Unlike computers, smartphones are not upgradeable in the sense that we can remove on piece of hardware for a new one, such as changing the amount of RAM, or a larger battery (for phones without removable batteries), a better camera, and etc. However that is exactly what the folks behind Phonebloks is hoping to change, by introducing a modular smartphone design in which components can be easily swapped out for better ones, just like adding or removing LEGO pieces from a LEGO structure. Not only does this make the phone incredibly upgradeable, but at the same time should make the repairing process easier and potentially cheaper as well.
The idea behind Phonebloks is that we tend to throw away electronics that no longer works, and usually that’s because only one portion of the device is spoilt, such as its screen, its camera, a button, and etc. By using Phonebloks, we will be able to keep our smartphones forever, just swapping out parts that need fixing or upgrading. The “bloks” are attached to a base which is then connected to everything else, thus keeping everything running in sync. At this point in time Phonebloks appears to be a concept as opposed to an actual product, although given that we aren’t engineers we can’t speak as to whether such a concept is possible.
Either way if you have a few minutes to spare, you can check out the Phonebloks video above, or hit up its Thunderclap page to show your support.
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