Google suspended the overly ambitious Project ARA in 2016, putting the dream of getting a fully modular smartphone to rest. Since then, we have seen smartphone makers try and recreate modularity and to an extent, they have succeeded too. Motorola launched the Moto Mods in 2016 as a way to attach accessories to improve the functionality of the smartphone. Now fresh patents filed by Google show that they are also working on a similar project to make a smartphone fully modular.

The patent was filed at the World Intellectual Property Organization or WIPO and was published on January 31, 2019. The patent is titled “MODULAR DEVICE AND METHODS THEREFOR”. This [...]

There are smartphones and then there are modular phones. We hear something new about smartphones everyday, but even modular phones need their day in the sun. Last year, the PuzzlePhone was introduced to the masses. The modular phone is made up with multiple pieces that can be upgraded, swapped or replaced as needed. The PuzzlePhone has three pieces: the Brain, the Spine, and the heart.

The ‘brain’ contains the processor, camera, RAM, and storage; the ‘spine’ provides the structure and screen; and the ‘heart’ holds the battery and secondary electronics. Finnish company Circular Devices initially offered multiple size options for the [...]