OpenAI is quietly preparing a pocketable AI gadget that could try to do what the iPhone did for multitouch screens, only this time for ambient intelligence. Instead of another slab of glass, the company behind ChatGPT is reportedly betting on a pen-size device that turns voice, handwriting, and the world around you into a live interface for its models.
If the reports are accurate, this “third device” will not replace your phone overnight, but it is being framed as a direct challenge to the smartphone’s role as the center of digital life. The stakes are high: a successful launch would not just give OpenAI a new revenue stream, it could reset expectations for how people interact with AI in everyday moments.
What we know about OpenAI’s pen-size “Gumdrop” device
Early reporting paints a surprisingly specific picture of OpenAI’s first consumer hardware. The company is said to be working on a pen-shaped gadget, small enough to slip into a pocket, that is meant to sit alongside your phone and laptop rather than replace them outright. One detailed account describes OpenAI’s First Consumer Device Is Shaped Like a slim cylinder, with a launch window that falls either in 2026 or 2027, and positions it explicitly as a new kind of mobile companion rather than a traditional handset.
Separate reporting refers to a secretive effort codenamed Gumdrop, described as a pen-sized device created by ChatGPT’s makers to rival the iPhone by leaning on sensors and AI instead of apps and icons. In that account, Reports suggest the hardware will use microphones, cameras, and other inputs to “take in its surroundings” and feed that context into OpenAI’s models, which would then respond through audio and subtle visual cues. The shared thread across these leaks is clear: OpenAI is not trying to build a better smartphone, it is trying to build something that makes the smartphone feel less central.
A “third core device” to live beside your phone and laptop
The most intriguing detail is how insiders describe the role of this gadget in everyday life. Rather than pitching it as a replacement for the iPhone or Android flagships, one leak calls OpenAI’s rumored new device a “pen-shaped, ultra-portable ‘third core device’” that is meant to sit alongside your phone and laptop. That framing matters, because it suggests OpenAI expects people to keep their existing screens while offloading more of the thinking, remembering, and transcribing to a dedicated AI object that is always listening for commands.
In practice, that could mean the pen becomes the first experience for the device’s AI, with the phone acting as a secondary display or connectivity hub. The same leak notes that additional details about OpenAI’s AI hardware include the ability to convert handwritten notes into text and instantly upload them to ChatGPT, which would make the pen a kind of live bridge between analog scribbles and digital memory. If that vision holds, the iPhone is not being replaced so much as demoted, with the pen quietly handling the cognitive load in the background.
Jony Ive’s “screen-free” philosophy and what it signals
Design is central to this effort, and the involvement of Apple veteran Jony Ive is a signal that OpenAI wants to rethink the very shape of personal computing. In a leaked call, Altman reportedly explained that the new device would not be a pair of glasses and would not simply be another screen, hinting instead at a “screen-free” or screen-light object that changes how people relate to AI. That aligns with Ive’s long-standing interest in reducing visual clutter and making technology recede into the background, a philosophy that helped define the original iPhone and now appears to be guiding its potential challenger.
Other reports state that OpenAI, in collaboration with Apple‘s Jony Ive, is developing an AI-powered pen codenamed Gumdrop. That same reporting frames the project as part of OpenAI’s Master Plan for India, suggesting the company is thinking about global markets and price-sensitive regions from the outset. If Ive can bring the same discipline to this pen that he brought to the iMac, iPod, and iPhone, the result could be a device that feels less like a gadget and more like a familiar object that just happens to be suffused with intelligence.
Inside the hardware: audio-first AI and note-taking superpowers
Functionally, the pen appears to be built around audio and handwriting rather than apps. OpenAI, the company that developed the models and products associated with ChatGPT, is reorganizing teams to build a new audio language model and related hardware, with plans for audio-based hardware around 2027 according to a report in The Information. That timeline overlaps with the 2026–2027 launch window for the pen, and it suggests the device will be optimized for natural voice interaction, continuous listening, and real-time responses rather than touch-driven navigation.
On the input side, one detailed description says the device will be able to convert handwritten notes into text and instantly upload them to ChatGPT, effectively turning any notebook into a smart surface. The same report notes that It will be able to clip onto clothing or be worn around the neck, which hints at a mix of stylus and wearable functions. If that combination works, the pen could become a kind of roaming AI microphone and scanner, ready to capture a whiteboard sketch in a meeting, summarize a lecture, or translate a menu in real time without ever pulling out a phone.
From prototype to production: Foxconn and the manufacturing pivot
For all the design ambition, none of this matters if OpenAI cannot ship hardware at scale. On that front, the company appears to be moving quickly. Reporting indicates that OpenAI is gearing up to launch its first consumer device and that it will not be a phone, but a pen-sized AI gadget, with video snippets circulating that say the company has tapped Foxconn to build it. That choice is significant, because Foxconn is one of the world’s largest electronics manufacturers and a long-time partner for Apple’s iPhone line, which gives OpenAI access to a supply chain already optimized for small, high-volume consumer devices.
Another report states that OpenAI is reportedly shifting its AI hardware manufacturing to Foxconn as a Shifts AI Hardware Manufacturing To Foxconn As Jony Ive, Designed Device Targets a 2026 Launch, Report. That phrasing ties the manufacturing move directly to the Jony Ive–designed consumer device, reinforcing the idea that Gumdrop is not a distant experiment but a product with a concrete production plan. If Foxconn can bring the same rigor to this pen that it brings to flagship phones, OpenAI will have cleared one of the biggest hurdles that have tripped up other AI hardware startups.
