Lenovo announces two new Motorola Moto Z modular smartphones

Motorola, now owned by Lenovo, has announced two new smartphones at the Lenovo’s Tech World event this week. The two new entrants in the Moto family are the Moto Z and the Moto Z Force. The smartphones are here to replace the Moto X Play and Moto X Style/Pure Editions with high-end specs under the hood.

The two new models sport nearly the same hardware—both use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 chipsets with 2.15GHz processors and an Adreno 530 GPU. They both also sport 4GB of RAM and optional 32GB and 64GB storage variants. The two devices also carry identical display specs—5.5-inch 2K AMOLED displays with a resolution of 2560x1440 pixels, but while the Moto Z has a Corning Gorilla Glass protection, the X Force carries a Moto ShatterShield protection glass. A fingerprint sensor and TurboPower fast charging are also available on both models.

There are other differentiation between the two devices. The Moto Z sports 13MP/5Mp cameras and a 2600mAh battery, while the Moto Z Force sports a 21MP/5MP camera and a 3500mAh battery. Both phones are based on Android Marshmallow 6.0.1 along with Wi-Fi as, Bluetooth v4.1 LS, NFC and USB type-C connectors. The headphone jacks are now extinct as the audio out will be through the USB Type-C connector and will be using the Moto Mods connector. The Moto Z Force weighs 163g, 27g more than the Moto Z.

Other USPs of the device include a modular design. These are also known as the Moto Mods, which are rear panels for the devices that snap on using powerful magnets to stay in place. These accessories add additional thickness and weight to the phone, but they sport JBL speakers, a projector, a kickstand and an additional 1000mAh battery, depending on the accessory you choose.

As for now, prices aren’t revealed, but the devices are expected to hit the market within a few months. Lenovo also announced that there will be an international version to the Moto Z in September.