Google will release a consumer version of its Project Ara modular smartphone in 2017, the firm revealed on Friday.
On day three at Google I/O, the company said, despite recent radio silence, the project is far from dead and announced a developer version of a handset will be available by the end of the year.
Blaise Bertrand, the head of creative at Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects group, says there’ll be a “thin, light, beautiful” device available to consumers next year (via Engadget).
See also: Google I/O 2016: As it happened
A new “Ara: what’s next” promo video (below) depicts a handset that’s easy to customise with various camera modules, stands, microphones, speakers, e-ink displays and modules for off-grid communications and more.
Google says it has manufacturing partners like Toshiba and Sony developing these modules ahead of the release this year.
For the longest time, the modular future had seemed more of a pipe dream, perhaps even superfluous to the requirements of the modern user.
On today’s evidence, it may be Google’s long-held desires could represent the future of the smartphone industry.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
