14 DAY TRIAL // One of Google's most interesting projects was supposed to push modular smartphones to the mass market. The so-called project Ara has been recently dismissed by Google, probably due to the fact that it didn't make the necessary technological breakthroughs that would allow handset makers to mass-produce it.
The last time Google talked about Project Ara was last spring when the search giant suggested it could be available to developers this fall, and that a retail version of the first phone could be launched sometime in 2017.
Unfortunately, two months ago Google confirmed that it suspended work on Project Ara, so even if we won't be seeing a modular smartphone from Google anytime soon, it doesn't necessarily mean that the company won't pick up the project at some point.
The good news is the folks over at Phandroid managed to get their hands on a Project Ara modular smartphone, which might actually be the device that should have been made available to developers this fall.
The phone measures 152 x 74 x 12.5mm (without camera), which makes it a rather thick smartphone by today's standards. It also weighs around 190g (battery included), so it's heavy too.
Spec-wise, the Project Ara smartphone is far from being impressive, but that wasn't the point of it anyway. Although the smartphone was powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor and 3GB of RAM, it only packed a 2.1-megapixel rear camera with fixed-focus lens, as well as a 5-megapixel front camera.
The phone sports a 5.46-inch display that supports full HD (1080p) resolution and packs 32GB of storage. It also includes 3.5mm audio jack and USB Type-C ports, along with a generous 3,450 mAh battery.
Surprisingly, the Project Ara smartphone runs Android 7.0 Nougat, something that most of today's high-end phones lack for the moment.
