A sleek design with all flagship feel set to impress the audience!!
The premium flagship segment has been competitive since brands have been launching their respective smartphones in this segment with all the flagship specifications out there. Over the past few months, there has been an increase in the prices of a few smartphone components like RAM and storage ever since AI entered the market. The premium flagship space is being ruled by many popular smartphone brands like OnePlus, Samsung, Apple, etc.
This time around, Motorola is aiming to take the top spot in this highly competitive segment as it has introduced its new Signature series with the Motorola Signature. Motorola has long been one of the best brands for mid-range and premium mid-range smartphones, offering the right specifications at a cracking price; with the Motorola Signature, the brand is aiming for a value-for-money offering in the premium flagship segment.
The Motorola Signature packs a powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset, a 165Hz AMOLED display, a 5200mAh battery, a 50MP triple-camera setup, and much more, with the base price starting at Rs.59999, making it a sweet deal to consider. Can Motorola make a statement for itself in this premium flagship segment with its Signature, and should you ditch other flagships and go for this? Is it worth buying?
Let's find out in the full review.
Motorola Signature Design:
The Motorola Signature carries forward a similar design strategy as we have seen on the Moto Edge smartphone series, which includes a square-shaped camera module which houses the triple cameras with an LED flashlight. The camera module is a slightly darker colour when compared to the rest of the colour on the back. The camera rings are accented, making it look premium. With the slightly raised camera module, the back of the smartphone does wobble slightly when kept on a flat surface.
The back of the smartphone does not have a flat panel; instead, it is slightly curved on both sides. The smartphone is available in two Pantone-curated colours: Martini Olive and Carbon. The Martini Olive colour variant has a softer, woven-textured material on the back, which provides a solid grip when held in the hands. It does not catch any kind of fingerprint smudges as such.
The Carbon variant has a linen-inspired textured finish, which also provides great grip when held in the hands. In terms of ingress protection, the smartphone is protected by an IP68/69 rating, so it can survive in fresh water up to 1.2 meters for 30 minutes and is also dust-resistant. On top of that, there are MIL-STD-810H military-grade durability standards so that it can handle high humidity and temperature shocks. The smartphone is slightly rounded around the edges, making it easy to hold in the hands.
Around the sides, Motorola has struck perfection, as the thickness is 7.99 mm, which has never been seen before in any premium flagship smartphone to date. The side frame matches the respective colour at the back, and the side frame is made of aluminium, giving it a sturdy and premium feel. The right side of the smartphone houses the volume buttons and a power button, and on the left side, there is an AI Key, which is designed to quickly launch Moto AI when pressed.
The bottom of the smartphone has a USB Type-C port, a loudspeaker grille, a primary microphone, and a dual SIM card slot. There is no additional slot for microSD card storage expansion. The top of the smartphone has only a secondary speaker, which, along with the bottom loudspeaker, doubles as a stereo speaker. On the front, the display is slightly curved on all sides and all around the display, the bezels are thinner, making it look premium.
Motorola Signature Display:
The Motorola Signature houses a larger 6.83-inch 1.5K (1264x2780 pixels) AMOLED display with a screen-to-body ratio of 19.5:9. This 10-bit AMOLED display delivers solid colour reproduction with deeper blues and blacks, and the viewing angles are great. The smartphone has an LTPO panel, which means the display can go as low as 1Hz and up to 165Hz during gaming.
For refresh rate, there are three options: Smart and Balanced, HyperSmooth, and Efficiency First. As per the naming convention, the Efficiency First mode is the best for battery life, as the display is capped at 60Hz and drops down to 0Hz when there is no interaction with the display. Smart and Balanced mode ensures a 120Hz refresh rate for almost all applications, and similar results are also achieved with the display set to Hyper Smooth.
The only difference is that Hyper Smooth maintains a continuous 120Hz refresh rate for most of the applications during scrolling and animations, whereas the Smart & Balanced mode scales the display refresh rate to 120Hz but drops it down depending on the content on the display and lowers it to 0Hz when static content is shown, ensuring good battery efficiency. However, the 165Hz refresh rate is capped during gaming only.
Talking about the 165Hz refresh rate, there is a Gametime application which consists of a list of games, and there is an override mode where you can set it to 165Hz for smooth gameplay. You can also select any other fixed refresh rate of your choice. Combined with the 165Hz refresh rate, you get a 360Hz touch sampling rate for faster touch responses. In terms of display brightness, the Motorola Signature can reach a very good peak brightness of 6200nits.
