Google's Modular Phone Project, Project Ara, Falls Flat

Google's modular phone project, Project Ara, was a concept that aimed to make smartphones affordable and upgradeable. The project was born out of Motorola Mobility, which was owned by Google between 2011 and 2014. The idea behind Project Ara was to create a base phone with a low cost of entry, around $50, and allow users to add or remove features as needed using modular components.

The concept involved a frame, or endoskeleton, that modules would connect to. These metal frames would have been manufactured by Google, but the modules connecting to them could have been from third-party companies. The plan was to sell the phone to the masses, and make it accessible to users worldwide.

Project Ara was officially announced in 2013, but things started to fall apart when Google delayed a prototype test in Puerto Rico in 2025. By 2016, the concept had become less ambitious, and Google planned to ship a Developer Edition with solid timelines. However, only a few months later, Project Ara was officially canceled.