Moto Z3 debuts with fingerprint scanner on the side, 5G mod

Today Motorola has announced the Moto Z3 smartphone at a special event in Chicago. It comes after the Z3 Play in the same family, yet is actually identical to that model aside from the rear camera setup and the chipset employed.

The phone is splash resistant and has the power button on the left side, with the fingerprint scanner sitting on the right side. The Z3 employs a stock-ish version of Android that has a navigation button that"s reminiscent of the one Google added to the Android P beta releases. Moto"s is a bit wider but gestures are quickly becoming the norm in the mobile world.

Moto Z3 hands-on images

The Z3 packs dual rear cameras with one color 12 MP f/2.0 sensor with 1.25um pixels and a 12 MP monochrome sensor, and a dual-LED flash. There"s an 8 MP f/2.0 shooter for selfies with 1.12um pixel size and an 84-degree field-of-view. The screen is a 6-inch Super AMOLED with 1080x2160 resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio.

At the helm sits Qualcomm"s Snapdragon 835 SoC, aided by 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. That"s not a typo - it"s last year"s flagship chipset. The 3,000 mAh battery isn"t very impressive either, but at least we"ve seen that capacity in other high-end phones this year, unlike the SD835.

More Moto Z3 hands-on shots

The Moto Z3 runs Android 8.1 Oreo. It will be out in Ceramic Black only, exclusively at Verizon on August 16 for $480 full retail, or 24 monthly installments of $20. The reasonable pricing might have something to do with the odd chipset choice.

Once the carrier"s 5G network is available next year, you"ll be able to purchase a 5G MotoMod that will bring support for the newer technology to your Z3 since it will pack Qualcomm"s X50 modem (as well as an extra 2,000 mAh of juice to power that fast connection). Pricing for this accessory will be announced later this year. Meanwhile you can buy any MotoMod that"s over $100 for just $50, for a limited time only.