Motorola’s snap-on accessory adds 5G (and a retro antenna) to the Moto Z3

Leaks suggest Lenovo’s Motorola may launch a 5G Moto Mod together with flagship Z3 this week

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Why you can trust SCMP

I know “what’s old is new again” is a thing but I really didn’t expect the antenna nub to return. (Picture: XDA Developers)

Karen Chiu

Published: 11:58pm, 30 Jul 2018Updated: 8:34am, 20 Sep 2019

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

Remember Moto Mods? Motorola’s accessory series allowed people to snap everything from bigger speakers to battery packs was one of those neat ideas that didn’t quite catch on.

Reports suggest it’s back… and might come with a killer feature: Support for 5G networks.

It’s a neat solution to a tricky problem. Carriers in the US promised to bring super-fast 5G to smartphones as soon as later this year. So if users want to take advantage, they’ll need new devices that can handle the higher-frequency signals. But it’ll take a while for 5G to roll out, so not everyone needs it right away.

The Moto Z3 is set to be unveiled on Thursday, but who needs to wait when we’ve got leaks? (Picture: Android Headlines)

The new mods are supposed to be compatible with the latest flagship from Lenovo’s Motorola: The Moto Z3. It’s not being unveiled until Thursday, but Android Headlines already showed us what it’s supposed to look like. Other than not having a fingerprint scanner on the chin or the back, the outside seems pretty standard.

The real headline (and indeed the headline of this story) is the snap-on accessory that makes the Moto Z3 5G-ready. Photos obtained by XDA Developers show the phone case has a nub on top that likely houses an antenna.