OpenAI may turn on a Dime when it comes to its earbuds plans

OpenAI’s first hardware product is starting to look both more real and less ambitious than previous reports suggested. A new leak claims the company’s rumored earbuds could launch under the consumer name Dime, while also indicating that OpenAI may roll out a more basic version first before attempting anything more ambitious.

According to tipster Smart Pikachu on X, a recent patent filing linked to OpenAI has become public in China, which they suggest points to an upcoming reveal. The filing is said to confirm the name Dime, but the more notable update is about what OpenAI might actually ship first. Instead of launching the highly ambitious, “phone-like” audio device described in earlier leaks, the company is now said to be preparing a simpler, audio-only set of earbuds as its initial release, with the more advanced version delayed.

That “phone-like” label the tipster users likely refers to the internals, with the previous leak from the same source suggesting the high-end buds would have a bill of materials (BOM) that could rival a smartphone. In other words, this wasn’t meant to be just a pair of earbuds with some clever software, but something closer to a compact computer in your ear.

According to the new leak, that approach has proven difficult to justify at the moment, as memory shortages and soaring component costs are said to have pushed the BOM too high. That would be somewhat ironic,  given that AI companies such as OpenAI are among the biggest drivers of demand for advanced chips and memory in the first place.

Instead, OpenAI is reportedly aiming to launch a more conventional pair of earbuds in 2026, saving the compute-heavy version for later, once component costs ease. OpenAI may still be aiming high, but it now appears willing to start with something simpler to get a foothold in the market.