iPhone Air modded with a transparent back and SIM slot shows off its nerdy internals

We have already witnessed an exciting Apple iPhone Air transparent mod before, courtesy of the well-known YouTube Phone Repair Guru. However, a YouTuber named Linzin has taken things even further, not only granting his iPhone Air a transparent back with the help of modding pros in China's Huaqiangbei market, but also a full-fat physical SIM slot that functions as intended.

It was not easy, however, which is to be expected. Removing the paint layers on the iPhone Air's rear glass panel was not even the most challenging part - the most strenuous task was to do so with a laser while preventing damage to the MagSafe charging coil. After all, the MagSafe battery pack does save the day for many. Once this part was done, the entire back glass of the iPhone Air became transparent, putting its beautiful internals in full view.

iPhone Air gets a SIM slot surgery

But Linzin refused to stop there - the professional modders were then tasked with drilling a large gap in the iPhone Air's chassis to make room for a physical SIM slot, which ended up forcing the removal of Apple original haptic engine in favor of a smaller, third-party engine. After some board-level soldering, the SIM slot worked as intended, and the phone booted up just fine.

However, certain issues did inevitably creep in - the iPhone Air's thermal performance degraded noticeably due to the removal of the back panel's heat pads during the paint removal process, and the Air also ended up losing its dust and water resistance. Moreover, a microphone ribbon cable also came loose later on, requiring the phone to be sent back for repairs.

But in the end, Linzin appears to have gotten what he was looking for - an Apple iPhone Air with a transparent back, and a SIM slot that reduces the hassle of switching eSIMs. The price? Poor thermals, compromised durability, and a void warranty plan.