Samsung is reportedly embracing the rising popularity of modular concept for smartphones. The latest report says the South Korean tech giant is looking into making its next-generation flagship smartphone a full-fledged modular phone.
The Galaxy S9 is expected to be the flagship high-end smartphone of Samsung for next year. While it is too early to speculate, reports suggest Samsung's next move in 2018 would relate to an overhaul of the succeeding phone's overall functionality.
Also read: Samsung updates Bixby apps globally, but Bixby Voice still not operational
Modular smartphones give users the ability to increase the functionality of the device since they can add and remove certain components. Some manufacturers, such as Apple and Lenovo, have slowly been incorporating additional components to their recent smartphones.
Modular phones
For example, Apple's four-in-one olliclip lens for some iPhone models gives users an added benefit with the accessory's ability to take fisheye, wide-angle, macro 10x and macro 15x shots. Andy Rubin's newcomer, the Essential PH-1, is another take on modular phones. Users can attach a 360-degree camera to it through a magnetic clip.
What the industry has seen physically so far is only a prefatory taste of the concept. Full-fledged modular phones are touted to exhibit more functionalities than what is offered today in the market.
Google, Facebook attempts
However, the concept is much difficult than meets the eye that even search giant Google aborted its attempt to deliver the first modular smartphone. Google's Project Ara died in 2016.
In July, IBTimes Singapore reported Facebook is taking a shot in similar endeavour following the leaked patent application containing keyword "modular electromagnetic device". No further details had been made available.
Snapdragon 845
Meanwhile, Samsung has been found out reserving its initial orders of the Snapdragon 845 processor chips from Qualcomm for next year's Galaxy S9 phones. The next-generation chip is the successor of the Snapdragon 835, which is currently used in most high-end devices of Samsung.
Samsung Galaxy S9 is also expected to have variants powered by the manufacturer's own Exynos 8900 chips.
