Motorola MB865 leaks again from the AT&T system, complete with an LTE tracking code

That mysterious Motorola MB865 handset we've been hearing for a while now, is shaping up to indeed be one of the first handsets for AT&T's upcoming 4G LTE network.

We had this model number leak from the AT&T system last week, but at the time the only thing clear from the screenshot was that it will most likely feature Motorola's own Android interface overlay. The LTE part was just a speculation based on the fact that a model number XT865 used to identify the scrapped version of Motorola DROID BIONIC, which would have been the company's first LTE handset, but is now redesigned.

Now a tipster sent us a screenshot from the XDM system, which AT&T's Tier 2 support uses to push MMS, APN and system updates via the IMEI and phone number to individual handsets. Such numbers, he confirms with the screenshot below, have already been assigned to Motorola MB865 handsets in the hands of field testers, with area codes mostly from places where AT&T's LTE network is about to be rolled out first. In his words, the phone "is definitely an LTE device since it has been provisioned with an LTE tracking code in the billing system".

Meanwhile, last week images of a new Motorola phone appeared in a Chinese forum, and the leaker has confirmed for AnandTech that this is a test Motorola MB865. The device, however, seems to be more of a sequel to the Motorola ATRIX 4G in its shapes, rather than having the "hump" of the DROID BIONIC Targa. Moreover, the ATRIX 4G carries the MB860 codename, so MB865 being an LTE-equipped update is highly likely.

The source also states that the Motorola MB865 has a dual-core chipset of which he doesn't know the maker, but says it might be dual-core Texas Instruments, extrapolating from what we've heard about the refreshed version of the DROID BIONIC. He also speculates about the screen resolution possibly being HD, i.e. 720x1280 pixels, but admits the suggestion is based purely on rumors about upcoming phones with HD displays from Samsung, Motorola, HTC and others, so we are most likely going to still have a qHD screen here.

So, for all it's worth, we might be looking at one of AT&T's initial LTE launch handsets, hiding behind the Motorola MB865 codename, which will finally shoot Full HD 1080p video, and resemble more the Motorola ATRIX 4G exterior, rather than the upcoming DROID BIONIC handset for Verizon, despite the similar (or same) specs.

source: IT168 via AnandTech