OpenAI is reportedly working on a screenless smartphone that could rival the iPhone in years to come.
According to reports from The Information, OpenAI is in talks to acquire hardware startup io Products, a secretive venture co-founded by former Apple design boss Sir Jony Ive and OpenAI’s own CEO Sam Altman.
The startup is rumoured to be developing a screenless, AI-first device that could redefine what a smartphone even is.
While it might sound like sci-fi, the device would ditch the traditional display entirely in favour of an always-on, voice-driven interface powered by ChatGPT.
It would act like a personal assistant that lives in your pocket, with no apps, no scrolling, just ambient intelligence offering what you need, when you need it.
The concept echoes devices like the now defunct Humane AI Pin (though likely to be more advanced), which used projections and voice commands instead of a touchscreen.
Though io Products has publicly denied that it’s building a phone, insiders suggest the company is working on a suite of AI-powered devices, with the screenless phone concept front and centre.
The startup has reportedly secured eye-watering funding – up to US$1 billion (A$1.5bn) – from big-name investors including Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
If OpenAI’s acquisition goes through, it would give the company direct access to io Products’ tech stack and design team – many of whom are ex-Apple engineers. The deal is reportedly valued at over US$500 million (A$790m).
Ive himself reportedly described the new product as “less socially disruptive than the iPhone,” suggesting a focus on mental wellbeing and reduced screen time.
But critics have pointed out the irony – with everyone talking to their gadgets in public, could that actually be more disruptive?
The timing of these rumours could not be worse for Apple. The company is already under fire for delays to its AI rollout, ‘Apple Intelligence’, and is battling new tariff pressures under Trump’s administration.
Now, with OpenAI potentially launching a rival device that skips the screen altogether, Apple’s screen-first approach could start to look last-gen.
