Earlier this year, Google had unveiled the prototype of their Project Ara modular phone, called Spiral 2, at the Project Ara Developers conference and planned to launch the phone later this year in Puerto Rico. However, the project has been delayed as per the official Project Ara Twitter account and is expected to launch next year. The reason behind the delay is apparently “lots of iterations… more than we thought.” They also said that they are looking for locations in the U.S. which could mean that the initial plan to launch the device in Puerto Rico has changed as well.
https://twitter.com/ProjectAra/status/633358044517154816
The Project Ara smartphone is one of the most highly anticipated smartphones that was set to release this year due to its unique take on the way smartphones are made. The phone is built using modular components that can be easily replaced. This means that users can upgrade the phone as per their needs adn requirements. For example, if the user wanted a better camera or more RAM, they could simply swap out those components instead of buying a phone new phone. This will not only be cheaper, but will also help reduce e-waste.
The specifications of the Spiral 2 prototype that was launched were a Marvell PXA1928 and Tegra K1 dual application processors, 720p display, 5MP rear camera, and more. At the time, the phone had 11 modules, but since then, many other manufacturers such as Yezz and Toshiba have agreed to manufacture components. Since it is going to be launched next year, we can expect the Project Ara smartphone to be powered by Android 6.0 Marshmallow or a future version of the OS.