Even if the world were saturated with smartphones, building one from scratch is a daunting task. Now imagine what it would be like to build a smartphone with roughly the same form and function, but 100 times larger than a normal smartphone.
YouTubers Matthew Perkins (DIY Perks) and Arun Maini (MrWhoseTheBoss) did just that, building a working replica of the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The final product is 6.74 feet tall and weighs 440 pounds, earning them an official Guinness World Record.
Perkins started with the screen, an ambitious task that involved converting an LG Signature 88-inch OLED TV into a responsive touchscreen. He had his manufacturer create a touch foil the same size as the screen, which he secured in place with an optically clear adhesive, UV epoxy.
The next challenge was to find a way to fit oversized versions of the phone’s components, including the speaker, three-lens camera array, volume and power buttons, and special function buttons, into the frame. He created a frame made of aluminum with a cross-shaped post down the middle. Cameras in particular aren’t cheap, and Perkins opted to use both a Canon EOS R5 and a Sony RX10 Mark 4 to mimic the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s telephoto lens. The frame was designed to be permanently attached to a similarly enlarged phone stand, allowing it to rotate without giving the user a significant hernia.
The only major component they couldn’t replicate was the operating system, since Apple’s iOS is closed source, but using Android offered two big benefits: Bliss OS could replicate the feel of an iPhone home screen with themed skins, and you could install Flappy Bird, something that actual iPhone users haven’t been able to do for nearly a decade.
The phone may be big, but it appears to be as functional as a portable iPhone. Maini and a group of friends took the phone for a test run, and it appears to be capable of tap-to-pay purchases, sending emails, and video calling. Functional or not, it takes guts to carry a $70,000 phone on the streets of London without a case.
