After years of tech companies guessing what consumers wanted in the next generation of cellphones, Google is currently testing a completely customizable modular phone that will put more power in the hands of the consumer.
Today’s intense battle of the cellphones is all about which phones boast the features that mean the most to the most consumers, but what if each person was able to select their own unique set of features that they truly wanted in their personalized cellphones?
It’s a concept that has been pitched in the past with ideas like Phonebloks, but Google is bringing the modular “build your own” phone concept to life.
The tech giant is launching a pilot test of the customizable smartphone in Puerto Rico and has deemed the new venture the Project Ara smartphone.
What this does is allow consumers to create a phone personalized to their own intentions for the device.
A lover of photography can swap out space for a larger camera lens.
A music lover can incorporate larger speakers.
The health-obsessed can add pollution sensors and heart rate monitors.
Those who are still overwhelmed by new technology but have finally grown tired of flipping their phones open can create a much simpler, cleaner device that will bring them into the new age without bringing them out of their comfort zone.
That’s the theory of the modular phones, but only time will tell how plausible it will be on a larger scale.
For now, consumers in Puerto Rico can buy up to 30 modules and start customizing their new phones.
It’s a project that could allow other mobile devices to edge ahead of the iPhone in consumers’ eyes.
For now, the only version of the modular phone will run on the Android system.
There is no word yet on how soon the phones could finally hit the market if the trial run goes well.