14 DAY TRIAL // During Tech World 2016, Motorola unveiled the flagship Moto Z series with impressive specs and added functionality provided by the MotoMods modules. The smartphones sport impressive designs, and the Moto Z was said to be the world’s thinnest premium phone. However, it seems that unlocked Moto Z phones won’t work on Sprint or Verizon networks.
The Moto Z series will be unlocked to Verizon exclusively this fall with the Droid branding on the back. The version will hit the market in September, and Motorola officials have stated that the phone will be “available on GSM networks starting September,” according to DroidLife.
Last year’s Motorola flagship, the Moto X Pure Edition, supported a much wider connectivity when it came to carrier networks. The Moto Z apparently won’t work on CDMA networks, like Verizon or Sprint, but only on GSM networks, including AT&T or T-Mobile. In addition, it won’t work on U.S. Cellular, which is also a CDMA carrier. One reason the handsets won’t be available for such networks is the fact that Verizon might want to get full control of the CDMA variants of the new Moto devices.
The unlocked Moto Z is expected to arrive in September
Motorola still hasn’t announced the price of Moto Z devices, but it should come with a lower price tag compared to the flagship smartphones from Apple or Samsung (the iPhone 7 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 6/7, respectively) to be released in a few months. This would translate into a price tag of under $600 unlocked.
The main attraction in the series, besides the powerful specs, comes in the form of the additional MotoMods. They’re modular components that add functionality to the smartphone, including extra power, a projector, and speaker capabilities.
There are other advantages to buying the Moto Z devices, as Google has just announced that it will provide two years of free original quality storage in Google Photos.