Motorola will soon have three 5G-capable smartphones on Verizon
Technically, Verizon only sells one smartphone capable of tapping into the carrier's next-gen 5G technology (in "select" parts of two US cities) out the box. But before the Galaxy S10 5G was even released, Big Red allowed its subscribers in Chicago and Minneapolis to pair the affordable Moto Z3 with a special 5G-enabling Moto Mod.
A similarly inexpensive Moto Z4 handset was officially unveiled earlier today with support for the same blazing fast magnetic add-on, and soon enough, a third Motorola phone will apparently gain 5G compatibility on the nation's largest wireless network. We're not talking about the as-yet unannounced Moto Z4 Force, mind you, which may or may not land on Verizon in the near future.
Instead, the Moto Z2 Force is scheduled to receive a software update activating external 5G connectivity at some point "this summer." In case you've forgotten about that particular Moto Z-series model, the name pretty much tells you everything you need to know. Released back in 2017 as a more powerful sibling of the mid-range Z2 Play, the Moto Z2 Force packs the same Snapdragon 835 processor as last year's Z3.
The smaller 5.5-inch display of the Z2 Force is surrounded by significantly thicker bezels, nonetheless sporting a higher resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. All in all, we're more surprised it took Motorola this long to announce 5G Moto Mod support for 2017's powerhouse than the move itself. Unfortunately, the Verizon-specific Moto Z2 Force variant is no longer available for sale from its manufacturer, the carrier itself, or third-party retailers like Best Buy. We'll keep an eye out for repeats of killer clearance deals offered several months back, but we wouldn't hold our breath.
Meanwhile, if you're an existing Moto Z2 Force owner interested in this impending upgrade, you might want to purchase the 5G Moto Mod from Verizon at a special price of $199.99 (down from $349.99) as soon as possible.
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