Under High Brightness Mode, the display brightness can hover around 1520-2400 nits, which is good, and you get good visibility under direct sunlight. The display of the smartphone has three different colour profiles to choose from: Natural, Radiant, and Vivid. Selecting the Natural mode provides realistic colours along with softer colour tones and covers the sRGB gamut, whereas Radiant and Vivid modes provide punchier colours which look saturated, thus covering the DCI-P3 gamut.
There is also a temperature slider, using which you can set the display to a warmer or a cooler tone. The display of the Motorola Signature has an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner, which works fast and is accurate. The display has support for HDR, so you can stream HDR content on YouTube, and there is also Widevine L1, so streaming HDR content on OTT platforms like Prime, Netflix, etc., is a breeze. There is also support for Dolby Vision on Netflix, which is great for multimedia consumption.
Motorola Signature Performance:
The Motorola Signature houses a powerful and an almost flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset under the hood, which is seen on the OnePlus 15R (Review). Since it is a powerful and gaming-centric chipset, the smartphone handles almost all tasks easily without breaking a sweat. Even heavy games like Call of Duty Mobile, BGMI, Genshin Impact, etc. run flawlessly at the highest graphics settings.
In BGMI, the smartphone ran easily at Smooth graphics with Ultra Extreme frame rates without any kind of frame drops or stutters as such. The gameplay was almost consistent at 110-120fps for most of the time, and it is very rare for the display refresh rate to reach around 165Hz. Other games like Genshin Impact also ran smoothly at the highest graphics settings, with slight stutters noticed, but it still would not hamper the gaming experience.
After a longer period of gaming, i.e. 3-4 hours, the back of the smartphone did feel slightly warmer, especially around the camera module, but still Motorola claims that it has a larger 6002mm2 vapour chamber, which helps in dissipating heat faster. In the CPU throttling test, the smartphone achieved a sustained performance of around 60-70 per cent, with throttling present on the slightly higher side. The chipset does throttle slightly, which is a slight concern.
In terms of benchmarks, scores came out the best in class. In terms of network connectivity, there is support for carrier aggregation and almost all bands of 5G, ensuring smooth connectivity. The Motorola Signature is available in three variants: 12GB RAM with 256GB storage, 16GB RAM with 512GB storage, and 12GB RAM with 1TB storage, where RAM speeds are of LPDDR5X and storage speeds are of UFS 4.1 storage speeds.
Motorola Signature Software:
The Motorola Signature runs on the latest HelloUI based on Android 16 out of the box. HelloUI has a kind of a Stock Android look with some Motorola-specific features embedded with it. There are a lot of customisation options, including icon shape, size, colour, and fonts. The lock screen supports more widgets, and you get different styles for the Always-On display. There are a plethora of features, including some AI-specific ones that do come in handy in daily usage.
There is a Moto app which consists of a bunch of things we use daily, like it consists of a bunch of gestures that we have seen in many Motorola smartphones in the past; then there is Moto Secure 5.0 with ThinkShield protection, which provides an added layer of security between hardware and software; and Moto Unplugged is a digital wellbeing software which helps reduce screen distractions and take breaks without completely disconnecting.
There is a Smart Connect feature, which is a Motorola-specific feature for extensive connectivity, so you can link the smartphone to a PC, tablet, or any external display, whether through a wired or wireless approach. Screen streaming, desktop-style interface, phone to PC integration, Smart Sharing, Smart Clipboard, and cross-device control come in handy for daily usage. The Smart Connect app also lets you connect Moto Buds, watch, VR and tags.
Other than this, there are a plethora of AI features under MotoAI 2.0, which are activated when you press and hold the dedicated AI key on the left side of the smartphone or even through a double-tap gesture on the back. MotoAI is well integrated with Copilot Vision, which works similarly to Google Gemini and, on top of that, it answers all real-time questions based on your surroundings. Catch Me Up 2.0 is a feature which provides you with a quick, consolidated summary of unread messages and missed calls.
It works with multiple third-party applications like WhatsApp, Messenger, Facebook, etc. Image Studio lets you create custom wallpapers, stickers, and avatars; you can type a description to generate a custom background. Sketch-To-Image lets you turn basic drawings into detailed and styled images. Style Sync lets you upload a photo of your surroundings to generate matching wallpapers. Pay Attention lets you record, transcribe, and summarise spoken information, conversations, and meetings in real time.
Playlist Studio lets you instantly generate custom music playlists using text or voice prompts based on mood, vibe or current screen content. Remember This lets you tag screenshots, photos, and notes where one can easily retrieve information with simple queries. Recall lets you save, search, and instantly pull up past notes, screenshots, photos, and conversations without scrolling. There are a few third-party applications present, like Facebook, LinkedIn, Perplexity, etc., which can be uninstalled easily.
