Battle of the Modular Phones: Fairphone 2 vs. PuzzlePhone
Google is not the only kid in the block when it comes to modular phones. Now that its Project Ara has been delayed to 2016 due to numerous design issues, there are two other companies wanting to get a piece of the modular phone market. These are Fairphone and PuzzlePhone. Both companies have already made their modular phones known to the consumer public, unlike Project Ara.
According to a Tech Times report, the idea of a modular phone is that of a phone with parts that are easily replaceable and upgradable, much like a desktop computer. Technically, if a modular phone owner wants to speed up his phone, all he needs to do is upgrade the phone's processor. If its power supply or even the RAM is no longer functioning, a replacement part will do the trick. There is therefore no need to upgrade to a new phone and devices such as these will likely last longer because of their durability.
One glaring issue at this point in time, however, is that there is no standard yet for modular phones and its components as the market is still being developed, according to the report. It would be good to note what features each of these devices offer in comparison with each other.
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The Fairphone 2 is already available in the market after its maker, Fairphone, made it available last month. Fairphone is an Amsterdam-based social enterprise which prides itself of producing devices that are made of "ethically-sourced materials." Their modular phone is the second device they have released in the market.
Fairphone 2 is an Android phone with a 5-inch display. Under the hood, it is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 SoC which is paired with 2 GB of RAM. It also comes with 32 GB of eMMC storage. Battery capacity is at 2,420 mAh. The way the phone is set up gives its owners the option to replace each and every part, from the display, the processor chip, the camera, the speakers, etc.
The phone is being sold for $580 which, according to the report, is quite steep given the device's specs. The device however is selling "fairly well," the report said, which is possibly due to the company's social campaign for a more "ethical manufacturing process" for smartphones and other mobile devices.
The other modular phone in contention is the PuzzlePhone, which is currently doing a crowdfunding campaign via Indiegogo in order to make a prototype, and eventually manufacture the phone.
The PuzzlePhone is said to have three parts – the brain, the spine and the heart. The brain is where the processor, RAM and modem are found, while the heart is where the battery and other parts are found. The spine is mainly the display.
In terms of specs, the device will have a 64-bit ARM Octa-core processor paired with 3 GB of RAM. Its cameras are a 12-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel selfie camera. It will have a bigger battery compared to the Fairphone 2, with a 2,800 mAh capacity. Other features are different sensors and a USB Type-C port. A unit can be had for $333 and, according to the website, will be available on September 2016.
