Google sold Motorola to Lenovo, keeping behind one of the best divisions - Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) - including the Project Ara modular phone concept.
The 2015 IO saw Google displaying several interesting projects, which raised fans' hopes on all weird phone concepts that they wished could become a reality in future, according to First Post. LG managed to defeat Google with its big MWC 2016 modular smartphone surprise.
LG did not only introduce the first mainstream modular smartphone, but also received the most attention at the show. The company's G5 comes with a slide-out battery, taking the first stride towards the modular world phones.
Initially, there was significant development in smartphone hardware evolution to the extent that it almost hit the fag end. Modular design apparently can answer many questions concerning the way forward on software development.
A couple of entrants in the modular phone market are expected to surface in 2017. This is rational considering Google's modular phone will be unveiled sometime this year, and based on the passionate fan following, the entrants may grow by manifold.
Google as well displayed its project Tango at the CES this year. While a real phone was not showcased, Google and Lenovo had much to talk about its prototype, which is already out to 1000 testers. There is also the Fairphone 2, which came out way ahead of the G5.
Fairphone, an Amsterdam-based social enterprise, recently released the Fairphone 2 - an Android-powered 5-inch smartphone running on Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 SoC, according to another report by the same publication. Fairphone 2 has 2 GB RAM, 8MP main camera, a 2420mAh battery, and 32GB of eMMc storage priced at $580. The phone allows users to change every part, including speakers, camera, display, and chip among other features.
It turns out that modular smartphone era may arrive earlier than expect. Foldable displays have been another interesting with smartphone designers. There have been increased reports around foldable displays in the recent past. In fact, companies like Samsung and Nokia have express keen interest in the foldable displays segment.
A patent by Samsung that surfaced in December 2015 indicated that the South Korean tech giant is working on a product category that implements a foldable display. This allows the device to switch from a smartphone form factor to a tablet.
Watch the sneak peek below for more information on the modular smartphone revolution.