As with all Motorola smartphones, there are a bunch of gestures, including Karate Chop to turn on/off the flashlight, Wrist Twist to turn on the camera, take a three-finger screenshot on the display, Back Tap includes double-tapping on the back to open a custom application, jump between recent tasks and also control music. Flip for Do Not Disturb works when you place the phone face down, automatically muting incoming calls, notifications, and active alarms. Double-press the power key to summon Google Gemini or the camera app.
There is one outstanding application called the Motorola Signature Club, which is a 24/7 concierge and lifestyle privilege service that provides travel booking assistance, airport meet-and-greet services, golf course reservations, shopping, fine wine and dine reservations, and access to exclusive events. However, these services do cost some amount, which you need to pay for. In terms of software updates, the Motorola Signature will receive seven more years of Android OS updates and security patches, putting it alongside brands like Google and Samsung and making it a future-proof smartphone.
Motorola Signature Cameras:
The Motorola Signature sports a triple camera setup which includes a 50MP f/1.6 Sony LYT-828 sensor for the primary camera, a 50MP f/2.0 Samsung JN5 sensor for the ultrawide camera with support for autofocus, and a 50MP f/2.4 Sony LYT-600 sensor for the telephoto camera with support for 3x optical zoom. On the front, there is a 50MP f/1.9 Sony LYT-500 sensor for the front camera for selfies.
The images from the primary camera during daylight come out with sharper details and have a wider dynamic range, with almost no noise in the background. The auto white balance works perfectly well, and there is no oversharpening as such in the background. The colours look punchier with slightly warmer tones. The contrast looks good, and all these images are generated at 12.5MP by default. There is also the 50MP mode, which gives you detailed images with good dynamic range and sharper details.
However, there is a slightly higher amount of noise present, but colours look punchier, with no oversharpening present in the background. At 2x zoom, the images from the primary camera come out with sharper details and have a wider dynamic range with less noise in the background. The colours look punchier with no oversharpening in the background.
During the night, the dedicated auto night mode gets triggered automatically, so you get sharper details and a wider dynamic range with less noise in the background. The colours look sharper, and there is no oversharpening as such. The contrast is good, and the white balance is handled very well. Without the dedicated night mode, the details look a tad softer, but you still get a wider dynamic range with less noise in the background.
The 2x zoom images taken during the night come out with sharper details and have a wider dynamic range with less noise in the background. The colours look natural but a tad washed out, with some oversharpening present in the background. The images taken during daylight from the ultrawide camera come out with sharper details and have a wider dynamic range with less noise in the background. The colours look natural, with a lot of oversharpening present in the background.
The images from the ultrawide camera at night come out with a decent level of detail, a wider dynamic range, accurate white balance, and slightly washed-out colours in the background. The details in the shadows look softer, with a lot of oversharpening in the background. The 3x telephoto camera does a great job in terms of details that look sharper and has a wider dynamic range with almost no noise in the background. The colours look natural without any kind of oversharpening in the background.
The contrast is slightly on the higher side, and the white balance is handled very well. If you go beyond 3x, i.e. 6x, 10x, 20x, the details look almost good, with sharper textures and a wider dynamic range, but going beyond 20x zoom does result in softer details, and a huge amount of noise is present in the background. The dynamic range is decent, but the images at this zoom level are not of the best quality. There is also a 100x zoom level present, and at this resolution, there is a considerable drop in quality.
Similarly, during the night, the images from the telephoto camera come out with sharper details, a wider dynamic range and less noise in the background. The colours look a tad washed out, with some oversharpening present in the background. Beyond 3x zoom levels, i.e. 6x, 10x, 20x zoom, there is some drop in quality with a weaker dynamic range and noise on the slightly higher side. At the 100x zoom level, the image quality is just average.
The telephoto camera can take close-up or macro images, focusing as close as 14 cm, which gives sharper details, excellent dynamic range, and almost no background noise. The colours look punchier without any kind of oversharpening in the background. In terms of portraits, the primary camera does a good job in terms of details that look sharper and has a wider dynamic range with almost no noise in the background.
The edge detection is good with proper background blur, and colours look natural without any kind of oversharpening as such. Similarly, the 85mm focal length on the telephoto camera lets it capture very good portraits with proper edge detection and background blur. The details look sharper with a wider dynamic range. In terms of selfies, the 50MP camera does a good job in terms of detail, which looks sharper and has a wider dynamic range, with a larger field of view.
