Modular phones are having another moment, and this time, Tecno is jumping in with a surprisingly fun idea. The company teased a new modular concept built around a super-thin smartphone.
Instead of stuffing everything into one heavy slab-phone, Tecno wants you to start with a slim phone and snap on modules only when you need certain features. Think camera add-ons, battery boosts, and even future AI modules.
We have been down this road before
If this sounds familiar, that’s because we’ve been here before. Google’s Project Ara promised the ultimate customizable phone. It aimed to allow users to swap out hardware components on the fly. It sounded amazing, but the tech was complicated, and the phone was never released.
Later, Motorola and LG attempted to create their own modular phones, but none were commercially successful. In recent times, Fairphone and Nothing tried their hands at the concept, but their phones are not truly modular. The former focuses more on upgradability, while the latter only launched a few external mods.
How Tecno modular phone is different
Tecno’s concept of modularity seems like an amalgamation of Project Ara and Moto Mods. The star of the show is an ultra-slim smartphone measuring only 4.5mm. For context, the iPhone Air is 5.6mm thick.
With such a thin phone, the major concern is the battery. To tackle this issue, Tecno has promised a slim 4.5mm external battery pack that can double the smartphone’s battery life.
Alongside the battery module, Tecno plans to release nine other magnetic modules focusing on photography, off-grid communication, gaming, and more.
These modules attach via a magnetic snap-on system with built-in pogo pins that can also handle power and high-speed data transfer. The magnetic system has a zone grid layout that allows modules to attach instantly and securely.
Can Tecno pull this off?
It’s not the first time Tecno has experimented with bold concept phones. The company released a super-slim trifold device last year along with its take on AI glasses. That said, modular phones are tough to get right.
You don’t just need great modules, you also need a long-term ecosystem with a consistent attachment system so accessories don’t become obsolete with every new smartphone release. That’s where most modular ideas fail, and now the real question is whether Tecno can avoid the same fate.