Motorola would like you to purchase Moto Mods, but these accessories have already proven themselves to be unnecessary.
The biggest issue for Motorola’s wide range of accessories, aside from them being quite useless, is pricing. Sure, the simpler Moto Mods are inexpensive. But why purchase a Moto Style Shell for $20 when Amazon has countless cases for under $10? Most people aren’t going to be interested in a $150 or $200 accessory after spending $700 on a phone.
Moto Mods debuted two years ago when the Lenovo-owned company was desperate for its latest flagship to stand out. The accessories range from cases to speakers to batteries. As impressive as they seemed early on, none of them turned out to be hits. Yet they’re still around today.
Now is the right time for Motorola to move on from Moto Mods and focus on making a great all-around flagship.
The Moto Z didn’t quite rival any flagships in 2016, and that’s largely because Motorola decided to make Moto Mods the selling point. However, that didn’t work out. Consumers didn’t care to spend a more money to improve something that should already be great. When we purchase a new phone for $700, we expect greatness out of the box.
When the Moto Z2 Force arrived last year, the accessories stuck around. Motorola and its partners created new Moto Mods, but they weren’t as important. They still dragged down the 2017 flagship, though, because Motorola is forced to design its phones to keep all Moto Mods compatible.
Moto Mods are dragging down Motorola. Even in 2018, the Moto Z3 Play ships with the same size as its predecessors. The company refuses to let go of Moto Mods, which is stopping Motorola from being innovative again.
Motorola should’ve abandoned these accessories after the second attempt didn’t help them gain any traction. It wouldn’t have been surprising. After all, LG experienced a one-and-done situation with the G5 a few years ago.
LG rolled the dice, and its idea didn’t work out. The South Korean company moved on immediately and never looked back. Motorola, on the other hand, continues investing in these overpriced, not-so-useful accessories despite failing miserably in 2016.
The longer Moto Mods remain alive, the further Motorola falls behind. To get anywhere against the competition, Lenovo and Motorola have to give up on this long-dead dream that module-based accessories are the future.
The end is not near for Motorola. Aside from Lenovo having deep pockets to bankroll its struggles, Motorola is a well-known brand around the world. It helped revolutionize telecommunications over decades. And we’ve seen the brand get reinvented multiple times.
Rather than committing to gimmicks, Motorola needs to return to the basics.
Lenovo, though, will have to be willing to embrace change and let Motorola’s team pivot once again. Remember when Google rebooted the company? Motorola offered a slimmed-down lineup, and it earned widespread praise. We have to assume the Moto Z3 will work with Moto Mods, but after that Motorola has to take a look in the mirror and move on from them.
