One of the best parts of working on a full-size desktop PC is how easy it is to upgrade. This does not apply to smartphones: if you want new features, you probably need a completely new device. But what if you didn’t? HMD’s latest phone, the Fusion, tries that angle. It can be expanded with ‘outfits’ that enhance it for photography, durability or gaming.
The Fusion comes with a Casual Outfit in the box, which is essentially a translucent protective case. The other outfits are a little more impressive, with functionality unlocked by six POGO pins on the back of the device. The Flashy Outfit has an LED light ring around the rear camera, which can be flipped forward for selfie mode. It is also a plastic case, albeit much more functional.
The Gaming Outfit is a little more extreme. It’s an external controller in the expandable form factor, a la the Razer Kishi, but uses that proprietary connector instead of Bluetooth or USB-C. The Protective Outfit is basically just an Otterbox suitcase with lots of padding and a few lanyard rings.
HDM
At the moment, only the Flashy Outfit and separate Casual Outfit are for sale in the HMD international store. And promising modular upgrades that never materialize are something of a catchphrase, as I’ll show later. But if you want to build one yourself – perhaps using a 3D printer – you can use the Development Toolkit, which includes an API for at least some software functions. HMD appears to be courting third-party developers and manufacturers, if the submission form is to be believed.
The Fusion is also committed to repairability, with four guides already posted on iFixit for relatively simple repairs for the screen and battery, among other things. It’s definitely in the “affordable” camp, if not quite budget, at $300 USD without any extra bells and whistles. This is all positive…but I can’t help but think we’ve been here before. And never for very long.
We’ve been here before
Modular smartphones have been tried by larger companies with more investments. Companies like Motorola, which tried a very similar POGO pin configuration for its Moto Mods accessory line on the Moto Z. These add-ons include obvious extras like an extended battery and speaker, as well as a familiar-looking controller. There were also some wild ones, such as a pico projector or a photo printer from the Polaroid brand.
Jim Martin/Foundry
The Moto Z originally launched in 2016, but it wasn’t the only modular phone released that year. LG’s G5 was called the company’s “boldest flagship phone ever” by Engadget. The design was even more radical: the bottom could be removed, which also removed the battery. This marked a welcome return to user-replaceable batteries at a time when smartphones could really suck up the juice. But you could also trade in a camera grip with physical buttons (but no extra lenses), a larger speaker, or a VR visor. Talk about ambitious!
But as you may know, the G5 turned out to be a flop. In its standard smartphone form, it failed to wow reviewers, and most functionality beyond easily replaceable batteries was never really realized. According to some reports, the phone “failed to generate sales”, the company returned to more conventional designs, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the G5 contributed to LG’s ignominious exit from the smartphone market five years later. Motorola also left the Z line after three years.
Others have taken a stab at finding a phone that can be easily upgraded. Phonebloks tried to make a phone that was completely modular, where parts could slide in and out anywhere. It evolved into Project Ara when Google owned Motorola, and at one point seemed headed to a consumer version… but eventually just disappeared. Parts of the design may have ended up in the Moto Z.
The Fairphone is perhaps a more practical example, if only because it focuses on a lower environmental impact and easy repairs by the user. you can’t really expand the functionality, but you can replace a battery or a broken screen with simple tools. It’s now in its fifth generation and the company is still selling at least some replacement parts for the Fairphone 2.
Henry Burrell/Foundry
Perhaps the most common example of modular smartphone upgrades between different devices is Apple’s Magsafe. While it only handles the connection and charging, it has remained consistent at least over the past four years and has become so widespread that you can also get cases and adapters for most Android phones. Slowly – oh so slowly – it is opening up a little in Qi2.
Modular phones are incompatible with modern design
Will we ever get truly modular smartphones? And by “modular,” I mean upgrades and parts that can last for generations, possibly even between brands. The truth is: probably not. There are a few factors that are fundamentally incompatible with the kind of options we have on things like desktop PCs or cars. or laptops.
Firstly, a modern smartphone requires an absolutely incredible amount of technology, almost all of which is tailor-made for each model. While some parts can be used interchangeably – notably the processor, camera module, smaller components like the USB-C port soldered in place, and so on – most cannot. Every phone needs a more or less specific design, and many parts made specifically for that model.
And that design also has very specific goals. Manufacturers are constantly striving to make phones thinner (if not even smaller), while at the same time sturdier and less prone to breakage, with larger batteries that last longer. These goals in themselves can be contradictory: the infamous “exploding” Galaxy Note 7 was an example of a battery design flaw in a phone that was too thin.
Adding modular capabilities to this is an almost impossible ask. Hell, I just make these phones possible getting it repaired by a technician is already a challenge, as we’ve seen with the latest Pixels. Adding modular components with some form of access to the internals may be a bridge too far. That’s probably why the Fusion uses external POGO pins… something I remember well from the Nexus One almost fifteen years ago.
Unless you’re willing to make some pretty big compromises on design, or go for a relatively indie vendor like the Fairphone and forego the latest and greatest tech, this could be as good as it gets in terms of modular smartphones . Barring a major leap forward in current technology, we won’t get truly modular designs anytime soon.
