OpenAI AI Smart Speaker: Jony Ive Design, Price & What to Expect in 2027

OpenAI’s First AI Gadget Could Be a Screenless $400 Smart Speaker Designed by Jony Ive

OpenAI may be preparing to take ChatGPT out of our phones and laptops and into a completely new kind of consumer device.
The company is reportedly developing a screenless, battery-powered AI speaker with design work from Jony Ive’s LoveFrom, the studio founded by the former Apple design chief. The device is expected sometime in 2027, with reports putting its price at roughly $300–$400.

But this isn't simply another Alexa or Google Nest.

What Will OpenAI's AI Speaker Look Like?

According to reports, the device will be roughly hockey-puck sized with a distinctive doughnut-like design. Unlike conventional smart speakers, it reportedly won't have a screen.

Instead, it could use:

• Microphones

• Speakers

• Cameras

• Lights

• Sensors

• Moving components

Some of the physical elements could move to communicate when the device is responding or interacting with the user.
That could make the device feel more like an AI companion than a traditional smart speaker.

ChatGPT Without a Screen

The biggest idea behind the product is simple:

You talk to it.

The device is reportedly designed to work similarly to ChatGPT's voice mode, but with more advanced AI models and a more natural form of interaction.

Instead of:

Pick up your phone → unlock it → open ChatGPT → type or speak

you could potentially just talk to the device.

That could make AI much more convenient for everyday activities such as:

• Asking questions

• Planning your day

• Setting reminders

• Controlling smart-home devices

• Getting information

• Having conversations

• Getting help while cooking or working

Why Does It Need Cameras?

This is one of the more interesting—and potentially controversial—parts. Reports suggest the device could include cameras and other sensors, allowing it to understand aspects of its surroundings.
That could eventually allow an AI assistant to understand things happening around you rather than simply responding to your voice. But cameras inside an always-present AI device immediately raise an important question:

How much privacy are consumers willing to give up for a smarter assistant?

OpenAI would need to make privacy and data handling extremely clear if this product is going to sit inside people's homes.

How Much Could It Cost?

Reports currently suggest a price in the region of $300–$400. Using a simple ₦1,500/$ planning exchange rate, that's approximately: ₦450,000–₦600,000

before Nigerian import costs, taxes, retailer margins and other expenses. So if the device eventually launches in Nigeria, the retail price could be considerably higher.

Important: OpenAI has not publicly confirmed the final Nigerian price or necessarily the final specifications.

Is OpenAI Trying to Replace the Smartphone?

Probably not—not yet. But this device could represent something more important. For years, smartphones have been the main gateway to digital services. OpenAI appears to be exploring what happens when AI becomes the interface itself.

Instead of opening an app to accomplish something, you simply tell your AI assistant what you want. And this speaker could reportedly be only the first of a broader family of OpenAI hardware products.

The Big Question: Is It Worth $400?

That's difficult to answer before we know exactly what it can do. At $300–$400, consumers will expect more than a fancy ChatGPT speaker.
It will need to offer something that a smartphone, AirPods and existing smart speakers can't easily replicate.

If OpenAI gets that right, its first hardware product could be the beginning of a major shift in how people interact with AI.
If not, it could simply become another expensive gadget sitting on a shelf. For now, the device remains reportedly in development, with 2027 being the expected timeframe.

Our Take

The most interesting part isn't the doughnut shape. It's the idea of ChatGPT becoming something you interact with physically rather than something you open on a screen.
If OpenAI can combine Jony Ive's hardware design with genuinely useful AI and solve the privacy concerns around cameras and sensors, it could be one of the more interesting consumer gadgets of 2027.
Would you spend ₦500,000+ on a dedicated ChatGPT device when your smartphone can already run ChatGPT?

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