Google isn’t the only company working on a modular smartphone project. Google’s Project Ara is an effort to create a platform that lets customers buy the skeleton of an Android phone and then add modules for the processor, storage, display, battery, camera, and other components. The first Project Ara devices could ship in 2015.

But Chinese phone maker ZTE also showed off its own modular smartphone concept earlier this year, and now a new started called Vsenn is working on its own modular, upgradable phone.

vsenn modular phone

There aren’t a lot of details about the Vsenn project yet, but the idea is that you’ll be able to upgrade or replace three different modules:

  1. Camera
  2. Battery
  3. Processor/RAM

That means you could buy a phone when it’s launched, and upgrade the processor and memory in a year or two when faster hardware is available. You could also theoretically keep a few battery modules around: a slim one for everyday use and a thicker (but more powerful) battery for times when you don’t expect to be able to recharge your phone.

One of Vsenn’s co-founders is said to be a former program manager who worked on the Nokia X line of Android smartphones, and the company says its new phones will ship with stock Android software and will receive software updates for 4 years. That’s longer than Google offers updates for its own Nexus phones.

Vsenn is also emphasizing security features including encryption and free access to a VPN network.

That’s assuming Vsenn actually brings its modular phones to market. Right now all we know about the project is what’s written on the company website… which isn’t very much.

The team did post an image on Twitter suggesting that the first of its phones will have a 4.7 inch, full HD display and measure 4.9″ x 2.5″ x 0.35″ which suggests that there’s at least a prototype… or a design in place.

via Android Central

 

Vsenn is

Support Liliputing

Liliputing's primary sources of revenue are advertising and affiliate links (if you click the "Shop" button at the top of the page and buy something on Amazon, for example, we'll get a small commission).

But there are several ways you can support the site directly even if you're using an ad blocker* and hate online shopping.

Contribute to our Patreon campaign

or...

Contribute via PayPal

* If you are using an ad blocker like uBlock Origin and seeing a pop-up message at the bottom of the screen, we have a guide that may help you disable it.

Subscribe to Liliputing via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 9,547 other subscribers

3 replies on “Vsenn is designing a modular smartphone (that’s not Project Ara)”

  1. I wouldn’t even mention battery as an option. Even on phones with non-removable batteries you can typically replace them. So that basically means this one allows changes in camera and CPU/memory. Yawn.

    1. From the article, I assume you are able to not only replace the battery, but change it for varying sizes (at the expense of thickness). Also, no phone to date has an upgradeable camera, cpu, or RAM. Also, the closest to expanding flash memory we have gotten is through the use of SD cards. If this phone actually allows for modular parts and still comes in at 8.9mm, that would be a marvel in itself.

      1. Variably size replacement batteries is hardly a novel idea on phones with removable batteries. The old Moto Driod 2 (if not the original Droids) had that feature, OEM. And aftermarket you could get that for the Samsung S4 (if not the S3 and many others).

Comments are closed.