Compare that with the Moto Z's four types of Mods. One is a decorative back cover, which actually comes in a ton of styles (wood, leather, red plastic and so on). It also has a battery pack, an audio speaker and a portable image projector. Many companies are involved in creating these accessories too. JBL designed the speaker, while Incipio made battery packs in partnership with designer Kate Spade and luggage maker Tumi. Other companies are slated to join the party as well, like Mophie, which makes portable battery packs like this one here.
I just don't find LG's accessories very practical (though you may disagree), The camera grip solves a "problem" that never really existed, since camera phones are pretty easy and comfortable to use without adding an extra handhold, While the Hi-Fi digital-to-analog converter does what it says, it's very niche, Audiophiles may love the idea of having higher-quality audio, but I can't imagine many everyday users coughing up the money halloween cats iphone case for it, Moto Mods have more mainstream appeal, Battery packs and wireless speakers are some of the most popular mobile accessories, and though I don't see myself buying the projector, it seems like a fun device for a Netflix night..
Design is one area where the Motorola Mods don't come out on top. The accessories take up the Moto Z's whole back surface and can be quite thick and bulky. The Moto Z with an audio speaker or projector attached won't fit comfortably in a pocket, and you can forget about carrying around all four Moto Mods, unless you like looking like this. Try as you might, Motorola Mods aren't exactly pocketable. In turn, the G5's accessories are compact and portable. Because they're anchored on the handset's bottom edge, they're designed to be pretty small. The audio-boosting module is about as large as a pack of gum, and even though the camera grip adds some heft to the phone, you can still fit the whole thing in your pocket (though it won't be very comfortable).
We still have a long way to go when it comes to modular phones, For one thing, a truly modular phone means one where you can change up halloween cats iphone case its core hardware components, like the processor, camera and ports, This is Project Ara's promise, The modules for Google's upcoming Project Ara provide tons of flexibility, The Motorola Moto Z and LG G5 reach for the spirit of modularity by changing the way the phone behaves when you add a new part, but the phones themselves basically remain the same, You could achieve extra battery life by buying a charging case or plugging in a separate charging brick -- but you aren't permanently adding a bigger battery to the phone's basic structure..
In addition, the phones' modular possibilities are only as great as the number of accessories available. That means both companies need to have more partners making more great modules. But for what the phones are today, Motorola's approach to the modular concept is more fully realized. Its Moto Mods are more useful and easier to swap out than the LG G5's accessories, and hopefully development will continue into the next iterations. While it's still unclear where modular phones will go in the future, Motorola's work on the Moto Z is helping the modular dream click into place.
