Motorola held an event today in Chicago where the company unveiled its latest smartphone, the Moto Z3. No, this isn’t the flagship Z smartphone we’ve been expecting and it’s more of a showcase for the device’s 5G capabilities.
That’s because the headlining feature of the Z3 is the fact that it’ll be the first to support Verizon’s 5G network thanks to a new Moto Mod that adds the feature to the smartphone. The mod will be sold on its own on its own and only serves the one function. Of course, if you plan to buy the Z3 and use it for years down the road, this could be a good investment so you get the best network performance when 5G goes mainstream. Otherwise, it’ll be a simple gimmick that shows off the phone’s capabilities, sort of like all the other Mods available.
As for the device itself, the Z3 is mainly made of glass, while the screen has switched to an 18:9 panel that fits in the same body as the Z2 Force with its 16:9 display from last year. For anyone wondering, the display on the Z3 is a 6-inch AMOLED panel with a Full HD+ resolution.
Much like the Z3 Play, the Z3 doesn’t have room for a fingerprint reader because of the 18:9 display. Because of this, Moto has decided to reposition it to the right side of the device where the power button is usually located. Now, if you want to hit the button, you need to reach for the left side. The volume keys are still in their normal spot, however.
On the bottom, Moto is including a USB-C port and, yet again, no headphone jack. The loudspeaker is located within the earpiece which isn’t always the best experience, but at least it’s front-facing.
Spec time! Under the hood of the Z3, you’ll find a Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. The device ships with Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box with Moto’s light customizations on top. You’ll also find a 3,000mAh battery along with Bluetooth 5.0, dual-band Wi-Fi, and LTE compatibility with all four major US carriers.
As for cameras, the Z3 comes with dual 12MP cameras on the back with an 8MP camera on the front. Hopefully, this iteration of the Moto Z lineup has decent shooters since devices of years past haven’t exactly been all that great.
The Moto Z3 Force will launch on August 16th and be exclusive to Verizon, unlike last year’s Z2 Force which was available from other carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile. It’ll cost just $480, or $20/month for 24 months.
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