Let us think about the average Joe, someone who has never heard about Ara and is just seeing the device for the first time when it launches, what do you think that person will think when he/she lays eyes on Ara, will Ara’s design have a positive impact on sales, or will it make it unpopular and decrease sales?

Apple is one of the first smartphone companies that placed a great deal of emphasis on the design of their devices. Lead by Steve Jobs, Apple ensured that they paid close attention to every minute detail. From the devices that they made to the packaging that you get the device in, everything was tailored to appeal to the eyes of the consumer. In terms of functions, features and overall performance, the iPhone is not the best smartphone on the market, but it looked great, far better than most of its competition, and this added to the appeal of the device which had a big effect on sales.

Samsung who is Apple’s biggest competition, have long ignored the complaints of consumers who for years thought that their Galaxy devices which were mainly made of plastic, were too flimsy and not very appealing. Samsung had good sales leading up to their Galaxy S4 model, but the Galaxy S5 was hit by a huge reduction in sales. The Wall Street Journal reported that Samsung sold 40% less Galaxy S5 models than they did the S4, considering that the company has completely redesigned the Galaxy S6 to look far more appealing than the S5, it is quite clear that Samsung thought the design of the Galaxy S5 plaid a huge role in the reduction of sales. Apple on the other hand, with their consistent focus on the iPhone’s design, has managed to make an iPhone that always out sells previous models.

Smartphones with larger displays have since become a magnet for consumers. This all started with Samsung’s Galaxy Note line of Smartphones, the Galaxy Note has become so popular that even Apple had to do a little copying. In 2014 Apple finally gave in and made their new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus with screen sizes that are much larger in comparison to previous models. A larger screen size also means a larger device; Google’s understanding is that consumers are now much more comfortable with devices of a certain size, which is part of the reason why they think that now is a good time to introduce a modular smartphone to the market. Ara is expected to come in three variations (three different sizes), all of which will be very similar to smartphones that are already on the market.

But then there is the argument of thickness, while it is true that consumers are increasingly comfortable with holding a large smartphone to their ear, it is also true that all these new larger smartphones have also been losing weight. Smartphone OEM’s are locked in a fierce battle trying to see who can release the slimmest possible smartphone. The thinner the better! This is the new marketing strategy and consumers are eating it all up.

For all its current fans, Google’s Ara modular smartphone is a very attractive device, but we don’t love Ara because of how it looks, Ara isn’t a bad looking device, but we all love it because it will offer unrivaled customizations, new and unique features, and most importantly, Ara modular smartphone owners will automatically be contributing positively to the environment.

Similar to previous smartphones (galaxy devices, iPhones, HTC smartphones, etc.), we expect the design of Google’s Ara modular smartphone to improve over time. However, Ara will be competing in a very competitive smartphone marketplace, with competitors that already have a head start. Because of this, it is vital that Google gets everything correct from the get go. I am not saying that Ara looks ugly, or that it has an awful design, but it is different, Ara marks the beginning of a whole new category of devices, and because of the fairly new tech that is required to make Ara function, it is somewhat lacking in the ability to be as visually appealing as other top smartphones on the market.



Please take part in the poll by simply selecting an answer that is closest to your thoughts, also, please share with your friends on social media, we are all very interested in knowing what everyone thinks.

ModularAndroid is a blog created out of pure love for modular devices. Modular devices are now; a device without design, function, definition or limits. ModularAndroid aims to cover all things Modular. Modular devices can be whatever you desire, imagine yours today!