Motorola announces the Moto X successor Moto Z and Moto Mods, beats iPhone 7 to the punch

Motorola’s flagship phone over the last three years has been the Moto X line, but the Lenovo-owned company is switching things up this year, renaming its flagship device the Moto Z, the company’s first modular phone. Announced alongside the Moto Z was a higher-end Moto Z Force Edition and Moto Z DROID Edition, both Verizon exclusives.

Moto Z

Specs are similar for the devices, with a 5.5″ Quad HD display (2560×1440), Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of RAM and choice of 32GB or 64GB of internal storage (with microSD support up to 2TB). The Moto Z has 15MP rear and 5MP front cameras, with a 2600mAh battery while the Force Edition ups those specs to 21MP rear camera and 3500mAh battery. The Force also has a shatterproof display. Both have USB-C port with turbo charging, water-repellent coating and a fingerprint sensor. Both will ship with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow installed.

One thing you won’t find on the Moto Z devices is a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. As is rumored to be the case with Apple’s yet-to-be-announced iPhone 7, you will have to use an adapter (in this case USB-C to 3.5mm adapter) to use wired headphones with the devices. Otherwise, you’ll have to use Bluetooth headphones with the phones.

Moto Mod interchangeable backplates

The Moto Z family also introduces the debut of Moto Mods, swappable backplates that either add functionality to the device or change the look of it. The backs, which attach to the phone using strong magnets, allow you to enjoy the additional functionality without drastically changing the look of the phone.

At launch, the available Moto Mods will include

• JBL SoundBoost Speaker, which improves the audio coming out of the speaker, adds a kickstand to the back of the phone and includes its own battery for up to 10 hours of music
• Moto Insta-Share Projector, a pico projector with kickstand and built-in battery that allows the phone to project images up to a screen of up to 70 inches
• Power Packs, which Motorola says can add up to 22 hours of battery life to the phone
• Moto Style Shell, which offers a different look to the phone; different variations include wood, leather and other personalizations (similar to Moto Maker options available with Moto X devices)

Motorola says that more Moto Mods will be available in the future.

The phones will be available this summer, exclusively for Verizon customers in the U.S. In the fall, the standard Moto Z will be available in an unlocked version for AT&T, T-Mobile and other GSM carriers. No word yet if there will be a Sprint version of the Moto Z available later in the year.

The Moto Z is available in black/lunar gray and white/fine gold options, while the Moto Z Force is only available in black/lunary. Additional backplate color options should be made available through the Moto Style Shell mods. Motorola did not announce prices for the devices, but you can expect them to run in the typical $600-700 range for a flagship, unless Motorola wants to compete on price on puts it closer to the $500 range.

Here are specs for the Moto Z (left) and Moto Z Force (right):

