Consumer hardware company Aina raised millions of dollars in seed funding to finance development of an interface it argues is required to fully unlock the potential of AI on smartphones and PCs.

The company believes current device hardware lags the progress of software and AI, resulting in a disconnect between expectation and reality in terms of the interface with apps and services.

It raised $5.5 million in the recent funding round to advance development of experimental interfaces which adapt to the app being used.

Aina stated it already shipped hundreds of experimental keypads called Dune to early adopters, a product for Mac computers it describes as “context-aware” which primarily focuses on work tools.

It is using the feedback from Dune to develop a general-purpose interface for smartphones and computers.

Aina founder and CEO Apoorv Shankar (pictured) said current smartphones and PCs “are still primarily designed for browsing” and use manual inputs requiring users to “figure out what you need”.

He argued this is laborious when users are “doing hundreds of tasks” per day.

The company believes there is room within the broader AI assistant space for a contextualisation system which makes it easier for people to interact with the technology. Shankar explained the general-purpose interface on the drawing board is being designed to “capture human approval”.

Shankar was previously VP of hardware at smart ring company Ultrahuman.

The seed funding round was led by Redstart Labs (Infoedge) and 360 ONE Asset, with two other investment companies and a host of angel investors.

Along with launching its interface, Aina intends to use the backing to grow its team in the US and India.

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Smartphone brand OnePlus announced an end to new product releases in Europe and North America, a move reportedly part of a bigger brand revamp by parent company Oppo.

OnePlus revealed the move in a statement posted on its user forum, confirming media speculation earlier this week.

It told users in Europe software updates already committed to would be fulfilled and “backed by Oppo”.

The decision was attributed to a “proactive global strategy adjustment”. Its latest flagship smartphone OnePlus 15 launched in the markets late in 2025.

Bloomberg reported the move is part of a wider restructure at Oppo, noting it is pulling another of its smartphone brands, Realme, from the Chinese market.

The news outlet claimed although OnePlus would remain active in China, it is set to be wound down in other countries during 2027.

South China Morning Post linked the brand’s demise in Western markets to ongoing industry woes involving the price and availability of memory components.

Flagship killer
Its retreat marks the decline of global ambitions for a brand once seen as a plucky challenger in the Android segment with somewhat of a cult following in its early days.

OnePlus was founded in 2013 by former Oppo employees Pete Lau and Carl Pei: the former is now back at Oppo while Pei heads device venture Nothing.

The company promoted early handsets as “flagship killers” and had several well reviewed devices over the years. In 2020, its OnePlus 7T Pro won the coveted Global Mobile Award (Glomo) for best handset.

Having had close links since its foundation and shared owners in the form of BBK Electronics, OnePlus was made an official Oppo sub-brand in January.

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