GrapheneOS is preparing to escape its long Pixel-only orbit, but the expansion comes with a catch: its first Motorola-ready phones are likely to be premium devices priced beyond Google’s already expensive handsets.

The shift began in March, when Motorola and the privacy-focused Android project announced a collaboration to strengthen smartphone security. Until now, GrapheneOS has officially supported only Pixels, whose hardware met its demanding standards. Motorola’s role is more hands-on: the company is reportedly doing much of the work to port the operating system to its own devices.¹

The early timeline is taking shape around 2027. GrapheneOS plans to begin with a conventional Motorola flagship, then add the Razr Fold and Razr Ultra; the Ultra could become the first flip phone officially supported by GrapheneOS. The project says current Motorola Signature and Razr models are close, but still lack sufficiently mature hardware memory tagging and secure-element integration. It is betting that the next generation of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chips will close that gap.¹

That hardware threshold explains both the delay and the price. GrapheneOS has said its initial Motorola targets will be “higher end hardware than Pixels at a higher price.”¹ With Pixel models already starting around $900 and top versions reaching $1,300, Motorola’s GrapheneOS-capable phones could easily clear the four-figure mark.²

Cheaper Moto G devices are not ruled out, but they are not close. GrapheneOS needs stronger security capabilities from mid-range Qualcomm chips and much longer manufacturer support; Motorola’s budget phones currently receive only a few years of updates, far short of the project’s expectations.² The trade-off is stark: more choice for privacy-minded buyers, but initially only at the flagship end of the market.