The Moto X phone is real: Here’s what you need to know
Motorola made the X Phone official today, through a series of print ads and a new website that allows you to sign up for updates. The ads clearly show that the “Moto X” phone will be customizable, confirming earlier rumors, and thanks to some digging by ABC News we now have leaked details about what kind of customization consumers will be able to make.
The Moto X ads appeared this morning in the New York Times, the Washington Post, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal, playing up the fact that the Moto X is both “assembled in the US” and “designed by you.” The ad is mum on additional details, but Motorola did take this opportunity to officially unveil its new logo, too (all in lowercase, in a font strikingly similar to the Chrome logo). While Google previously promised that Motorola would operate as a separate company, the lines are clearly beginning to blur, as Motorola’s new tagline is, “A Google company.”
At the same time the ad hit newsstands, Motorola also unveiled a new website (linked below), where you can sign up to receive email updates on the Moto X as soon as they become available. Like the print ad, the website plays up the “Made in the USA” theme by stating:
And this is just the beginning. By the end of the summer we expect there to be more than 2000 new employees in Ft. Worth, TX working to make all of this possible. Imagine what else you can do when you have the world’s best design, engineering and manufacturing talent located here in the USA.
Even though the Moto X is “the first smartphone that you can design yourself,” the company hasn’t officially released any details on what this actually means. Luckily, ABC News dug a little deeper and discovered that buyers will be able to choose from a “palette of different colors,” including different colors for the back case and the trim of the phone. In addition, users will be able to engrave a customizable name or message on the back cover, and upload a picture that will subsequently be set as the default wallpaper on the phone’s screen. While most internals will not be customizable, users will be able to select from various storage options.
ABC News went on to report that the phone will be released running the latest version of Android, and a version currently running Android 4.2.2 is being tested by multiple US carriers, including Verizon. The Moto X will not carry any of Verizon’s DROID branding.
Specs haven’t been confirmed by Motorola, but popular rumors peg them like this:
- 1.7GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8960 Pro processor
- 2GB of RAM
- 720p HD OLED screen
- 10MP rear camera
That’s respectable, but nothing to write home about – especially the screen. However, keep in mind that the Moto X is also rumored to have unique new sensors that will allow you to flick the phone to open the camera app, along with extended voice recognition services, and the ability to sense when you’re driving and activating the speaker phone. And if the price is right, people probably won’t mind sacrificing a few specs here and there if the experience itself is awesome.
Personally, depending on how things pan out, I’m seriously considering this as my next phone, once I’m ready to retire my HTC EVO 4G LTE. A Nexus device would be nice, but if Motorola can promise to deliver timely updates (which it will, since it now ultimately answers to Google), then this might offer an even better experience.
There’s no official release date yet, but rumors peg it sometime in August.
[The Verge | Motorola | AdAge | ABC News | CNET]
