Apple's annual developers conference WWDC returns for 2026 next week, and the company has teased the event with a new "All systems glow" tagline.
"All systems glow" is a play on the phrase "all systems go," and it likely hints at Siri's rumored new design on iOS 27. Both a dedicated Siri app and a new "Search or Ask" feature in the iPhone's Dynamic Island will reportedly have a dark color scheme with glowing elements, as shown in leaked images last week.
Apple's previous tagline for WWDC 2026 was "Coming bright up." That tagline and the graphics for the event all hint at the new Siri design as well.
WWDC 2026 kicks off with Apple's keynote on Monday, June 8 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time. The company is set to unveil iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, tvOS 27, and visionOS 27 on that day, and the conference will run through Friday, June 12, with hundreds of developer sessions to be shared online.
The keynote will be streamed live on Apple.com, in the Apple TV app, and on YouTube.
Apple's first foldable iPhone, known as the "iPhone Ultra," will feature impressive vapor chamber cooling and launch in September despite production difficulties, a known leaker today reported.
In a new post today on Weibo, the leaker known as "Fixed Focus Digital" said the foldable iPhone's pre-assembly manufacturing processes are facing pressure and that the initial production ramp-up is proving difficult. The leaker added that prevailing speculation points to the original September launch schedule holding, and teased that further positive news is expected tomorrow.
The leaker added that the device will feature vapor chamber (VC) cooling and that its thermal performance is "quite impressive," with Apple "really going all out" with its thermal engineering. The claim marks the first time a source has attributed vapor chamber cooling to the iPhone Ultra, and the detail is notable given the extent of the design compromises the device is expected to make.
Rumors suggest the iPhone Ultra could be missing at least five features present on the iPhone 17 Pro, including Face ID, a telephoto camera, MagSafe, the Action Button, and a physical SIM card slot, largely as a result of its 4.5mm folded thickness. The iPhone Air, which shares a similar ultra-thin philosophy, does not feature vapor chamber cooling, making its presence on the iPhone Ultra far from a given before today's report.
Apple overhauled the thermal design of the iPhone 17 Pro last year, adopting a vapor chamber cooling system for the first time in an iPhone. The system circulates a small amount of deionized water to move heat away from the A19 Pro chip and distribute it throughout the device's aluminum unibody frame, with Apple claiming the design delivers 40% better sustained performance for demanding tasks compared to the graphite thermal systems used in previous Pro models.
The post arrives amid a series of production difficulty reports surrounding the foldable iPhone. Earlier this month, Fixed Focus Digital pointed to yield problems at the pre-assembly stage related to surface-mount technology (SMT), distinct from a separate report by the leaker known as "Instant Digital" that attributed production difficulties to the hinge failing Apple's quality control standards under conditions of prolonged, high-frequency opening and closing.
Fixed Focus Digital's account pushed back on that framing, suggesting the hinge was not the primary source of difficulty. DigiTimesreported in April that production was already running roughly one to two months behind schedule while still maintaining that a fall 2026 launch remained on track, with mass production planned to begin in July. Fixed Focus Digital also reported in April that price negotiations with Apple's assembly partner were a potentially disruptive factor.
Despite the difficulties, the launch timeline does not appear to be at risk. Bloomberg's Mark Gurmanreported in April that the iPhone Ultra is on track for a September debut alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, though he noted the timing was not final and production had yet to ramp up. The device is expected to feature a 7.8-inch inner display, a 5.5-inch cover display, the A20 chip, the C2 modem, Touch ID in place of Face ID, and two rear cameras, with pricing rumored to start at around $2,000.
Amazon today has the AirPods Pro 3 available for $199.99, down from $249.00. This is a match of the all-time low price on the AirPods Pro 3, and it's a deal that hasn't been as frequent as discounts on the AirPods 4 and AirPods Max 2.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
This model of the AirPods Pro launched in September 2025 and has 2x better Active Noise Cancellation than the previous generation, better audio quality, a revised fit that's meant to improve comfort and stability, Live Translation for in-person conversations, and heart rate sensing for workouts.
Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.
Deals Newsletter
Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find in 2026? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season!
Apple's Car Keys feature appears to be coming to future vehicles made by Indian maker Mahindra, based on code changes discovered by MacRumors in Apple's Wallet app backend.
