ZTE Shows Off Its Very Own Modular Phone Named Eco-Mobius At CES 2014
The beginning of the end of your ordinary smartphone has started. It's the age of Modular Phones now.
After Motorola made waves back in October when it announced Project Ara, now ZTE is showing off its own modular phone concept, named the Eco-Mobius at CES 2014
Here at CES, ZTE is showing off its own modular phone concept, named the Eco-Mobius.
ZTE's effort has a goal that's similar to Motorola's Project Ara: Allow consumers to upgrade their phones one piece at a time, which will reduce the amount of perfectly good components that end up in the trash.
slashgear.comThe Verge is reporting that ZTE's model on display is locked behind glass, and the 'representatives would not remove it from its tomb for a close look'
Although, according to The Verge, the concept does show how users could replace the camera, battery, display, and "core" modules.
The core includes separate modules for the processor, RAM, storage, and graphics processor.
The parts attach to the phone using a magnetic connection and are easy to snap out and back into place
It's an extremely attractive design. All of the components are snapped together inside of a clear plastic case that conveniently exposes how modular the phone is.
However, that's all the Eco-Mobius is for now β it's just an impressive design.
slashgear.comAs far as a public launch goes, ZTE says that it's currently just researching Eco-Mobius and modular smartphones and that it has no concrete plans to unleash its project on the public
As a design concept, this is merely a visual look at what ZTE imagines a modular phone could look like in the future.
A representative at ZTE's booth was clear that the company was not developing the phone, though engineers may be working towards addressing the numerous difficulties that must be overcome before a phone like this ever becomes a reality.
ZTE originally announced the Eco-Mobius concept late last year, but this is the first time the device is being shown in person
When it first announced the phone, the company said that it imagined a future when users could swap out camera modules depending on the shooting situation, or upgrade their phone when it's no longer powerful enough to run the latest games.
Both a smartphone and tablet concept are on display at CES, and ZTE's idea is to reduce waste (hence the "eco" in the name).