The future of Moto Mods was looking grim with low sales and controversies, but Motorola stays true to the brand with its latest mod. Moto Mods keeps hanging in there and hopes their next mod will be a big seller. (Photo via Motorola)
I thought Moto Mods were a pretty cool idea. I even did a hello world hardware project with them. In 2016 Motorola attempted to stand out from the endless array of smartphones with Moto Mods, accessories that magnetically attach to their Moto Z smartphones. While they let people expand what their phone could do, it produced mixed results. The projector and the replacement camera built with Hasselblad were ambitious but pricey. Other accessories like speaker and battery mods proved to be better sellers, but they still weren’t the major success they hoped for. But the company isn’t ready to give up and hopes their latest mod is a game changer.
Motorola is gearing up to introduce their most ambitious mod: a 5G modem for high-speed internet. Currently, there are no commercially accessible 5G networks in the US, so that’s quite an order to fill. The idea has been in development for a while with the brand first talking about it in late 2016. The new mod promises to provide uninterrupted 4K live streaming, lag-free gaming, VR experiences, and the fastest download speeds ever. So far, they have yet to announce pricing. It’s expected to arrive in 2019.
Things are looking up for Motorola and their mods, but it wasn’t looking so good. Startup Livermorium Labs, makers of the physical QWERTY keyboard Mod, spoke about the challenges of building the mod on their Indiegogo page. One of the biggest issues was the company’s relationship with Motorola. Turns out the original mod team they worked with previously changed in April and it took a few weeks for Motorola to re-establish its support for the startup.
Things got even worse when money got involved. "We did not take a penny from Moto to develop this product," Livermorium founder Liangchen Chen wrote. "And now we could not even get any sales support, for the product that we put a whole year's efforts and time." The problem was eventually resolved, but it brings to light the issues small companies face when working with huge brands, like Motorola.
The company was called out again for its “Transform the Smartphone” Mod competition with Indiegogo last year. A company called Digiframe was one of two companies picked to receive up to $1 million in funding from Lenovo Capital for its secondary e-ink display concept. The team worked on it through July 2017 before stopping due to “slow/no reaction from Motorola and Lenovo to provide further funding for development.” Despite these problems, Motorola’s product manager Gaurang Telang insists the 5G won’t be the last Mod and that Moto Mods would continue to be part of the brand’s mobile lineup for the foreseeable future.
Motorola has an interesting vision when it comes to smartphone design, but it seems they have issues when it comes to execution and commitment. They say they’re dedicated to working with smaller companies, but as these examples show, it’s a bumpy road. And looking at recent Moto Mods, it seems they’re more interested in working with brands like Amazon and JBL for standard mods. They may not be ready to call it quits just yet, but with most Mods focusing on battery life and audio, the 5G modem may be their last ambitious outing.
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