Moto Z4 Only Upgradable to Android Q, Won't Receive Android R Update: Report

Moto Z4, the latest flagship in the Moto Z-series of smartphones that debuted late last month, isn't upgradable to Android R and will receive Android Q as the last major software update, Motorola reportedly confirmed to an online publication. The latest move comes a long time after Lenovo acquired Motorola Mobility from Google back in 2014. It certainly comes as a surprise for the loyal Moto Z-series fans who may have planned to pick the Moto Z4. Generally, manufacturers provide at least two Android version updates. But it appears the Lenovo-owned company would end up bringing Android Q as the only major update to its flagship later this year.

Although the Moto Z4 is not in plans to receive Android R, which is likely to arrive next year as the successor to Android Q, Motorola does have plans to offer security updates to its latest flagship phone for two years, Digital Trends reported while mentioning the company's confirmation on bringing Android Q as the only major Android update for the Moto Z-series handset.

It is highlighted that instead of receiving monthly security updates, the Moto Z4 would get bi-monthly updates. This means the users won't even get monthly security patches on the phone that arrived in the US last month.

Notably, while Motorola has reportedly confirmed its current plans towards the Moto Z4 updates, it may bring some alterations to its roadmap in the coming future.

We've reached out to Motorola for clarity on the updates and will update this space when we hear back.

Motorola has so far held a good record of providing timely Android updates. For instance, the Moto Z2 Force, which debuted back in July 2017 with Android 7.1.1 Nougat, received an update to Android 8.0 Oreo even before its India launch in February last year. The company also just earlier this month kicked off the Android Pie soak tests specifically for the Moto Z2 Force.

Besides the Moto Z2 Force, Motorola has brought the latest Android 9 Pie updates to handsets such as the Moto G6, Moto G6 Play, and Moto Z3 Play in the recent past. The company also released the Android 8.1 Oreo update for the Moto G4 Plus in February even as an "unplanned upgrade" that was miscommunicated in 2017. Moreover, the Moto Z3 started receiving Android Pie update in January.

To recall, the Moto Z4 was launched with Android 9 Pie and features a 6.40-inch full-HD+ (1080x2340 pixels) OLED display along with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The phone is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 SoC, paired with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. It also comes with a 48-megapixel rear camera sensor with an f/1.7 lens, 25-megapixel selfie camera with an f/2.0 lens, and a 3,600mAh battery.