Project Ara Release Date, Specs: Can Google’s Modular Phones Redefine Your Smartphone Experience?

Google's Project Ara has been in the news for quite some time now. 

The modular smartphone with changeable components is expected to hit the store shelves sometime in 2016.

When exactly is the release date, nobody knows for sure! 

Some say it could be unveiled as early as this February at the Mobile World Conference while others believe Google may push the big date to the second half of 2016.

But the fact remains, whenever it finally arrives, it could change the way consumers have known their smartphones till date. 

Let's have a closer look at some of the key Project Ara specs:

All Ara smartphones will be built using metal endoskeletons, known as "endos," inside which there will be different modules. 

Interestingly, this metal frame will be the only component that Google itself will make.

In essence, the endos will play the role of a switch connecting all the modules inside, thus creating the on-device network.

Initially, buyers will have two frames to choose from - a mini frame (4.65 × 1.77 × 0.38-in, roughly the same size of the Nokia 3310) and one medium frame (5.55 × 2.68 × 0.38-in, the same size as the Nexus 5). 

While the mini frame will carry 2 x 5 module slots, the medium variant can stock as many as 3 x 6.

Google plans to release a third and bigger frame with a form factor of 6.46 × 3.58 × 0.38-in in the future. The large frame will carry 4 x 7 module slots.

The front slots in all three frames will be used for the display and other modules. In addition, there will also be few slots for additional modules on the back.

As reported by the Android Police, each frame will probably cost somewhere around $15 and the data transfer speed in-between individual modules can be as high as 10 Gbps per connection.

However, all 2 x 2 modules will come equipped with two distinct connections, hence allowing a speed up to 20 Gbps.

Modules can provide all basic smartphone features such as speakers and cameras, as well as more specialized features such as receipt printers, pico projectors, medical devices, gaming controllers, or even night vision sensors.

With all that into consideration, Google's Project Ara could definitely emerge as a cheaper and much more customizable alternative to the orthodox smartphones of today.