New Moto X 2016 and Droid leak reveals potential dock connector

We've already seen what a potential 2016 refresh of the Moto G and its reported Plus counterpart will look like, and thanks to a weekend leak from HelloMotoHK, we could now be looking at this year's Moto X and Droid refreshes.

While a summer announcement is all but a sure thing, this is the first good look we've seen of the 2016 Moto X and its Verizon-only Droid counterpart, which are, year after year, increasingly losing their differentiating features. What we see here is a new rear camera module, with a Moto 360-like "flat tire" that houses the phone's dual-LED flash. Around the side, separate buttons for the volume nubs and power can be distinguished, along with a front-facing fingerprint sensor that — well, it's about time.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the render is on the opposite side of the camera bump: a series of 16 gold dots that, to our eyes, comprise a dock connector of sorts, similar to Apple's Smart Connector that began shipping with the iPad Pro. Whether Lenovo, Motorola's new parent company, has grand plans for a Continuum-like platform — a throwback of sorts for Motorola — remains to be seen, but it could spark the beginning of yet another set of accessories powered by a smartphone.

As with previous years, it appears Motorola will offer both the Moto X and Droid lineups with the choice of custom colors and designs, courtesy of its popular Moto Maker system. Being Canadian, I'm hoping the customization options move north this year, but either way, it's looking probably Motorola will continue the proliferation of funky and unorthodox back cover materials such as wood, leather, silicon and denim.

We likely only have a few short weeks to wait for an official announcement, so stay tuned to Android Central for all the details.

Daniel Bader

Daniel Bader was a former Android Central Editor-in-Chief and Executive Editor for iMore and Windows Central.