Yeesh. Looks like I’ll be on the used pixel ebay plan for a few more years.
I’d like to have one, but there’s no fucking way a goddamned PHONE is worth $2000
especially today, when updates are so miniscule, I’m in shock when I realize the pixel 7 I got refurbished still works fine, with zero reason to update.
I was really hoping to pay Motorola somewhere around $800-$1200 for a legit option for GrapheneOS that doesn’t involve Google’s hardware.
But at $1600, I don’t think I can justify that.
Oof. I was excited for this, but I think I’m just going to go with a Fairphone with /e/OS at that price point. I don’t think I need the ultra high levels of privacy GrapheneOS has, I just want to get out of the invasive Google/Samsung ecosystem.
Hear! Hear! I was excited about the prospect of a Razr with Graphene, but then I saw the news about both costs (and also that foldables just kinda suck in terms of longevity). I was kind of between a Nothing 4a Pro and the Fairphone 6+ with /e/OS. I’m sold on the latter. The Nothing has a cool design, but it’s still pretty locked-in on Android and a bunch of AI crap (even though it seems minuscule and optional). The idea of a completely repairable phone appeals to me. Plus I can print a clear plastic back cover for the thing to re-live the glory days of my clear teal and purple Motorola pager.
I’m disappointed that it will not SHIP WITH Graphene, but at least it will be a VERY HIGH END phone for privacy-minded people who are also very irresponsible with their money. It’s something, but it’s not what I was hoping to learn.
Is support getting dropped for pixel phones?
Article text below. No links, and definitely not their “198 data partners”
With the Motorola Signature 27, the manufacturer pushes its lineup to new heights in terms of features. It is also the company’s first smartphone, alongside Google’s Pixel models, to support the custom ROM GrapheneOS. But buyers will have to dig deep for the device: at €1,900, it costs about €300 more than an iPhone 18 Pro Max and €100 more than an Oppo Find X10 Pro Max.
AMOLED duo display
For its hefty price, which may also be due to the memory crisis, the Signature 27 has a lot to offer. It features a 6.78-inch AMOLED duo display, which stacks two OLED panels on top of each other, much like Apple’s iPad Pro and the new MacBook Pro. This is supposed to improve light output and make the display shine up to twice as brightly as a single OLED panel. Another purported benefit of this arrangement is lower power consumption at lower brightness.
Motorola says it offers 34% greater energy efficiency and a lifespan up to 121% longer than conventional OLEDs. Tandem or duo OLED displays are not an Apple invention; display technology companies have been working on them for years. Honor was the first manufacturer to put such a display in a phone, its flagship Magic6 RSR Porsche Design. Honor also charged around €1,900 for it.
The 120-Hz screen is also said to deliver a peak brightness of 12,000 cd/m², a level not previously reached. For comparison, Oppo’s current Find X10 Pro Max peaks at 3,600 cd/m². We’ll see how the exceptionally high brightness in specific areas affects everyday use.
Smaller battery in Germany
The new Motorola flagship also packs Qualcomm’s latest top-tier chip, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, which the chipmaker unveiled in late September. That makes it one of the first smartphones with the latest chip, though Xiaomi and other manufacturers will also introduce their models for the global market soon. The system-on-a-chip (SoC) is paired with 12 GB of LPDDR5X RAM, or optionally 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and 256 or 512 GB of UFS 4.1 flash storage.
The battery in the new Signature 27, which uses silicon-carbon anodes, has a capacity of 7,000 mAh in most parts of the world — but only 5,500 mAh in Germany (rated capacity: 5,350 mAh) — and supports wired charging at up to 90 watts with a suitable power adapter. Wireless charging is available at up to 50 Watts, while the phone supports reverse wireless charging at up to 5 Watts. The manufacturer has not given a reason for the battery’s massive reduction.
The Signature 27 is also the manufacturer’s first model developed in collaboration with audio experts Bang & Olufsen. The company says, “Special sound modes and an entirely new speaker architecture are designed to preserve the original sound character of recordings.” A review will show how good the devices sound.
Four camera sensors on the back
The phone has four camera sensors on the back. The periscope telephoto camera has a 200-megapixel sensor, while the wide-angle camera and the ultrawide-angle camera each have a 50-megapixel sensor. The wide-angle camera uses Sony’s LOFIC-capable Lytia-L910 sensor, which is also found in Vivo’s X500 Pro Max, for example. LOFIC is designed, among other things, to prevent bright areas of an image from becoming overexposed. Sony also says it reduces image noise in low-light conditions and captures scenes with high contrast using smooth gradations.
The fourth sensor on the back is an EVS action sensor — the first in a smartphone, according to the manufacturer. The sensor offers “new possibilities for photographing moving subjects and captures even fast movement with impressive clarity and precision,” Motorola says. When used with the Action Shot feature, the sensor freezes motion and makes “optimal use of available light.” The front camera has a 50-megapixel sensor.
Android 17 and GrapheneOS support
On the software side, the Signature 27 comes with Android 17 preinstalled, along with the usual Google services, Gemini, and Gemini Intelligence. Motorola says it also includes the new Rambler voice dictation feature, which Google introduced with the Pixel 11 series. It also includes “Create My Widget,” a feature that lets users create widgets to their specifications. The feature is also available, for example, on the Android-based Googlebooks; it is not yet available on Android smartphones.
