Modular smartphones are still on your radar

Modular smartphones are incredibly cool, but the design philosophy never really caught on. Sure, brands like Fairphone, LG, and Motorola have launched products, and even Google once threw a cautious toe into the pool. But if a company launched a modular phone today, would you buy it?

That’s a question we asked our readers in a recent poll, and the results are here!

Would you buy a modular smartphone?

Results

Since the start of this poll on September 6, almost 1,900 votes have been cast. The results show that 69% of those surveyed would buy a modular smartphone if it were available today. That’s more than two out of three readers. However, some still argue that the design philosophy would not stand up to traditional phones. Around 31% of voters in this poll would not bite.

See also: The best phones with removable batteries and alternative solutions

While a fully modular phone would theoretically allow users to combine and match certain components, some readers seem to want control over some of the components. Removable batteries or modules that allow more storage space are attractive, similar to LG’s G5 and Motorola’s Moto-Mods ranges. Modular parts would also give buyers more control over replacements or upgrades.

However, it is not immediately clear how the modular phone design could enhance the daily user experience of today’s smartphone offerings. Would the likely surcharge be worth it for OEMs and consumers, especially if modern smartphones come with most of the bells and whistles anyway? Well, check out some of the reader comments on this survey below.

Your comments

• Joe Black: Replaceable battery would be great, otherwise I really don’t care.
• Needa: The Fairphone is the perfect idea. If they could downsize it, upgrade the processor to something decent, find out the massive software issues, and sell it in the states … I’d buy it right now.
• Evie: No, not even sure how modularity would improve my experience. I need a big screen, decent sound, and a decent amount of RAM and storage.
• roaduardo: Nothing I’ve seen convinced me that modular phones would work well. If someone can do that and doesn’t need a Kickstarter to start a real company, I’ll take a look and wait a few generations.
• Craig Southwick: I would like to say yes. The real answer is a qualified yes. I haven’t seen anything that makes me confident this will work. The Motorola attempt had options, but they gave up and they all got burned. So I answered no because I won’t even think about it for the next 2-3 years.
• Fredrik Sedlem: Not in the current form with “Lego pieces”. But things get modular when you think outside the box. Storage and processing in the cloud. Smartwatches, smart headphones, power banks, etc.
• Jeff Namhie: No. Simply pack everything I want into one integrated device.

That’s it for this poll. Thank you for your votes and comments. If you have any thoughts about modular phones or the results of this survey, drop a line below.