Tecno's modular phone of the future is something we've seen before – just not in so many bits

Modular phones have come up a couple of times in the past, but never with great success. That's probably why agitator brand Tecno is pitching its Modular Magnetic Interconnection Technology as a concept first, which it'll show at MWC 2026 next week.

Tecno as a brand likes to drop interesting concepts and challenger phones that often appear to seek inspiration from other popular devices. We've previously seen a trifold phone and iPhone Air rival, which are usually interesting curiosities rather than something we'd recommend you actually buy.

However, the Modular Smartphone Concept isn't jumping on a bandwagon that's currently rolling. It harks back to Google's Project Ara, but given the accessories that Tecno is offering, might be better likened to the LG G5. No, not the OLED TV, but the ill-fated phone from 2016 where you could add extras.

The modular phone is a tough space, as Project Ara was canned and the LG G5 in part sounded the death knell for LG's smartphone ambitions. Can Tecno be the first to make it work? Let's take a closer look.

The Tecno Modular Phone is presented as an "exploration of the next-gen form of smartphones", with the idea being that you have a base phone that you then add extra hardware too. That means you can customise the phone to be exactly what you want.

In that sense, there's a power bank that can be clipped into place to boost the endurance, a telephoto lens, and an action camera. We're not talking about the ability to switch out the processor each year, we're talking about clipping extras onto your phone.

The base phone is 4.9mm thick, allowing the attachment of accessories using pogo pins, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and mmWave for connectivity, designed to be a seamless pairing process. This is as much about the modular platform as it is the accessories you can add and that's where it could be a success.

It's not hugely innovative, as magnetically attaching a battery to your phone is commonplace (well, it is for iPhone users with MagSafe), while we've seen accessory lenses a couple of times in the past.

But looking at the images there are other accessories, including a clip that looks like a gaming controller, and different camera modules – although it's not exactly clear what each accessory is.

The problem that I'd foresee is in the base device itself. If it doesn't meet demands without accessories, customers are likely to find a phone that does work for them instead. As has been suggested by Samsung dropping the S26 Edge and Apple struggling with the iPhone Air, people want a fully featured phone without compromising on battery life or features.

We're going to be walking the halls of Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona next week to bring you all the innovations and latest announcements – perhaps Tecno phone's modular concept will be the talk of the town.