The question of which smartphone Elon Musk actually carries has become a recurring subject of online speculation, and the honest answer, based on available public sightings and reporting, is that there is no single confirmed device. Musk appears to have been photographed using both iPhones and Samsung Galaxy devices at various points, and he has never publicly confirmed a single primary phone.

Unlike Apple CEO Tim Cook, whose device is effectively part of the job given Apple’s own product lineup, Musk has kept his personal technology choices largely private and has not endorsed any specific smartphone brand. That lack of official confirmation has left much of the public discussion around his phone use dependent on photographs captured by paparazzi and news photographers at public events, combined with occasional comments Musk himself has made on social media.

One of the more recent and verifiable sightings came earlier this year, when Musk was photographed entering a federal courthouse in California ahead of a hearing tied to his ongoing lawsuit against OpenAI. According to reporting on the image, Musk was seen holding a dark blue phone that appeared to be a model from Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro lineup.

That sighting is consistent with Musk’s history of publicly praising Apple’s camera technology, even amid his well-documented criticism of other aspects of Apple’s business practices. In an earlier exchange on X, after Apple CEO Tim Cook shared photographs taken by professional photographers using an iPhone 15 Pro Max, Musk responded by describing the resulting images and video as “stunning,” a comment often cited as evidence of at least some genuine appreciation for Apple’s hardware capabilities.

At the same time, Musk has also been photographed carrying Samsung devices on separate occasions. According to reporting from Efani, a security-focused technology publication, Musk has spoken positively about Samsung devices in the past and has been seen using Galaxy Ultra phones in public settings, including at high-visibility product demonstrations. That same reporting suggested Musk’s likely daily driver leans toward the latest generation iPhone Pro model, while noting his continued rhetorical openness to Android as a platform, given his stated concerns about maintaining independence from any single technology gatekeeper.

Musk has previously discussed a philosophical preference for the openness and customizability associated with Android as an operating system, even while frequently being photographed using Apple hardware in more recent public appearances. According to one analysis comparing the phone habits of major technology executives, Musk has “floated the idea that if Apple or Google ever made it impossible to operate freely on their platforms, he would consider building an alternative phone,” a comment that reflects his broader wariness of being dependent on any single company’s ecosystem rather than a firm current device preference.

At a notable 2025 public event, Musk was photographed alongside Google CEO Sundar Pichai during Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration, with Musk seen carrying an iPhone while Pichai was seen with a Google Pixel 9 Pro XL. Separate reporting has also placed Musk carrying a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra during earlier public appearances, suggesting his device choice may vary depending on the specific context or occasion rather than reflecting strict brand loyalty to either ecosystem.

It’s worth noting that some online sources make far more specific and less verifiable claims about Musk’s phone use, including assertions about a heavily customized Samsung device tied to his companies’ technology, such as SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service or his Neuralink brain-computer interface venture. These particular claims appear in lower-quality, speculative online content and lack credible sourcing or photographic evidence, and should be treated with significant skepticism rather than as established fact.

Musk’s apparent use of multiple devices across different contexts is not unusual among high-profile technology executives. According to Efani’s broader survey of billionaire phone habits, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has consistently been associated with Samsung and Android devices for years, reportedly favoring the platform’s flexibility for testing software builds relevant to his own company’s products. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has separately confirmed, during a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” session, that he uses a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold, explaining that the device’s larger folding screen allows him to review documents, presentations and emails without relying as heavily on a separate tablet or laptop.

Given the absence of any direct, on-the-record statement from Musk definitively confirming a single primary smartphone, most credible reporting on the subject has settled on describing his habits as split between the two major platforms, likely using an iPhone as his primary device in many public and professional contexts while maintaining familiarity with, and periodic use of, Samsung’s Android-based Galaxy lineup as well. That dual-platform pattern aligns with reporting suggesting some technology executives maintain separate devices for personal communication, software testing and cross-platform compatibility checks tied to their own companies’ products, including Musk’s ownership of X, which requires ensuring the platform functions properly across both iOS and Android.

For now, without an official statement from Musk himself definitively naming a single device as his primary phone, the most accurate answer to the question of whether he uses an iPhone or a Galaxy device remains that available evidence points to both, with recent photographic sightings, including the courthouse appearance earlier this year, leaning toward the iPhone as his more commonly observed device in professional public settings, even as his own past comments and additional sightings suggest he has not entirely abandoned Samsung’s Android ecosystem either.