Google has suspended Project Ara modular phone says Reuters

[HEXUS]

Google to concentrate on a unified range of Chromebooks, tablets and phones instead.

Read more.

[Ross1]

Probably for the best. Modular phones dont really make a lot of sense. I mean modular laptops arent exactly a popular idea.

I kind of get maybe wanting a better camera to attach to your phone, or speakers, or a battery unit, or various things you might not want on your phone all the time. Fully modular simply is not practical for a phone. I buy a large full tower PC case and like to go crazy with my own creations in there (suspended hard drives, custom water cooling etc), but its a very different situation. Form is not a factor there.

[sykobee]

Yeah, I don't think that phones was the best place for this 'mobile backplane' mechanism. I think the research was probably worth it, and the smarter mechanisms that LG and Lenovo have don't make your phone look like a child's toy. In the end once the SoC became part of the backplane, the major advantage of upgrading the core SoC for higher performance was gone.

Now a slide-out-to-replace display module on an otherwise static phone would be great for replacing broken phone screens (or upgrading resolution or display technology). Google - if anything survives, make it this.

[Brian224]

Now a slide-out-to-replace display module on an otherwise static phone would be great for replacing broken phone screens (or upgrading resolution or display technology). Google - if anything survives, make it this.

I cannot see the industry supporting that idea unfortunately, even removable batteries are absent on some phones - whether to make them slimmer or to drive replacement sales depends on whether you are a manufacturer or user.

[mtyson]

Cancellation confirmed by Google spokesperson, says VentureBeat.

[crossy]

Now a slide-out-to-replace display module on an otherwise static phone would be great for replacing broken phone screens (or upgrading resolution or display technology). Google - if anything survives, make it this.

I cannot see the industry supporting that idea unfortunately, even removable batteries are absent on some phones - whether to make them slimmer or to drive replacement sales depends on whether you are a manufacturer or user.

Hmm, depends on who you believe - Apple (and others) claim that we the consumers insist on slimmer and slimmer phones, so that has to mean high levels of integration. Or the "tech hippies" who claim that it's all a business ploy to make absolutely sure that you have to buy a new device rather than repairing or refurbing that old one.

Personally I'm not pleased that Ara has been dropped, as it was an interesting concept to me. That said, I'd probably prefer something more mainstream (the Moto Z Force) than a full blown modular device. I hope though that Google's "whimping out" doesn't mean that the G5 and Z/ZForce will be the only modular phones we see.