Here’s everything we know about Lenovo’s second-generation Moto Z

Lenovo is already preparing the launch of the 2017 Moto Z, which will follow in the footsteps of last year’s flagship Moto phone. Rumors have started circulating about the device and what it will look like, and while the phone may not be a massive upgrade over last year’s model, it appears that it will have some interesting new features to offer.

We even have some information about the specs of the phone, which may include heightened security in the form of an iris scanner. The latest news, however, may not be all that exciting — but confirms something we could have guessed. The 2017 Moto Z will be called the Moto Z2, according to Twitter leaker Evan Blass. Check out the supposed logo for the new device below.

Here’s everything we know about the 2017 Moto Z so far.

Design

The Moto Z has so far been a bit elusive in terms of image leaks, but we now have a few that allegedly show the device. The latest comes from Slashleaks and appears to be a press render of the phone. As expected, the phone looks very much like the 2016 Moto Z — which makes sense considering Lenovo will want the device to be compatible with Moto Mods. The only real change when it comes to design is the dual camera, which still fits in the same-sized camera module.

A previous leak comes from Gizmo China, and as you can see, the phone is extremely similar to the original, 2016 Moto Z, which was launched in June. The device features a physical home button underneath the display, which we imagine also acts as a fingerprint sensor.

It makes sense that the design is similar. The phone at least needs to have the same size and dimensions on the back in order to be able to use the slew of Moto Mods that have been released since the original Moto Z was launched.

Security

Lenovo could be looking to make its Motorola smartphones a little more secure. The company found quite a lot of success with the Moto Z, and it will reportedly keep the design of the phone for its next iteration. There might however, be a small change to the phone — an iris scanner.

According to a report from Tech Droider, Lenovo has filed a patent for the use of an iris scanner on the second generation of the Moto Z. Interestingly enough, it looks like the patent will use a front-facing fingerprint scanner that will also double as an iris scanner, meaning that there’s no need for extra hardware elsewhere on the front of the phone.

Lenovo won’t be the first to include an iris scanner on its phones. Samsung included an iris scanner on the much-loved but short-lived Galaxy Note 7, and it’s likely that the same tech will show up on the Galaxy S8 too.

Specs

We also have a first look at what might be the specs on the phone in the form of a listing on Geekbench, which was spotted by Android Pure. A device with the code name Motorola XT1650 has been listed on Geekbench with the Snapdragon 835 as well as 4GB of RAM. The phone achieved a single-core score of 1930 and a respectable multicore score of 6207.

Still, if the specs are accurate, some people may be a little disappointed. While 4GB of RAM certainly isn’t bad, but most flagship smartphones this year are expected to push on to 6GB of RAM.

We’ll keep this article updated as we learn more about the upcoming Lenovo Moto Z.

Updated on 04-12-2017 by Christian de Looper: Added new image leak from SlashLeaks.