Viral 'transparent phone' leaves people mind-blown but the truth behind it is even crazier

It finally feels like we're heading toward those sci-fi futures we saw in movies from the '90s, with the tantalizing tease of flying cars, robots around the home, and space travel to far-off planets becoming regular topics of conversation in our day-to-day lives.

While we're not quite there, innovations in things like driverless cars and out-there tech are pushing us closer.

You only have to look at how phones have evolved from hulking lumps of kit in the '80s to smaller and smaller models in the '00s, and now bigger and bigger as we demand more screen space but thinner models.

If you thought the idea of a foldable iPhone was futuristic, could Apple's next step be to give us transparent smartphones? Google and Meta already have futuristic headwear that'll beam information directly into our eyes, but the idea of carrying around a simple piece of glass as our smartphones could be the next big innovation...or so you'd think.

Over on TikTok, one woman has gone viral for her use of a transparent phone.

User @askcatgpt shared a video of herself carrying the 'transparent smartphone' while queuing at a boba tea shop.

The OG clip has racked up nearly 52 million views, with many confused about what they were looking at.

There was plenty of chatter about it being a transparent phone from Nokia, apparently retailing for $39,000, and released in October 2024.

One confident comment got 17.6K likes and reads: "It's the new Plex from Nokia."

Another added: "As a professional comment reader...that is a Nokia clear phone 🙏."

The top comment has 260.6K likes and says: "35.000€ Nokia Clear Phone 💫."

The problem is, there's no such thing. It's true that there's a concept for a clear Nokia phone, but it's far from official.

One disgruntled viewer wrote: "The Nokia clear phone is a mere concept, so for anyone wondering: this video is staged and she stood in line with a piece of perspex in her hand pretending to be holding a transparent phone 👍."

In a follow-up video, Cat explained: "This is a methaphone. It’s exactly what it looks like — a clear piece of acrylic shaped like an iPhone. But why does it exist?"

Cat claims her friend invented it, adding: "He told me what he wanted to test if we’re all so addicted to our phones, then could you potentially curb someone’s addiction by replacing the feeling of having a phone in your pocket with something that feels exactly the same?”

A bit like when you might see smokers using a fidget spinner or putting a pen to their mouth to replace the habit of pressing a cigarette to their lips, the methaphone is here to curb that smartphone addiction.

Even though you might not be sold on the idea of the methaphone, it's apparently already unavailable online, with Cat speculating about why it's so popular. She said it’s because the methaphone “feels like a physical artifact that directly responds to this collective tension that our phones, which are meant to make us feel more connected, do the opposite.” She asked the chat: "Have I used my phone less in the past week that I’ve been carrying this [methaphone] around with me? Probably not. But what do you think?"

If Nokia were savvy, it'd quickly get in on the transparent phone hype.