Moto X 2016: New Name, Release Date, Specs, Latest Rumor And Everything We Know So Far

Quinten Plummer, Tech Times 26 May 2016, 07:05 am

The fourth generation of Motorola smartphones will see the return of the Play and Style editions, along with the "Z" branding's entrance and the X's exit. That, and other reports, have been painting a detailed, if not accurate, picture of the Moto Z Play and Style editions.

In June, Lenovo is expected to introduce the new Moto Z family, the first of its name, going by a graphic tweeted by famed leakster Evan Blass.

Some of Blass' followers have raised the big questions, such as what happened to the Moto Y? Did Moto swap letters with Sony, which recently rebranded its Xperia Z line as Xperia X? While the world may never know the answer to those questions, Lenovo might dish the low-down on the Moto Z family in a couple of weeks.

Goodbye, Moto X; Hello, Moto Z https://t.co/ZuoBCAMBGB pic.twitter.com/zXwZuUBH9w

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) May 17, 2016

Release Date

It appears the Moto Z family will make its debut on June 9, going by remarks from Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing and invites to a Lenovo and Motorola event scheduled for that day. In April, Yuanqing stated that Motorola would introduce a new, "exciting" device on the said date.

And then in May, Droid Life reported receiving an invite to a June 9 event that would showcase new products from both Motorola and Lenovo.

There was some speculation that the G4 Plus would headline the event, but that phone has already had its time in the spotlight.

Specs

Both the Moto Z Play and Style editions will boast 5.5-inch displays, with the Play's outputting a Quad HD resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 and the Style's face set at a standard HD pixel count of 1,920 x 1,080.

The Style will have 13 MP rear camera and will be powered by a Snapdragon 625, while the Play's main camera will capture shots at up to 16 MP and will be driven by a Snapdragon 820.

Known for its heating issues, the Snapdragon 820 has challenged hardware manufacturers to go the extra mile creatively to come up with ways to harness the chip's power without heating the life off of handsets that use it.

Motorola's solution to keeping the Snapdragon cool and comfy inside of the Play might be a copper pipe, meant to dissipate the heat radiating from the Snapdragon 820.

The higher-end Play will come in 3 and 4 GB variants, while the Style will be offered in 2 and 3 GB versions. However, Play is expected to come with at least 32 GB of storage space, an all-metal frame and a backside that's speckled with 16 dots. Those dots are contacts for MotoMods.

MotoMods

Similar to LG's strategy with the modular G5, which can be upgraded with plug and play components, it appears the Moto Z family will support add-ons and peripherals. There is some confusion over what these case-like attachments will be called, which some speculating that they'll be called MotoMods and others claiming they'll be branded Amps.

Some of the Amps, or MotoMods, that are believed to be in the works include an extended battery, a projector and a camera module. It wasn't made clear if the camera add-on would include a better sensor than what's onboard or if the module would support the existing camera by offering better stabilization and more control as does the G5's add on.