “AI-first computer” than a conventional voice assistant, according to Bloomberg, designed to support natural, ongoing conversation similar to the existing Voice Mode feature already available within ChatGPT. The underlying AI models powering the device are intended to learn about individual users over time, according to the report, allowing interactions to become increasingly personalized the longer someone uses it.

That framing echoes earlier public comments from Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who first previewed elements of their hardware collaboration in late 2025, describing an early prototype device at the time as intended to feel “peaceful” and function as an “active participant” in a user’s life without being intrusive or annoying.

A Timeline Still Taking Shape

Reports on the device’s expected launch window have varied somewhat. Bloomberg’s more recent reporting points to a 2027 release, while earlier reporting from February suggested a possible launch as soon as February 2027, alongside a narrower price estimate at the time of $200 to $300, a range that appears to have crept upward in more recent reporting to the $300 to $400 range. Beyond the speaker, OpenAI is also said to be exploring additional hardware products, including a smart lamp and smart glasses, though those projects reportedly remain in considerably earlier stages of development and are not expected to be ready before 2028 at the earliest, with the possibility that either could ultimately be canceled before reaching consumers.

A Legal Cloud Over the Hardware Push

OpenAI’s broader move into consumer hardware has not proceeded without obstacles. The company is currently being sued by Apple, which has accused OpenAI of misappropriating trade secrets in connection with its hardware development efforts. OpenAI has denied any wrongdoing and has continued moving forward with development of the speaker despite the pending litigation, though the lawsuit and any associated injunction requests could potentially affect the device’s eventual launch timeline.

A Difficult Market to Break Into

Historically, the smart speaker category has proven a challenging business for hardware makers, with companies including Amazon acknowledging in the past that their voice-assistant devices were often sold at a loss or minimal profit in order to drive broader engagement with their platforms and services. OpenAI’s decision to pursue a premium price point well above the bulk of the existing market could make it more difficult to convince budget-conscious consumers to choose the device over cheaper, more established alternatives from Amazon or Google, even if OpenAI’s underlying AI capabilities prove more advanced.

Part of a Broader Long-Term Hardware Strategy

Industry analysts have characterized the speaker as an initial step in a broader hardware strategy that OpenAI is reportedly pursuing, with some reports suggesting the company’s longer-term ambitions include eventually developing devices capable of reducing consumers’ reliance on traditional smartphones altogether. Whether the speaker, as the company’s first tangible hardware product, can build sufficient momentum and consumer trust to support that more ambitious long-term vision remains to be seen.

With a 2027 launch window still roughly a year or more away, additional details about the device’s final pricing, specific features and official release date are expected to emerge as OpenAI and LoveFrom continue refining the product. In the meantime, the pending Apple lawsuit, along with broader questions about consumer appetite for a premium-priced AI speaker in an already crowded smart home market, are likely to remain key storylines as OpenAI works to translate its software dominance in conversational AI into a viable standalone hardware business.