Tesla, as a company, always remains the talk of the town, and thus, you can expect some exciting things related to it to pop out sporadically. So, what’s this time? A smartphone, or supposedly, the “Tesla Model Pi.” Yes, as per the rumors, they’re making a phone, not just any ordinary one, but an almost ineffable piece of technology that no one has heard before.
Neither Tesla nor Elon himself goes around tweeting about their upcoming product. Still, there ought to be something being worked upon if the rumors are valid. This article will be a collection of leaks, sayings, and stories revolving around the Tesla Model Pi, so read until the end to know everything about Tesla’s first smartphone.
Tesla Model Pi: The Backstory
Tesla, apart from being an EV manufacturer primarily, also has left an impression of being a “tech” brand as well. Tesla cars show immense levels of technological advancements, and so, being a tech company ignites the thought of smartphones too.
It all started when the CEO—Elon Musk, expressed his thoughts by replying under the Twitter post of CleanTechnica. At least, as per him, smartwatches and phones are yesterday’s technology, and this was enough for people, especially Tesla fans, to start questioning the existence of a Tesla phone.
There hasn’t been any official announcement made, but the rumors have never stopped emerging since then, with the latest one being about Tesla partnering with Dent to make the Model Pi a reality. That said, let us proceed towards the big picture.
Tesla Model Pi: A Preface
Renders aside, people, including us, are still confused if the Tesla Model Pi will resemble a traditional candy-bar-styled smartphone or something ground-breaking that no one has thought of before. Surprisingly, it’s also uncertain whether Tesla will go the Android route or build a custom OS to power their smartphones.
Either way, since Tesla’s pretty committed to being eco-friendly and sustainable, they’ll hopefully not follow other smartphone OEMs that usually give lackluster importance to sustainability and repairability.
Of course, as both Tesla and Elon like to stay up-to-date with the latest trends, the smartphone Tesla makes should reflect their identity thoroughly. In other words, rumors say that the Tesla Model Pi will have bitcoin mining capabilities, satellite communication, mind control, to name a few.
Tesla Model Pi: Specifications and Features
Starting with the design—the phone, as per the rumors, looks congruent to the Tesla Cybertruck. It features a similar aluminum-colored back panel, which apparently can also change its color to a shade of yellow. In the leaked images, the Tesla Model Pi looks to have implemented a unibody construction for a seamless feel and iPhone-style flat sides. Alongside having a Tesla logo and the device’s name, the back panel sports a vertically aligned camera module shaped like the OnePlus 10 Pro’s.
Talking about standard features, the Tesla Model Pi should house the latest Snapdragon chipset (if they opt to go with Qualcomm for SoCs), nearly 6.5 inches (16.51 cm) of screen size, an amply sized battery cell, quad-cameras, etc. Apart from a Super AMOLED display, the phone will hopefully feature an under-display selfie camera. It is also known to have 16 GB of RAM and a terabyte of storage.
Just in case you’re wondering, the phone will cost over $1,000 at the least. Before you freak out about the mobile phone costing an arm and a leg, let us check out the seemingly breathtaking features of the Tesla Model Pi.
1. Vehicle Control
Provided you own a Tesla vehicle, the Tesla Model Pi will allow you to manage your car. No, it’s not like those basic features which many cars like that of Ford’s or Chevrolet’s come with; it’s a step above. Apart from the usual features like locking/unlocking your car and controlling basic amenities like air conditioning and media playback, this feature can do much more. As per the leaks, one can summon the vehicle, park it in complex spaces by directing their phones, and more. You can expect the actions to perform harmoniously with Tesla cars, as the feature will be built-in in the UI of the smartphone.
2. Solar Charging
As we said earlier, being environment-friendly is the pinnacle of Tesla’s goals, and so, this feature had to make it to the phone. Solar charging allows efficient use of solar energy and saves on electricity. Many phones that take advantage of solar charging haven’t fully exercised it to the fullest, mainly due to lazy charging speeds. Thus, solar charging will be present, but only as an eco-friendly gimmick.
3. Crypto Mining
Elon is undoubtedly more passionate about digital assets or cryptocurrency than anyone else in this world. Since it requires colossal processing power and electricity to mine cryptocurrency, this idea is a tough row to hoe. Reports say that the Tesla Model Pi will be capable enough to mine “MarsCoin.” It became even more apparent when the man himself replied on Twitter.
4. Satellite Connectivity
Yes, you heard it right. With an extensive network of satellites already available under SpaceX’s Starlink facility, there’s a high chance that the upcoming Tesla phone will feature satellite connectivity. The possibilities are endless—be it a two-way communication between the satellite and the phone for uninterrupted network coverage or interacting between two devices, which needn’t be smartphones only. Tesla can even build a connected ecosystem consisting of their cars, phones, and other IoT gadgets. However, they’ll have to find a way to integrate the bulky antennas required to pull that off.
5. Astrophotography
Being tipped as the “Mars Phone,” Astrophotography is like a rivet on the plane’s wings, or in other words, an essential aspect of the Mars Phone. It’s not like those generic astrophotography modes found on Google Pixels, but a whole new version of it. If the leaks are faithful, the astrophotography mode can presumably click shots of astronomical objects like planets, of course including Mars as well. We don’t know how Tesla will make it happen, but it will be revolutionary if the feature works as proposed.
6. Mind Control
As awe-inspiring as the word sounds, the application is just too good to be true. You might know Neuralink— a neurotechnology company that develops brain-machine interfaces. In layman’s terms, they make brain-embeddable devices that serve as a connecting link between humans and machines. It is precisely what the Tesla phone boasts of executing, and the advantages are more than just being able to control a phone through our brains.
Mind control will be particularly beneficial for visually impaired and physically disabled individuals, who might find controlling smartphones using their hands challenging. The implementation does require quite a few prerequisites, but it will undoubtedly serve as a boon for them.
Conclusion
At this point, it is tough to predict if the Tesla Model Pi will see the light of the day or remain a fantasy. Rumors say the phone will arrive by the end of 2022, but considering the sheer amount of remarkable features it packs, the date seems far too ambitious. Nevertheless, let us still hope for the very best.
Thanks for reading our article, and please have no hesitation in raising queries or giving your valuable suggestions and feedback in the comments section below.