Moto Z is "likely" to get a Tango 3D camera Moto Mod

The biggest feature in Motorola’s Moto Z family of smartphones is their support for Moto Mods, which are modular add-ons that can be quickly connected to the back to add extra features to those devices. Today, Motorola CEO Aymar de Lencquesaing said the company will “likely” release a Moto Mod in the future that will add support for Google’s Tango 3D camera technology to the Moto Z.

Of course, this is one of the exact reasons why Lenovo and Motorola created Moto Mods in the first place. If an up-and-coming technology comes out that may be of interest to users, creating a Moto Mod with that functionality is much easier than building it into a smartphone. de Lencquesaing stated that the augmented reality features that can be used with the Tango camera will fit well within Motorola’s smartphone plans:

Augmented reality on a phone is a technology that’s likely to stick. Of course we’ll follow, or lead, the market in this area.

Motorola’s parent company, Lenovo, launched the first Tango-enabled smartphone, the Phab 2 Pro, earlier this month. The large 6.4-inch unlocked device is currently priced at $499.99, and there are over 35 apps in the Google Play Store that specifically support Tango’s AR features. There are rumors that ASUS could announce its own Tango-based smartphone in January during CES 2017.

Currently, the Moto Z family of Moto Mods directly from Motorola include an external speaker, an extra battery and projector. More recently, Verizon began selling a Moto Mod battery pack made by Mophie. Motorola has also partner with the Indiegogo crowd funding website to help hardware developers fund the creation of even more Moto Mods.