New Moto X (fourth gen) leak hints at heat pipe, metal body

Motorola is working on its next high-end smartphone, the next-gen Moto X. While the release date may be months away, a new leaked prototype points at a heat pipe for passive cooling at the back panel and also a metal frame design. According to Chinese website TechWeb (translated), Motorola ’s Moto X 2016 will come with a heat pipe to tackle heat issues that may come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset. As seen in the image, the heat pipe will rapidly transfer the heat to the heat sink. In line with the previous rumour, the new leak also hints at metal frame. Citing sources from the supply chain, the report further reveals that the device is likely to launch in the second quarter of next year. This is quite possible as the company had revealed its 2015 flagship, Moto X Style, last year around July. An image surfaced earlier this month also gave a glimpse of the metal back of what is suspected to the fourth gen Moto X.  It looks like a mix of the Lumia 830 and the iPhone 5s with the gaps at the top and the bottom. While it could have been an old prototype device, there is a big chance that Motorola (that is now owned by Lenovo) is looking at a design refresh. Still then, at first glance the smartphone in question did remind us of the old Motorola E8 (MotoRokr) as the overall shape does look familiar to smartphone design from 2008.