Car Keys allows an iPhone or Apple Watch with NFC capabilities to unlock a vehicle through the Wallet app. A digital version of a car key is stored in Wallet, and unlocking can be done simply by holding an Apple Watch or iPhone near a compatible vehicle's NFC reader.
Mahindra already supports Samsung Wallet's Digital Car Key feature for Galaxy devices, but it does not yet offer native Apple Car Key support, so this would need to be implemented by the automobile manufacturer first on future models.
What can be done with Car Keys may vary by car manufacturer, but at a minimum, Car Keys can be used to unlock your car, lock your car, and start your car, which are the features available with a physical key.
Apple introduced Car Keys in 2022, and car manufacturers like BMW, Rivian, Kia, and Hyundai have all implemented support for Car Keys. Apple maintains a full list of vehicles that support Car Keys on its CarPlay model availability webpage.
Apple is expected to launch its first foldable iPhone later this year. Rumors suggest the "iPhone Ultra" will come in two color options, and a leaker shared an image today that allegedly shows one of them.
Posted on Weibo by the Chinese leaker known as Ice Universe, the image purportedly offers a first glimpse of Apple's foldable in white. The device is believed to have entered early mass production, but the model shown is likely a dummy. Regardless, fellow leaker Instant Digital has said white is so far the only "confirmed" finish that the device will be available in.
It is not yet clear what the alternative color will be, but Macworld recently cited a supply chain source claiming that it will be an indigo option similar to the iPhone 17 Pro's Deep Blue finish. The same source said the device will offer fewer choices than the iPhone 18 Pro models, with no bold or vibrant colors.
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple plans to "stay away from fun colors" and stick to more traditional space gray/black and silver/white finishes. Such an approach would be similar to the iPhone X, which launched in just two colors – Silver and Space Gray – when it debuted in November 2017.
A limited color selection may simply reflect the foldable iPhone's expected low production volumes. Industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has warned that manufacturing challenges could constrain supply through at least the end of 2026, and adding more colors would increase complexity and costs for an already difficult-to-produce device.
With launch supply expected to be tight and a price above $2,000, as reported by Gurman, Apple likely has little incentive to expand the initial color lineup, while buyers at this price point are also less likely to base their purchasing decision on color options.
The iPhone Ultra is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max this coming September.
Nvidia is entering the consumer PC chip business for the first time and has thrown down the gauntlet to Apple, describing its new RTX Spark processor as "the most efficient PC chip ever built."
Nvidia says its RTX Spark Superchip is purpose-built to run AI agents that can work proactively across apps and run in the background as a personal "teammate."
With the chip, Nvidia says users can "render ultra-large 90GB 3D scenes with OptiX and DLSS, edit 12K 4:2:2 video with the NVIDIA Blackwell decoder, run 120-billion-parameter large language models with 1 million tokens context, and play AAA games at 1440p resolution and over 100 frames per second with ray tracing, DLSS and Reflex."
The chip was announced by Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang at the Computex conference in Taipei on Monday.
It's a big play for a company traditionally focused on graphics cards to move into the kind of integrated silicon that runs an entire laptop. It also puts the RTX Spark on a collision course with Apple's M5, widely regarded as the laptop chip to beat for running AI tasks on-device.
Like Apple's chips, the RTX Spark is Arm-based, pairing an Nvidia Blackwell RTX graphics processor with a Grace CPU. It's effectively the same GB10 chip that's found in the DGX Spark, the tiny "personal AI supercomputer" that Nvidia released last year.
Microsoft's new 15-inch Surface Laptop Ultra will be among the first machines to ship with the integrated silicon. The machine features a mini-LED touchscreen, the largest haptic touchpad Microsoft has fitted to a Surface, and a selection of ports covering HDMI, USB-C, USB-A, SD cards, and headphones.
Configured with up to 128GB of unified memory, the Ultra can run AI models with up to 120 billion parameters locally, a figure Microsoft attributes to Nvidia, based on a theoretical performance measure. Microsoft claims it's the most powerful Surface it has ever built.
Nvidia says its chip will eventually appear in around 30 laptops and more than 10 desktops built by the likes of Asus, HP, MSI, Lenovo, and Dell.
Microsoft says the Surface Laptop Ultra will arrive later this year. Pricing has not been announced, but Nvidia has suggested the first wave of RTX Spark machines will target the premium end of the market.
