ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Motorola’s Signature 27 debuts with a long list of technological firsts.
• Bluetooth 7.0 and Wi-Fi 8 are on deck, but no other devices have the wireless standards yet.
• They serve as the phone’s technological insurance policy for future device adoption.

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Motorola recently announced its most capable phone, full of industry firsts and high-end specs: the Motorola Signature 27. Fitted with a uniquely complex camera system, audio engineered by Bang & Olufsen, Qualcomm’s most advanced system-on-a-chip, plenty of AI features to go around, and elegant Pantone-stamped colors to complete the look.

Also: The new Android king? Motorola’s Signature 27 is ready to take the crown

However, the star-studded press release doesn’t mention two exciting radio frequency technologies working together inside the phone: Bluetooth 7.0 and Wi-Fi 8. Both connectivity standards promise next-gen upgrades to data throughput, connection reliability, and latency.

Motorola did it first — it beat giants Samsung, Apple, and Google to bringing the future of connectivity to market. The problem? Bluetooth 7.0- and Wi-Fi 8-capable devices don’t exist yet, aside from the Signature 27. 

Data throughput is the star

Both Wi-Fi 8 and Bluetooth Core 7.0 promise very similar core improvements to data throughput, or the amount of data transmission the wireless technologies can process. Instead of chasing faster speeds, these upcoming standards will offer ultra-high reliability, which is useful as earbuds, smartwatches, headphones, smart glasses, and VR/XR headsets continue to be pumped with AI-powered features, most of which offload complex data to your smartphone.

Also: 3 ways Bluetooth 7 upgrades your devices beyond lossless audio

The Bluetooth Core 7.0 specification’s standout feature is High Data Throughput, which increases Bluetooth’s maximum supported bitrate to 7.5 Mbps, up from the current 2 Mbps. Essentially, the Signature 27’s Bluetooth capabilities will deliver nearly four times more processing power, making it significantly faster to sync copious amounts of fitness tracking data, upload large photo albums via QuickShare, and download videos and photos from your smart glasses.

Additionally, both wireless standards include improvements to connection reliability, with restructured layers in data transport mechanisms to decrease interference. Wi-Fi 8 and Bluetooth Core 7.0 also address mobility-related connection issues, such as reduced signal strength when moving between Wi-Fi access points or audio dropouts when moving around with your devices.

Also: Samsung’s new SmartTag 3 debuts with next-gen Bluetooth – and one big problem

So, Wi-Fi 8 and Bluetooth Core 7.0 may not promise flashy new use cases for the wireless technologies, but they will greatly improve data processing between your devices. Accommodating more devices and their rapidly growing data demands will reduce dropouts, lags, wait times, and interference.

Everything smart needs wireless improvements

Smart glasses are increasingly becoming mainstream, with Google, Samsung, Meta, and XReal leading the way, and Apple reportedly working on a pair next. Display technology, real-time data processing, live translation, AI-powered chatting, livestreaming 3K video, audio streaming, and multimodal AI analysis are all on deck with flagship smart glasses — improved data throughput sounds pretty good, right?

Currently, wireless bottlenecks force smart glasses to process heavy loads of data locally, which kills battery life, or create wait times and disruptions when downloading data from the glasses to your phone. Wi-Fi 8 and Bluetooth 7.0 should help with that, plus offer clearer audio and more immersive spatial audio playback.

Also: What is Wi-Fi 8? And why speed isn’t your primary concern with the latest standard

In the smart home, dead zones create finicky camera livestreams — it’s usually not that your Wi-Fi is too slow, but that your smart home devices’ antennas are too weak. Wi-Fi 8 promises to expand network reach to smart home devices at the edge, resulting in faster upload speeds when you want to check on a camera from your phone.

Bluetooth Core 7.0 introduces Transient Application Keys, allowing you to create temporary digital keys, and improved distance awareness via Channel Sounding helps smart locks better understand your phone’s positioning, reducing accidental unlocking and relay attacks by malicious actors.

Headphones and earbuds benefit from Bluetooth’s HDT, which promises lossless audio quality via Bluetooth and faster firmware update download speeds, resulting in nearly zero interruption to the user experience. 

It’s only a matter of time before manufacturers figure out how to cram more generative AI into smaller devices like headphones and earbuds, and Bluetooth Core 7.0’s expanded spectrum for data processing will quickly offload live conversation transcripts, AI-generated summaries, and biometric sensor data to your phone.

Also: Apple has a Bluetooth problem, and Android is taking advantage

We may be closer to fully Wi-Fi-equipped over-ear headphones, too, with Wi-Fi 8 addressing In-Device Coexistence, thereby reducing interference with the nearby Bluetooth radio inside the earcup. Wi-Fi 8’s Seamless Mobility Domains promise smooth transitions and strong signals as you move between your home’s wireless access points, eliminating audio dropouts.

The wireless elephants in the room

Manufacturers of devices like smart glasses and headphones tend to lag in adopting the latest wireless standards, so it may be well into 2028 before Bluetooth 7.0- and/or Wi-Fi 8-compatible devices hit shelves.

For example, Google and Samsung’s Intelligent Eyewear, with a release planned in December 2026, supports Bluetooth 5.4. The Apple Watch Series 12 supports Bluetooth 5.3, and the Sonos Ace Ultra supports Bluetooth 6.0, both of which were released in September 2026. The latest Bluetooth version I’ve seen is Bluetooth 6.2 in Samsung’s Galaxy Buds On.

Also: Beware of Bluetooth sniffers: How your favorite gadgets could be exposing your data

Additionally, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has told me in numerous conversations that most features included in Core specifications are optional for manufacturers to implement in devices. HDT is no different; it’s completely optional. 

It’s possible that manufacturers won’t want to adopt HDT while it’s in its infancy, as seen with the slow initial adoption of Auracast when it was released in 2022 and of Channel Sounding when it was released in 2024. 

Also: Your iPhone may support Channel Sounding via Bluetooth with iOS 27 – and it’s a big deal

A Bluetooth SIG press release states that the first device with HDT will be a premium audio product to be released in 2027. Google tends to adopt new Bluetooth protocols early on, so I’m putting my money on that; everyone else likes to wait a bit longer.

Back to the Signature 27

That was a very long-winded way of saying that once other devices catch up with the latest wireless technology standards, Motorola’s Signature 27 will be ready for them. Motorola is promising seven years of guaranteed OS updates to the Signature 27, which is quite long for Motorola; it only extends this length to its flagships.

A lengthy OS update lifespan is great news for the Signature 27 as it waits for every other device around it to catch up to its wireless capabilities — because it will be a while. It’s fair to think of the Signature 27’s Bluetooth 7.0 and Wi-Fi 8 compatibility as a sort of insurance policy.

Technically, buying the Signature 27’s upgraded wireless capabilities costs you nothing today, but you’ll reap the benefits in a distant tomorrow. What you’re really paying $1,599 for right now is its 7,000 mAh battery, 12,000-nit Duo OLED display, the world’s first Event-Based Vision Sensor in its camera system, and its powerhouse Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 SoC, among other things.

Also: Slow Android phone? My 4-step refresh routine can speed it up fast

Also, probably licensing fees. Bang & Olufsen and Pantone ain’t cheap.

The Motorola Signature 27 braggadociously positions itself at the cutting edge of mobile technology, and there’s no doubt that early adopters and mobile enthusiasts will find it enthralling to use. The only question is: How early is too early for even the earliest of early adopters? We’ll have to see.