The LG G5 surprised the world when it came in with a modular design, marking the first flagship smartphone to come with support for swappable accessories. However, being the first of its kind, it always meant that LG will not get everything perfect, right out of the box.
In fact, little did the company know that it was laying down the foundation for an even better modular design handset in the shape of Motorola Moto Z and the U.S.-specific Moto Z Force. As noted, these two phones can allow the addition of accessories so as to improve on their overall functionality. This doesn’t mean that they are poor performers when it comes to standalone capabilities. In fact, you will enjoy the great capabilities of the LG G5 as a standalone device as compared to the Moto Z, but when it comes to the modular side of things, the former is what you should definitely go for. Here’s why.
More accessories on the Moto Z than LG G5
LG G5 comes with a bunch of accessories the company calls Friends. The Moto Z has the same thing, only that it adopts the name Moto Mods. At the time of this writing, you can only take advantage of two LG G5 Friends – a Cam Plus camera grip and a Hi-Fi digital-to-analog converter.
On the contrary, you get more than these on the Moto Z. There is a neat-looking back cover that is available in several styles that include leather, red plastic, and leather. You also get an audio speaker, a battery pack as well as a portable image projector.
Easier to use accessories
The good thing with smartphone OEMs is that they understand some of these handsets are used by novice buyers. With this in mind, you will find it easy to add accessories to the LG G5, but everything is not straightforward as with the case of the Moto Z. Where the former involves clicking a button before pulling out the battery unit and then jerk the module off the phone’s battery, something that means the phone will always shut down, the latter makes things extremely easier for users. The Moto Z and Moto Z Force both have an array of magnetic pins on the rear. All you need is to align the row of similar pins you see on each of the Moto Mods with the row on the back of the phone and that’s it. No turning off the phone like with the case of the LG G5 or even clicking of buttons, among other hassles.
While the Moto Z and Moto Z Force might look like the complete modular smartphones than the LG G5 is, it is never easy to find a perfect creation. Despite the fact that Motorola got a lot of things right with its first modular handset, you will be disappointed with the convenience of carrying the Moto Mods around as compared to the LG Friends. The fact that the Moto Mods occupy the entire back of the phone means that you end up with a significantly heavier and thicker handset. It gets even worse if you are thinking of carrying around all four Moto Mods in your pockets, something that is not true for the LG G5 Friends.
Which modular phone do you prefer between the Moto Z and LG G5? Feel free to share your views in the comments section below.