SpaceX has reportedly shown investors a prototype of a phone-like device designed to change how people interact with artificial intelligence, according to The Wall Street Journal. The catch: Elon Musk says the report is ”the most blatant lie.”
That clash is on-brand for Musk, whose companies routinely spark hardware rumors long before anything is ready for a product page. The prototype was described by sources familiar with the matter as thinner than an iPhone, and SpaceX allegedly told investors and other interested parties that the design is still early enough to change.
What SpaceX reportedly showed investors
According to the report, SpaceX presented the device before any official unveiling. The company reportedly framed it as an early-stage concept rather than a finished handset, which usually means retail shelves are still a long way off.
The timing is interesting because Musk has already floated the idea of a company-made phone. Earlier this year, he said SpaceX could make one and suggested it would look very different from normal smartphones.
Musk has teased a SpaceX phone before
This is not the first time a Musk phone rumor has surfaced. In November 2024, he said Tesla would make a phone if Google and Apple censored apps run by his companies. That sort of warning tends to sound less like a product roadmap and more like leverage, but it keeps the rumor mill spinning anyway.
The bigger backdrop is clear: tech giants are still looking for new ways to put AI in people’s hands, and a dedicated device is the most obvious place to try. Apple and Google already dominate the smartphone market, which is exactly why any Musk-backed handset would be talked about as much for its politics and platform strategy as for its specs.
A thinner phone is the easy part
- Reported shape: phone-like prototype
- Reported design detail: thinner than an iPhone
- Current status: early-stage, with design still subject to change
- Public stance from Musk: denial, and a fairly blunt one at that
If this ever turns into a real product, the tougher question will not be whether SpaceX can build a slim device. It will be whether it can offer a reason for anyone to swap a working iPhone or Android phone for another slab of glass with a Musk-shaped business model attached.