Franken-phone: In today’s episode of “the most unholy tech mashups known to man,” we have an iPhone SE 3 brain transplanted into the body of a classic Nokia Lumia 1020. The Lumia lineup still enjoys a cult-like following among Windows Phone diehards mourning the platform’s demise but with Microsoft winding down Windows 10, the ancient Windows Phone 8 OS is deader than ever. Keeping that iconic polycarbonate design alive required a truly unholy resurrection – and for one modder, shoving iOS into the Lumia’s corpse was the only way.
Dubbed the “NokiApple LumiPhone 1020 SE,” this hybrid fuses the best of two worlds into one wild creation – and it looks surprisingly polished. At first glance, it’s every bit the vintage Lumia, complete with its cheerful polycarbonate unibody and signature camera hump. But power it on, and instead of Windows Phone, you’ll find it running the latest version of iOS.
The mod’s creator, Reddit user OceanDepth95028, took a fully functional third-gen iPhone SE and carefully transplanted its internals into the Lumia chassis. That includes the A15 Bionic chip and 128GB of storage. They even re-laminated the iPhone’s LCD onto the Lumia’s front glass for a seamless look.
All of the buttons function as expected, except for the shutter button. While you could argue it should’ve been repurposed as an Action button, the creator instead rewired it to serve as an additional volume-down button. Unfortunately, the capacitive buttons below the display had to be sacrificed to accommodate the iPhone’s larger screen.
Around back, the Lumia’s renowned 41MP camera is gone, replaced by the iPhone SE’s 12MP shooter and dual-tone LED flash. However, given that the SE is nearly a decade newer, this is arguably an improvement.
Interestingly, the circular camera module now also houses a Touch ID sensor, mimicking the mid-2010s Android aesthetic before under-display fingerprint scanners became the norm.
Unfortunately, the headphone jack had to be sealed shut. The creator explained that retrofitting it back into an iPhone is simply impossible. On the bright side, the micro USB port has been swapped for a Lightning port, though whether that truly counts as an “upgrade” is up for debate.
Last but not least, this Lumia now boasts 5G connectivity – surely a first for any device in the lineup.
The end result is a brilliantly executed labor of love that makes you do a double take. It’s an iPhone, yet unmistakably a Lumia.
