It appears modular phones are the future and 2016 is just the year to slowly begin the transition. LG was the first to lead the pack when back in February, it unveiled its LG G5 flagship with swappable modular bottom, which not only answered many users’ cries for a removable battery, but also came with a dynamic ability of allowing users to add-on accessories, now referred to as “LG’s friends”. According to a new report from Venture Beat’s Evan Blass, LG won’t be the only OEM with kind of offering as Motorola is said to be in the works of also using a modular design language in its range of 2016 Moto X flagship line-up.Moto X modular handsetsThis new report comes barely a day after three leaked images originally presumed to be two devices surfaced on HelloMotoHK. However, via a post on Twitter, Evan Blass confirmed that the look-alike images of the devices were in fact different Moto devices, while also promising to add more insight on the two.Staying true to his word, the credible leakster has revealed that 2016 will see Motorola unveil two individual Moto X devices, much as it did with the Moto X Play and Moto X Style launch in 2015. The report went even further and speculated some of the specs of the devices as follows:Moto X Vector Thin, which is apparently Moto X Style’s follow up device, will boast 5.5 inches of QHD AMOLED display. This will reportedly be backed by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 quad core processing package clocked a 2.0GHz, with a RAM of either 3GB or 4GB and an internal storage of 32GB. Additionally, compared to the other device, it will feature a thinner build with a thickness of 5.2 mm, which will be capable of housing only a 2,600mAh battery capacity. It will also make use of a main camera of 13MP, complemented with an OIS and laser auto focus.The second device which is referred to as Moto X Vertex, will be Moto X Play’s 2016 ‘replacement’. The handset will supposedly feature an FHD AMOLED display of 5.5 inches, an octa core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor clocked at 2.4 GHz; RAM will be offered in two varying options, one with 2GB coupled by an internal storage of 16GB with the other having 3GB RAM along with 32GB on-board storage. It will pack a rear camera of 16MP with phase detection and laser auto focus. Its thicker body will carry a larger battery size of 3,500mAh.Lenovo and Amps equivalentReportedly “Amps” will be to Lenovo what LG’s Friends is to LG. And different from LG where the module add-ons are slid into the bottom of the G5, Lenovo’s upcoming Moto flagship devices will include modular backplates. Each phone will come with a patch of small circles at the back, which will act as magnetic pins connecting the “Amps” to the Moto X device.Apparently Lenovo plans to launch at least six “Amps” or rather modules which will include a battery package, stereo speakers, a camera grip bundled with an optical zoom and a flash, a pico projector as well as rugged cover attached with wide angled lens. These selection is far wider compared to LG’s current offering which mostly a camera grip that is not even available in or for the US. Both Moto X handsets will also be offered with a free colored backplate. The report adds that the Moto X devices will “sit flush” even when attached with the “Amps”. This means that you won’t have to worry about a bulging camera at the back.As for when you can expect to see these Moto X device land, well, their release date is yet to be revealed. However, release date suggestions vary with some rumors saying August 24th and others attaching it to the confirmed Lenovo Tech World event planned for June 9th. Considering the Moto G 4th Generation is set for a May 17th launch, perhaps the June 9th release date may be ideal before the Moto-hype dies down.Venture Beat also mentioned that Verizon variants of these Moto X handsets will be available, said to be known as Droid Maxx 3 and Droid Turbo 3.

Conclusion

If these report turns out to be true then it would be pretty exciting to see the kind of momentum Lenovo will achieve. With the company seemingly embracing the idea of modular design comprehensively, it may just be what incites other smartphone manufacturers to follow suit. Perhaps this will even draw more attention to the fact that Motorola can still be innovative, by taking a totally different approach to their devices from what is offered by everyone else.What are your thoughts on the upcoming Moto X handsets? Do you think they will be a hit or a miss? Will the modular design revolutionize the smartphone industry? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

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What's my model number?

There are several ways to locate your model number:

Option 1
On your device, go to Settings, then "About device" and scroll down to "Model number"
Option 2
Often times you can view the model number inside the device, by removing the battery
Option 3
Using Samsung's model/serial number location tool

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