Chinese technology giant Lenovo, which recently unveiled its first modular phone under the Moto brand, has revealed its plans to introduce the phone in India.
Named Moto Z, the phone will be available in India during the September-October time frame. The Moto Z will come to India with a couple of Mods, which are accessories that can be snapped on to the smartphone to increase the phone’s functionality. For instance, the Moto Insta-Share Projector turns the Moto Z into a 70-inch movie projector.
Which Mods?
The company currently has three Mods for the Moto Z - a speaker to amplify music, a projector for displaying photos and video from the phone and a power pack that provides 22 hours of additional battery. But it is not known if the Moto Z will come to India with only these three Mods or there would be more at the time of India launch of the Moto Z.
"The Mods will be priced between $50 to a couple of $100," revealed Aymar de Lencquesaing, senior vice president and co-president mobile business group, Lenovo.
While Lencquesaing gave an idea on the price of Mods, he refused to share as to what would be the price of the phone.
Price of the Moto Z?
We asked Amit Boni, Motorola India head, to share the price of the upcoming Moto Z. While he didn't reveal the exact price tag, but hinted at it. "It's not going to be a mid-tier product. And therefore, it won't have mid-tier pricing. The pricing will be easily up for some about $500, I suspect."
The Mods won't come bundled with the phone, and will be available to buy separately.
Boni further clarified that Mods won't be available only through Motorola, and could be available even on e-commerce platforms as well. This is because the Mods won't be developed only in-house. The company instead has opened that up to outside developers, who will have the liberty to sell Mods the way they want.
The Modular Future
Having embarked on the modular approach, Lenovo seems to be in the right direction. It's been a couple of years since a great innovation revolutionised the smartphone market the way it happened over a decade with the first iPhone.
Innovation is a key element in technology, but what is even more important is that how it is executed. Perhaps, this is why most of the concept devices or prototypes don't see the light of day. But with the Moto Z, the company appears to have successfully managed to bring modular approach to consumers.
While different innovations have modernised the smartphone in their own ways, the modular concept is what can be seen as a real game changer - something that is the need of the hour and would break the monotony of the smartphone market. While LG is also in the same game, the Moto approach appears to be more in the right direction.
Explaining how the modular phones will bring a change for good, Lencquesaing said, "Consumers want to do a lot of different things with their phone. And this Swiss Army Knife approach (i.e., putting everything in one device) doesn't function. Because then you end up packing into one device a broad set of features and you burden the cost of the device. And it is a set of features some users may like and some may not need."
Modular Benefits
So, the modular concept comes up as a clever play. The device can remain thin, without compromising on additional functions. There are two benefits here. First, a modular handset won't compromise as a phone, and instead could come out as a better looking device given that it won't go overboard with built-in features. Second, with different modules available for it, users would be able to extend its functionalities as per their needs.
Therefore, the modular phones don't look gimmicky and are expected evolve into a prominent category in the years to come.
Moto Mods snap onto the Moto Z using integrated magnets.
It is believed that the modular concept will initially be limited to premium devices, but will soon make its way to the mid-range category as well.
Emphasising on smartphone trends, Lencquesaing said, "over time, you will have different product positioning for modular phones, adding, "the story of the industry in general is that if you have a good recipe for success, and it answers customers' needs and demands, then it starts to address different price points as well."
Lenovo Going Offline
Much like innovation in the smartphone space, Lenovo is equally bullish about its expansion plans in India. The company is planning to soon enter the offline space. Lenovo has no plans to set up its own stores to sell mobiles in India and will partner with key retail chains.
The company has categorically stated that it will enter the offline space with a comprehensive portfolio. It just won't be selling a handful of device in stores.
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