Apple is still working on a cheaper, lighter successor to its Vision Pro headset, but it is unlikely to launch before late 2028 or 2029, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says that Apple needs to come up with a slimmer design for the $3,499 headset and bring down the cost before it can return to the category, which is essentially "on ice" until then.
Gurman made a point of distinguishing the Vision Pro successor from the long-rumored "Vision Air," which was cancelled last year.
In the meantime, Apple's smart glasses project is now the focus, and former Vision Products Group members have been reassigned to that team. Apple is now aiming to release its first smart glasses in "late 2027," according to Gurman.
Apple refreshed the Vision Pro in October 2025 with an updated model featuring an M5 chip.
"Next year's '28' releases are already shaping up to be far more significant than the '27' updates," wrote Gurman.
iOS 28 is codenamed "Bell," while macOS 28 is "Poppy," he said.
iOS 28 would be the first version available on Apple's redesigned 20th-anniversary iPhone, which is expected to be released in September next year.
iOS 27 will seemingly be focused on a revamped Siri and additional Apple Intelligence features. The update will include the long-awaited personalized version of Siri, complete with on-screen awareness and better understanding of your personal context. For example, at WWDC 2024, Apple showed a user asking Siri about their mother's flight and lunch reservation based on info retrieved from the Mail and Messages apps.
A dedicated Siri app will allow you to have back-and-forth conversations with Siri in text or voice modes, similar to other chatbot apps like ChatGPT. In addition, iOS 27 is expected to add a "Search or Ask" feature to the Dynamic Island.
Beyond that, iOS 27 has been likened to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in that sense that the update will apparently be especially focused on bug fixes and stability improvements. If so, it would not be too surprising if iOS 28 is more significant.
Apple is now aiming to release its first smart glasses in "late 2027," according to the latest word from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Meta Ray-Bans
He previously said that Apple planned to begin shipping the glasses by early 2027, but he said the product has faced development delays.
The glasses will feature "oval-shaped cameras, unique colors, and multiple frame styles," according to Gurman. "Over time, Apple believes the glasses could evolve into a health device and eventually incorporate augmented reality technologies capable of improving how people see," he said, but this technology is likely years away.
The glasses will compete with products in the $200 to $500 range in the U.S., he said.
Like the Meta Ray-Bans, Apple's glasses will have built-in cameras that let users capture photos and videos. There would also be speakers and microphones for music, phone calls, and notifications announced by Siri, he said.
The glasses could offer turn-by-turn walking directions.
As for build quality, he said Apple is designing its own plastic frames, with the company allegedly testing at least four potential designs:
A larger rectangular frame, similar to Ray-Ban's Wayfarers
A slimmer rectangular design, similar to the glasses worn by Apple CEO Tim Cook
Larger oval or circular frames
Smaller oval or circular frames
Apple is exploring a range of color options, including black, ocean blue, and light brown, and the glasses may have vertically-oriented oval camera lenses, he said.
Meta uses frames from the popular glasses brand Ray-Ban.
Unlike the latest generation of Meta Ray-Bans, Gurman does not expect Apple's first smart glasses to have an in-lens augmented reality display. He does not expect Apple's glasses to gain such a feature for at least a few years.
New models of the Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini are "nearly ready to go," according to the latest word from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Both devices have been ready "for months," but Apple is holding off on launching them until the more personalized version of Siri is available, he said.
"I am told the hardware for the next Apple TV set-top box and HomePod mini has been done for months and that both devices are already in active use among employees at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California," wrote Gurman.
If you have been closely following Apple TV and HomePod mini rumors, this is a familiar narrative.
The revamped Siri is finally expected to launch as part of iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27, which will be unveiled during the WWDC 2026 keynote on Monday, June 8. Following beta testing, the software updates should be widely released in September, so the new Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini models should be available to purchase by then. In other words, the devices are hopefully around 3-4 months away at the latest.
The current Apple TV 4K was unveiled in October 2022, while the HomePod mini was introduced in October 2020, so there has been a long wait for new models. Nevertheless, Gurman said "don't expect much" in terms of new features for both devices, aside from newer chips that support the more personalized version of Siri.
The current Apple TV 4K has an A15 Bionic chip from the iPhone 13 series, while the HomePod mini uses the S5 chip from the Apple Watch Series 5.
