This company claims to have built the world’s first transparent 4K monitor with 5,000-nit HDR brightness

A 24-inch monitor that projects images through glass

Many people earn their income from staring at a monitor all day. However, a subsection of humanity probably exists that prefers to see right through their monitor, and Visual Instruments has decided to cater to them. The US-based company has released what it calls the world’s first transparent monitor offering high specs.

The monitor, named Phantom, uses optical projection instead of semi-transparent pixels found in most other see-through OLED and LCD concepts. There is a display panel inside the Phantom’s base that projects images onto a glass with a special coating. The glass is angled away from the user’s line of vision.

The trick here is that the user sees a reflection of the projected image on the glass, which remains transparent. This creates the illusion that the graphics float in the air. Visual Instruments likens its design to head-up displays (HUDs) found in some modern vehicles.

Adjustable transparency and ultra-bright HDR performance

Visual Instruments claims the Phantom is better than earlier prototypes because it can crank the brightness to 5,000 nits in HDR mode. The monitor also supports 4K resolution and promises 100% sRGB color gamut coverage. Connection options include USB-C and HDMI ports.

Meanwhile, the Phantom can be used as a conventional monitor by setting transparency to zero, making the background disappear.

Founders Edition to ship late in 2025

Visual Instruments will initially manufacture just 10 units of the Phantom, which are offered as the Foundation Edition series. They will start shipping before the end of 2025. The company says the Phantom is priced comparably to Apple’s Studio Display, or about $1,599. It hopes to improve the design based on feedback from early adopters.

What remains to be seen is whether a transparent monitor like the Phantom will actually catch on and what the demand level will be. However, Visual Instruments maintains that its monitor can help prevent eye strain by allowing users to focus on objects at varying distances without turning their heads.