ZTE is stepping up the game with its newest entry, Eco-Mobius, a modular phone, at the CES 2014.
Modular phones with interchangeable parts are the next big thing in the smartphone evolution. The new concept lets consumers change certain parts of a phone without ditching the entire device. Motorola has already revealed its plans of handset customization through Project Ara, where the company is taking innovative ideas from consumers directly. Now, ZTE is taking up the promising idea of creating highly modular smartphones.
The Chinese manufacturer showed off its first concept Eco-Mobius modular phone at the 2014 international Consumers Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The phone, if it comes to fruition, will change the way people use smartphones today. The Eco-Mobius will make it possible to upgrade individual parts, like replacing a lower resolution 8-megapixel camera with a sharper 13-megapixel one or upgrade processors with newest chips from manufacturers like Nvidia or Qualcomm.
ZTE developed its concept modular phone at the R&D division in China. While it is skeptical that such devices will hit the consumer market anytime soon, Engadget states that the customizable technology will be widely integrated into smartphones within the next two years.
According to ZTE, the modular Eco-Mobius will be divided into four interchangeable modules for LCD, CP, which includes the processors, RAM and ROM, camera and battery. Based on different consumer needs, the modules can replace the existing parts so the immediate demand is met.
Besides Motorola and ZTE, Dutch designer Dave Hakkens showed off the modular phone concept with his Phonebloks.
