When I was at Nike there was a small group that was obsessed with making a modular shoe… then we realized the shoe itself was a modular part of the person’s attire for the day.
I see phones in much the same way. All of the tech is updating so fast, the benefits of modularity seem to be outweighed by the need to replace the entire unit. I think the focus should be in the opposite way. If the tech only lasts 18 months, why not focus more on recyclability?
And yes, an full accessory mic or speaker is going to blow away any dedicated module. And for manufactures it makes so much more sense. Why make a dedicated mic module or speaker module that works with one phone when you can make a BT speaker, mic, camera whatever, that works with every phone? The only phone that has the numbers to make a dedicated module make sense for a 3rd party is the iPhone and maybe a couple of the Samsungs. The numbers likely barely pencil out for a phone case for the rest of them.