The human skin tones look natural without any kind of oversharpening in the background. Even at night, the selfies come out with sharper details and have a wider dynamic range, with some noise in the background. The portrait selfies come out with proper edge detection, and the background blur is well implemented without any kind of oversharpening. In terms of videos, all four cameras can record 4K videos at 60fps and on top of that, the primary and the telephoto camera can record 8K videos at 30fps.
The videos from the primary camera come out with sharper details and have a wider dynamic range with less noise in the background. The colours look natural without any kind of oversharpening in the background. Even in low light, the videos from the primary camera come out with sharper details, have a good level of contrast, and a wider dynamic range with less noise in the background. The videos from the ultrawide camera come out with sharper details and have a good dynamic range.
The videos do have slightly higher noise in the background. At night, the videos from the ultrawide camera come out with softer details, and the noise is on the higher side. The videos from the telephoto camera come out with sharper details and excellent dynamic range, with almost no noise in the background. The colours look natural without any kind of oversharpening as such in the background. At different zoom levels, the videos also provide much better detail, and the contrast looks good.
But once you go beyond 20x zoom for videos, there is a considerable amount of noise present, and the details look softer, with a loss in quality. The same results are also achieved when taking videos at night. The 4K videos from the front camera come out with sharper details, and the dynamic range is wider, with very little noise in the background. The skin tones look natural without any kind of oversharpening as such.
Motorola Signature Battery Life:
The Motorola Signature sports a sizeable 5200mAh battery, which is decent in terms of capacity, as most of the premium flagship smartphones come with larger battery capacities. With heavy usage, which includes playing heavy games like Call of Duty Mobile, BGMI, etc., for 3-4 hours continuously, rendering videos, taking images and videos from the cameras, etc., the smartphone easily lasted for one day with some battery left.
With normal usage that includes streaming social media, scrolling through webpages, and other lighter multitasking activities, the smartphone easily lasted for two days with some charge left. The standard screen-on time came around 5-6 hours with heavy usage, and with normal usage it came around 7.5-8 hours, which is good and decent for its capacity. Combined with HelloUI on board and the efficient Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset, we are getting good battery life.
In terms of charging, the Motorola Signature has support for 90W wired charging and 50W wireless charging. The dedicated 90W Turbocharger takes the smartphone from 0 to 100 per cent within 1 hour 10 minutes, which is quite fast, as it packs a 5200mAh battery. Other than that, there is support for 10W reverse wireless charging and 5W reverse wired charging, thus coming in handy for daily use and is much more convenient for other smartphones to get charged.
Motorola Signature Audio Quality:
The Motorola Signature sports a dual stereo speaker setup that sounds adequately loud and clear, with strong sound output. The bass level is good, and the sound does not feel muffled even at the highest volume settings. Motorola has partnered it with Bose, and on top of that, there is Dolby Atmos for enhanced sound output. There is also support for LHDC and LDAC for earphones.
Verdict:
As an overall package, the Motorola Signature delivers the best of almost everything in almost all aspects, whether it is in terms of build and design, display, performance, cameras, and much more. The biggest highlight of the smartphone has to be its slimmer form factor, making it much lighter with those flagship specifications on board. The build and design speak of premium quality, and it has all the necessary protection, like an IP69 Rating, military standards, etc.
The display of the smartphone is great for multimedia consumption, and added to it the presence of stereo speakers enhances the sound experience further. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset provides a great multitasking experience, and along with that, the gaming experience is also close to other premium flagship smartphones out there. In terms of software experience, Motorola smartphones do not come with bloatware, which has been a strong point, and now there are a plethora of features which come in handy with daily usage.
The presence of AI features is quite interesting, and the Signature Club elevates the software experience further, thus providing additional benefits. Even in terms of software updates, it is on par with Google and Samsung smartphones, which offer the best software updates to date. The cameras are good in terms of both images and videos, but there are a few areas where refinement is still needed. The battery life is good, with support for fast charging.
However, there are a few areas where Motorola could have made improvements to the smartphone. The ultrawide camera is not as good as the primary, telephoto and front cameras, as it struggles with low-light photography and in videos also. The battery life is not the best when compared to other flagships that do come with much larger 6000 or 7000mAh batteries. The HelloUI, though feature rich, there are still few bugs present here and there, which could be refined with a future software update.
So if you are looking for a premium flagship smartphone with a sleek design, a feature-rich software experience, good performance and gaming experience, and cameras, thus sacrificing battery life, then the Motorola Signature is a solid consideration out there in the market when compared to other premium flagships out there, making it worth buying.