Rumors that Elon Musk’s Tesla company would make a smartphone have been going around for a few years, supposedly called the Model Pi.
A company that already trades as Tesla, making phones and various other tech products like TVs, complicates things from the start, even if they aren’t high-end like you’d expect Elon to make, or available in the UK or the US. company is mainly active in Eastern Europe.
The company’s frequently asked questions about “Do you make cars?” says, “No. That’s Tesla Inc., which provides solar energy, energy storage, charging and vehicles as part of its mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy. We create and distribute consumer electronics products and home appliances, inspired by Nikola Tesla’s idea of bringing technology to everyone.”
So is there any truth that Tesla Inc. will add mobile devices to its, well, larger mobile devices? This is all we know so far.
Has Tesla launched a phone yet?
You may have seen a lot of videos on YouTube and TikTok recently about Tesla releasing a $100 phone that “broke the internet,” but there’s no proof that these devices are real, and chances are they’re just clickbait from by AI powered sites trying to create some revenue.
It’s nothing new, as you’ll see if you search for “Tesla phone” on YouTube, which yields a lot of “it’s just been released!” results. style videos that all talk about something that never happened. Simply put, it’s fake news and they pop up regularly to make money.
A quick trip to Tesla’s official website reveals no news about the mysterious phone, which doesn’t sound like the kind of marketing technique we’d expect from the company. Also nothing from Elon himself on the massive social network he owns, X (formerly Twitter).
YouTube
There have also been a slew of recent reports of Tesla ‘confirming’ the impending arrival of a phone, but again there’s no official word on this and the images used appear to be taken from concepts posted by designers in recent years.
Since no mainstream, established tech site (ourselves included) is telling the story, you can bet it’s not a real thing. At least, not yet.
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Further confusion could come from the fact that there is a smartphone brand called Tesla that does make a number of phones, in addition to refrigerators, dishwashers, ovens, air conditioning units, TVs and other home technology.
However, the company doesn’t pretend to be linked to Musk’s outfit, as a quick look through the FAQs finds this answer to the question of whether it makes electric cars?
“No. That’s Tesla Inc., which provides solar energy, energy storage, charging and vehicles as part of its mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy. We create and distribute consumer electronics products and home appliances, inspired by the idea from Nikola Tesla to bring technology to everyone.”
What did Elon Musk say about Tesla making a phone?
Some of the speculation surrounding the Tesla phone rumors comes from comments Elon Musk has made on the subject.
Back in 2020, Musk said on X (formally Twitter) that smartphones were “yesterday’s technology.”
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Instead, he pointed to Neuralinks. This refers to the development of chips that can be implanted in the brain so that devices can be controlled by the electrical impulses created when we think.
One of Musk’s companies, Neuralink Corporation, is already heavily involved in developing this technology, but it will likely take a long time before getting yourself ‘chipped’ becomes a reality. Luckily, Severance is still a fictional show.
Yet that is true some reason to think Musk is developing a phone or at least considering one.
In the wake of speculation (started by Musk himself, it’s worth adding) that Apple was considering removing the then-Twitter from the App Store, the social network’s new owner did suggest that he might get his own phone make, but only “if there is no other choice.”
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In more recent comments from Musk, The Standard has reported that he spoke about his thoughts on Tesla and a telephone during the political campaign for Trump.
“That’s a lot of work. The idea of making a phone makes me want to die,” said Elon. “But if we have to make a phone, we will, but we will strive not to make a phone.”
Not exactly a resounding endorsement.
This follows on from another quote from The Standard’s report given at a New York Times event in November 2023, where Musk said: “If there is an essential need to make a phone, I will make a telephone, but I have a lot of fish to fry.”
These sentiments were echoed on a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, in which Musk noted that they didn’t want to make a phone, but: “If Apple and Google Android started doing really bad things like censoring apps or acting like gatekeepers in a harmful way, then I think we would make a telephone.”
While it’s not outside the realm of possibility for Tesla to suddenly announce a device, Elon Musk doesn’t seem all that enthusiastic about fueling the marketing hype.
What features and specifications can we see in the Tesla Model Pi?
OK. Hold on to your hat for this one.
With the Tesla ‘Model Pi’ being something of an urban legend at this point, the rumor mill has veered into some pretty strange territory when it comes to the kind of features Tesla could introduce with its debut phone.
Design
Concept artist Antonio de Rosa has created some nice images showing the possible design choices Tesla could make, although this is of course entirely conceptual and not based on any hard schematic evidence.
Solar energy
Probably the most realistic of all the rumors is that Tesla would build solar panels into the device to allow charging without the need for an electrical power source. This makes sense, as it would fit in with the eco-minded Tesla brand, while also utilizing the solar technology the company has already developed.
Whether solar charging technology is ready to keep a phone charged all day long, especially when the phone itself spends most of its time in your pocket or bag, is another matter.
There are also some pretty reasonable stories about the Model Pi’s tight integration with Tesla cars, allowing greater control over settings and features when you’re on the road.
Starlink support
On the more imaginative front, there are plenty of reports that the Model Pi will use Musk’s SpaceX company’s Starlink service. This is essentially satellite-based high-speed broadband that should provide coverage in many areas where 5G is afraid to enter.
Satellite connectivity started to make a comeback in mainstream phones like the iPhone 14 series, Huawei Mate 50 Pro and subsequent models, but the implementation was simple and mainly intended for simple emergency communications at times when the regular signal is unavailable.
Fans are hoping that any Starlink integration would be more advanced.
Neuralink
Remember the Neuralink technology we mentioned earlier? Many fans hope that the Model Pi will be compatible with Brain-Machine-Interface (BMI) chips that will allow users to control their devices through thoughts.
While this sounds incredibly interesting, the idea of a mind control phone could be a nightmare if you’re trying to get Siri to call the right person or Alexa to select the right music track.
Mars attacks!
Finally, the craziest of all the popular rumors we’ve seen is that Starlink technology will allow the Model Pi to operate on Mars. Yes, Mars.
Frankly, we’d be more impressed if Tesla could fix it so that we got a good signal at the local coffee shop instead of on Olympus Mons. That would be a real breakthrough.
How much would the Tesla Model Pi cost?
Anyone would guess that. If it has half the features fans are speculating about, chances are it’s on the… top of the market, but since there’s no real evidence of a real phone, any price would be pure speculation.
You can ignore those YouTube videos that say it costs $100.
For more affordable devices that actually exist, check out our guide to the best phones available.
