Motorola has never been very good at keeping a secret, and rumblings of its next-gen phones in the Moto X and Moto G lines have been leaking out to the Internet for several months now. Between a supposed "prototype" image and what look like rendered press shots, no one has been able to completely confirm the design of the upcoming phones, but they certainly look promising. Today the HelloMotoHK Google+ account has posted three new images, two of which seem to show a rendered version of the leaked 2016 Moto X and another that looks like a DROID variant.

Remember that the DROID series is Verizon's branded, licensed version of Motorola hardware, and DROID phones are only released on that carrier in the US (though similar designs are often available in other countries under a different name). But the main Moto line and the DROID line have been more or less converging for the last few years, and these photos would seem to indicate that they're remaining quite close. Between the "Moto X" photos and the unnamed DROID phone, the only immediate difference is the odd rainbow pattern on the back, a slightly changed layout of the rear-mounted speaker(?) grille, a more rounded home button, and the compulsory "DROID" and Verizon logos.

Beyond that, these renders have several elements in common with the leaked photo of a Moto X posted almost six months ago. Note the large, protruding camera module (something not seen on the new Moto G leaks), complete a cutout approximating the "flat tire" look of the Moto 360 smartwatch. (Maybe Motorola is trying to pass that particular design element off as an aesthetic choice instead of an eyesore.) It's hard to tell from the photos, but the circular cutout looks like it's hiding dual flash LEDs. Note also the distinct power, volume up, and volume down buttons - Motorola's previous design language combined volume buttons into a rocker.

The white version of the Moto X render shows what looks like proximity sensors all around the front of the device, a feature that's been part of the line for two generations now. Most interesting is the back panel of the Moto X: look closely at that speaker panel and it doesn't look like a speaker panel at all. This is just speculation, but those copper-colored dots look like some kind of docking mechanism, a la the pogo pins on the original Nexus One and precious few devices since then. There are 16 pins (if they're pins), which would seem to suggest more than simple charging, and some kind of connection element in the middle. The button on the front, which is shared with at least one of the Moto G images, looks like it could be a fingerprint scanner.

Other than that, the only outstanding feature is the multi-colored rear pattern on the "DROID" phone, which tosses the line's robotic styling out the window. Assuming that all of these leaks are accurate, and that's still a big assumption, that might indicate a wider variety of choices on the Moto Maker customization site. Remember that we still haven't seen anything that sets these designs in stone, but we'll be waiting for more leaks as the launch of Motorola's 2016 line approaches.

Source: Hello Moto HK Google+