Deutsche Telekom and Perplexity Unveil Affordable ‘AI Phone’ Under $1K

Deutsche Telekom, in collaboration with Perplexity and other tech firms, announces an affordable ‘AI Phone’ set to launch in 2026, targeting the European market with a price under $1,000.

This year at MWC in Barcelona, Deutsche Telekom (DT) dropped some big news: they’re teaming up with Perplexity, Picsart, and a few other tech whizzes to cook up an ‘AI Phone’. And here’s the kicker—it’s not going to break the bank. Slated for a 2026 debut with a price tag under $1,000, this gadget is first heading to Europe. The star of the show? A shiny new AI assistant app called ‘Magenta AI’, ready to jazz up how you chat with your phone.

Claudia Nemat, from DT’s top brass, didn’t mince words. The company’s all in on AI now, and this collab with Perplexity is just the start. Imagine an AI that doesn’t just answer your questions but also books your flights, shoots off texts, and even reminds you to water your plants. That’s the dream they’re selling.

For Perplexity, this is a giant leap—from being the brainy search engine you chat with to building AI that actually does stuff. Teaming up with DT for this smartphone gig is their first rodeo in this arena, though they’ve dabbled with an Android assistant before.

DT’s not just throwing another smartphone into the ring; they’re playing the long game. By weaving in AI magic from Google Cloud, ElevenLabs, and Picsart, plus the Magenta AI app (which, by the way, will also spice up your current Android or iOS if you’re with DT), they’re betting big on AI to stand out in the cutthroat telecom world.

Bottom line? AI’s the new black in telecom, and DT and Perplexity are stitching it right into the fabric of your phone life. With the ‘AI Phone’, they’re not just making calls smarter; they’re reimagining what your phone can do for you, one AI-powered task at a time.