Are Moto Mods worth it? Moto Mods are magnetic attachments that fasten onto the rear of the Moto Z and Moto Z Force to expand their functionality. There are no wires necessary and the possibilities are really endless in terms of what these Mods can do. On Day One of the Moto Z and Z Force launch from Verizon Wireless, there was a Moto Insta-Share Projector Mod, a JBL SoundBoost Speaker Mod, and Incipio Off-Grid Power Pack Mod. We should see many more Mods in the coming months though.
Moto Insta-Share Projector Mod
My favorite Mod is the Moto Insta-Share Projector Mod. What it allows you to do is to beam what you view on your smartphone to a wall or a ceiling, or really anything. You can instantly turn any flat surface into a 70-inch big screen on the fly. While it’s no TV display, it does display resolution that is good enough for watching whatever it is you are viewing. The darker the environment, the better. I’ve been using this Mod in bed. I’ll turn off the lights under the covers, turn on the projector and watch some YouTube videos on the wall that is at the end of my bed or the ceiling. It makes me think, “Wow the future is now” while lying in bed watching YouTube videos from a projector coming out of my phone. When a tech product can do that, you know it’s good.
The Mod doesn’t add too much weight or bulk to the phone considering it is a projector. There is a power button up top as well as a focus dial packed inside the projector Mod itself. There’s also a tiny battery that will provide an extra hour of screen on-time. Once that is depleted, it will then rely on your smartphone’s battery. There is an integrated kickstand to project your display at any angle. The biggest downside is the fact that to adjust the projector, the attachment costs $300. So occasionally, it can get quite warm causing the little fan inside to become loud.
JBL SoundBoost Speaker Mod
The second coolest Moto Mod in my opinion is the JBL SoundBoost Speaker Mod. While the Moto Z and Z Force don’t have terrible speakers, the single front-firing speaker is above average. It certainly pales in comparison to something like a dedicated speaker. The JBL SoundBoost Speaker is a dedicated JBL certified speaker. It’s very loud and delivers a sound profile that is much more defined than that of the stock Moto Z speaker.
What’s neat about it is that it features its own battery which can provide for roughly 10 hours of music playback without using your phone’s battery. There is a built-in kickstand to position the speaker just the way you like it. The speaker itself can act as a speakerphone—a very loud and crystal clear speakerphone. The SoundBoost Speaker Mod costs $80.
Incipio Off-Grid Power Pack Mod
The last Mod we have here is the Incipio Off-Grid Power Pack Mod and it might be the most functional of them all because it can provide up to 22 hours of extra battery life for the Moto Z and Z Force. It’s a 2,220mAh battery that doesn’t add too much extra bulk, especially if you’re rocking the Moto Z. Under that feature is the built-in wireless charging. You can charge this phone and Mod via wireless charging. This Mod costs about $60.
Now price is a very good reason not to purchase something. The $300 projector is extremely cool and it’s guaranteed to impress your peers. But it’s also $300. Unless you plan on really using this projector a lot several times a week, it’s not really worth it. Even if you do plan on using it a lot, it’s hard not to recommend a dedicated projector for $300 that will most likely perform better than this projector. The IBL Speakers are pretty neat too but for $80, you can probably buy a better Bluetooth Speaker for that price. It’s not going to be able to clip on the back of the phone necessarily. But it will likely function better than this Mod. The battery case may offer the most bang for your buck actually because it’s something you will use everyday most likely. Without battery life, your phone becomes useless and there’s nothing worse than having to be tethered to Quick Charger or worry about your phone’s battery life before going on a big trip or something.
The Incipio Battery Mod is probably the most conservative purchase you can largely impart because it’s the cheapest (coming in at $60). But with all that said, you have to understand that you’re paying for convenience and state of the art technology. The ability to slap on a Mod on your phone and have it work instantly without any cords, cables, or hiccups; that is worth something and that will depend on the user.
The Moto Mods are really worth it if you truly value the conveniency or take advantage of the deals out there. The ability to quickly beam from my smartphone is pretty cool for example and it’s something you can’t do as easily with a standalone projector. As of making this video, you can buy one Moto Mod and enjoy 20 percent off on another or equal or lesser value through Motorola. Best Buy is also offering a killer deal that you really need to take advantage of. In The Mod is available Force for $200 on a two-year contract, which is 100GB off. If you do that, they throw in the projector mini-Mod for free. This is not a sponsor, I just wanted to let you know this pretty good deal.