- GrapheneOS will work with the Motorola Signature 27
- This will be the first non-Pixel phone to support the operating system
- Some future Motorola phones are also expected to support it
It must be very difficult for a mobile operating system to tempt users away from Android or iOS, but on a small scale at least GrapheneOS seems to be doing so — and it’s now a little bit easier to get ahold of.
You see, this privacy-focused operating system that’s been built on top of the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), was previously limited to Pixel phones — which is somewhat ironic given it’s likely to appeal to people who want to escape Google’s grasp. But now it’s finally coming to a Motorola phone too.
The device in question is the newly launched Motorola Signature 27. This is a high-end handset, powered by the brand-new Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chipset — making it even more powerful than the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S26 series. It also has a 6.8-inch screen and four rear cameras, so this is set to compete with the absolute best Android phones.
But unlike most of those rivals, you’ll be able to install GrapheneOS on it, as confirmed by the GrapheneOS X account. In fact, you might not even need to install it, as versions of the handset that ship with GrapheneOS pre-installed in place of Android are apparently planned too.
However, it’s unclear when that will be, or even when the Motorola Signature 27 will ship at all — though Motorola’s US site says to expect it sometime in November.
Hopefully the first of many
Whenever it does land it’s sure to be expensive (though pricing hasn’t yet been announced), but the GrapheneOS team have spoken about bringing its operating system to some future Motorola phones too, including possibly some lower end ones.
That said, there are some issues to solve, with the team previously saying (via Android Police) that “it's mostly due to how Qualcomm handles it. The latest Snapdragon flagships have the best security features. We'll also need Motorola to start paying them for longer updates below flagships."
So in other words it sounds like the use of this new chipset, alongside long-term software support, is why the operating system is being brought to the Motorola Signature 27 specifically.
Still, it’s nice to see GrapheneOS become at least slightly more widely available, and perhaps if previous chipsets were an issue, we might start seeing it brought to other Android brands once they launch phones with Qualcomm’s new silicon.
This is probably never going to be a truly mainstream OS, but by combining most of the familiarity of Android (including access to the Google Play Store if you choose to install it), with increased privacy and security features — particularly when it comes to what data is shared with Google and apps — it’s a very promising alternative to the big names for more privacy-conscious users.
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