Last we heard, Google was supposed to start testing its modular smartphone units during a soft Project Ara launch in Puerto Rico. Google has been very quiet about the whole thing since last year’s ATAP event, but the company discussed it in more detail during Google I/O 2016 developer sessions on Friday. It also revealed the video you see below, showing “what’s next” for Project Ara.
In the quick 1-minute clip, we see a user removing and swapping pieces of a smartphone, even one with its own dedicated screen. There are various covers, even a unique kickstand module that helps a phone prop up. In one scene, a musician is using her Project Ara device outfitted with several speakers. We see a camera module in another quick scene, too.
During the developer event, Google discussed the project in a bit more detail, revealing that users may one day also pop off specific units by speaking “OK Google eject” and then inserting the piece they want to remove.
Google said the Project Ara release for developers is scheduled for later this year (Q4). It will launch for consumers in 2017.
