It all started with an idea. The idea of technological independence. Well, to be exact, the freedom of users to be able to upgrade smartphone parts as needed, rather than simply replacing the whole phone every few years. Not only is this an environmental upside, you are also able to build yourself a uniquely personalized phone. The starter kit is intended to be sold for as little as US$50. Fancy a more powerful camera module? Just check out the Google store.
According to Google, the new modular smartphone will have six swappable parts, including things like memory, display panels, physical keyboards, sensors, scanners, ports, modems and wireless modules. To remove and swap a module, the user presses a button on the side of the phone and selects from the settings menu the component which needs to be ejected.
The latest news is that the Project Ara Phone is almost ready and will be reaching the markets in 2017. Whether
consumers will be willing to get involved with this new concept, and whether this phone really is as modular as promised, only the future can show. This smartphone still definitely has the potential to take on a pioneer role and be the next big thing to shake up the mobile market.