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Leaks reveal major changes are coming to the 2016 Moto X

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 9:17PM EST
2016 Moto X Leaked Photos
Image: Zach Epstein, BGR

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The Moto X seems to get better and better every year and newly leaked photos suggest Motorola has no plans to rest on its laurels anytime soon. HelloMotoHK on Sunday posted some leaked photos that purportedly show both the 2016 Moto X and the Motorola Droid Turbo 3, and they point toward some big redesigns for both devices.

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Here is a leaked photo of the 2016 Moto X:

And here’s what appears to be the Droid Turbo 3:

What can we take away from these two photos? A few things:

  • If these leaks are accurate then the 2016 Moto X and the Droid Turbo 3 will look very similar to one another, although I imagine the Droid Turbo will get beefed up battery specs among other things to make it attractive as a Verizon exclusive.
  • It looks like both phones will have metal frames like the Galaxy S7, iPhone 6s and the HTC 10. Basically, having a metal frame is a prerequisite for flagship devices in 2016.
  • The rear-facing camera is very large and it appears to have the “flat tire” shape that we see with the display of the Moto 360 smartwatch.
  • There’s also a rear speaker grill on the back of both devices, which is something that we haven’t seen in previous versions of the Moto X.

At any rate, it’s a good bet that these devices will drop in August, so we still have a couple more months before we see just how accurate these leaked photos are.

Additionally, VentureBeat is reporting that Motorola is planning to release two versions of the 2016 Moto X this year that “share one important attribute: compatibility with an ecosystem of modular, swappable backplates that endow the phones with significant additional functionality.” Although both versions of the device will feature 5.5-inch displays, the rest of their specs are going to differ greatly. Be sure to read the full VentureBeat article to learn more.

Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.