2016 – 2019
The phone that snapped together.
Motorola built the Moto Z around a magnetic interface: a row of 23K gold pins carrying power and data, and a steel back plate that holds the Mod against them. Snap one on and the phone became a 10x camera, a projector, a JBL speaker or a games console — no pairing, no cables. 20 Mods shipped across 8 phones covering four generations before the line ended.
The one that mattered
A phone that got 5G without being replaced
Motorola put the millimetre-wave radio and its antennas in a Mod instead of a handset, so a phone sold in 2018 could join Verizon's 5G network in 2019. Verizon called it the world's first 5G-upgradeable smartphone, and it was the device the network launched with.
- 14 March 2019 Preorders open for the 5G moto mod.
- 11 April 2019 Verizon switches on 5G Ultra Wideband mobility in Chicago and Minneapolis. The Moto Z3 with the 5G moto mod is the launch device.
How the rest got made
Anyone could build one
Motorola sold the platform, not just the products. The Development Kit paired a working Reference Moto Mod with a perforated board to solder your own circuit onto, so a prototype only needed an idea and a Moto Z. The firmware was open, and the protocol was Greybus.
Signature Mods
The phones
2016Moto Zthe razor-thin future of smartphones
2016Moto Z Force DroidExplore the features of a smarter phone
2016Moto Z PlayOur longest-lasting smartphone battery ever
2017Moto Z2 Forcehello unlimited possibilities
2017Moto Z2 Playthinner. lighter. faster.
2018Moto Z3world’s first 5G-upgradable smartphone Only on Verizon. Watch the video. View tech specs.
2018Moto Z3 Playgoodbye smartphone, hello smartphone + Watch the videos. View tech specs.
2019Moto Z4Only on Verizon.