One of the things I look forward to when a company is announcing a new smartphone is seeing the color options. I still think one of the (many) reasons why I liked Windows Phone so much was because of Nokia's color choices for its smartphones. There were just so many of them, and, like the bright yellow option, they really caught the eye.

I've never been a big fan of just "white or black" when it comes to phones.

Which is why when Apple finally launched a worthwhile iPhone in blue I had to go for it. And it's definitely why I've considered some of the Galaxy S or Note devices in the past from Samsung, because the company has at least, at times, played around with some cool options. And now we're getting color gradients! And the Galaxy S10 definitely grabs attention with its color options.

But while it can be great to leave most of that up to the companies, it can definitely lead to wanting more. It has in the past for me, at least. Whether it's Apple, or Samsung, HTC, LG, or other companies, there can be that "I wish I could change this or add this" that settles in with a new device. Whatever that ends up being can sometimes be big enough to warrant getting rid of the phone and going with something else.

Which is why smartphone companies need to offer up more customizable options. It wouldn't be the first time something like this existed. Several years ago Motorola had its Moto Maker program which allowed new device owners to customize quite a bit. You could not only choose the color/material of the back panel, but also the color of the anodized metal accents (like the speaker grilles and camera housing). You could even customize the color of the front of the device, too.

Moto Maker hasn't been around for quite a while now, unfortunately. That probably suggests it wasn't that popular of a service, at least not when attached to the smartphones Motorola was releasing at the time. Could the Moto Maker work better these days? Probably not.

But what if a company like Samsung offered something similar? Or OnePlus? Huawei? Could a boost in customization options help LG stand out? 

Considering modular phones didn't take off, we may already know the answer. But then I think about the difference between some (relatively) simple customization options when buying a new phone --something like a car-- versus a seemingly "endless" customizable device. Having options to start, from color to accents to storage/RAM, might be a great way to kick things off. But a modular phone might be too much for most consumers, especially with all the separate pieces one might have to carry around with them at any given time.

Then again, maybe the way things are now is just the way it is because it works. What do you think? Would you be happy with more customization options from Apple, Samsung, and the other smartphone manufacturers? Let me know!