AINov 3, 2026, 2:17 PM UTC·2 min read

Cyclon Opens Pre-Orders for $699 AI Agent Phone Built on Pixel 8a

Y Combinator-backed Cyclon is rebuilding the phone around AI agents that use your apps for you. Pre-orders cost $699 in the US, with shipping planned for Q2 2027.

A Google Pixel 8a smartphone running Cyclon OS, with an AI agent completing a task across several apps. — Image: The Indian Express

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Cyclon, a Y Combinator-backed startup, has opened pre-orders for an AI-native phone that replaces tapping through apps with agents that carry out tasks on the user's behalf. The device costs $699 for eligible US customers and is expected to ship in the second quarter of 2027.

The first units are not custom hardware. Cyclon is loading its own software, Cyclon OS, onto Google Pixel 8a phones, which buyers receive at no extra cost as early-access prototypes. The company was founded in 2026 by Thomas Kiefer, a former Android engineer, and Adam Zinebi, who studied electronics and miniaturized hardware at EPFL.

How the agents work

Users state what they want, and with one touch an agent starts working in the background using apps already installed and logged in. In a demo video, a user asks the phone to find a contract in Google Drive, send the link to a friend on WhatsApp and then call him. Agents can pause to ask for missing information and resume afterwards. If a required app is missing, users can describe it and the agent builds it in a separate cloud sandbox, asking for an account or API key if needed.

Cyclon OS works with most Android apps, but banking and payment apps, and any app that requires a Google-certified phone, will not run. Users may need to step in for identity checks and approvals. The company says the agent identifies itself as an AI on calls, can make mistakes, and can be blocked from chosen apps.

Privacy trade-offs

Processing is not fully on-device. Requests, messages, location and screen content go to cloud-based AI providers, according to the company's website, while the agent's memory stays on the phone. Users can limit what is sent by data type and by app. Cyclon says the data is not used for training and is kept briefly for abuse monitoring before deletion, and that it is working toward zero data retention with providers.

The launch fits a wider push toward agent-first devices. Honor's Robot Phone points the same way, Nothing CEO Carl Pei has predicted apps will disappear, and Google launched Gemini Intelligence earlier this year. Qualcomm's Durga Malladi, however, noted that apps will still coexist with agents for now.