Motorola has finally entered the mainstream flagship space in India with a brand‑new smartphone called Motorola Signature. Priced starting at Rs 59,999, this isn’t just another addition to one of the company’s lineups; it’s the start of a whole new series aimed at filling a gap in Motorola’s premium portfolio that neither the foldable Razr line nor the value‑focused Edge series quite addressed.
In a recent conversation with Digit, Shivam Ranjan, Head of Marketing, APAC at Motorola, said that Signature offers a ‘truly signature experience. It’s beyond premium. It focuses on creating the perfect fusion of design, innovative technology, and lifestyle experiences.’
On paper, the phone looks very promising, featuring a Sony LYTIA 828 main camera, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 processor, a 6.8-inch AMOLED display with up to 165Hz refresh rate and 6200 nits peak brightness, and several other flagship-level features. Notably, it is the second phone in India to ship with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset.
This review takes a closer look at how the Motorola Signature performs across design, display, performance, cameras, and battery life to see if it lives up to its flagship ambitions.
First, let’s talk about the design. The Motorola Signature comes in two colour options, and I got the Pantone Carbon variant for the review. The first thing you’ll notice when you pick it up is just how thin and light it is. At just 6.99mm, it feels sleek the moment you hold it, and at around 186 grams, it’s comfortably light for a phone with such a large display. It’s easy to use one-handed and doesn’t feel tiring during long sessions.
The phone features a linen-inspired texture on the back, and it gives a classy edge to the phone without trying too hard. It looks premium but understated, which is a good balance. The best part is that it doesn’t pick up fingerprints at all, so I didn’t have to keep wiping it down.
Another nice touch is the camera design. Instead of a separate, bulky camera island, the back material curves upward to meet the module. This creates a smooth, seamless look that feels very natural in the hand and avoids the awkward step you usually see on most phones. It also means the phone doesn’t wobble much when placed flat on a table.
In terms of build, Motorola has gone with an aluminium frame and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front. The phone also comes with IP68 and IP69 ratings, along with MIL-STD-810H certification, so it’s well protected against dust, water, and everyday accidents. So, the Signature focuses more on comfort, clean design, and durability rather than flashy styling.
Let’s talk about the display now. The Motorola Signature phone features a 6.8-inch AMOLED LTPO quad-curved display with 1.5K resolution, up to 165Hz refresh rate, a claimed peak brightness of 6200 nits, and Dolby Vision support.
I tested the display using Calman and the SpectraCal C6 Colourimeter, which showed that it is tuned for 100% DCI-P3 gamut coverage. While the colour accuracy is on point, it is not at par with the current flagships. The display recorded an average DeltaE of 2.1, which is just below the level where most people would clearly notice a colour difference at a glance. To the average viewer, the colours will look essentially the same; however, a trained eye will still be able to make out that cooler tones are boosted. During a lux meter test, the display reached 2450 nits peak brightness. While this is way lower than the claimed brightness of 6200 nits, it is still enough to easily see the screen even in bright sunlight.
Well, in everyday use, the display feels bright, vibrant, and highly responsive, making everything from watching videos to scrolling through apps a smooth and enjoyable experience.
So, while the Motorola Signature’s display might not top the charts for absolute technical perfection, it remains a high-performance panel that will satisfy almost any user.
The Motorola Signature is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 processor, paired with up to 16GB LPDDR5X RAM and up to 1TB UFS 4.1 storage. Signature is the second phone after the OnePlus 15R to use this chipset, which already gives it an edge on paper.
In benchmark tests, the Signature delivers strong results. It scored 31,01,691 on AnTuTu, which is clearly higher than other phones in the same price range. For comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE scored 19,02,139. It even managed to beat the OnePlus 15R, which scored 28,92,035 despite using the same processor. On Geekbench, the phone scored 2,892 in the single-core test and 9,498 in the multi-core test, once again staying ahead of the Galaxy S25 FE.
In real-world use, the phone feels fast and smooth. Everyday tasks like messaging, scrolling through Instagram, watching YouTube videos, or switching between apps worked without any lag. Casual games run easily, and even heavier games perform well. During testing, BGMI ran smoothly on high graphics settings, averaging around 118 FPS and even touching 120 FPS, which is impressive.
On the software side, the Signature runs Hello UI based on Android 16. The interface is clean and easy to understand, with no unnecessary clutter. Motorola has also promised seven years of Android updates and seven years of security updates, which adds long-term value. Overall, the Motorola Signature offers reliable and consistent performance.
Now, let’s come to the cameras. The Motorola Signature features a triple rear camera setup, led by a 50MP Sony LYTIA 828 primary sensor with OIS. This is paired with a 50MP ultra-wide camera and a 50MP Sony LYTIA 600 periscope telephoto lens, offering 3x optical zoom and up to 100x digital zoom. On the front, there’s a 50MP Sony LYTIA 500 camera for selfies and video calls.
In bright daylight, the 50MP main camera captures sharp and detailed images with pleasing colours. The dynamic range is handled well, maintaining a good balance between highlights and shadows. There is a slight push towards higher contrast, but it doesn’t feel excessive; in fact, it gives photos a punchy, social-media-ready look without going overboard.
Portrait shots turn out well overall, with good subject separation and natural-looking background blur. That said, edge detection isn’t always spot on, especially around hair and finer details. Low-light performance is one of the stronger areas of this camera setup. Images look bright and fairly clean, with controlled noise levels and good sharpness. Details hold up well, and the camera manages to keep colours natural. Overall, the Motorola Signature delivers a reliable camera experience that works well across lighting conditions.
The Motorola Signature does a good job when it comes to battery life. It packs a 5,200mAh battery, which offers long hours of usage and makes it a good option for users who don’t want to reach for the charger every night. In the PCMark battery test, the phone lasted 16 hours and 4 minutes, which is an impressive run time given the battery size.
More importantly, the real-world performance backs this up. With regular use (including messaging, browsing, emails, social media, and some video streaming) the phone easily lasted more than a day and a half, and it even came close to two full days on a single charge.
The bundled 90W fast charger took the battery from 0 to 100% in just 46 minutes, which means you can top it up quickly before heading out. In specific usage tests, the battery drain was minimal as well, dropping only 3% after 30 minutes of video streaming and 5% after an hour of Google Maps navigation. Motorola has also included wireless charging and reverse wireless charging, adding some extra convenience.
The Motorola Signature is designed for users who want a sleek, reliable, and well-rounded flagship that feels premium in the hand. Its slim, lightweight design, vibrant display, and strong performance make it ideal for everyday use, media streaming and gaming. The cameras deliver good results, while the battery easily lasts over a day and supports fast charging for quick top-ups.
It may not offer the most colour-accurate display or the absolute best camera performance, but if you’re looking for a balanced, practical, and polished smartphone, the Motorola Signature is worth considering.
