OpenAI Projects Smartphone Sales Rivaling Samsung Galaxy

OpenAI is reportedly projecting its planned smartphone could achieve sales volumes comparable to Samsung’s Galaxy series, according to Android Police, as the AI company expands into consumer hardware.

The sales projection, if accurate, would place OpenAI’s device in competition with one of the world’s top-selling smartphone lines. Samsung shipped approximately 225 million smartphones globally in 2025, making it one of the two largest phone manufacturers alongside Apple, according to industry tracking firms.

The reported projection reflects how OpenAI is positioning itself beyond its core business of AI models and software services. The San Francisco-based company, best known for ChatGPT, has been expanding into hardware as the AI industry increasingly looks to purpose-built devices as a frontier for AI-native user experiences.

OpenAI has been linked to hardware efforts involving former Apple design chief Jony Ive, whose firm has been collaborating on a consumer device concept. Details about the phone’s specific features, pricing and release timeline remain limited.

The projection invites skepticism from industry observers. Breaking into the smartphone market has historically proven difficult even for well-funded companies. Amazon’s Fire Phone, launched in 2014, was widely regarded as a commercial failure despite the company’s retail dominance and ecosystem advantages. Essential, founded by Android creator Andy Rubin, similarly struggled to gain traction before shutting down.

For OpenAI, the hardware bet represents a strategic wager that AI-first devices — built from the ground up around conversational AI and agentic capabilities — can carve out meaningful market share against entrenched competitors like Apple and Samsung that are integrating AI into their existing platforms.

The move also raises questions about OpenAI’s capital requirements. The company has raised tens of billions of dollars to fund its AI research and operations. Adding hardware manufacturing, supply chain management and retail distribution to its portfolio would significantly increase its capital expenditure and operational complexity.

Neither OpenAI nor Samsung immediately responded to requests for comment on the reported sales projections.