Moto Z4 release date, prices, news and rumors

In four months, Moto Z3 and Moto Z3 Play Motorola will have a year. This means that the time has come to think about what the future holds for Motorola's flagship modular smartphone series.

While a recently released mod has made the Moto Z3 the first true 5G phone, there is still a good chance that Motorola has more to do for the Moto Z lineup. However, the question of what it has to the mind is what we are going to explore here.

We'll see what changes we're waiting for, what rumors we've heard, how many Moto Z4 variants might exist, and what it will probably cost you.

Cut to the hunt

• What is it? The next modular smartphones from Motorola's premium line
• When did he go out? Probably in August or September
• How much will it cost? Probably under $ 500 (about £ 380, AU $ 700)

Z4 Motorcycle Design

There is a major limitation to the Moto Z family, and that because of the Moto Mods. They are a blessing and a curse. All existing mods are designed to fit the rear of existing Moto Z devices and therefore have a very specific size.

Moto Mods are a blessing and a curse.

This has meant for all Moto Z phones up to now that the height, width and shape must remain virtually identical, although the thickness may change. Thus, when Motorola launches the Moto Z4, it will likely continue to support existing mods and maintain dimensions of 76.5 mm wide and 156.6 mm high.

We see no reason for Motorola to skimp on an aluminum frame, and a glass back is just as likely to stay for the Moto Z4.

One thing that seemed a bit dated on the Moto Z3 and Z3 Play was the screen. Although the phones went to a 6-inch screen with a 18: 9 aspect ratio, occupying a larger percentage of the front surface, there was still more frame than the competing flagship products. To be fair, neither the phone costs as much as competing flagship products.

For the Moto Z4, the screen will probably fill even more the front of the phone. You can expect a teardrop design for the front camera, at least that is the word of the rendering of the phone discovered by 91mobiles. It looks like the OnePlus 6T or an essential phone, making it an otherwise all-screen screen. This should not be a surprise for the premium handset, as even Motorola's Moto G7 budget sports this screen design.

The fingerprint scanner was also moved between the Moto Z models. Originally, it was just below the screen of the Moto Z, and now it's on the phone side in the Moto Z3 and Z3 versions. According to a recent rumor, the Moto Z4 could be equipped with a built-in fingerprint reader enabled by the Qualcomm Premium chipset, but we have doubts about this because of the Use by the Moto Z3 of an obsolete chipset.

Moto Z4 performance and camera

The rumor that the Moto Z4 would have a fingerprint scanner built into that of the Samsung Galaxy S10 also claimed that it would come through the new chipset announced by Qualcomm. That turned out for the Snapdragon 855.

Motorola could use the new Snapdragon 855 chipset in the Moto Z4, but this will certainly increase the price of the device. The company chose to use the Snapdragon 835 chipset (at launch, it was over a year old) in the Moto Z3 because the price was low. It is possible that the company adopts the same approach with the Moto Z4.

The speeds of Snapdragon 845 phones are still sufficient for most of the common tasks of Android users. In terms of memory, 4GB or 6GB seems likely, but it would be a shame not to see even more RAM of the original Moto Z. .

The back of the Moto Z4 could also be improved. A filtered image shows a Motorola phone rendered with four rear cameras. However, the rendering lacks the Moto Mod connector that has been a signature of the Moto Z family.

Moto Z4 leaks suggest that we would have a single 48-megapixel Sony sensor camera in the rear, according to 91Mobiles, which would replace the dual sensors of the Z3 models. Given all that Google Pixel has managed to do with a single camera sensor, it would not be unreasonable to have this upgrade, and it would still allow a big camera bump.

Moto Z4 5G and variants

Motorola may be a little hard to follow as it will launch a phone, then mix things up by publishing variants of this phone. We have already seen the Plus, Play, Force and other alternative versions ranging from Moto E budget to Moto Z premium.

With the Moto Z3 family, there was only the Moto Z3 and Moto Z3 Play, and their price was extremely close while the Moto Z3 had superior performance.

(Image: © Image credit: Techradar)

Until now, the expectations we have defined relate to the standard variant Z4. It is possible that there is a Moto Z4 Play, but given the likely positioning of the Moto Z4 midway, it seems unlikely that another sub level exists.

Instead, Motorola could position the Moto Z4 powered by the Snapdragon 845 as a 5G compatible smartphone while releasing a 5G Moto Z4 powered Snapdragon 855 with the Qualcomm X50 modem for 5G. This change would not require the new phone to use the 5G Moto Mod to enable 5G connectivity. At present, it is an industry speculation.

Price and release date of Moto Z4

The first series of Moto Z phones debuted in June 2016, with commercial launches spreading from August to September of the same year. The Moto Z2 Play was launched in June 2017, while the Moto Z2 Force debuted in July and was launched in August.

The Moto Z3 had a similar launching model, with the release of the Z3 Play in June 2018 and the release of the Z3 in August.

While Motorola could follow the trend and launch a new Moto Z4 in June, the recent launch of the Moto Mod 5G departs from the usual timing. A new Moto Z phone as close as possible could hinder the buzz for the Moto Mod while burning the customers who bought the Z3 and waited so long for the mod to be available soon after.

We therefore plan a launch closer to August or September, the new Moto Z3.

If Motorola uses a Snapdragon 845 chipset in the Moto Z4, we could see the company holding the phone at less than $ 500 (about £ 380, AU 700). For a Snapdragon 855 Motor Z5 5G motorcycle, we expect prices to rise to around $ 700 (about £ 535, AU $ 975).

We will continue to update this Moto Z4 rumors page as we publish the number of leaks and price blocks.