T-Mobile, owned by Deutsche Telekom (DT), has revealed plans to launch an AI-integrated smartphone developed in partnership with Perplexity and other technology firms, including Picsart.
The device, which will be priced under $1,000, is set for release in the second half of the year, with sales expected to begin in 2026.
Claudia Nemat, DT’s board member in charge of technology and innovation, emphasised that while the company is not building large language models, it is focusing on AI agents. “We are becoming an AI company,” she stated during a press conference at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona.
Perplexity, known for its AI-powered search engine, will be a huge part of the phone’s AI features. The company’s CEO, Aravind Srinivas, explained its approach: “Perplexity is transitioning from just being an answer machine to an action machine. It is going to start doing things for you, not just answering questions. It’s going to be able to book flights for you, book reservations for you, send emails for you, send messages, place phone calls for you, and all those sorts of things, like set smart reminders.”
Although specific details about the device’s hardware and operating system remain undisclosed, Nemat noted that the phone would incorporate AI features directly into its core functionality, including lock screen interactions. It will also integrate services from Google Cloud AI, ElevenLabs, and Picsart.
T-Mobile’s AI assistant, Magenta AI, will be available as an app for Android and iOS users, but only for existing T-Mobile customers.
This launch aligns with telecom companies’ focus on regaining influence in the smartphone sector, which has long been filled up by manufacturers and software giants like Apple and Google.
Perplexity’s involvement in the project comes as it seeks to differentiate itself in the competitive AI space, where companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google continue to push boundaries. “These are the kinds of things that earlier you would have to do in your own way, learning how to use these different apps,” Srinivas noted.
“All these things are going to start becoming easier so that you can focus your time and energy on problem-solving.”
Telecom providers are looking to leverage new technology to strengthen their market position and T-Mobile seeks to disrupt the smartphone market.
