Why can’t we assemble parts of our smartphones like a computer?

We live in an era dominated by technology and modern innovations that influence all aspects of life. Over the past decade, technology has advanced so much that it was difficult for most of us to keep up with it due to the crazy prices of consumer devices. But in one way or another, we were able to keep up with this progress through knowledge and expertise. Computers and gaming consoles have been able to meet the practical and entertainment needs of life. However, at the same time, we wished that smartphones could also do the same, but they couldn’t.

Smartphones have evolved significantly with stunning displays, epic batteries, and advanced cameras, but they have not yet received the same level of advancement as laptops and tablets. The majority of smartphone users today have one clear complaint: why can’t we customize our smartphones as we do with personal computers?

Building a desktop computer is not an easy task, but it is not impossible either.

Over the past two decades, the gaming industry has made significant progress thanks to powerful graphics engines and stunning graphics. This has led consumers and average users to seek the necessary resources to enjoy the experience. In addition, there are many users who consider the “beauty and extravagance” element, or we can say the external appearance. Everyone started rushing toward colorful RGB lighting to the point where we now own hardware and hardware supporting RGB technologies, and there is an entire market dedicated to that only.

But the reason all this works smoothly is that desktop computers are designed to accommodate all of this in the first place. You have mid-tower and full-tower computer cases that can even fit your pets inside.

First and foremost, desktop computers support the process of changing, replacing, and upgrading components with newer and more powerful ones. Strangely enough, these devices are capable of supporting hundreds, or maybe even thousands, of components and devices that can be installed inside the computer, and they will be very compatible naturally. But this leads us to ask: can we build a smartphone like we do with personal computers?

You may be interested: 9 Reasons to Build and Assemble Computer Components Yourself

Can you build a smartphone?

The issue is extremely difficult and complex, as smartphone companies are trying to outperform their competitors through the physical size and thinness of the phone. Every year, the company develops new electronic boards in different sizes from the previous generation, and each phone has a different size even within the same series. If we want replaceable components as we do with desktop computer components, the first step would be to standardize the sizes of the electronic boards used in smartphones, which is almost impossible at the moment.

Another crucial issue is the physical space of the phone’s structure and body. Companies try to shrink the phone’s size as much as possible to have a slim and attractive structure that attracts the largest number of customers. If we remember when Apple announced the iPhone 7 without a headphone jack, everyone mocked it and a large number of users were affected by this, but it later turned out to be the only way for the company to include components and parts that were more important to the user, which also forced competing companies to follow the same approach.

Read also: Best and Worst Smartphone Manufacturers Today

Will this change in the future?

In fact, you can consider this a lost cause, but on the other hand, there is a glimmer of hope, especially after hearing about Google’s Project Ara. Unfortunately, this project has not seen the light yet. Project Ara aims for one thing only, the ability to upgrade phone components without the need to change the phone, thus helping many users save a lot of money and reduce electronic waste. But even Google itself, a technology giant, has not succeeded in completing the project and considered it a lost cause.

The problem with the Ara project phone was that the frame of the phone was excessively large compared to all other smartphones, and there was a significant physical distance between the phone’s components, leading to delayed connections during operation. This resulted in an ugly-designed and underperforming phone, which everyone considered sufficient to cancel the project.

However, in the end, no one knows what the future holds for us. Perhaps we will reach a stage where smartphone components are small enough to be replaced and upgraded without affecting the phone’s external appearance. But we need a “hero.”

In other words, all smartphone companies base their annual revenues on the success of different smartphone releases each year, and in order to get rid of this “rotten” routine, we will have to wait a very long time, or some giant technology companies will come up with a radical solution that will force all other smartphone companies to follow the same new approach.