How far along is OpenAI, really?
Beyond leaks and codenames, there are signs that OpenAI’s hardware is already past the sketch-on-a-napkin stage. In late 2025, Sam Altman confirmed that OpenAI had completed its first hardware prototype and was eyeing a launch within about two years. That same reporting describes a process in which the company iterated on multiple designs before settling on a direction that impressed both Altman and Jony Ive, suggesting the leadership is aligned on what this device should feel like in the hand and how it should behave.
Additional coverage notes that the device is currently in prototype form and that Altman and Ive confirmed in November 2025 that they have a working version. In that account, Ive said the device could launch in under two years, which lines up with the 2026–2027 window mentioned elsewhere and reinforces the sense that Gumdrop is on a defined, if ambitious, schedule. Taken together, these details suggest OpenAI is now in the long, expensive phase of turning a promising prototype into something robust enough for millions of pockets.
Why OpenAI is betting on audio and voice as the next interface
The pen’s audio-first design is not an accident, it reflects a broader strategic bet that voice will become the dominant way people interact with AI. Arjun Kulshreshtha, Senior Manager, Strategy at ShipMonk, offers a measured perspective that keyboards, mice and laptops are giving way to more natural voice interaction as AI systems become more capable. In his view, cited in an analysis of why OpenAI is betting big on the audio AI revolution, this shift is not just about convenience but about aligning technology with how people already communicate. That argument helps explain why OpenAI is investing in a new audio language model and Arjun Kulshreshtha sees the industry moving toward more natural voice interaction.
In that context, a pen that you can clip to your shirt or hold while talking becomes a logical hardware expression of OpenAI’s software roadmap. Instead of tapping icons, you might say “summarize this meeting,” “translate what she just said,” or “remind me about this diagram next week,” and the device would handle the rest. The fact that the company is reorganizing teams around audio-based hardware suggests it is not treating Gumdrop as a side project but as a flagship for its next generation of models, with the iPhone’s app grid giving way to a more conversational layer that floats across devices.
The iPhone comparison: disruption, or clever positioning?
Framing Gumdrop as an iPhone rival is as much about narrative as it is about specs. One analysis notes that There has been quite a lot of buzz surrounding OpenAI and its mysterious new hardware, which may very well mark the next big shift in personal tech, and goes so far as to say OpenAI’s new AI gadget might be an iPhone disruptor. That piece argues that the combination of Jony Ive’s design instincts and OpenAI’s models could produce a device that feels as fresh in 2026 as the first iPhone did more than three years ago in its own era, even if the form factor is radically different. The comparison is less about screen resolution and more about whether the device can redefine what people expect from a personal computer in their pocket.
At the same time, the same coverage is careful to note that There are serious challenges ahead, from battery life and connectivity to privacy and ecosystem lock-in. Apple’s iPhone succeeded not just because of its hardware but because of the App Store, carrier deals, and years of iteration. OpenAI’s pen will have to carve out its own ecosystem, likely leaning on ChatGPT subscriptions and integrations with existing services rather than trying to recreate a full app marketplace. In that sense, calling it an iPhone challenger is both a bold claim and a useful shorthand for the scale of ambition involved.
Beyond smartphones: what a pen-size AI could change
The broader context is a growing sense that the smartphone era is maturing and that new categories are needed to push computing forward. One forward-looking analysis argues that 2026 could be the year we move beyond smartphones, led by a Sam Altman and Jony Ive–designed AI device that shifts attention away from screens and toward ambient intelligence. That piece notes that OpenAI is reportedly working on a product that could sit at the center of this shift, and it encourages readers to Share, Join the conversation, Follow updates, and Add the topic as a preferred source on Google, underscoring how much attention the project is already drawing.
If Gumdrop delivers on its promise, the impact could ripple far beyond early adopters. A pen that can capture handwritten notes, listen to conversations, and feed everything into ChatGPT in real time could change how students study, how doctors document visits, and how journalists report stories. It could also raise new questions about consent and surveillance, since a device that is always ready to “take in its surroundings” will need clear signals about when it is recording and how data is stored. The iPhone did not just introduce a new gadget, it rewired social norms; OpenAI’s pen-size challenger, if it arrives on schedule, may be about to test how ready people are for an AI that lives not on a screen, but in the objects they already carry.
The money, the memes, and the hype cycle
As with any ambitious hardware project, there is already a swirl of hype and skepticism around OpenAI’s plans. One viral short video jokes that open Air invested $1 billion into building a pen, and that Sam Alman partnered with Johnny IV the legendary designer behind the iPhone to make it happen. The tone is playful, but the numbers and names reflect a real perception that OpenAI is pouring serious capital and star power into Gumdrop, and that the device is being positioned as a kind of spiritual successor to Apple’s most iconic product.
That hype cuts both ways. On one hand, it primes consumers and investors to expect a category-defining object, which can help OpenAI secure partnerships and developer interest ahead of launch. On the other, it raises the bar for what will count as success, especially when the device is being compared to the iPhone before anyone outside the company has used it. For now, the only hard facts are that Jan reports describe a pen-shaped, ultra-portable device, that manufacturing is being lined up with Foxconn, and that leadership from Sam Altman to Jony Ive appears deeply invested in making it real. Whether that is enough to shift the center of gravity away from the smartphone will depend on what ships in 2026 and how it feels in the hand, not just how it looks in leaks.
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