For decades, ostentatious supercar makers have stuck panels of clear glass over the engines, all so that you can show off V8 engineering prowess to the world. Although the microscopic circuitry underneath is arguably more of an engineering masterpiece, no smartphone manufacturer has yet made a phone that shows off the internals.
It’s time to correct this historic travesty.
This YouTube video from JerryRigsEverything shows a process for making your own clear-backed Galaxy S8. It’s not involved as you might first think, but it still involves a bunch of specialized tools and work. You have to take the back off with extreme care, then separate the fingerprint sensor and camera frame before you can even start work.
To turn the black back of the Galaxy S8 into clear glass is actually the simplest part: use high-strength paint cleaner to remove the coloring and laminate backing, then glass cleaner to polish up the clear glass back. The result is a totally transparent glass-only back that lets you see the battery and circuitry underneath.
Obviously, doing this voids every warranty in existence, and also makes your phone not waterproof. There’s probably also some concern over the long-term damage sunlight could do to internal components, particularly that famously volatile lithium-ion battery. But for anyone who’s ever been captivated by the internals of electronics, this makes for the ultimate back for a smartphone.