Earlier rumors claimed the next Apple TV would be equipped with the A17 Pro chip, which is the oldest chip that supports Apple Intelligence. The device is also expected to feature Apple's N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread.
Gurman expects the next Apple TV to have a similar design as the current model.
There is one new twist, as he was told that the Apple TV's Siri Remote may be "refreshed in some form," but he did not provide any specific details or guarantee that there will be any outward-facing design changes to the accessory.
As for the HomePod mini, it is expected to use an Apple Watch's S9 chip or newer, but it is unclear if or how that chip would fully support the new Siri powered by Apple Intelligence. Other previously-rumored features for the speaker include the N1 chip, improved sound quality, a newer Ultra Wideband chip, and a red color option.
Ahead of the upcoming World Cup, football superstar Lamine Yamal has arrived at training camp for the Spanish national team sporting what seems to be the unreleased over-ear headphones that appeared in a U.S. Federal Communications Commission database last week. As suspected, the new headphones are a Beats product rather than an Apple product.
In a post on his Instagram account, Yamal shared several photos and a video clip showing him arriving to training camp with the new headphones in a pink color.
We don't know any other details on the upcoming headphones, and it's unclear whether they are a next-generation version of the Beats Studio Pro or if they will carry a new name. They feature a distinctly different design than the Beats Studio Pro, with flatter exteriors on the ear cups and a completely different headband design that appears to include tubular telescoping arms rather than the wider and flatter arms of the Beats Studio Pro.
A release date for the new Beats headphones is currently unknown, but it shouldn't be too far in the future given that they've already received FCC approval and are being seeded to key influencers like Yamal.
Amazon today has the AirPods 4 available for $99.00, down from $129.00. This is a second-best price on the AirPods 4, which is the base model without Active Noise Cancellation, and it's accompanied by a solid deal on the AirPods Max 2.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Amazon provides a June 4 estimated delivery date for free shipping, with faster delivery options for Prime members. We haven't tracked an all-time low price on the AirPods 4 in a few months, so Amazon's deal this weekend is a solid option if you've been waiting for a sale.
Additionally, you can get the AirPods Max 2 on sale for $509.00 right now on Amazon, down from $549.00. This one is available in Blue and Starlight, with similar June 4 delivery estimates as the AirPods 4. This is a match of the all-time low price on the AirPods Max 2.
Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.
Deals Newsletter
Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find in 2026? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season!
WWDC 2026 is coming up very quickly now and we're continuing to learn more about what to expect in iOS 27 and other updates, so make sure to check in to see the latest as we head toward Apple's big week, which kicks off with the traditional keynote on Monday, June 8.
While we may not see anything on the hardware side at WWDC, Apple does have plenty of products in the pipeline, and this week gave us an opportunity to check in on where things stand with the high-end "MacBook Ultra," the long-rumored foldable iPhone, and more, so read on below for all the details!
Top Stories
iOS 27's Siri App and 'Search or Ask' Feature Shown in Leaked Images
MacBook Ultra: 5 Features That Could Justify the Name
Reports and rumors suggest the next MacBook Pro that Apple will release might not be a MacBook Pro at all. It could actually be something altogether new and more exciting – a "MacBook Ultra" – positioned above the Pro as Apple's top-tier laptop, suggesting that the current M5 Pro and M5 Max models will remain on sale when it launches.
In a recent recap, we listed the key features we are expecting in the MacBook Ultra, which is likely to go on sale either later this year or in early 2027. As things stand, the latter time frame is now looking more likely, owing to the global memory chip shortage.
Apple Watch for Diabetes: The Latest on Apple's Plans for Non-Invasive Blood Sugar Monitoring
For many years now, it has been rumored that the Apple Watch will eventually gain non-invasive blood sugar monitoring capabilities, which would enable millions of people with diabetes to track their blood glucose levels without needing to prick their skin with a needle or wear a dedicated continuous glucose monitor.
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple recently shifted oversight of the project from its platform architecture chief Tim Millet to Zongjian Chen, a senior engineer overseeing advanced technologies within the company. He framed this change as positive news for the project, which has apparently been in development for more than 15 years.
