Imagine walking into a store to buy an iPhone that is completely see-through. You cannot buy a transparent phone from Apple today. The company simply does not make them. However, one popular creator on YouTube decided to make this bold idea a reality. He wanted an iPhone Air that showed off all its internal parts. He also wanted a feature that Apple completely removed from this model: a slot for a physical SIM card. This was a massive challenge, but the results are fascinating.
A Dream Collaboration in China
To achieve this massive goal, the YouTuber, known as Linzin, needed professional help. He could not do this complex phone surgery entirely on his own. He documented his entire journey in an exciting 22-minute video.
Linzin traveled to the famous Huaqiangbei electronics market in China. This market is well-known around the world. It is packed with highly skilled engineers and traders who know the inside of modern electronics better than anyone else. Linzin described teaming up with these local experts as a true “dream collaboration.” Together, they started the difficult process of transforming a standard iPhone Air into something totally unique.
Making the iPhone Air Completely Clear
The first major step in this project was changing the outer look of the phone. Modern iPhones have solid paint colors on their back glass. To fix this, the team took the iPhone Air apart. They took the back cover and put it under a special laser machine. The laser carefully stripped off all the original paint from the glass.
But removing the paint was not the only thing they had to do. Inside the phone, there are thermal pads. These pads are designed to spread out heat and keep the phone cool. The engineers had to pull these thermal pads out so the back plate would be totally clear. After clearing everything out, they put the phone back together.
It was not just a fake model to look at. Linzin proved that the transparent iPhone Air actually worked. It turned on, connected to the mobile network, and functioned normally. It did need a quick repair later when the microphone ribbon came loose, but the phone survived the initial surgery. The new clear back provided a stunning look at the phone’s interior parts in action.
Bringing Back the Physical SIM Card
The clear back glass was only the beginning. The second part of this project was perhaps even more challenging. Out of the box, the standard iPhone Air does not have a hole for a physical SIM card. Apple designed the phone to strictly use digital eSIMs.
For a lot of users, this is fine. But for Linzin, it was a huge problem. He changes his mobile phones very frequently. Registering a new digital eSIM over and over again is a very annoying and slow process. He wanted the old, physical SIM tray back.
Installing a new physical hardware piece into a tightly packed phone is incredibly hard. To make room, a market trader had to remove the original haptic engine. This engine makes the phone vibrate. They swapped the large original engine for a much smaller vibration module. This created just enough empty space for a physical SIM card holder. Next, they used a machine to carefully cut a hole right through the metal frame of the iPhone Air. Finally, the engineers added custom electrical wiring inside the phone. This wiring connected the new SIM tray to the phone’s main board.
The Heavy Cost of Customization
If you are feeling brave and want to try this on your own phone, you need to know the risks. Linzin’s project was a success, but it came with a huge pile of sacrifices. This type of deep modification is definitely not for the faint-hearted.
First of all, the project costs a lot of extra money. Second, taking out the internal thermal pads created a major cooling problem. Now, whenever the phone is under heavy load, it gets much hotter than a normal iPhone Air. Third, opening the phone destroyed its factory seals. The device instantly lost its water resistance.
Fourth, because the large vibration motor was removed, the physical haptic feedback is now very weak. Fifth, cutting a hole into the metal side frame reduced the overall structural strength of the device. And finally, making these unauthorized changes completely voided Apple’s official warranty.
Conclusion
In the end, this unique experiment shows what is possible when you combine a bold idea with skilled engineers. The final device has several obvious flaws. It runs hotter, vibrates less, and is physically weaker than a normal phone. However, it also features a breathtaking transparent design and a highly useful physical SIM card slot. You will never see a phone like this sitting on display inside an official Apple Store. While Apple prefers to keep its internal parts hidden, Linzin’s daring project gives us a rare and fascinating look at the technology that powers our daily lives.
