For those tired of the same old iPhone-like handset, Motorola’s next Signature 27 phone is one of the most entertaining slab smartphone designs we’ve seen in a long time. Now we know it has the specs and price point to match its chair-like design. Just know that to claim what may be one of the most feature-packed smartphones to date, you’ll need to spend even more than the already ludicrously expensive iPhone 18 Pro Max.
While we already knew this phone was large and carried Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chip, we didn’t have an idea of what else was in store. For one, this sucker is bright. Moto claims the large 6.78-inch “Extreme AMOLED Duo” display promises to hit a peak 12,000 nits of brightness in HDR content. What you need to remember is those kinds of brightness claims usually come with a caveat that it’s only happening at the 1% pixel level, so your typical brightness is going to be far lower than that.
What’s likely more significant is how the phone plans to pack a massive 7,000mAh battery complete with promised support for 90W fast charging and up to 50W wireless charging. In addition, the phone supports 5W reverse wireless and 4.5W reverse wired charging. For comparison, the similarly-sized Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra came with a 5,000mAh battery. Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro Max peaks at a 5,567mAh battery.
Those specs are belying what’s going to be a cringeworthy price. The Signature 27 starts at $1,600. Yes, that’s $300 more than the $1,300 iPhone 18 Pro Max. The Galaxy S26 Ultra starts at $1,400. Your options for memory include 12GB or 16GB of RAM, plus 258GB or 512GB of SSD storage. What’s more, Motorola isn’t promoting any carrier deals, meaning you’ll have to buy one directly from the phone maker, Amazon, or Best Buy. Suddenly, an $1,900 Galaxy Z Fold 8 or $2,000 iPhone Duo don’t sound like obscene propositions.
At least you can expect it to have a camera array that seems extra premium. Its rear sloped camera bump will feature a 50-megapixel Sony LYTIA L910 main sensor that promises to shoot detailed video. Alongside the 50-megapixel ultrawide and 200-megapixel periscope telephoto lenses, Motorola is also slapping on an EVS action sensor built to take photos of fast-moving subjects. That could be handy if you’ve been desperately trying to snap your friend’s skateboarding stunts or that bird flitting by the birdfeeder.
We have to consider what all these specs mean for battery life alongside the expected performance of the “Extreme” Qualcomm chip. This phone is supposed to have a 3D vapor chamber and copper mesh to keep this device cool. In that vein, we can expect the chip will likely be going to use up a lot of power when running at its peak. Motorola claims its new screen is 34% more energy efficient than its first Signature phone, which the company launched earlier this year. We’ll have to see how all that combines into performance, looks, and longevity.
While it will support Android along with all the latest Gemini AI features, Motorola is also planning to ship the Signature 27 as its first phone that supports GrapheneOS. It’s meant to be a privacy-first operating system built on the bones of Android that even goes so far as to burn out your phone should some naerdowell or unwanted authority get ahold of your device. The only thing is you’ll have to download Graphene yourself, as it won’t come preinstalled.
The Motorla Signature 27 is up for preorder Nov. 19 and will go up for sale on Nov. 26.
