Unlocked Motorola Moto Z goes on sale for $699

posted by Ben R.

Oct 06, 2016, 1:53 PM

The unlocked Moto Z can be purchased through Motorola and several other retailers

It's been quite a good few months for Motorola fans, if not such fun for many of its workers. We've seen a slew of Moto-branded handsets in recent times, with the Moto Z, Moto Z Play and Moto Z Force of particular interest given their modular capabilities. The standard Moto Z has hitherto been a Verizon-only affair in the United States but if you've been hoping to score the unlocked version, it's now available to purchase.

As a refresher, the Moto Z includes a 5.5-inch quad-HD display of 1440 x 2560 pixels. There's Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 with 4 gigs of RAM under the hood, along with Adreno 530 graphics. You get 64 GB of storage built in but if you need more, you can expand via microSD. The device also gets a 2600 mAh battery and software-wise, there's Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow.

The real selling point of the Moto Z is, as noted, the Moto Mods support. There are several options available including the JBL SoundBoost speakers, Insta-Share Projector and Hasselblad True Zoom camera add-on. They're all very easy to snap onto the rear of the device, and can enhance the experience in a variety of ways. If you are interested in modular smartphones aren't riveted by the LG G5, you may well have your eye on the Moto Z or one of its counterparts.

The device costs $699 and since it's GSM unlocked, is a no-go for those on Sprint. It's available through Amazon, Best Buy and B&H Photo as well as the Motorola website. The unlocked version of the Moto Z Play, meanwhile, will go on general sale on October 20th.