Bottom line: Motorola is looking to make a statement with its latest flagship smartphone. The Signature 27 is not a foldable, but you'd be forgiven for thinking that just by looking at the price tag.
The traditional slab-style handset features a 6.8-inch Extreme AMOLED Duo, a 120Hz display that Motorola claims is the brightest available on any smartphone. Indeed, the 12,000 nits of peak brightness is impressive, but note that it only hits this mark in specific scenarios and that sustained performance while viewing most content will be far more average.
The device is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Mobile Platform (that's a mouthful) and is paired with 12GB of RAM – not quite the 16GB we saw some phones ship with just before the memory crunch, but still ample given continued inventory shortages. Buyers also get 512GB of onboard UFS 4.1 storage.
Motorola says the Signature 27 includes its most advanced camera system to date. The rear array consists of a 50MP Sony Lytia L910 main camera with f/1.6 aperture, a 50MP ultrawide shooter with f/2 aperture lens, and a 200MP periscope telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, alongside a dedicated event-based vision sensor to help capture fast-moving subjects. There's also a 50MP camera with f/1.9 aperture up front for video calling and selfie duties.
DXOMARK currently has the Motorola Signature 27 ranked second behind the Huawei Pura 80 Ultra in terms of overall camera quality.
Other noteworthy features include Bang & Olufsen audio, Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3, a massive 7,000mAh battery that supports 90W wired charging, and a six-antenna design to enhance 5G download speeds. A 12-minute charge is enough to "restore power for the day," we're told. Motorola promises seven OS updates and up to seven years of security updates starting from its global launch date.
Speaking of, the Motorola Signature 27 goes up for pre-order on November 19 in your choice of coal smoke or capulet olive and launches a week later on November 26. Pricing starts at $1,599.99.