Meet the Moto Z – Lenovo’s first modular smartphone

Ever since Lenovo took charge of Motorola in 2014, the company has had ambitious plans for the brand. Today, at the Lenovo TechWorld 2016, one such plan was exhibited in the form of a new Motorola flagship, the Motorola Moto Z. Essentially, Moto Z is the successor of Moto X (2016) but with it, Lenovo offers much more than just a smartphone, it gives us the world’s first morphing smartphone.

The Moto Z will come with what are being called ‘Moto Mods’. These Moto Mods are attached to the back of the Moto Z through magnets and provide new functionalities to the phone. Before we begin discussing these Moto Mods, let’s take a look at the specifications of Lenovo Motorola’s flagship, the Moto Z.

The Moto Z features 5.5″ QHD AMOLED display with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset and 4 GB of RAM. The smartphone with also feature 32/64 GB internal storage options with expandable memory. The camera will have a 13 MP back-shooter and a 5 MP front-shooter. The battery is a feeble 2600 mAh.

The most interesting bit is that the thickness of the Moto Z (without any Moto Mods attached) will be 5.2 mm only. According to Motorola, this is the thinnest premium smartphone ever. Another interesting bit here is that there is no headphone jack on the smartphone! You can either use bluetooth headphones or use an adapter to plug in the headphone via the USB-C port.

The specifications aside, what truly sets apart the Moto Z is its ability to transform. How? Through the Moto Mods. On the back of the Moto Z, there are four magnets that can communicate with pins inside the phone. When a Moto Mod is attached to the Moto Z, it connects to the magnets and hence, connects to the smartphone itself.

Now, what Moto Mods are available? The first is a function-less Style Shell Mod that will be available with all Moto Z smartphones. This Mod is going to be available in nylon, wood, or leather to give the smartphone a more stylish (and thicker) look.

The next is a SoundBoost Mod that features a speaker with a 1000 mAh battery. This Mod will increase the output volume and clarity of your smartphone’s audio and enhance the battery life as well.

What if you want just more battery but no speaker? There’s a Mod for that too. The Power Pack Mod adds a battery of 2220 mAh to the smartphone essentially giving the Moto Z a total battery of 5820 mAh! This probably explains why Lenovo put in such a small battery in the Moto Z.

Finally, the last Mod is an Insta-Share Mod that adds a pico projector to the back of your smartphone. Through this, you can broadcast your phone’s display to up to 6 feet wide at a resolution of 480p.

The Moto Z is Lenovo’s effort towards making a modular phone. Though it may not be as ambitious as the Google Ara or even the LG G5, the smartphone has a lot to offer with its Moto Mods. The Power Pack Mod especially grabbed our attention because something like that can be necessary for an everyday user.

Moving on towards the date of release. The Moto Z is expected to hit the international markets in September this year but there is no word on the pricing as of yet.