Motorola’s latest modular smartphone features a 6 inch, 2160 x 1080 pixel display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage… all of which makes the Moto Z3 seem more like a 2017 flagship than a 2018-era smartphone.

But there’s one Moto Z3 feature that sets it apart. The phone will be the first to support an optional 5G upgrade.

Just snap the upcoming 5G Moto Mod to the back of the phone and you’ll be able to connect to Verizon’s new 5G mobile network. The only catch? The 5G Moto Mod won’t be available until early 2019. That’s probably OK since Verizon doesn’t actually have a fully functional 5G network yet.

The Moto Z3, meanwhile, ships August 16th as a Verizon exclusive. It will be available for $20 per month for 24 months (for a total of $480).

The Moto Z3 will ship with Android 8.1 Oreo software, features a fingerprint reader and face unlock support, and has a mciroSD card slot for up to 2TB of removable storage.

It has a 3,000 mAh battery and the phone comes with a 15 watt TurboPower adapter for fast charging.

Other features include a Super AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3, a ceramic back and 6000 series polished aluminum frame, and a USB Type-C port.

There’s a 12MP + 12MP rear camera system with support for 4K HD video and slow motion video recording, and an 8MP front-facing camera with an 84 degree wide-angle lens.

The Moto Z3 supports 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0 and NFC, has 4 far-field microphones, and comes with a USB-C to 3.5mm audio adapter for headphones, since there’s no built-in headphone jack.

Like all members of the Moto Z family, it should support existing MotoMods including speaker, battery, and case mods. But since it’s the first model to have a Qualcomm Snapdragon X50 modem, it’ll be the only model that’s compatible with the upcoming 5G MotoMod.

It’s worth noting that Motorola says the Moto Z3 will be the first smartphone that’s upgradeable to 5G… which isn’t to say that it’ll be the first 5G phone. Without the 5G module, this phone will be limited to 4G and slower networks. And it’s possible that other phone makers will ship 5G-compatible handsets before the 5G upgrade is available for this phone.

It also looks like the 5G mod will just about double the thickness of the phone.

via Motorola Blog

 

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4 replies on “Motorola introduces Moto Z3 smartphone with optional 5G Moto Mod”

  1. Next year’s Z4 will have the 5G integrated into the
    main phone. Qualcomm has already shrunk the 5G
    chipset so it will fit. Then you can use the Moto Mod
    for something else, like say, a louder speaker with
    a huge battery.

  2. Why an 835? Surely the 845 isn’t that much more expensive?

  3. That 5G MotoMod better have an extra battery in there for how thick it is. That’s ridiculous.

Comments are closed.