LENOVO-OWNED Motorola has shown-off the ‘first’ 5G-enabled smartphone. Well, kind of. The company…
LENOVO-OWNED Motorola has shown-off the ‘first’ 5G-enabled smartphone. Well, kind of.
The company is touting its new Moto Z3 as the first phone that’ll be « upgradeable » to 5G with the help of a 5G Moto Mod add-on.
This Mod makes use of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X50 modem to deliver download speeds up to 5Gbps, which Motorola claims will allow users to enjoy 4K uninterrupted live streams and real-time VR experiences.
This will come at a cost to battery life, though, but the 5G Moto Mod packs its own 2,000mAh battery so that it doesn’t drain the Z3’s own 3,000mAh offering.
« We’re making history again as the first manufacturer to connect mobile consumers with a 5G network using our moto mod technology, » Motorola said . « With up to 10 times the speed of today’s wireless technology, lower latency and higher bandwidth, access to 5G networks will strengthen mobile connectivity and radically improve the smartphone experience. »
The Moto Z3 will be available exclusively to Verizon, allowing the 5G Moto Mod to connect to the operator’s 5G network which is currently live in Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Houston.
Beyond its 5G add-on, the Moto Z3 is unlikely to get you too excited. There’s a 6in Full HD+ Super AMOLED screen inside the handset’s Z3 Play -esque glass and metal design, and under the hood sits Qualcomm’s last-gen Snapdragon 835 processor paired with 4GB RAM.
You’ll also find dual 12MP cameras on the rear, an 8MP front-facing shooter, a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and Google’s Android Oreo OS, topped with Moto’s largely-vanilla custom skin.
The Moto Z3 will be available in the US as a Verizon exclusive starting 16 August for $480 (around £370), while new 5G Moto Mod will arrive on shelves in early 2019.
The handset is unlikely to make its way to Blighty any time soon. µ
