Motorola Signature 27 is the first phone announced with Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6

Motorola has unveiled its most ambitious phone in years. The Motorola Signature 27, revealed on 22 September 2026 at Qualcomm's Snapdragon Summit, is the first smartphone announced with the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chip, and pairs it with a 200MP periscope telephoto camera and Bang & Olufsen audio. It signals Motorola moving back into the top tier of Android flagships, a space it has largely left to Samsung, Google and Chinese brands.

A new name and a flagship chip

The Signature 27 follows the original Motorola Signature, adopting a new naming system that uses the final two digits of the coming year. Motorola calls it its most advanced flagship smartphone.

At its heart is Qualcomm's new top chip. According to 9to5Google, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 is built on a 2nm process, with two Prime cores running at 5GHz and six Performance cores at 4GHz. Qualcomm claims a 13 per cent CPU performance gain and a 44 per cent GPU jump year on year for the Extreme version, plus support for 8K video at 60 frames per second and 4K slow motion at 240 frames per second.

To keep that cool, Motorola has fitted what it calls ArcticMesh, a cooling system 40 per cent larger than the previous generation. It combines diamond-infused thermal gel, liquid metal, copper mesh and a 3D vapour chamber.

Cameras and sound

The rear camera cluster, with individual circular cut-outs, is the most distinctive part of the design. Motorola has confirmed:

• a 50MP Sony LYTIA 910 main sensor
• a 200MP periscope telephoto lens
• a Video Enhancement Engine using AI scene analysis
• Qualcomm Image Stabilization with 3.5 degree optical stabilisation hardware

It is also the first Motorola phone with Audio by B&O, the start of a multi-year partnership between the two brands, according to Engadget.

Software and finishes

Motorola is promising seven years of Android OS upgrades and up to seven years of security updates, matching the long support windows offered by Google and Samsung. Google's Gemini is built in, including access to the Omni video generator and Lyria music generator.

Two finishes have been announced: PANTONE Coal Smoke in a woven Tactical Weave texture, and a green option with a brushed, textile-inspired finish.

Price and availability

• Launch: Motorola says the phone will be available worldwide in 2026, with details to follow. It has confirmed a North American release in the coming months.
• Price: not yet announced in any market.
• Australia: Motorola has not confirmed Australian availability or pricing.
• Still to come: display size and battery capacity have not been disclosed.

Sources: Motorola and 9to5Google