Poll: Would you buy a modular phone? Yes, if it's not crazy expensive!
UPDATE: Very interesting thoughts in the comment section! It turns out you guys are also excited about the idea, and some of you suggested an even better alternative - custom phones! I can see this happening, as it's much easier than making dozen modules talk to each other. And most Chinese manufacturers are already making custom phones for Apple, Samsung, Sony, etc. It's a question of quantities, of course - but local brands like Vivo, Oppo, Meizu, can incorporate such an option, and give customers the ability to build their own phones.
What’s the deal here? Long story short, a modular smartphone consists of a frame or a chassis and interchangeable modules for different key areas - camera, storage, chipset, battery, etc.
Project Ara was shelved by Google, mainly because of technical challenges and the fact that you need a huge infrastructure and other companies embracing the idea and making third-party modules compatible with Google’s chassis.
Motorola did something similar with the Moto Z series, offering modules that were easily connected via magnets and pin connectors to the main body of the phone. The idea wasn’t bad and we did test some of these modules (the pico-projector was sick!) but in the end, they were too expensive and people rarely bought them.
Today we’re dusting off the modular smartphone idea. Would you buy a modular phone and keep it for decades just swapping components? I know I would, in a flash! Given the current (stale) state of modern smartphones, this would be the perfect solution - letting people decide what features they want and need.
What do you think? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts, concerns, experiences, and hopes in the comments below.
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