Apple Seeds First iOS 26.6 and iPadOS 26.6 Betas to Developers
Even though WWDC is right around the corner, Apple still has another iOS 26 update in the works to tide us over until iOS 27 is ready for prime time, and that's iOS 26.6, which saw its first beta release this week.
We haven't spotted much new in this update yet other than potentially a new alert that will pop up when you've reached the maximum number of blocked contacts, but with that limit into the thousands, most users won't ever hit the cap.
Ferrari Reveals $640,000 EV Co-Designed by Jony Ive
Despite billions of dollars in investment, the Apple Car never came to fruition, but the just-unveiled Ferrari Luce may offer a glimpse of some things we might have seen had Apple's project panned out.
The $640,000 Luce is Ferrari's first all-electric car, and former Apple design chief Jony Ive and his LoveFrom collective were heavily involved in the design of the vehicle.
First Cases for Apple's Foldable iPhone Surface Online
Case makers routinely begin mass producing accessories ahead of a new iPhone announcement, working from dummy units or leaked CAD files to size their molds. Their designs are speculative, but they have historically proven accurate to the millimeter, since accessory makers cannot afford to be left without product on launch day.
Meanwhile, we continue to hear about hiccups as Apple seeks to ramp up toward mass production on the new device, with the latest being that Apple's supply chain is seeing issues with early-stage assembly procedures affecting production yields. This comes after word that issues with hinge reliability were also cropping up. Apple is, however, reportedly still aiming for a release later this year, though supplies may be very limited to start.
MacRumors Newsletter
Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.
Privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo has seen a surge in demand for its "No AI" search option in the wake of Google's May 19th I/O announcements. Google debuted a new "intelligent" search box reimagined with AI. It features AI suggestions as an upgrade to autocomplete, support for follow-up questions, expanded Personal Intelligence for connecting Gmail and Google Photos, and Search agents.
DuckDuckGo told MacRumors that visits to its No AI search page more than tripled after Google's announcement. Traffic hit the 3x mark on May 28th, and has continued to climb. Visits have averaged around 84 percent above baseline consistently since May 19.
DuckDuckGo is embracing demand for No AI search options, and it is promoting new extensions available for Chrome and Firefox that set No AI search as the default.
No AI search has no AI-assisted answers, no chat interface, and it surfaces fewer AI images. DuckDuckGo can be set as the default search engine on Apple devices, but not the specific No AI page. DuckDuckGo has its own AI tools, but they are turned off for people who opt for the No AI experience.
DuckDuckGo plans to add No AI search settings to its original extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Opera in the near future.
Along with DuckDuckGo, there are other privacy-focused search engine options that minimize AI results. Paid search engine Kagi is one example, with no visible AI information unless you opt for AI tools. Kagi is $5 per month for a limited number of searches, and $10 a month for unlimited searches.
Because it is a paid search engine, it does not have ads and it does not collect and sell user data.
Back at CES in January, LG unveiled its UltraGear evo GX9 (39GX950B) display, which it claims is the world's first 39-inch ultrawide 5K2K OLED gaming monitor, offering a large curved canvas in the increasingly popular 21:9 aspect ratio with the added benefit of OLED technology for enhanced contrast with true blacks, standard refresh rates of up to 165Hz, and more.
While LG began taking pre-orders for the UltraGear evo GX9 last month and a few early orders have already trickled out through various channels, LG says that the official kickoff of order shipments starts next week.
LG touts the gaming prowess of the UltraGear evo GX9, but its specs mean it can deliver a premium experience across a variety of use cases, from productivity to media consumption and more.
OLED technology delivers a contrast ratio of 1,850,000:1 across the ultrawide display's 5,120 x 2,160 resolution. At a large 39-inch display size with a 1500R curve, this translates to a density of 143 pixels per inch, which is solid but not enough for true retina-level quality. Still, the large, curved display means many users will often be sitting further from the display than usual to be able to take in the full scope of content on the display, and that should prove plenty sharp in most situations.
The Tandem OLED panel in the UltraGear evo GX9 supports up to 335 nits of typical brightness, which is likely sufficient for most uses but does lag behind some other displays including ones in Apple products. The OLED contrast, color fidelity at up to 98.5% of the DCI-P3 spectrum, and HDR support that can push brightness to 1,500 nits at 1.5% APL and 600 nits at 10% APL should, however, all help to offer a quality viewing experience.
