OpenAI's First Hardware Device Takes Shape: A $300 Donut-Shaped AI Speaker

New details emerge about OpenAI's first consumer hardware — a premium smart speaker designed by Jony Ive's LoveFrom, priced at $300–$400, with moving parts and a donut-like form factor. Launch expected in 2027.

OpenAI's long-teased hardware ambitions are finally crystallizing into something tangible — and it looks nothing like a phone. According to a new Bloomberg report, the company's first consumer device will be a donut-shaped, screenless AI speaker priced between $300 and $400.

Designed in partnership with LoveFrom, the studio founded by legendary former Apple designer Jony Ive, the device is built from high-quality metal with what sources describe as a "premium look." In a detail that has puzzled observers, it reportedly includes distinct moving parts — unusual for a smart speaker. The donut form factor appears intentional: users are expected to carry it from room to room, placing it on bedside tables, kitchen counters, or desks as needed.

OpenAI president Greg Brockman hinted at the company's broader ambitions in a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, telling Joanna Stern that OpenAI is building a "family of devices." When pressed on whether the first device would have a screen, Brockman was coy: "We'll just have to see." ChatGPT itself described the product vision as "ambient and low friction, voice first but not voice only, with a clear privacy signal."

The device is being positioned as the "physical manifestation of ChatGPT" — an always-listening AI companion that moves beyond the app-store paradigm into the physical world. It represents OpenAI's bid to compete directly with Amazon's Alexa ecosystem and Apple's upcoming HomePad smart display, expected to launch as early as September.

Whether consumers will pay a premium for an AI speaker remains an open question. Amazon's Alexa division has historically lost billions, and the smart speaker market has proven difficult to monetize beyond music playback and timers. The $300–$400 price point positions OpenAI's device well above Amazon's $40–$240 Echo range, demanding a compelling AI experience to justify the premium.

The hardware push has not been without friction. Apple is currently suing OpenAI over alleged trade secret theft, an awkward backdrop for a device designed by the man who defined Apple's industrial design language for two decades. The device is expected to launch sometime in 2027.

Sources: TechCrunch, 9to5Mac