Moto Z3 announced - Verizon exclusive with 5G Moto Mod support

After a bunch of unnecessary hype, Lenovo-owned Motorola has finally revealed exactly what we expected the group to announce today at their press event in Chicago.  It’s the Moto Z3, the latest flagship device and the successor to 2017’s Moto Z2 Force.

More of the same for its design

The Moto Z3 looks a lot like previous phones from Motorola, including the recently launched mid-range device, the Moto Z3 Play. It includes a 6.01-inch display that uses Super AMOLED technology, and a resolution of 2,160 x 1,080 which means it should offer up some solid performance for watching videos, looking at pictures, or playing games. It’s also protected with Gorilla Glass 3.

Powered by a … Snapdragon 835?

The obvious choice for a flagship phone in 2018 is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, but apparently that’s not the case here. The Moto Z3 runs on the older Snapdragon 835, which is a bit of a disappointment to say the least. It also will have 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage, with a microSD card slot for adding up to 2TB of storage. None of these specs are exactly bleeding edge in 2018.

Motorola says the 3,000mAh battery inside the Moto Z3 is supposed to last up to a full day on a single charge. It also supports fast charging with its TurboPower technology, with Motorola stating it can charge for up to 8 hours of use in just 15 minutes.

Dual rear cameras for photo lovers

Like the Moto Z3 Play, the flagship Moto Z3 has dual rear cameras, and both of them are 12MP sensors. The main sensor has a f/1.7 apature, with features like Dual Autofocus Pixel. It will also have an 8MP front-facing selfie camera with a f/2.0 wide-angle lens.

Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box

The Moto Z3, as expected, will ship with Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box. With Android P due to launch in the next few weeks, Hopefully the Moto Z3 will be updated to Google’s next version of Android in the very near future.

Moto Mods support includes a new 5G add-on

Like all of the previous members of the Moto Z family, the Moto Z3 will support the growing number of Moto Mods, the add-on accessories that attach to the back of these phones to add features like more battery life, better cameras and speakers, and much more. During today’s press event, Motorola also confirmed previously rumored plans to launch a 5G Moto Mod, allowing all of the Moto Z members to connect to the forthcoming 5G network from Verizon Wireless.

Moto Z3 pricing, launch date, and availability

While the Moto Z3 might not blow anyone away in terms of specs, the price tag is actually pretty good for what you get.

The Moto Z3 will launch in the US as an exclusive with Verizon Wireless on August 16. It will cost $20 a month for 24 months on Verizon’s payment plan, which means that it will have a total price of just $480. In addition, for a limited time, people who purchase a Moto Z3 can buy any Moto Mod that’s normally priced above $100 for just $50.

More Moto Z3 coverage

Expect hands-on reviews, device versus device coverage, and other great Moto Z3 content in the hours and days to come. We’ll be sure to update this section with more information, and links to more content, as we get it.