Moto Z Force Droid Edition hands-on: First look

Moto Mods hands-on

In case you don't know what Moto Mods are, these are modular phone accessories, which snap on magnetically on the phone's back. Motorola has also opened this modular connection with an SDK and developers and companies can build their own Moto Mods for the Moto Z and Z Force Droid! And, yes, the Moto Mods work interchangeably with either device.

Moto Mod SDK examples by function • That's a Moto 360 display! • An Arduino board implementation

We were given three Moto Mods to try out with the phones. The Tumi battery pack, JBL speaker, and the most interesting: Moto Insta-Share projector. Hit that next page to check those out!

Brushed black finish • Specs of the battery • Battery pack attached to Moto Z Force Droid

First up is the Tumi battery. It adds 2,200mAh to your phone by just snapping it on. That's quite convenient in a pinch! The rear of the add-on pack is a brushed black texture. Though it looks like metal, it's actually plastic. Like other Moto Mods, the phone can keep track of two battery sources: the internal battery, and the battery found in the Moto Mod, if any.

JBL Soundboost: front • rear

Next up is the JBL Soundboost speaker Moto Mod. It adds a booming speaker to your smartphone. By the way, it's pretty loud! The JBL Soundboost was shown to us at the Verizon event in two different colors. White and Black. The Moto Mod also has a kick-stand so you don't drown out your tunes.

Now we take a look at probably the coolest thing this phone can do. Thanks to this Moto Mod, you can finally turn your smartphone into a portable projector. This is the Moto Insta-Share Projector.

Insta-Share Projector: mounted • in action • rear view

This thing mirrors what your phone's display is currently seeing, so you won't be able to plug in your laptop via HDMI or anything. Still, anything you can playback on the phone can be viewed on the projector. You can also turn your phone's screen off while the projector is running, and the projector will keep the video going.

Like the JBL Soundboost speaker, the Insta-Share Projector has its own battery which will only run for about an hour before the phone's internal battery kicks in.

Conclusion

We are really excited for the Moto brand after taking another look at the Moto Z Droid and Z Force Droid. Many were worried about the direction Motorola would go now once Lenovo owns the company, but we think this will be a great year for the Moto brand.

We cannot wait to review these phones and show you what they can do! Stay tuned!