Moto 5G Mod

Verizon called the Moto Z3 with the 5G moto mod "the world’s first 5G-upgradeable smartphone". Rather than wait for a new handset, Motorola put the millimetre-wave radio in a Mod: snap it on and a phone that shipped in 2018 joined the 5G network that went live in 2019. When Verizon switched on 5G Ultra Wideband mobility in Chicago and Minneapolis on 11 April 2019, this was the device it launched with.

• A modem you could add later

  The Mod architecture put the 5G radio and its antennas outside the phone, so the network upgrade did not need a new handset. It is the clearest demonstration of what modular hardware was for.

• Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband

  Millimetre-wave spectrum, for what Verizon described as massive bandwidth, ultra-high speeds and single-digit millisecond latency.

• Falls back on its own

  Outside a 5G Ultra Wideband area the phone switches to Verizon 4G LTE without the user doing anything.

• Unlimited, and shareable

  Data over 5G Ultra Wideband was unlimited with no de-prioritisation, and the connection could be shared as a Wi-Fi hotspot or by tethering.

• Its own battery

  A 2000 mAh cell inside the Mod, so driving the 5G radio did not drain the phone.