Tecno Unveils Modular Smartphone with Detachable Camera and Power Bank
Tecno, a Chinese smartphone manufacturer under the Transsion group, will showcase a modular smartphone at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona 2025 event next week.
The smartphone prototype, named Tecno Modular Phone, utilises technology dubbed Modular Magnetic Interconnection Technology. This technology allows various components and additional features to be installed or removed independently according to user requirements.
The installation system relies on a precision magnet arrangement embedded in the back of the device and additional modules. When a module is attached, power connection is delivered through physical pins (pogo pins).
The pogo pin system also supports various modules, including additional Power Bank modules that reportedly can double the device’s battery life. Beyond battery modules, users can also install Action Camera modules, Telephoto Lens modules for zoom capability, and controller modules with physical buttons for gaming.
For data transfer, Tecno does not rely on pogo pins. The device utilises the phone’s built-in wireless connectivity such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and mmWave, which will be adapted according to each module’s requirements.
Simple modules such as game controllers only require Bluetooth as they do not need large data transfers. Meanwhile, modules such as Action Cameras or telephoto lenses require high-speed, low-latency connections to display live preview on the phone’s screen, enabling the use of Wi-Fi or mmWave.
Beyond offering a modular concept, the Tecno Modular Phone also stands out in terms of design. The device has a thickness of approximately 4.9mm, or about 1mm thinner than Tecno’s current slimmest phone, the Tecno Spark Slim. This thickness is relatively slim for modern smartphones, which makes sense given that some phone components that typically add bulk, such as telephoto cameras, are now separate.
Regarding design, Tecno is presenting this concept device in two models: the Atom Edition and the Moda Edition.