Observe ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.
ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Tecno’s magnetic modular cellphone is a proof of idea with no launch date.
- It is skinny and light-weight, and the modular battery design is cool.
- The magnets aren’t robust sufficient, and the digicam modules want some work.
Tecno is all the time a pleasant go to throughout MWC, the model has a historical past of bringing attention-grabbing ideas to bear. This 12 months, there are a pair of them, together with a tri-fold cellphone I could not dive into, as a safety system prevented me from even closing it on the showroom flooring.
This idea is totally different from the Z-shaped foldable cellphone it confirmed final 12 months. As an alternative, it folds twice to the middle, just like the Samsung Trifold, with the surface display on one of many wings. However the different idea was the one which caught my consideration: a magnetic modular cellphone.
Additionally: What to expect at MWC 2026: Best phones I’m anticipating from Xiaomi, Honor, and more
Modular telephones are seemingly the dream amongst cellphone lovers. Who would not need to construct their very own cellphone? This cellphone begins off with slightly little bit of an iPhone Air vibe to it. It is extraordinarily skinny and it has magnets and pogo pins on the again to connect the modules. Proper off the bat, I want the magnets had been a bit stronger; the modules had been a tad wobbly.
For the reason that cellphone is a proof of idea, Tecno did not share a spec sheet, however I used to be capable of glean a number of issues. First, it makes use of a MediaTek Dimensity 8350 processor with 256GB of storage and 12 GB of RAM. Additionally on board is a 3,000 mAh battery, which sounds small, however do not be involved, as a result of now we are able to discuss concerning the modular parts.
I am certain it will come as no shock that there’s a battery module you possibly can connect to the again. Every battery can be 3,000 mAh, and the corporate had three modules available, and they’re stackable, for a complete of 12,000 mAh. That is fairly cool by itself.
As for the remainder of the modules, probably the most mundane is a pockets mod. At the same time as a fan of MagSafe wallets, I discovered it exhausting to get on board with this concept. Given how weak the magnets are, it simply does not really feel protected.
Additionally: I tried Honor’s ultra-thin foldable phone at MWC 2026, and it’s almost too powerful
There are two digicam attachments. The primary is an optical telephoto lens that provides 3x functionality by snapping it over the digicam. Physics helps this, however I used to be shocked that the photographs had been inverted. That is regular when utilizing a magnifying lens like this, however I’d have thought that Tecno may repair it within the software program. There’s additionally no ultrawide digicam module, which shocked me.
The opposite digicam lens is a 100x optical telephoto digicam module that requires a Wi-Fi connection to the cellphone. Doing so transmits the photographs from the digicam to the cellphone’s viewfinder. Once I examined it on the present flooring, there was an honest quantity of lag. That may have been as a result of insufficient Wi-Fi indicators on the present flooring — or it could possibly be a poor implementation. It is exhausting to inform.
Lastly, there’s additionally an motion digicam, which I did not have an opportunity to check as a result of it wasn’t working correctly on the present flooring. The remainder of the modules truthfully fall extra below the class of “equipment” although.
There is a lavalier mic, with wind display, a hoop gentle/mirror combo you need to use to take a selfie or movie your self, and a Bluetooth speaker mod. None of those really need to be connected to the cellphone to work, so it strains the definition of “modularity.”
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
Though it is nonetheless a proof of idea, I would prefer to see Tecno make some enhancements earlier than I may suggest the cellphone. The magnets have to be stronger, and the digicam attachments want some work. Nonetheless, I see this system because the non secular successor to the Moto Mods of previous. Nevertheless it faces the identical downside: as soon as the modules change into obtainable, Tecno has to vow to stay to the shape issue, lest they change into paperweights.
Additionally: I tested Xiaomi’s matte-glass tablet for a month, and it effectively replaced my iPad
I believed Motorola when it stated it will assist mods for 4 years (and exceeded that mark, by the way in which). I do not belief Tecno although. Sure, there’s the problem of importing, however Tecno does not have the storied fame that Motorola does. Nonetheless, I like the concept right here, and the obtainable modules have some good concepts, if Tecno may push issues additional.
