SpaceX may be building a Starlink-powered device to challenge smartphones

Starlink

• SpaceX is developing a device to connect directly to Starlink satellites.
• Elon Musk says it's not a traditional phone, hinting at an AI-focused device.
• Device may merge Starlink internet with on-device AI using xAI's Grok.

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Smartphones have never been more powerful, but they have rarely felt more predictable. For years now, most new devices have followed the same formula: a thin slab of glass and metal, differentiated largely by screen size, camera specs, and processor benchmarks. That sameness has fuelled growing interest in alternatives, including from Elon Musk.

According to a Reuters report citing three sources, SpaceX is working on its own mobile device designed to connect directly to the Starlink satellite internet network. The goal, reportedly, is to build something that could challenge the role smartphones play today.

Details remain scarce. Elon Musk quickly pushed back on the idea that SpaceX is developing a traditional smartphone, writing on X that “we are not developing a phone”. However, he stopped short of denying that some kind of device is in development.

Musk has previously suggested that a Starlink-connected device is at least plausible. Responding to speculation online, he said any such product would look very different from current phones and would be “optimised purely for running max performance per watt neural nets”. That comment points to a device designed around on-device AI rather than general-purpose mobile computing.

The AI angle would fit neatly with recent moves across Musk’s companies. SpaceX has acquired xAI, the startup behind the Grok chatbot, and a dedicated device could serve as a gateway to both Starlink connectivity and Grok-powered AI features. A product that combines satellite internet with local AI processing would also sidestep some of the limitations of cloud-dependent assistants.

SpaceX is not new to the mobile connectivity space. The company already has a partnership with T-Mobile in the US that enables certain phones to connect directly to Starlink satellites for basic messaging and emergency services. A dedicated SpaceX-built device would take that concept much further, giving the company full control over hardware, software and network integration.

The idea also lands amid a wider industry push towards so-called AI-first devices. OpenAI is working with former Apple design chief Jony Ive on a still-opaque hardware project, while Apple itself is reportedly exploring concepts such as an AI pin. Early attempts have not inspired much confidence. The Humane AI Pin, once hyped as a smartphone alternative, struggled to justify its existence and quickly became a cautionary tale.

Whether SpaceX can avoid a similar fate remains an open question. Building a compelling alternative to the smartphone is notoriously difficult, no matter how ambitious the technology behind it. Still, if any company is positioned to experiment with a device that blends satellite connectivity and on-device AI, it is probably the one already launching rockets and running a global internet constellation.