Motorola Signature 27 launches at $1,599 in the US

Motorola has officially returned to the flagship smartphone market with the new Signature 27. The phone opens for pre-order in the US today and goes on sale on November 19. It offers a level of hardware that is rare in the US market and stands out as the most ambitious phone Motorola has built to date.

That hardware comes with a steep price tag. The only configuration in the US, with 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage, will cost $1,599.

Display, cooling and audio

Motorola says the Signature 27 is compatible with GrapheneOS. The phone uses a vapor chamber cooling system called ArcticMesh, which relies on a diamond-infused thermal gel. The Tandem OLED display is, according to the company, 34 percent more efficient and lasts 121 percent longer than conventional OLED panels, and Motorola also highlights its brightness.

The speakers are tuned by Bang & Olufsen, a name that has not been seen in this role since the days when LG was active in the Android world.

Camera and battery

The main camera uses Sony's Lytia L910 sensor, which features LOFIC technology for better color, brightness and video performance. The ultra-wide and front cameras are both 50 megapixels. On the back there is also a 200-megapixel periscope telephoto camera that offers 3x optical zoom and can reach up to 100x with hybrid zoom. A dedicated EVS motion sensor and an Action Shot mode are meant to improve sharpness on fast-moving subjects.

The 7,000 mAh battery uses silicon-carbon technology. According to Motorola, wired charging reaches 90 W, and wireless charging reaches 50 W with the company's own charger. From conversations with the company, other wireless chargers appear to be limited to 15 W. Qi2, which Motorola supports on some of its other models, appears to be absent here.

Software and update promise

The Signature 27 ships with Android 17 out of the box, and Motorola promises 7 years of OS and security updates. There is no commitment on how often those updates will arrive. The phone also supports Gemini Intelligence features, and Motorola says it is the first brand other than Pixel to fully adopt them. Features such as Gboard Rambler, Create My Widget, app automation and sign-to-text translation for ASL are available on the device.

Pricing, colors and pre-order offer

The US model will come in Coal Smoke and Capulet Olive. No sales plans for Canada have been announced for now. Customers who pre-order through Motorola.com will receive a Wear OS-powered Moto Watch Ultra and a year of motocare extended warranty for a limited time.

No information has been shared about carrier sales yet. Motorola says the devices in the US will be universally unlocked.