Elon Musk, the name behind Tesla, SpaceX and xAI, has just dropped a hint that he might have his eye on yet another project. This time, we are talking about a possible Starlink-branded smartphone. Not just another iPhone or Android clone, either.
It all started on X (formerly known as Twitter) when someone posted, “A Starlink phone would be so sick.” Musk jumped in and said the idea was “not out of the question at some point.” That’s all it took to set off a wave of rumours about what a Starlink phone could actually be.
So, what makes Starlink stand out?
Starlink already delivers internet through a huge network of low-Earth orbit satellites. It’s bringing high-speed internet to places regular networks can’t reach—from rural America to remote villages in India. Now, imagine a phone that taps directly into that satellite network. You’d get coverage in dead zones, far-off campsites, or anywhere traditional cell towers just don’t cut it. It could be a lifesaver in emergencies, too.
Musk says this wouldn’t be your average phone
If Musk goes through with this, don’t expect a regular smartphone. He’s talking about something “very different” from what we’re used to. Musk said the device would be “optimised purely for running max performance per watt neural nets.” Translation: it’s all about squeezing top-tier AI performance out of every bit of battery life. Forget obsessing over camera specs or shiny new app stores—this thing would focus on running powerful AI right on the device, probably with some crazy-advanced Neural Processing Units.
AI runs the show
This isn’t out of left field for Musk. He’s been shouting about the future of AI for ages, especially with xAI and his Grok chatbot. You can bet that a Starlink phone would lean hard into AI, maybe letting you run advanced offline models or hook into satellite-powered intelligence features. Plus, it might play nice with Musk’s other projects in ways we haven’t even thought about yet.
Musk hints a wild new project
Honestly, Musk hinting at wild new projects is nothing new. Not long ago, he even joked about buying Ryanair after sparring with the airline’s CEO over Starlink’s in-flight Wi-Fi. Sure, a lot of his ideas sound out there at first, but we’ve seen him turn more than a few “what ifs” into real, shipping products.
When could you actually get one?
Don’t hold your breath just yet. Musk’s comments are more about keeping the door open than promising anything soon. But if a Starlink phone does land, it could shake up the smartphone world—especially if it delivers on that AI-first vision and satellite connectivity. iPhone and Android might finally have some real competition from space.
