Android co-founder and former chief Andy Rubin to release a modular smartphone focussing on AI

One of the founders of Android operating system, Andy Rubin, is working on a high end modular Android smartphone, which will be focussed on artificial intelligence. Rubin sold Android Inc to Google in 2005 and then was the chief of Android inside Google till 2013, before eventually leaving the company in 2014. Rubin has been working on his tech incubator called Playground Global , which is speculated to release an Android smartphone soon. Playground Global backs projects involving AI, robotics and augmented reality.

According to a Bloomberg report, Rubin is working on creating a new company called Essential and serves as its CEO. This will have a 40-member team made of former Apple and Alphabet Inc employees, who will be working on consumer hardware such as smartphones, smart home accessories and more.

Essential, will be a platform company that will tie up multiple devices together. The showstopper product is expected to be a high end smartphone, which will have an edge-to-edge bezel-less display . According to Bloomberg, Rubin discussed this smartphone with mobile carrier executives.

Rubin has listed Essential with the US Patents and Trademark Office, with product such as smartphones, tablets, accessories and ‘computer operating software for mobile phones’ as some of the goods and services on offer. So it is not known if Rubin’s upcoming smartphone will have Android or a complete new OS.

Playground Global has investors including HP, Google and Foxconn among others. In fact, Foxconn is alleged to be talks to manufacture Rubin’s upcoming smartphone which will be competing with Apple, Samsung and Google’s Pixel at the high end of the market.

According to people familiar with the matter quoted by Bloomberg, the smartphone Rubin is working on has a larger display size than the iPhone 7 Plus’ 5.5-inch. But due to the bezel-less display, it has less of a footprint. The phone will also support pressure sensitive display, like the iPhone. Also, Rubin’s team is working on an industrial design which has metal edges and a ceramic back, people aware with the developments said.

Essential is also working on a proprietary connector, which will not only let you charge the device, but could be used for expanding the phone’s future functionality. This would be done in the form of hardware accessories, or modules, which will add additional features to the phone. For instance, Rubin’s engineers are working on a spherical camera module which can shoot high resolution 360 degree photographs.

This high end phone is expected to be selling in the retail market by the middle of 2017. It would be priced around $649 (approx Rs 44,500).

News of Rubin working on a venture to make a new smartphone started appearing online as far back as December 2015. Considering this is the founder of Android himself working on a new phone, consumers and competitors will be eagerly tracking the development of this phone.