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The (short) history of modular smartphone upgrades and add-ons
You can upgrade your desktop's GPU, but what about your phone's camera?
Years after Motorola's most recent attempt at adding high-value, high-utility external smartphone modules sputtered out, HMD Global (maker of the iconic Nokia brand of devices) teased the upcoming release of its Fusion modular smartphone add-ons at MWC 2024.
Cell phone manufacturers are battling to design aesthetically pleasing phones with impressive performance, but often neglect their products' repairability and impact on the planet. Fairphone, on the other hand, has been producing handsets that are sustainable and produced ethically. Now, nearly three years after its second handset's release, the company has just announced the Fairphone 3, a modular mid-range phone built with sustainability in mind.
The modular 'BLOCKS' smartwatch launched on Kickstarter all the way back in 2015, and quickly raised over $1.6 million. The goal was to make a watch that you could connect extra modules to, adding functionality like an LED flashlight and more battery capacity. However, crowdfunded projects are always a gamble, and now Blocks has officially run out of money.
Google's Project Treble was created to help fight Android's dirty f-word (fragmentation), by making the update process easier and faster for OEMs. Separating vendor-specific code like SoC drivers out from Android itself was meant to help when it came to OS updates and the work required to push them out. Now Google is working on increasing just how modular Android can be with something called APEX.
Smartphones have been around for over a decade now. In fact, the first Android phone, the T-Mobile G1, debuted 10 years ago today. It's not surprising that the category has seen some pretty horrible trends in that amount of time. We've compiled seven of the worst ones we could think of in this post, a couple of which are (unfortunately) still ongoing.
Remember when dreaming about modular electronics was all the rage? Even Google got caught up in the fantasy for a little while. Project Ara's notion of a modular smartphone might be dead for now, but there's still a smartwatch with interchangeable components to capture our attention in 2018. Blocks raised $1.6M in a Kickstarter campaign that ended way back in 2015, and there must have been concerns that the product would never make it into production. Some of its backers are thankfully starting to receive their watches now, as the company announces the official launch at CES.
Those of you who are keen followers of the foldable tablet category might recall the ZTE Axon Multy that had its specs leak earlier this month. Android Authority is now reporting that this smartphone-tablet hybrid will be officially called the Axon M and has published some interesting pictures of it.
Motorola's latest Moto Z flagship phones are modular, designed to accommodate add-on modules that snap to the back of their cases for extra battery life, more complex camera modules, pico projectors, et cetera. Critical and consumer response to the change has been mixed, as it was for LG's modular G5 designs. But in a recent meeting with technology journalists, the Lenovo subsidiary doubled down on the modular approach. Motorola committed to at least 12 new Moto Mod add-on products per year.
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- Nexpaq has stated that it is *not* working on a modular phone. 9to5Google's Justin Duino has also confirmed that they meant Makoski is working on a modular platform, not a modular phone. We regret the error.
Following the death of Google's Project ARA, it has been revealed that Dan Makoski, founder of Project ARA and former head of design at Google ATAP, has now officially been confirmed to be working at Nexpaq. In case you don't know what Nexpaq is, it's a startup that campaigned on Kickstarter to create modular phone cases for popular phones like the iPhone 6, Galaxy S6 edge, and Galaxy S5.
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It has been a long and winding road for Google's Project Ara, and a new report claims this is the end of the road. Sources tell Reuters that Google has suspended work on Project Ara as part of its efforts to bring together its disparate hardware projects. Google, as you might imagine, refused to comment.
Verizon has had the exclusive on the Moto Z line for the last few months, but that's almost over. Pre-orders for the unlocked Moto Z start on September 15th, but the pricing is even higher than it is on Verizon—$699.99. The device won't actually ship until sometime in October.
LG has acknowledged the existence of the V20 and set a date for the reveal (September 6th). We have yet to see an official image of the phone, but renders leaked by Android Authority purport to show the V20 from all angles. It looks a lot like the LG G5, right down to the removable (probably modular) chin.
Modular design is the coming thing in smartphones... at least it is according to LG and Motorola Lenovo. But what about smartwatches? At least one group seems intent on translating the idea to wearables. The BLOCKS design uses a conventional smartwatch body that houses the primary screen, battery, and SoC, but adds extra functionality via modules that snap into the body like links in a metal band. It's a lot like the Project Ara idea, but integrating the modules into a functional band makes for a surprisingly elegant product.
So Lenovo, you're not going to let Motorola announce its own stuff anymore, is that it? That certainly seems to be the take-away from the company's reveal at its Lenovo Tech World presentation in San Francisco. In between discussions of new tablets, augmented reality 3D design, and network tech, the much-leaked Moto Z flagship was announced at the event, along with the Moto Z Force. They're both coming in "DROID Editions" only to Verizon, at least initially.
Project Ara was supposed to go into public testing last year, but that didn't happen. Google has been quiet about the state of its modular smartphone since then, but now there's a new demo video. It shows off some weird modules, but what about a release date? Well, there's nothing for regular people, but a developer edition will be available this fall.
As we've said before, Phonebloks' concept of a modular phone built using swappable, easily upgradeable parts is as awesome as it is unlikely. Yet that doesn't mean we can't sit here, watch the company's videos, and dream. We have our eyes on Project Ara, Google's take on the idea, and we can't wait to see what comes of it. But apparently Phonebloks already sees this as small potatoes. The company doesn't want just a world of modular phones. It wants to see all of our Internet-connected devices utilizing such hardware.
Google's Project Ara might be the very definition of a geek pipe dream: an idea that makes a lot of sense, but isn't quite possible with current technology, being made real with applied engineering and creativity. Even with Motorola being sold to Lenovo, the Ara modular phone project is still full speed ahead at the Googleplex under the new ATAP team. Dave Hakkens of Phonebloks, who presented a very similar concept back in September, was recently given a tour of ATAP's progress. He was kind enough to bring a video camera along.