OpenAI Accelerates AI Agent Phone to H1 2027, MediaTek to Secure Exclusive Processor Deal

According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's latest industry survey, OpenAI is accelerating development of its first AI agent phone and aims for mass production as early as H1 2027. MediaTek is now more likely to secure an exclusive processor order, with the chip based on a customized version of Dimensity 9600 and set to be produced by TSMC using the N2P process in H2 2026.

This represents an acceleration from Kuo's previous disclosure of a 2028 production timeline. The phone is expected to feature a customized ISP for enhanced dynamic range output, dual NPU architecture, LPDDR6 plus UFS 5.0, and security features including pKVM and inline hashing. If development proceeds smoothly, Kuo estimates combined shipments of approximately 30 million units in 2027 and 2028.