Motorola’s Moto Z3 Launches Exclsuviely at Verizon, to Get 5G Via Moto Mod Next Year

Motorola today unveiled the new Moto Z3, the company’s latest flagship, exclusively for Verizon. The company is partnering with Verizon to even bring 5G support to the device next year.

Motorola and Verizon are marketing the Z3 as the “world’s first 5G-upgradeable phone” which, put simply, is marketing jargon. The companies will release a Moto Mod for the device sometime next year that will enable 5G support on Verizon’s network. The 5G Mod will be powered by Qualcomm’s X50 modem, capable of supporting 5Gbps transfer speeds. Neither Motorola and Verizon are announcing many details about the 5G Moto Mod, so it’s all a mystery for now.

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“Verizon is the definitive leader in the development and deployment of 5G. Our consistent and relentless focus on always delivering the best 4G network is the perfect foundation to bring 5G to market. As we like to say, we don’t wait for the future, we build it,” said Verizon’s Chief Network Engineer, Nicola Palmer. Motorola isn’t the only company planning to bring 5G next year, with companies like OnePlus planning to integrate 5G directly into their next flagship.

As for the Z3 itself, there aren’t any other eye-catching upgrades. Like many other flagships in 2018, the Moto Z3 ships with a 6-inch FHD Super AMOLED display, Snapdragon 835, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, a 12MP dual-camera setup on the back, an 8MP front camera, and a 3,000 mAh battery with Turbo Charging. The device ships with Android 8.1, and it will be available for $480 later this month on the 16th of August. The Z3 doesn’t really have any innovative features apart from the 5G mod that’s coming next year, and that’s really the same case for almost every new product in the smartphone market nowadays. The Z3 does look a lot better than the Z2 because of the thinner bezels, but that’s about it.

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Conversation 7 comments

  • mtalinm

    02 August, 2018 - 5:22 pm

    <p>I would expect about an hour of battery life with the 5g mod</p>

    • MikeGalos

      03 August, 2018 - 12:26 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#298824">In reply to mtalinm:</a></em></blockquote><p>Actually, since the Moto Mods often include extra battery capacity, that shouldn't be a problem.</p>

  • johnlavey

    Premium Member
    02 August, 2018 - 6:00 pm

    <p>…so if I am interpreting correctly, Motorola is bringing a new Z3 phone to the market (august 16) that has the POTENTIAL to become a 5G phone….when that technology becomes available and Verizon incorporates it into their offerings. Meanwhile, if you buy this Z3, you won't have 5G service. You will have to wait until it is adapted by Verizon and made available in their phones.</p><p><br></p><p>Sounds like a whole lot of nothing right now.</p>

  • Kevin Costa

    02 August, 2018 - 6:15 pm

    <p class="inserted">My hope of buying a Moto Z3 for me dies right now, Snapdragon 835? only a 4GB of RAM option? Really?</p><p class="inserted">It should have a 845 and at least a 6GB option… So disapointing… Even the Play variant is more attractive.</p>

  • bassoprofundo

    Premium Member
    02 August, 2018 - 6:48 pm

    <p>Is that right on the SD 835 piece? That's the exact same SoC used in last year's Z2 Force. Maybe that's the reason for the $480 pricetag?</p>

  • wolters

    Premium Member
    02 August, 2018 - 7:36 pm

    <p>I want to really like Moto Phones. Don't get me wrong, I think they are a great value for some people but for power-users as myself, just too many quirks. I had the original Moto Z Force with several mods. I loved the mods and used them more often that I thought. And the performance wasn't too bad and it ran on a virtually clean copy of Android. </p><p><br></p><p>The Camera was actually decent in quality but so slow in low light and the dreaded "CAMERA ERROR" would always pop up when you didn't want it to. If you recorded video and the error appeared, you lost the recording. </p><p><br></p><p>Same thing happens on daughters Moto X4, The camera app needs serious work. </p>

  • provision l-3

    03 August, 2018 - 12:58 pm

    <p>It's an interesting play on the part of Moto but I can't see the average customer being swayed to buy this based on future 5G support. It kinds of speaks to how desperate phone makers that aren't the top three are to come up with selling point for their products. </p>

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