The Moto Z and Moto Z Force were just unveiled at Lenovo Tech World 2016, and announced alongside these two flagship devices were the Moto Mods. Basically, these are backplates that attach to the back of the Moto Z devices: this is definitely a more refined take of the modular smartphone concept over the LG G5.
Before introducing the Moto Z devices and the Moto Mods, Lenovo mentioned that “snapping is the new flipping,” which is definitely a form of tribute to the popular Motorola Razr. Throughout the keynote, Lenovo also put a strong emphasis on the fact that the Moto Mods can be attached and detached – they connect to the Moto Z magnetically – without the need to switch off the device, which is really quite a practical feature.
Currently, three Moto Mods have been officially announced: The JBL SoundBoost, the Moto Insta-Share Projector, and the Power Pack. Naturally, the first Mod of the three offers better quality audio once attached to a Moto Z (it also adds 10 hours of battery life with its 1,000mAh cell), while the Insta-Share Projector is…well, a projector. The Power Pack, on the other hand, provides up to a whopping 22 hours of extra battery life; it essentially adds a 2,220mAh battery to the back of the Moto Z. While technically not a Mod per se, Lenovo will also package one Style Shell with every Moto Z; some of these shells feature premium materials like real wood and genuine leather.
One of the major selling points of the Moto Mods is the fact that they will work with future iterations of the Moto Z phones. Needless to say, this will definitely extend the effective life cycle of Mods sold now. Lenovo elaborated that this will apply to at least two more generations of Moto Z devices.
Although only three Moto Mods have been made official today, Lenovo mentioned that more Mods will be announced in the future. After all, a Mod focused on photography has been leaked quite some time ago. Lenovo said the Moto Mods will start shipping in September 2016, which is also the worldwide launch date of the Moto Z and Moto Z Force.
