Motorola's surprise new flagship epitomises "ultra premium" with Bang & Olufsen and Pantone collaborations
The Signature 27 sets the mark for Motorola's new flagship
Quick Summary
Motorola has revealed its 2027 flagship, the Signature 27, due for release later this year, which commences a new naming convention for the brand.
The reveal coincided with Qualcomm's announcement of its new Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chip, which this phone is among the first to utilise.
Beyond that, however, Motorola's ultra-premium collaborations include Bang & Olufsen sound and an ongoing Pantone partnership to deliver unique colourways.
It's getting harder and harder to stand out in the flagship phone market. With Apple dominating and Samsung holding a significant portion of Android users, what's a brand got to do?
Motorola's take is to go ultra-premium, with its latest Signature 27 flagship revealed in tandem with Qualcomm's latest chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 – which comes in two versions for this new generation, adding an 'Extreme' variant for added AI power.
Not only does the Signature 27 embody this top-tier chipset, it's got a variety of other collaborations that maintain its premier status. Sound is courtesy of Bang & Olufsen, the renowned Danish audio-maker. The finish, meanwhile, continues with Motorola's long-standing Pantone partnership to deliver unique colourways.
The Signature 27 is also named differently to Motorola's previous flagship models. It's a much simpler take: the two-digit number represents its year (that being 2027 – despite a 2026 on-sale date forthcoming), with assumed '28', '29', and so forth, to take their place in coming years.
I'm stunned by various aspects of the feature set beyond the addition of the Qualcomm hardware inside though. Visually, Motorola has really gone all-in here, with a large camera unit to the rear that contains four lenses, plus a flash unit. It's got Samsung-threatening vibes about it, so Galaxy fans ought to take note.
This camera setup features a 50-megapixel Sony Lytia 910 sensor, known for its large scale, as the main camera. There's also a 200-megapixel periscope zoom, ensuring that the Signature 27 will cater for a wide range of photographic needs – from wide-angle through to zoom shooting.
Qualcomm's hardware will boost these camera capabilities yet further, as the latest chip is able to shoot at super-high 8K resolution at 60 frames per second. There's also the "integration of Qualcomm's Image Stabilization" technology, so Motorola's 3.5-degree optical image stabilisation (OIS) hardware can offset judder when panning, walking or taking shots handheld.
The Signature 27 is also the first handset from Motorola to feature Audio by B&O. It's the debut product from a recently announced multi-year partnership with Bang & Olufsen, so expect more in the future. It'll be interesting to see how the sound design here utilises the brand's expertise to advance beyond its peers.
The overall aesthetic of the Signature 27 is just different, too, offered in Coal Smoke, Tactical Weave or Capulet Green – all of which are distinct Pantone colours. Like Motorola's recent Razr 70 Ultra, the addition of texture brings another premium element that stands apart from the typical Android phone norms.
The Motorola Signature 27 is expected to go on sale later this year, with more information to follow in coming weeks and months. With Samsung-beating levels of power, but also cameras and finish that could see fans of the rumoured Galaxy S27 Ultra distracted, this is one stunning surprise flagship reveal – and I can't wait to see more.