For those who do want to game on this display, the UltraGear evo GX9 features AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and NVIDIA G-SYNC support, as well as 0.03ms response times to keep up with fast-moving content.
On the connectivity side, the UltraGear evo GX9 offers a USB-C port with 90-watt power delivery to a connected computer, as well as DisplayPort 2.1 and HDMI 2.1.
We'll be looking to go hands-on with the LG UltraGear evo GX9 as soon as we can, and we'll report back on how well it works for Mac users, but for now LG is taking orders on its own site priced at $1,799.99, and it's also available at Amazon for the same price with delivery quotes starting around June 8.
MacRumors is an affiliate partner with LG and Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Apple's digital driver's license feature in the Wallet app is set to expand to Virginia, according to a person familiar with the matter.
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The feature has rolled out to 14 states so far, including Arkansas earlier this week, and it is also available in Puerto Rico.
The other states are Arizona, Maryland, Colorado, Georgia, Ohio, Hawaii, California, Iowa, New Mexico, Montana, North Dakota, West Virginia, and Illinois.
Now, Apple is preparing for the feature to go live in Virginia, the person said. However, we do not have an exact timeframe for availability. Towards the end of 2025, Virginia's Department of Motor Vehicles said it planned to support the Apple Wallet's digital ID feature in the coming months, so hopefully it goes live soon by this point.
When the feature goes live, Virginia residents will be able to set it up by opening the Wallet app on the iPhone and tapping on the plus sign in the top-right corner. Next, they will tap on Driver's License and ID Cards, select Virginia from the list once it is added, and follow the on-screen steps to complete the process.
Apple Wallet IDs are accepted at TSA checkpoints at hundreds of U.S. airports for domestic travel. Given that Apple Wallet IDs are not accepted by law enforcement, and lack many other use cases, carrying a physical ID is still necessary.
If you live in a state that does not yet offer Apple Wallet IDs, you can create a Digital ID based on your U.S. passport, and present it at the same participating TSA checkpoints, for age and identity verification purposes during domestic travel. It is not a replacement for a physical passport, and it cannot be used for international travel.
The passport feature requires iOS 26.1 or watchOS 26.1 and later.
OpenAI is developing a smartphone intended to compete directly with the iPhone, in what appears to be a significant departure from the company's previously stated hardware strategy. Here's everything we know so far.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuopublished his findings in late April following supply chain checks, describing the device as an "AI agent phone" built around a continuous, context-aware interface rather than individual apps. Kuo argued that the smartphone is the only device that captures a user's full real-time state, including location, activity, communication, and context, making it uniquely suited to AI agent inference.
He said fully controlling both the operating system and the hardware is the only way for OpenAI to deliver a comprehensive AI agent service, and that AI agents will fundamentally shift how people interact with a phone, moving the focus from launching individual apps to completing tasks through a seamless interface.
Specifications
OpenAI's phone is said to use a customized version of MediaTek's Dimensity 9600 processor, built on TSMC's N2P node in the second half of 2026. Kuo initially named both MediaTek and Qualcomm as chip partners but has since said MediaTek appears "better positioned to become the sole processor supplier."
Luxshare Precision Industry is believed to be the exclusive manufacturing partner. Separately, Kuo reported that Sunny Optical has secured component orders for two OpenAI devices, including the smartphone. This is likely for the camera module.
The device's headline known hardware specification today is its image signal processor, which includes an enhanced HDR pipeline intended to improve real-world sensing through the camera. It is also said to use two AI processors for handling different tasks simultaneously, such as vision and language processing, along with fast memory and storage and security features to isolate processes.
What About Jony Ive's Devices?
The phone represents a notable reversal in OpenAI's publicly stated strategy. The company's hardware ambitions had previously been described as centered on non-phone form factors developed with former Apple design chief Jony Ive, whose startup io Products OpenAI acquired for $6.5 billion in May 2025. Ive and CEO Sam Altman had specifically said they did not want to build a device with a screen, with Altman describing a prototype to employees as "the coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen."
The first product from that collaboration was delayed out of 2026 and has since been identified as a smart speaker with an integrated camera, priced between $200 and $300 and expected to launch in early 2027. Other devices reportedly in development include smart glasses, a smart lamp, and potentially earbuds, though those products are further out on the roadmap and some could be cancelled.
