Back in August last year Motorola, or Lenovo,
depending on you preference, unveiled the Moto Z3 - still its current flagship
offer. Along with it at the special Chicago event came the 4G Moto Mod - a
somewhat odd result of a new-found 5G hype, combined with an ongoing promise of
Modo Mod compatibility and investment in the ecosystem.
After that initial wave of viral media coverage for
what was essentially, at the time, a shell, with a 2,000 mAh battery pack and
space to eventually fit in one of Qualcomm's X50 5G modems, the 5G Moto Mod
slipped into obscurity. Until late last month, when Motorola released a
software update for the Moto Z3 adding in support for said snap-on accessory.
Now an FCC certification for the 5G Moto Mod has
surface as well, proving that the company does, indeed intend to follow-through
with the product and prove that it wasn't just a PR stunt. There is still no
word on actual pricing or availability for the 5G mod, but spending the extra
money and extending the effort to get FCC approval does mean that a release is
imminent.
The enclosed sketches also show that the design and
dimensions of the module haven't really been changed after its announcement.
Meaning that it is still just as big and cumbersome as we remember from our
hands-on experience with a hardware mockup a while back. The 5G Moto Mod
measures 59.15 x 72.96 x 5.97mm, standing even taller than the Moto Z3 itself
due to the inclusion of a protruding antenna. When snapped to the back of the
phone, it makes the entire package 13.75mm thick and with a combined weight of
a hefty 281 grams. Other, less than ideal aspects of the product include the
fact that it is designed to only work on the Verizon network and has a separate
non-removable SIM or eSIM module, vastly limiting its versatility. Or at least
that was the case when it was announced.
Also, at least from what we've seen so far, it seems
that no other Moto Mod compatible devices, besides the Moto Z3 will be able to
use the 5G mod. There have been rumors for planned Moto Z2 compatibility, but
that doesn’t really seem too likely.
All this being said, there are still certain
positive aspects to the 5G Moto Mod. For one, our original estimates on the 5G
adoption rates were a bit too optimistic, it seems, since 5G handsets are only
now starting to emerge. This could make the 5G Moto Mod at least a bit more
relevant from a timing perspective during this initial early-adopter 5G stage.
Also, we do appreciate the fact the accessory has a separate USB Type-C
interface of its own, which could allow it to plug into a PC and connect it to
a fast 5G network. Here’s hoping Verizon doesn’t make the device and data plan
pricing too prohibitive.
