Moto Mods is a modular concept like Google's Project Ara and LG's G5. It differs from the LG G5 in that mods are plug-and-play and doesn't require you to reboot the phone. Lenovo is committed to the 5.5-inch form factor for forward and backward compatibility, so it is safe to assume that future Moto Mods-compatible devices will have to be metal too as the interface is magnetic. To read about the Moto Z smartphone, go here.
Style Shells will probably be the most common mod as they are basically vanity rear covers without any active features. They come in natural material variants such as wood, cloth and leather shown here, though more will undoubtedly be made available by the time the Moto Z is launched in September.
Style Shells are thin and light rear covers.
Since Style Shells have no active function, it doesn't feature the signature 16-pin connector. It will just basically snap onto the back of the Moto Z magnetically. Notice a hole on the bottom left here, Style Shells are the only Moto Mods that leave a hole for the rear mic. The other mods seem block it, which makes us wonder why engineer a mic there in the first place.
Instead of just making a speaker, Lenovo partnered with JBL to create and optimize the Soundboost mod. It is about 13mm thick, weighs 145g, has dual 3W speakers and a kickstand. As the current heaviest mod, I'm surprised at how strong and secure the magnetic connection is. There is little movement once connected and it does take a bit of force to detach it from the phone.
You'll notice the proprietary Moto Mods 16-pin connectors here along with an additional bottom row of pins. These align with the gold strip on the phone to maintain signal integrity while using the mod. You'll also notice a USB port below the JBL logo. The speaker has its own 1,000mAh battery for 10 hours of playback. It can be recharged here or via the phone when connected. It cannot however, be used as a battery pack for the phone.
Once connected, mods are instantly recognized and activated. For instance, if you're playing music, connecting the speaker mod will automatically route audio to the speakers. If you remove the mod while playing, the phone will assume you want to stop listening and automatically stop playback.
With the kickstand, the mod turns the Moto Z into a boom box. And this baby is LOUD, trust me.
After connecting the speaker mod, it's still reasonably compact. We would have loved a headphone jack or two though as an auxiliary function.
The projector mod houses a tiny DLP projector that can throw out a 70-inch screen with 50 lumens at 480p. That may not seem like much, but you have to remember that this is an early prototype to show what Moto Mods can do. Like the speakers, it has a built-in battery, and will draw from your phone when it runs out, but cannot be used to charge the phone. You may notice a tiny intake fan just below the metal kickstand bar.
Simple controls from left to right: exhaust port, power button, projector lens and focus ring.
The projector mod in action. It will throw anything on the phone and even has auto keystone correction.
Last of the announced Moto Mods is the battery pack mod. Like the Style Shells, the battery pack can be used as a vanity rear cover too. It's a little thicker of course (6.2mm) since it is a battery, but we've all seen people toting huge vanity phone cases around, so these aren't so bad.
Other variants besides Kate Spade are those from Tumi and Incipio. Unsurprisingly, we're told that there are more variants from these brands than those shown at the show floor during the Lenovo Tech World launch.
Regardless of brand variety, all current battery mods carry the same 2,200mAh capacity. We're also told that regular and Qi wireless charging versions are also available. Of course, as battery packs go, making a bigger capacity one isn't a question. It is how heavy they can go before the magnetic connection fails to securely hold the mod to the phone.