Exclusive: Project ARA specifications, design and photos

As revealed a few days back, we’ve managed to get our hands on Google’s Project ARA modular smartphone. We’ve started compiling all the questions you’ve sent in and will answer most of them in an upcoming Q&A article and video. Today, we’re sharing a full list of specifications (those that we know about) and 40 images which show off the phone’s design.

The ARA (A8A01) we have is likely the developer version of the ARA which Google talked about during the first half of 2016. The endoskeleton, which houses the display and the unremovable internal components, is metal, except for the insert panels covering the front-facing camera and speaker above and below the display. The modules on the back of the phone are covered is a soft-touch plastic. Similar to the early concepts Google showed off, the modules are held in place by electromagnets. While Google did state that the electromagmagnet system they were previously using was not good enough to pass internal testing, the new mechanism uses larger magnets which stick out at a 90-degree angle, allowing the modules to snap securely into place.

The pictures below will give you a good sense for how large the ARA is. The phone’s footprint is nearly identical to that of the HTC Desire Eye, but at 12.5mm it’s roughly 60% thicker than most 2016 flagship smartphones. As a result, it feels like you’re holding a brick when the ARA is in your hand. Developer models are always larger than consumer device, but it’s unclear how much slimmer the final ARA phone would have been if the Google didn’t cancel Project ARA.

Project ARA (A8A01) Specifications

Project ARA gallery