Moto X 2016: Release date, specs and pricing to expect from Motorola's next flagship

Lenovo will be unveiling a couple of smartphones this year shedding the Motorola brand but continuing to use the Moto tag. One of the most awaited of these models is the Moto X 4th Gen or the Moto X 2016 slated to be positioned as the flagship device by the company.

IBTimes UK gives you the low-down on what to expect from the device:

Design and Display

Most reports indicate that the Moto X to be released in 2016 will sport a full metal design. The company recently announced phasing out the name 'Moto' but maintained that the signature "M" will be placed below the camera lens.

As for the screen size, Lenovo Group SVP Chen Xudong has stated earlier that all mobile screens produced by the company will be a minimum of 5 inches. This puts the expected size of the screen anywhere between 5 to 6 inches although some reports say it will be 5.5-inches to be specific. Some tipsters also say that given the company's plans to promote this model as their front running flagship, the Moto X Force's shatter-proof covering could also be included for the device.

The screen will entail a Quad HD resolution that roughly converts to 2,560 x 1,440 pixels. Xudong also revealed that all smartphones released by Motorola this year would have a fingerprint scanner.

Processor, RAM and OS

Like most flagships that have been released so far like the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the ones slated to debut later, the Moto X 2016 will also run on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset. The Snapdragon 820 comes with an Adreno 530 GPU that accounts for an additional 40% improvement in the graphics department, as well as 30% better power efficiency than its predecessors.

The phone is expected to feature 3GB RAM, and a rumoured "Heat Pipe" is thought to have been installed in the device to sort out heating issues. The storage sizes are not known yet. As far as SIM compatibility goes, unlike many Moto phones this one is slated to be a single-SIM device according to import website Zauba.

The OS on the device will obviously be Android Marshmallow, probably the latest build 6.0.1. It is expected to come with the Android security patch of the month it releases in.

Camera and Battery

The phone is slated to have a 21-MP rear camera and a 5-MP front camera. What's unique here is that the device is speculated to feature a front-facing flash for its front camera in addition to the flash for the rear camera.

As far as battery specs are concerned, no strong reports have emerged but it could be around the 3600mAh mark if it has to support a Quad HD resolution along with a Snapdragon-820 processor.

Release Date and Price

No clear date for the release has been set yet and Moto X smartphones have not followed a clear release pattern for its previous phones. This makes it difficult to predict the exact month of release although sometime between June and August seems probable. However, Motorola under Lenovo has never really used any trade shows to unveil its device, which indicates it will be at a separate event.

As for the price, the company has already declared that the range of Moto phones will be the high-end positioned phones while its budget brand Vibe will take care of the cheap Chinese competition. Along with this, the phone is slated to get a full-metal body that is surely going to escalate the cost.

The latest Moto X Pure Edition launched with a starting price of $399, so it is safe to expect the Moto X 2016 to be priced anywhere between $400-450.