Motorola announces Moto Z with four Moto Mods

As expected, Motorola's modular phone got official at Lenovo's Tech World event in San Francisco. The company announced two new smartphones - Moto Z and Moto Z Force - with Moto Mods. The Moto Mods are snap-on accessories that magnetically attach to the back of the smartphone with 16-pin connector to transform the functionality of the phone. Using these mods, the Moto Z and Moto Z Force can be converted into a powerful audio speaker, video projector, battery powerhouse and more.

The three completed mods announced include built-in battery and adds to the weight of the device. The audio speaker mod comes from JBL that will beef up the phone's sound and has got a built-in kickstand. Then there is an Insta-share projector that can project photos and videos up to 70 inches with 480 pixel resolution. The projection can be done directly on the wall or ceiling. Lenovo already has built-in projection in a couple of its Yoga Tablets. Lastly, there is a PowerPack mod that can add an extra juice of up to 22 hours using 2,200 mAh external battery. There are additional style shells that doesn't add any functionality but are designed to change the look of the phone.

The company is also working on a camera shell and all these mods will be compatible with future generation of Moto Z smartphones. Lenovo has also announced a developer platform allowing developers to built the mod they want. The Lenovo Capital and Incubator Group is also offering an equity funding of $1 million for any individual or company that comes up with the best Moto Mod prototype by March 31, 2017.

The Motorola Moto Z features a 5.5inch QHD AMOKED display and is 5.2mm thin. It is powered by a 2.2Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor and is paired with 4GB of RAM. IT will be available in 32GB and 64GB storage options with microSD slot and a 2600mAh battery, Turbo Charing support. It has got a 13MP rear camera, 5MP front facing camera, fingerprint scanner, water repellent nano coating, 4G LTE support and more. There isn't any 3.5mm audio jack and one has to use the Type-C port for audio. It runs on Android Marshmallow. The Moto Z Force shares the same set of specifications with a few changes. As the name suggests, it features the Shattershield technology for the shatterproof glass display. The camera onboard is 21MP rear camera and it comes with 3500 mAh battery.

The company hasn't release the pricing or the launch date yet but the Moto Z will be available globally in the month of September.