"Phonebloks has come up with an idea that can completely change the aura of a smart phone being personal, customizable and technologically ahead of its times."

In one of my previous blogs, I had discussed about how Circular Economy can help us reduce the mass amount of electronic waste produced every year. I am mesmerized by the level of action taken by anyone to contribute even a little towards making this happen. One such organisation is Phonebloks. When considering the biggest contributor in today’s electronic waste, the first thing to pop into our minds has to be the phone. Phonebloks has come up with an idea that can completely change the aura of a smart phone being personal, customizable and technologically ahead of its times. The Phoneblok concept enables you to customize your phone starting right from its external beauty to its internal capabilities.

This concept was first designed and created by Dutch designer, Dave Hakkens. Phonebloks consists of a main board onto which blocks of different functionalities could be snapped on by the user like Lego bricks. Each block has its own identity and specific function so, instead of replacing the entire phone when it becomes obsolete or broken, one could simply replace the defective or performance-limiting part. If the consumer wants a camera that suits his or her needs better, he or she could, for example, swap their small generic camera block for a larger zoom camera from a manufacturer such as Nikon or Canon, instead of buying a phone with a better camera. This will lead to fewer people throwing away their phones and contributing to the ever-increasing problem of electronic waste.

Smartphones based on the Phonebloks system will be sold part- by- part, as well as in starter sets. When assembled, the phone will have a screen covering the entirety of the front, volume buttons and headphone jacks along the outer edge, and blocks clicked into the back, to form a rectangular block shape. But as we know, every invention brings its own challenges. Phoneblok, at this initial stage, has to foresee a few stepping stones in its path to success. The economic stability required for the research and development of this product is massive and everyone is hoping that, after the support from Google, this can be achieved sooner rather than later. The technological specification of the Phoneblok would mean that the signals have to penetrate through different physical components fixed on the phone’s main board, thus potentially resulting in slowing down the phone’s system.

Another major flaw in producing such phone is the concept itself for which it is produced. If people replace the blocks with  once in a month, then more electronic waste will be produced as opposed to put an end to the e-waste. Creating reusable product blocks can be one of the solutions for this. Keeping all these matters in mind, Phonebloks should continue their research and someday must come up with the product that everyone is waiting for. This would not only give something special to the customers but also something healthy for our environment to cherish for years to come.