As we near the launch of Motorola\u2019s return to the flagship space, it\u2019s becoming clear that the company is ready to fill a gap left by the departure of OnePlus, though there\u2019s one very obvious difference between the two.<\/p>\n
9to5Google Weekender by Ben Schoon is a part of our free newsletter that also includes \u2018Inbox,\u2019 a twice-weekly roundup of key stories from around the web by Daniel Bader. Sign up here<\/a> to get Weekender delivered to your inbox every Sunday along with \u2018Inbox\u2019 on Tuesday and Thursday. You can find past issues here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Motorola Signature 27\u2019s<\/a> launch is coming up fast and, with it, the first truly exciting flagship the company has launched widely in quite some time. There have been a handful of high-end Moto devices in recent years, but this is the first one in quite a while where it seems Motorola is holding nothing back.<\/p>\n Between a powerful Snapdragon chip, top-tier cameras, and rumors<\/a> of a massive battery, this is shaping up to be something special. Of course, all-out flagships like this aren\u2019t uncommon in some parts of the world. Oppo, Honor, and other Chinese brands have been building devices like this for years but, especially in the US, they\u2019re just completely lacking, especially now that OnePlus is dead<\/a>. While OnePlus flagships in more recent years have not quite risen to the same bar as Oppo\u2019s, they\u2019ve been the best equivalent in the States and, now, they\u2019re just gone.<\/p>\n Motorola is stepping up in a big way here, and seems to be the closest many are going to get to a OnePlus replacement. <\/p>\n It\u2019s fitting, really. As much as I\u2019d love to have Google Pixel step up its game here<\/a>, Motorola\u2019s Lenovo backing and long history in the smartphone space more than earns its spot as a proper flagship smartphone maker. The problem, really, is just going to boil down to pricing.<\/p>\n OnePlus was well known for top-tier specs, of course, but it built its brand on doing so at a lower price point. Even in its final days where prices were creeping higher than ever, a OnePlus flagship was still priced equal to or less than most competitors. Motorola Signature 27 does not seem to be trying to recover that part of OnePlus\u2019 reputation based on early pricing leaks. RAMageddon<\/a> surely isn\u2019t helping matters, but Motorola\u2019s return to the flagship space is not going to come cheap from the sound of it.<\/p>\n Another sore point for Motorola is in software updates, but it\u2019s not like OnePlus was really doing that well in that regard anyway. Things are moving in a better direction with Motorola moving up to 7-year commitments on certain devices, but there\u2019s still room for improvement and quite the poor track record to make up for.<\/p>\n With the launch of Motorola Signature 27 mere weeks away, I\u2019m personally very excited to see what the company has in store. What do you think?<\/p>\n This Week\u2019s Top Stories<\/p>\n Breaking: iPhone Duos<\/p>\n You\u2019d think that Android foldables effectively doing all of the R&D for Apple\u2019s first foldable would prevent any major issues, but\u00a0apparently that\u2019s not enough. While the scale of the problem remains unclear, Apple\u2019s iPhone Duo is cracking for many in the same place, suggesting there\u2019s a manufacturing problem in play. It\u2019s not quite an OG Galaxy Fold debacle, but it doesn\u2019t feel far off either.<\/p>\n Gemini 4 Carbon<\/p>\n Google\u2019s latest frontier AI model has been announced in Gemini 4 Carbon. The company says it makes major leaps forward for coding and other purposes and outranks the competition but, like Argon, it\u2019s not immediately available. <\/p>\n Fitbit Edge is here<\/p>\n After being announced earlier this month, we reviewed the Fitbit Edge this week and the tracker is also now on sale. While it feels like an awkward middle child between the Pixel Watch and Fitbit Air, owners of prior Charge trackers will likely appreciate the upgrades it brings to the table.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n More Top Stories<\/p>\n From the rest of 9to5<\/p>\n 9to5Mac: Apple announces all-new MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR display, its first touchscreen Mac<\/a><\/p>\n 9to5Toys: Review: The Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition is finally worthy of its name<\/a><\/p>\n Electrek: This $15,000 low-speed EV is now on sale, and it\u2019s street-legal<\/a><\/p>\n Follow Ben:\u00a0Twitter\/X<\/a>,\u00a0Threads<\/a>, Bluesky<\/a>, and\u00a0Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n