Meet Motorola’s next flagship smartphone: The Moto X. Reportedly assembled in the great state of Texas, nearly every aspect of the phone has leaked prior to the phone’s official unveiling on August 1st. @evleaks and The Unlocker have steadily been releasing everything about the phone. The X’s case, its specs, and even its nearly-stock Android experience have hit the Internet the last few days.
And it’s a damn good-looking phone.
There’s a lot riding on this phone. After Google acquired Motorola in the summer of 2012, Samsung tightened its grasp on the Android smartphone market. Motorola is in a distant third, trailing even behind imploding HTC. Motorola and Google need a killer device that will appeal to mainstream customers. That’s the Moto X. At least both parties hope so.
Motorola seems to be pulling out all the tricks for this phone. It’s customizable, allowing owners to order the phone with different colored Kevlar backplates. The phone is assembled in America, giving Motorola a big marketing point in the States and abroad. And the phone features a nearly stock Android experience, something that consumers and Android fans will enjoy alike.
The phone is sleek. It features a Kevlar backplate, large rear-facing speaker and a massive battery in a slender housing.
Motorola has long played with Kevlar. Released in early 2012, the Droid RAZR was the first Motorola smartphone with the durable and thin material. Since then it’s made its way onto most Motorola smartphones.
The Moto X is said to have a 4.5-inch screen, making it a touch smaller than the Samsung Galaxy S 4 and HTC One, though it doesn’t quite match up when it comes to horsepower. If the reports hold true, the X will feature a slightly older dual-core Snapdragon. Rounding out the specs the FCC previously revealed that the phone will have a not-too-shabby 2,200mAh battery.
Overall the Moto X is not anything special. It’s not a Samsung GS4 slayer. It’s not better looking than the HTC One. That’s okay. Motorola doesn’t need a phone that appeases the phone nerds. The company needs a high margin phone that appeals to moms and dads, to the average user, to the Candy Crush crowd. And that’s the Moto X as long as the price is competitive.
The Moto X is just the beginning. Motorola is on the cusp of a rebirth. Expect big things from the Google division including a massive expansion of wearable electronics. With tighter Google integration, Motorola is slowly, albeit perhaps too slowly, turning into a smart, lean, and influential consumer electronics brand.
Just act surprised when Motorola announces the Moto X next week.