A transparent iPhone Air with a working SIM slot looked like a hardware hack for the ages, but it also showed exactly what got sacrificed when factory design margins disappeared.
In a new video, YouTuber Linzin took viewers on a 22-minute journey through Huaqiangbei, China’s famous electronics market. There, technicians worked their magic by laser-stripping the rear glass of an iPhone Air for a see-through effect.
They didn’t stop there and milled space for a SIM slot directly into the frame. They also handled delicate board-level microsoldering to make the eSIM-only iPhone Air work with a physical SIM card.
The modified phone powered on, connected to a carrier, and worked just fine. It did run hotter under load and lost its water resistance.
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