A real Tesla smartphone is looking more likely — what do we know so far?

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Rumor has it Tesla is about to release its first smartphone, a ground-breaking device that will operate your car for you, charge by solar power, and possibly interface with your thoughts. At least that’s what Tesla’s designer Antonio de Rosa suggested in a video released earlier this year.

As with everything else on the internet, though, it can be hard to tell fact from fiction. Here’s a breakdown of what we know so far.

More About Tesla

Tesla identifies itself as an automotive tech company. In addition to high-end cars, Tesla offers solar panels and home appliances. Elon Musk joined the company in 2004 and became its CEO in 2007. A visionary and life-long entrepreneur, he has been instrumental in gearing the company toward innovative, sustainable technologies.

Tesla vehicles are more like high-tech computers than traditional cars, running on electricity instead of gas. Cars can be updated wirelessly and have fewer parts than conventional cars, making maintenance easy. Tesla has also been developing a self-drive feature, giving the vehicles some capacity to drive independently.

Tesla Phone Concept Video

On February 2, 2021, Tesla designer Antonio de Rosa released a space-themed video for a powerful Tesla phone on his official YouTube channel, ADRstudiodesign. During the video, de Rosa highlights several innovative features for a potential Tesla phone, including:

• Neuralink capacity
• Four camera lenses
• Night vision
• Marscoin access
• Solar power charging capacity
• Starlink connection
• Car interfacing

The video ends with a closeup showing the words “Model π, Neurasmartphone,” and a teaser phrase, “The No Ordinary Phone.”

While these design elements are all very intriguing, the ability to charge through solar power may have the most current potential. The interest in solar power has been steadily advancing for some time, with the market growing at about 42% a year in America. A phone that could charge through solar power would appeal to many future-focused buyers.

Model π Feature Breakdown

While de Rosa’s video may just be concept art, it raises some interesting questions about the technological capacity of a potential Tesla phone. What problems might Tesla try to solve with a new phone?

Tesla is known for its innovation and ability to disrupt industries and push against traditional boundaries. De Rosa’s video suggests a Telsa phone would be connected to at least three of Musk’s other entrepreneurial pursuits.

In 2015, Musk launched Starlink, a company focused on providing high-quality internet across the globe through low-orbit satellite connections. The website promises speeds of 100 to 200 M/bs to customers with a clear view of the sky. Starlink is operated by Musk’s space exploration company, SpaceX. A built-in connection to Starlink could give Tesla’s phone an industry edge.

A Tesla phone might also contribute to the development of Mars. Musk believes space travel is valuable because it would decentralize humanity from just one planet. Marscoin is a step toward that future and was created as a foundation for an extraterrestrial currency exchange system. It resembles Bitcoin’s model, operating as a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency system that can cross international boundaries and is free of government oversight.

READ MORE: Tesla teamed up with Radio Flyer to make a Cyberquad for kids

Another one of Musk’s companies, Neuralink, is pursuing brain-to-machine interfaces that would create a connection between a person’s brain and their digital devices. This kind of innovation could be life-changing for individuals with speech impediments or other physical disabilities. However, this technology still has far to go, and so probably wouldn’t be part of a Tesla phone for a while.

Where This Ship Is Going

Elon Musk is known for leading visionary technological advancements in multiple fields, so a move toward smartphone technology wouldn’t be entirely unexpected for Tesla.

Because Musk’s companies never go halfway, a Tesla phone has the potential to be extremely exciting. New technology from Tesla would doubtless transcend the boundaries of what is expected and may change how society interacts with smartphones forever.

The possibilities are endless, but there’s no way to know for sure until a phone actually comes out. All that’s left to do is wait and see!

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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