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​This bag is what happens when you make modular accessories for phones

Welcome to Verizon's way to carry around the Moto Z and its mods.

Scott Stein Editor at Large
I started with CNET reviewing laptops in 2009. Now I explore wearable tech, VR/AR, tablets, gaming and future/emerging trends in our changing world. Other obsessions include magic, immersive theater, puzzles, board games, cooking, improv and the New York Jets. My background includes an MFA in theater which I apply to thinking about immersive experiences of the future.
Expertise VR and AR, gaming, metaverse technologies, wearable tech, tablets Credentials
  • Nearly 20 years writing about tech, and over a decade reviewing wearable tech, VR, and AR products and apps
Scott Stein
Sarah Tew/CNET

What does the world of modular phones look like? A world of larger carry bags.

This Verizon tote looks like the thing I used to carry my Game Boy in. Bulky, zippered nylon. But it came in the reviewer's bag for the Moto Z, a phone coming via Verizon in the US.

Motorola's Moto Z is a sleek phone, full of features. It also has a unique magnetic accessory port on the back that taps into "MotoMods," which range from extra battery packs to pocket projectors and speakers. Those mods are, individually, anywhere in size from a slim slab to something as large as (or even larger than) the phone itself.

moto-z-mods-01.jpg

Meet the Moto Z, its mods...and its case.

Sarah Tew/CNET

How many would you carry? One? Two? Five? Verizon's case holds six -- or five plus the phone, from what I can see. Plus, a zippered storage pocket for cables and other things.

The Moto Z's modular snap-on accessorizing isn't totally unique. The LG G5 has snap-on extra parts. And the concept Google Ara phone imagines a whole range of truly modular phone pieces that attach like a phone Voltron.

moto-z-mods-11.jpg

Feels like a lunchbox

Sarah Tew/CNET

The only problem is, the more parts you have, the more you have to carry. I like my phones small and portable. And contained. I don't want a zipper bag. I use phones because I like the idea of convergence, of many gadgets being contained in one. I'd carry one extra snap-on, max.

The Moto Z phone itself seems nice, though. Stay tuned for a full review soon.