OpenAI has also been aggressively recruiting from Apple's hardware ranks, hiring over 40 former Apple employees. The hires include former Apple designers Evans Hankey, Tang Tan, and Scott Cannon, prompting Apple to offer its iPhone Product Design team retention bonuses of up to $400,000 in restricted stock units to counter the poaching.
Timeline
Mass production of OpenAI's smartphone was originally believed to be targeted for 2028, but Kuo has since revised that expectation to the first half of 2027. The accelerated timeline is said to reflect OpenAI's planned IPO, where a compelling hardware product could strengthen the company's investor narrative, as well as intensifying competition in the AI agent phone category. Kuo projects combined 2027 and 2028 shipments could reach around 30 million units if development stays on track.
What Does It Mean for Apple?
If the broader hardware lineup ships, OpenAI will be a direct competitor to Apple across several product categories. Apple is rumored to be developing smart glasses, AirPods with cameras, an AI pendant, and a smart home hub with enhanced Siri capabilities. On the day Kuo published his initial report, Altman posted on X that it "feels like a good time to seriously rethink how operating systems and user interfaces are designed."
A few months ago, Apple released the MacBook Neo, its most affordable MacBook ever. At the time, an ASUS executive admitted that the laptop came as a "shock" to the Windows PC industry, which is now in the process of responding.
Acer today introduced a Swift Air 14 laptop, with U.S. pricing starting at $699. By comparison, the MacBook Neo starts at $599 with a 256GB SSD and 8GB of RAM, or at $499 for college students and educational staff. However, the MacBook Neo costs an equal $699 when configured with a doubled 512GB of storage and a Touch ID button.
Powered by a new Intel Core Series 3 processor, the Swift Air 14 features a 14-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 1,920 × 1,200 pixels, up to a 512GB SSD, up to 16GB of RAM, an all-aluminum enclosure, and quad speakers with DTS:X Ultra audio. Like the MacBook Neo, the laptop supports Wi-Fi 6E.
Acer's Swift Air 14
The laptop is equipped with two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a USB-A port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, and Acer says a 70 Wh battery provides up to 19 hours of battery life for video playback and up to 16 hours of battery life for web browsing.
Like the MacBook Neo, the Swift Air 14 is available in colorful finishes, including sage green, frost blue, blossom pink, and lilac purple.
Acer said the Swift Air 14 will be available in North America starting in August.
Meanwhile, Qualcomm this week announced the Snapdragon C, a new processor designed for "entry-tier laptops" priced at "$300 and up." Qualcomm said the processor delivers "responsive everyday performance" with "breakthrough power efficiency." The first laptops powered by the Snapdragon C are expected to launch later this year, with committed brands including Acer, HP, and Lenovo, according to Qualcomm.
Qualcomm's Snapdragon C processor
Indeed, Acer has previewed the Aspire Go 15, the first laptop powered by the Snapdragon C processor. The laptop will have an "affordable" price point, but Acer did not provide specific pricing or a release date. Key specs include a 15.6-inch display with a resolution of 1,920 × 1,080 pixels, up to a 512GB SSD, up to 8GB of RAM, a 1080p webcam, two speakers, two USB-C ports, one USB-A port, one HDMI port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Acer said the Aspire Go 15 is made from 100% recyclable materials and has some components made from recycled plastic, so it sounds like the laptop will not have an all-aluminum enclosure like the MacBook Neo and the Swift Air 14.
Finally, ASUS commented on the MacBook Neo again during its annual shareholders meeting today. According to Taiwan's Economic Daily News, ASUS's chairman Jonney Shih said that the company can learn from Apple's cost-efficient strategy with the MacBook Neo and views it as an opportunity. Stay tuned, he said.
On an earnings call last month, Apple's CEO Tim Cook said that customer response to the MacBook Neo had been "off the charts" since its launch.
Apple was very optimistic about the MacBook Neo before announcing it, but the company still "undercalled" the level of enthusiasm that the laptop would generate, according to Cook. He said that MacBook Neo demand exceeded Apple's expectations and helped to drive a record number of first-time Mac buyers last quarter.
"We could not be happier with how things are going at the moment," said Cook.
As for the Windows PC industry, perhaps not so much.
The 
Meta Ray-Bans
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Acer's Swift Air 14
Qualcomm's Snapdragon C processor
