OpenAI smart speaker reportedly planned with moving parts and a $300-plus price
Reports describe a portable, screenless OpenAI smart speaker with moving components, lights and ChatGPT-style voice features for 2027.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
An openai smart speaker reportedly in development would use independently moving components and listening lights as cues during interactions. The reported design is meant to make the screenless device seem more alive than stationary speakers, according to a Mark Gurman report published by the Los Angeles Times.
OpenAI has not announced the product. A company representative declined to comment on product plans, the Los Angeles Times reported, leaving the proposed specifications, price and launch schedule unconfirmed.
What is OpenAI's reported smart speaker?
The device is described as a battery-powered smart speaker without a display, shaped like a doughnut and roughly the size of a hockey puck. People familiar with the confidential work told the Los Angeles Times it is intended to be carried around a home and used either in the hand or placed on furniture.
Those people said its moving parts would indicate that it is responding or interacting with a user. Lights would show when it is listening. The available reporting does not describe how the mechanical components work or show a finished product.
The speaker is also expected to include microphones and speaker grilles. The Los Angeles Times reported that a camera system and other sensors are planned to take in information from the surrounding environment, though those features remain unconfirmed.
Reported price, software and timing
Bloomberg reporting summarized by Ars Technica said OpenAI is likely to price the device above $300 and has discussed a price as high as $400. The Los Angeles Times likewise reported a $300-to-$400 range, which would place it above many existing smart speakers.
According to the reports, the product would operate in a way similar to ChatGPT's mobile voice mode, using more advanced models intended to support more humanlike exchanges. It would reportedly control smart-home devices and be positioned as an AI-first computer that helps people complete tasks.
The Los Angeles Times said OpenAI expects the device to learn more about a user over time to tailor conversations. That capability, along with its performance and the extent of smart-home support, has not been publicly demonstrated.
People familiar with the plans told the Los Angeles Times that the speaker is slated for a 2027 release. Ars Technica, citing Bloomberg, reported that OpenAI could reveal it in 2026 before a 2027 launch; SiliconANGLE also said the timing could change.
LoveFrom role and Apple dispute
The speaker was reportedly designed with LoveFrom, the studio founded by former Apple designer Jony Ive, and may use premium materials including high-quality metal, according to the Los Angeles Times and Ars Technica.
Apple has alleged trade-secret misuse in its lawsuit against OpenAI. OpenAI denies the allegation; the Los Angeles Times reported that it remains unclear whether Apple's claims relate to this speaker, another product or an abandoned concept. People with knowledge of the device told the newspaper that an internal OpenAI review concluded the product did not use or violate Apple trade secrets.
For now, the reports describe an unannounced device rather than a product consumers can order. Its physical motion is reported as an interaction and status feature intended to make the speaker seem more alive than current stationary products.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.