Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Ultra Wideband is here, and you can use it with the 5G Moto Mod (and save $150)

Moto Z3 with 5G Moto Mod

The month of April saw the first big rollouts of the new fifth-generation (or 5G) ultra wideband cellular networks. So far, it’s gone live in three countries – Switzerland, South Korea, and the United States – although it’s only available in a few areas as of yet, with Verizon offering the service in Chicago and Minneapolis. (Verizon has more than 30 new cities planned for 5G network expansion in 2019 alone, and you can see a list of current coverage zones right here.)

Since it’s new technology, there aren’t many phones that are compatible with 5G out of the box right now. Motorola’s Moto Z3, however, is one of the few that is. Thanks to the 5G Moto Mod (which attaches directly to the back of the phone), Chicago and Minneapolis residents can take advantage of Verizon’s new 5G cellular service – with a juicy $150 discount for customers who are in the market for a new phone and want to get in on ultra wideband.

The Moto Mod system allows owners of Motorola Z-series phones to attach peripherals like expanded batteries, hi-res cameras, stereo speakers, game controllers, and more to the back of their devices, greatly expanding the phone’s capabilities. This makes the Moto Z3 an ideal candidate for 5G, with the 5G Moto Mod adding 5G connectivity to a phone that (like pretty much all mobiles right now) doesn’t come with it built-in. The Moto Z3 is a solid phone in its own right, especially at its midrange price of $480, and Moto Mods – particularly the new 5G Moto Mod – only make it even more attractive.

The Moto Z3 5G Moto Mod itself (without the phone) will cost $350 alone, but for a limited time, Verizon is offering a $150 discount with the purchase of a Moto Z3 and 5G Moto Mod bundle. This knocks the price of the 5G Moto Mod down to just $200, making it a great opportunity for people who live in current service areas to score a new phone and jump onto the 5G train. As an added bonus, new 5G customers with an Unlimited plan will also get their first three months of service for free.

Looking for more great stuff? Find tech deals, spring sales, and much more on our curated deals page.

Lucas Coll
Deals and News Writer
Lucas Coll has been a freelance writer for almost a decade and has penned articles on tech, video games, travel, cars, and…
What is 5G UW? The real meaning behind the icon on your phone
Woman holding up smartphone with speed test results on Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband network.

You've probably noticed that there's been much more hype around 5G than for any of the wireless technologies that came before. Some of that is just marketing, of course; we are living in an increasingly connected era, and there are far more people toting smartphones now than there were in 2012 when 4G/LTE was just beginning to go mainstream. However, it's also not an exaggeration to say that with considerably faster speeds and the ability to handle many more devices, 5G is a much bigger step into the next stage of global connectivity. You've also probably noticed it yourself with a "5G UW" icon at the top of your phone.

As with most new technologies, 5G comes with some new challenges for both carriers and consumers. One of the most significant of these has been working out the best way to deploy 5G services across the much wider range of frequencies that it's capable of operating on. This wasn't nearly as significant a problem in the days of 3G and 4G/LTE services, which all operated in a much narrower range of radio spectrum.

Read more
What is 5G? Speeds, coverage, comparisons, and more
The 5G UW icon on the Samsung Galaxy S23.

It's been years in the making, but 5G — the next big chapter in wireless technology — is finally approaching the mainstream. While we haven't yet reached the point where it's available everywhere, nearly all of the best smartphones are 5G-capable these days, and you're far more likely to see a 5G icon lit up on your phone than not.

There's more to 5G than just a fancy new number, though. The technology has been considerably more complicated for carriers to roll out since it covers a much wider range of frequencies than older 4G/LTE technology, with different trade-offs for each. It's also a much farther-reaching wireless technology, promising the kind of global connectivity that was once merely a dream found in futuristic sci-fi novels.

Read more
What is 5G UC? Here’s what that icon on your phone really means
5G logo on the Motorola Edge (2022).

If you own a 5G-capable smartphone — which are all of the best phones today — there’s a good chance you’ve seen different 5G network icons showing up in your status bar. It’s a stark contrast to the pre-5G days when your phone showed “4G” or “LTE” no matter where you went.

It can get a bit confusing to see a 5G indicator one moment and then “5G UC” or “5G UW” the next. It’s not something you need to worry too much about, as you don’t usually have much control over it, but it’s still helpful to understand what these different symbols mean — and why they matter.
The humble beginnings of 5G

Read more