OS	Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow	Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
Processor	Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 820 processor with up to 2.2 GHz CPU Quad-core CPU and Adreno 530 GPU Natural Language Processor	Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 820 processor with up to 2.2 GHz CPU Quad-core CPU and Adreno 530 GPU Natural Language Processor
RAM	4GB	4GB
Storage	32GB/64GB UFS, microSD Card support (up to 2 TB)	32GB/64GB UFS, microSD Card support (up to 2 TB)
Dimensions	Height: 153.3 mm Width: 75.3 mm Depth: 5.19 mm	Height: 155.9 mm Width: 75.8 mm Depth: 6.99 mm
Weight	136g	163g (5.8 oz)
Display	5.5” AMOLED 1440p Quad HD (2560 x 1440) 535 ppi Corning® Gorilla® Glass	5.5” AMOLED 1440p Quad HD (2560 x 1440) 535 ppi ShatterShield
Battery	2600mAh Turbo Charging	3500mAh Turbo Charging
Water resistance	Water repellent nano-coating	Water repellent nano-coating
Sensors	Fingerprint reader Accelerometer Ambient Light Gyroscope Hall Effect Magnetometer Proximity NFC	Fingerprint sensor Accelerometer Ambient Light Gyroscope Hall Effect Magnetometer Proximity NFC
Rear camera	13 MP ƒ/1.8 aperture Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) Laser Autofocus Zero Shutter Lag Color Correlated Temperature (CCT) flash with dual LEDs 1.12um pixel	21 MP ƒ/1.8 aperture Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) Laser Autofocus Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF) Zero Shutter Lag Color Correlated Temperature (CCT) flash with dual LEDs 1.12um pixel with Deep Trench Isolation (DTI)
Front camera	5 MP ƒ/2.2 aperture Wide-Angle lens Flash 1.4um big pixel for better low light	5 MP ƒ/2.2 aperture Wide-Angle lens Flash 1.4um big pixel for better low light
Connectivity	Moto Mods™ connector USB-C port for headphones, charging and data transfer 3.5 mm to USB-C headphone port adapter included	Moto Mods™ connector USB-C port for headphones, charging and data transfer 3.5mm to USB-C headphone port adapter included
Bluetooth	4.1	4.1
Network bands	CDMA (850, 1900 MHz) GSM / GPRS / EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) UMTS / HSPA+ (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz) 4G LTE (B1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 13)	CDMA (850, 1900 MHz) GSM / GPRS / EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) UMTS / HSPA+ (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz) 4G LTE (B2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 13)
WiFi	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz with MIMO	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz with MIMO
SIM	Nano	Nano

You can learn more about Moto Mods here.

Motorola announces the Moto X Pure — high-end specs, mid-tier price — and Moto G (3rd generation)

Earlier today, Motorola introduced a couple new phones, the highlight of which was the Moto X Pure (dubbed Moto X Style outside the U.S.) — a device that provides high-end specs at a price lower than comparable flagship phones from other manufacturers. Due for release in September, the X Pure features a 5.7″ QHD LCD display, with 3 GB of RAM and internal storage options ranging from 16GB to 64GB, with microSD card support (up to 128GB).

The device, powered by a Snapdragon 808 quad-core processor, will launch running Android 5.1.1 Lollipop and come equipped with CDMA/GSM/LTE bands covering all of the major U.S. carriers, making the Moto X Pure compatible with all of the carriers, similar to Motorola’s Nexus 6 that was released last year. Trying to improve upon camera sensors that haven’t been up to par in recent years, Motorola has included a 21MP rear-facing camera with HDR and video stabilization and a 5MP front-facing camera with a wide-angle lens and flash.

One of the selling points Motorola focused on during its presentation today was battery life, claiming the 3,000mAh battery can last all day and, if you need to recharge it, the turbo charge capability can provide up to 10 additional hours of battery life from just a 15-minute charge. The phone also includes front-facing speakers and, as you would expect, includes NFC and the latest versions of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

As with previous generations of the Moto X, the X Pure supports customization via Motorola’s Moto Maker platform, offering up to 18 different backplate options — including wood — and seven accent colors, allowing for 126 options. As for price, the Moto X Pure will start at $399.99 for the 16GB model, and will be available to purchase, unlocked, at Motorola.com, Amazon and Best Buy.

Also announced at today’s event was the latest entry in Motorola’s budget line, the Moto G (3rd gen), which is available to purchase as of today at a starting price of $179. For that price, you get a 5″ display, 13MP camera, 2,470mAh (which also should last you all day, according to the company), water resistance, 4G LTE connectivity and Moto Maker customization. The Moto X Play — which has slightly lesser specs than the Moto X Pure and is not expected to be made available in the U.S. — was also announced.

Personally, the Moto X Pure is the first Motorola phone that interests me in the past several years. The specs are probably the best you’ll find at that price range, which is usually reserved for mid-tier devices as Apple and Samsung routinely price their flagships at $600-700 and up. If I was in the market for a new phone, the X Pure would certainly be near — if not at — the top of my list, but as my Galaxy Note 4 isn’t even a year old, I likely won’t be looking to get a new phone anytime soon.

Full specs and other information about the Moto X Pure can be found here; Moto G here; Moto X Play here.