Making Sense of All Those Tesla Phone Rumors

There's a lot of buzz about a potential Tesla phone, with some people even claiming it will be named Model Pi or P. However, after researching all the rumors and using some common sense, I'm convinced the evidence simply isn't there.

Still, it's interesting to consider what a smartphone from this highly successful automaker might look like.

Could a Tesla Phone Really Be Released Someday?

Is it possible that sometime in the future Tesla could decide to build and release a phone? I suppose so. But for the immediate future, no, I just don’t see a Tesla phone on the horizon.

There are a few reasons I'm suspicious that a Tesla phone would ever be released.

Not Interesting Enough for Musk

Consider this comment from Telsa's CEO on the future of smartphones. Elon Musk doesn’t see smartphones as a ‘new’ technology, so it’s a long shot that he would bother working on a project he sees as so ‘yesterday’.

While he did appear on the Joe Rogan show, where he was asked about a phone, Musk also clearly stated ‘we aren’t doing a phone.’

“Probably Tesla is in a better position to create a new phone that’s not Android or iPhone than any company in the world, but it’s not something we want to do,” Musk said.

When asked what would make him think Tesla should develop a smartphone, Musk spoke of stepping into the space only if there is a ‘need’ of some sort.

That kind of need, he said, could involve scenarios where other companies became gatekeepers of apps to block people from valid, legal options.

Talk like this just reinforces my belief that Musk has no intention of developing a phone.

While it’s true that he is on record saying he would "make an alternative phone" in response to a post about X (then called Twitter) being removed from Apple and Google app stores, he also points out that he would only do it "if left with no other choice."

Also, in response to an X comment about Tesla making a "Grok phone," Musk said they "might need to do that". (Ed. note: Grok is a chatbot developed by Musk's company xAI.)

To me, that doesn’t sound like Musk has much interest in dealing with small smartphone potatoes when he has the whole universe to conquer.

No One in the Tech Industry Is Talking About It

Most of the rumors floating around initiated from a design studio, by the way, not the technology industry. 

The initial rumors ignited out of a 2021 ADR Studio Design YouTube video. But that video clearly states those are just a designer's ideas, not real leaks or details from Tesla.

In the image shown here, you can see how the designer imagined a phone might look.

However, the designer never states there is a phone, and is very clear that this is simply a hypothetical concept.

From what I can tell, most of the stories around this topic appear to be based on just that one source; I haven’t seen anything, anywhere from an actual industry expert that would confirm Tesla is working on a smartphone of some sort. 

The Concept is Counter-productive to Musk’s Other Plans

Finally, if one of the ultimate side effects or even plans of brain-connected technology like Musk's Neuralink is to phase out phones altogether, putting work into one actually would be counterproductive, wouldn’t it?

Yeah. We're calling the bluff on this rumor and closing the case.