The phone also supports “Motorola Qira.” This AI platform is designed to help compatible Motorola and Lenovo devices work better together. Like the first Signature model, it is set to receive seven years of Android updates and security patches, which is still rare for Motorola. This commitment also meets the requirements of software partner GrapheneOS.
The two sides announced their partnership on the Google-free-by-default, security-focused custom ROM GrapheneOS at MWC earlier this year. Motorola says it worked with the GrapheneOS Foundation to develop the integration of the custom ROM’s security requirements. The goal of the collaboration is to “make cutting-edge security technologies accessible to smartphone users around the world.” Motorola has not said when GrapheneOS will be available for the device; the custom ROM’s developers have so far consistently pointed to 2027.
In March, Motorola said it wanted to redefine smartphone security with GrapheneOS. With the custom ROM, devices running GrapheneOS receive a “reinforced security core” and “protection against sophisticated threats.” It also puts “privacy first.” The manufacturer also promised that GrapheneOS would give users better control over their data and let them more precisely choose which data leaves the device.
The Motorola Signature 27 is expected to go on sale in Germany over the coming weeks for €1,899.
Lmao that is such a joke
Let me guess.because of the RAM crisis.
Makes sense the next gen of phones will all be the same. Rams to expensive
That’s really out of my budget. I want a phone with graphene, but I can’t take out a mortgage for it.
Get a used pixel 9a for 1/7 the cost, or a new pixel 10a for around 1/4 of the cost
Yeah until those are no longer supported and these expensive ass Motorolas are the only option BC Google is locking down newer models that won’t be able to have GOS installed eventually.
Well if there at one point is no reasonably priced smartphone for graphene I’ll either go lineage or dumb phone.
It’s locking down newer models. Some models still have 6 years of updates ahead of them. It’s a bit too early to start panicking about it.
Yes, I said they’re slowly locking down the newer models. And yeah, older pixels still have some time. But is this crisis we are in gonna end by the time those pixels lose support or are these Motorolas going to be our only option. That’s all I’m pointing out. Yeah, still a little early to panic but if how things have been lately, I think this is looking to be bad for the average person who doesn’t have a lot of money. Over $2,000 USD is absolutely insane.
You got a source for this?
It’s an option I’ll seriously consider when it’s time to change my device, but I’d also prefer a device where I don’t have to manually change the operating system. I’m neither that much of an expert nor do I have time to spare.
Graphene turned it into a process where you plug your phone in, and just press the buttons on their website in order. Much better experience than when I tried to fiddle with LineageOS
You have to press 3 buttons on their website …
It is honestly pretty painless - unlock boot loader, attach device, give appropriate petmission on phone, run install from browser, verify install, lock boot loader.
That said, a dedicated Grapheme device is so exciting. I am not going to spend ~2k on it tho
This is accurate. I’ve been flashing phones with custom ROMs for years now, and doing it through the browser makes it both dead easy and pretty safe. You no longer need to be a tech shaman to do it. Just follow the instructions and you’re good.
Also, if you don’t like it, you can always go back to stock Android (i.e. what was installed before you started tinkering). It’s pretty painless. So roll up your sleeves and explore!
I would say that if installing GOS is too complicated for you, you don’t really need it. De-googling, privacy and security take more effort than just owning a phone with some specific OS. Simply having GOS on your phone is meaningless if you don’t know how to use it properly.
Simply having GOS on your phone is meaningless if you don’t know how to use it properly.
Removing spyware from the phone of a complete non-techie means that non-technie has a spyware-free phone.
Sure, it won’t solve every privacy or security concern, but it outright solves a fuck-ton of privacy and security concerns, regardless of how technical the user is.
I’ve been handing GrapheneOS phones to young or elderly people in my life for several years, with very good results, compared to leaving them on iOS or stock malwared Android.
Get a load of Mr. Moneybags over here, having enough equity that he could mortgage something…
making the Google pixel MSRP seem like a good deal LMAO
How can they even justify the price? Samsung’s flagship “only” costs 1750€ and even Apple is lower at 1850€, and that’s assuming the 1900€ price is for the 512GB variant and not the 256GB where Samsung and Apple would be even cheaper (1550, 1600). Are they really thinking people will choose them over the most popular brands when they are more expensive and less established?
less established?
Motorola has made some really good phones, over the years.
Samsung’s flagship “only” costs 1750€ and even Apple is lower at 1850€
Damn…I didn’t realize phones had gotten so expensive. Curious how much they’re worth after 1 year. Anybody know how much the buyback is for a 1-year old Apple/Samsung flagship?
The battery in the new Signature 27, which uses silicon-carbon anodes, has a capacity of 7,000 mAh in most parts of the world — but only 5,500 mAh in Germany (rated capacity: 5,350 mAh)
…
That seems to have been an error, Germany also gets 7000mAh according to other news outlets that said the same thing and then corrected themselves in an edit.
I can’t wait until the whole backside is cameras!
found this trypophobia phone !
trypophobia warning
source : https://www.yankodesign.com/2020/11/03/how-many-cameras-is-too-many-cameras-for-a-smartphone/
