Motorola Introduces its New Flagship Smartphone, Complete with Interchangeable Back Plates

When Lenovo announced earlier this year that it would be streamlining its mobile portfolio, analysts predicted that this would result in Motorola having to discontinue certain models, like the Moto G. The assumption was that "Lenovo's emphasis on consolidation would drive and define [Motorola's] product development process in 2016," with the Chicago company achieving more through less.

However, today at Lenovo Tech World, the Chinese company's annual conference, Motorola revealed that more is, in fact, more.

This morning, Motorola, rather than scaling back its product line, announced two new flagship smartphones, the Moto Z and the Moto Z Force.

The Moto Z family, according to the company, will be defined by two key new features. One, the phones, at a razor thin 5.2mm, are being billed as the "world's thinnest premium smartphone." And two, the Z will be compatible with Moto Mods, a variety of new back plates that can easily snap to the device, offering a unique, enhanced capability. For example, one back plate, the JBL SoundBoost, serves as a more powerful speaker, and another, the Insta-Share Projector, turns the Moto Z into a 70-inch movie projector. There's also another plate, the Power Pack, adds up to 22 hours of life to your phone.

"We envision a world where people are not limited by what their smartphone manufacturer provides at one point in time," Motorola said on its site. "Instead, we believe people should be empowered to choose the capabilities of their smartphone."

Outside of its two flagship features, the Moto Zs also come with a Qualcomm SnapdragonTM 820 processor, 4GB of RAM and 32 GB or 64 GB of storage, as well as a high-resolution 13MP camera. (The phones also come with a front-facing 5MP camera). Construction-wise, the Zs are made of aircraft-grade aluminum and stainless steel and a water-repellant coating. Additionally, the Zs have a fingerprint reader and up to 30 hours of battery life.

However, despite the features, the internet seems to be responding to the one thing that's missing - a headphone jack. To keep the phone super thin, both Z models are without a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, and instead require users to connect headphones through an adapter (which comes with the devices) or through bluetooth.

Finally, what separates the Z from the Z Force is that the latter comes with the Moto ShatterShield, technology that guarantees that the display won't ever crack or shatter. "It's unrivaled strength, speed, performance and protection all in one," says Motorola.

The Moto Z DROID Edition and the Moto Z Force DROID will be available in the U.S. this summer and an unlocked Moto Z will be available this Fall. Price has yet to be announced.

(Image via the Motorola Blog) 

Source: Motorola Introduces its New Flagship Smartphone, Complete with Interchangeable Back Plates