Can Modular Phones Revolutionize Mobile Design? Inside Project Ara and FairPhone

Many people have imagined creating the perfect phone by mixing hardware from different brands—combining a Snapdragon processor, iOS, a Leica camera, and a stylish case—to build a custom device.

In 2016, several manufacturers began exploring modular phones, most famously Google’s Project Ara, which promised Lego‑like component swapping.

Project Ara’s core was a metal frame offered in three sizes—Large, Medium, and Mini—determining the phone’s dimensions and the number of expansion slots. Modules attached via magnetic connectors, allowing users to replace cameras, screens, speakers, microphones, batteries, or memory cards.

Google also defined standardized interfaces and even decorative covers for unused ports, envisioning countless module combinations, but high costs and difficulty standardizing modules halted the project at the prototype stage.

Meanwhile, Dutch company FairPhone launched the world’s first commercial modular phone, emphasizing sustainability, repairability, and long‑term software support.

FairPhone provides a catalog of replaceable parts—battery, screen, camera modules, sensors, and more—that users can order and install with simple tools, earning a perfect 10‑point iFixit repairability score.

The latest FairPhone 6 continues this philosophy with a 6.3‑inch 1400 nits 120 Hz LTPO OLED display, Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset, 4415 mAh battery, 5‑year warranty, 8‑year OS updates, and up to 2 TB storage expansion.

Although its hardware specs are modest compared with flagship devices, the modular design lets users replace faulty components themselves, extending the device’s lifespan and reducing electronic waste.