Motorola ‘likely’ to launch a Project Tango module for the Moto Z

Slowly but surely the Moto Z is getting an ecosystem. The promising handset launched with some solid specs and a handful of add-ons that made it the most fully formed modular handset to date — which, granted, isn’t saying a whole heck of a lot.

And Motorola’s been working to add to those offerings by opening up its Mods to developers and even launching a handful of hackathon designs to bring functionality to the back of the handset.

At an event in Chicago this week, the company’s president Aymar de Lencquesaing told the press that the Z handsets are “likely to have a Tango module.” A little wishy-washy perhaps — and certainly short of a full-on announcement — but it’s a partnership that makes sense.

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After all, Motorola’s parent, Lenovo was the first to really embrace Google’s augmented reality camera technology in the form of its Phab 2 Pro [pictured]. And while Tango in its current form isn’t a strong enough platform to be the deciding factor in the purchase of a handset, it could work well as another add-on for the versatile phone.

Housing it as a module would also go a ways to addressing the additional hardware (additional cameras, more battery) to really power the indoor 3D mapping software. It could also help secure the Moto Z’s place as a platform for hardware experimentation in ways that just aren’t possible on the current two-year smartphone upgrade cycle.