New mobile phones to have swappable parts

When Motorola announced back in October that it was developing a modular phone people stopped, got excited, and then shrugged the idea off as something that was too impractical to ever become a reality.

Project Ara designs

Now however Motorola have announced they have a manufacturer for the parts and are preparing their first prototype, with signs pointing to an actual retail release next year. And it seems more companies are jumping on the modular bandwagon with images of a modular phone design called Magic Cube briefly appearing on the official Weibo page of the Xiaomi's founder, and CEO, Lei Jun, strongly suggesting his company is itself looking into modular phones.

Ok, you may be wondering, but what is a modular phone and why would I want one?

It's actually a rather simple idea - you buy a phone as normal but, when you want to upgrade it, you just swap out the bits you want to replace, for new bits.

Say you want a new 16 megapixel camera and a higher resolution screen, well you simply unplug the current camera and screen - and plug in new ones, it's that simple.

Many of us upgrade our phones for just one or two reasons, not because we don't like our current phones but because we want say that better camera, or more storage space, with Motorolas design the swappable components (modules) simply slide into place and can be removed just as easily, making upgrading your phone as easy as replacing the batteries in a remote control.

It's a simple concept but one that has never been practical, until now. If Motorola can pull this off, and they certainly have the smarts and financial backing to do so, the future of mobile phones could be modular - and upgrading your phone will become easier and a lot more affordable.