Moto Z (2017) Image Leaks With New Fingerprint Sensor; Snapdragon 835 SoC Expected

After launching the Moto Z smartphone with Moto Mods last year, it looks like Motorola is ready with its next iteration of the premium smartphone. The company reportedly gave a sneak peek of the Moto Z (2017) at the recent MWC 2017 when it was showcasing new Mods and more recently was hinted at during Sprint's Gigabit Class LTE service display on Thursday.

One of the most notable changes seen from the images that have circulated online is the new oval shaped fingerprint sensor. Meanwhile, the form factor largely remains the same, which is expected since it has to support current and future Moto Mods. This means that you can expect the next flagship to sport a 5.5-inch display similar to last year's model. An image from the MWC event, complete with a Gamepad mod, was spotted by Android Central, while another image from the Sprint launch was tweeted by WirelessWorld editor Diana Goovaerts,With the device expected to fall in the premium category, the upcoming Moto flagship will look to boast of top-of-line specifications that include Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 835 SoC. The device will also look to maintain the slim metal slab design of the original.

The device that was used to showcase Sprint's Gigabit LTE service was pictured running Snapdragon 835. The alleged Moto Z (2017) smartphone was encased and covered from the edges making it difficult to confirm whether it was in fact the Moto Z (2017).

Sprint, however, did let out the the device used in the testing was of a forthcoming flagship in a release. "Motorola showcased the blazing-fast, high-bandwidth capability of a forthcoming flagship smartphone based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 mobile platform with an integrated Snapdragon X16 LTE modem, supporting Gigabit Class LTE."The carrier also stated that it used a combination of "three-channel carrier aggregation and 60 MHz of Sprint's 2.5 GHz spectrum in combination with 4X4 MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) and 256-QAM higher order modulation to achieve incredible Category 16 LTE download data speeds on a TDD network."

To recall, last year's Moto Z featured a 5.5-inch QHD AMOLED display, and was powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC coupled with 4GB of RAM. The device was touted as the thinnest premium smartphone in the world at 5.2mm. The flagship came with 13-megapixel rear camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS) and laser autofocus, and 5-megapixel front-facing camera with a wide-angle lens and a front flash.(gg)

A better mobile relationship is on its way July 28>>MYBLOG

We need to talk. It’s not you. It’s your phone.

Marshmallow and S’more - Updated>>MYBLOG

Updated on December 8, 2015 to add more devices.

Futura And Moto X: Graffiti And Tech Meet Via Text>>MYBLOG

Here at Moto, we’re always up for collaborations with artists and designers who share our views on the power of self-expression and next level innovation. Which is why we partnered with graffiti legend and graphic designer Futura — someone who definitely shares our belief that, when it comes to expressing individual style, keep it bold, unique and true to yourself.

We recently launched Futura’s series of 30 Moto X Pure Edition smartphones at one-time-only drop event in New York City, where we teamed up with Stefan’s Head — a text message-based e-commerce brand that deals in limited edition tech, apparel and culture — to help get the word out about where and when people could get their own unique piece of mobile-meets-street art. 

A small quantity of these Moto X Pure Edition phones painted by Futura may still be available — text Stefan @ 646-759-0904.

Check out how the drop went down.

Motorolans Give Back in Sunnyvale>>MYBLOG

On March 22nd, more than 80 Motorolans gave back to the Sunnyvale, CA community through Motoserve -- a designated day of volunteer service. Hosted for the past two years at Motorola’s global headquarters in Chicago, we were excited to expand this event for the first time to our Sunnyvale office and have participation from our Lenovo colleagues in the area.

The Motorola Mobility Foundation -- Motorola’s charitable and philanthropic arm -- partnered with three local organizations to engage our volunteers in a day of service. Some of the projects included:

• Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT): Sorting donations and assembling hands-on Activity Kits that local educators use to transform the learning experience for children.
• Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley: Building, decorating, and assembling two children’s playhouses from scratch, which Habitat then donates to a local family or charity. The program supports the construction of affordable housing in the community.
• Baylands Park, City of Sunnyvale: Beautifying a local park through general cleanup, painting facilities, planting new trees and shrubs, and laying mulch.

Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley brought the playhouse build to Motorola’s Sunnyvale office

Volunteers helped prune roses at Baylands Park

Volunteers at Baylands Park work together to clean up fallen bark and branches

Lenovo and Motorola volunteers pack STEM Activity Kits at Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT)

Tuesday’s activities were part of a year-round series of volunteer programs offered by the Motorola Mobility Foundation to Motorola’s employees. The Foundation’s mission is to catalyze the innovative use of technology to improve lives and communities. It does this by leveraging employee expertise and talent, providing funding, and partnering with nonprofits, learning institutions, startups, government, corporate and civic organizations.

Click here to learn more about the Motorola Mobility Foundation. To those that have volunteered, thank you for your time and supporting Motoserve!

Why I Decided to Work with Moto>>MYBLOG

The mobile phone is stuck. It's locked into a form factor and function that is not fully respectful of the relationship with the consumers. There have been outstanding improvements in smartphone capability over the last several years, but the innovation is starting to feel similar to TV (just another screen) where the only major improvement is price. We have a different, deeper, more complex relationship with our phones than we have with some people in our lives, and Motorola understands that.

Motorola was built on innovation; first to radio, first to mobile phones, first base station. Taking risks is still in the DNA of this brand and I'm proud and excited to be a part of that culture and hope to push a few more firsts.

How do you do that? You listen to the consumer needs, you empathize with the common pain points, and you innovate accordingly. In 2016, I'm going to spend a lot of time in Moto labs serving the customers of this company and I also want to spend time with you, learning what you need from your phone.

More to come…

- Ashton

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