A Quick Look at the Moto X - Motorola's New Flagship
by Brian Klug on August 1, 2013 3:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Qualcomm
- MSM8960
- Motorola
- Mobile
- Android 4.2
- Moto X
- S4 Pro
Thoughts on Moto X
My initial thoughts with the Moto X are that it's a great device, easily one of the best feeling, sized, and shaped devices of this year. The screen is big enough without the device being bulky, and Motorola says that over 70 percent of the front surface of the Moto X is display. I'm still not a fan of AMOLED, but in this case a lot of the features (active display) do need it to be power efficient. The customization options are novel and unique, even if they're limited to AT&T in the USA for the time being. The idea of a wood-backed phone excites me since it means each device will be unique and have different wood grain, and having some way to differentiate one's handset from all the other black squares out there would be awesome. Having the same device available on all the US operators is also a huge win for Motorola, who has been otherwise stuck to endless Verizon exclusives that dramatically limit the reach of its flagships, even if the Moto X isn't a single SKU solution for all the operators (I do not have cellular banding information for each variant). Even now though, we saw the announcement of some Verizon Motorola Droids that basically include the same hardware platform and a number of features from the X.
The fruits of Google's interaction with Motorola are a bit more unclear. The Moto X runs a primarily stock UI, but it isn't entirely free of operator interaction – there's operator branding and light preloading, of course nowhere near the level that you'd get on a phone that goes through the normal interaction, but calling this "unadulterated android" still isn't factually correct, and it's definitely not Nexus with all that operator branding. I find myself puzzled as well that the Moto X isn't running Android 4.3. For other OEM partners, I can understand not having the absolute latest version of the platform running because of UI skinning and features, with a stock UI and operating under Google's umbrella, it's just a bit harder for me to explain away, especially given how far along Samsung and HTC allegedly are with 4.3 builds.
The last bit is pricing. The rumor and buildup led me to believe that Moto X would be priced like the midrange device the silicon inside misgives it for, but at $199 on contract it's priced just like a flagship halo phone with a quad core SoC. I realize specs aren't the be all end all for everyone, but I was hoping the Moto X would be the realization of an Android for the masses movement and platform direction from Google with the price to back it up, which would've been $199 with no contract. I have no doubt we'll see the Moto X move down in cost quickly, and it's premium, it's just surprising to see $199 out of the gate for what is a midrange platform (8960Pro) right now.
I need to spend more time with the Moto X to really pass judgment. I've popped my personal SIM in and will use it as my daily driver for a while and give it the full review treatment.
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grimm2000 - Friday, August 2, 2013 - link
I can actually understand the cost. You have to remember it is being assembled here and not in China. That adds alot of the cost to make the device. People might say screw that, give me the cheapest device with the best hardware. Well I for one am going to buy it and if I don't like it I will hand it off to a family member. You never know, you might be out of a job one day and ask why? Because it was cheaper to do your job somewhere else.darwinosx - Friday, August 2, 2013 - link
It is being assembled in Texas so they are still slave labor wages.nerd1 - Saturday, August 3, 2013 - link
Most global companies' (e.g. samsung) are doing major stuff (design / marketing / R&D) in US and only manufactures in china. I just don't get why peoples are weighing that much on simple 'assmbly' done in US.Hrel - Friday, August 2, 2013 - link
Why are the pictures inside, of that lady on the phone, so filled with noise? I'd be very interested to find out what's causing that as all the other pictures looked very sharp. Was it on auto ISO?Also wondering what "the 5 major networks in the US" are. Since I'm only aware of ATT, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile for actual networks.
Shame the battery isn't removable; also a little confused as to why the screen isn't 1080p for a "flagship" device. Not the end of the world certainly but you'd think they'd want to put their best foot forward. At the same time, I think certain choices were made for stability and reliability which is always the most important thing when you get right down to it. Disagree? How long would you use a phone that wasn't stable?
sb605 - Friday, August 2, 2013 - link
"platform direction from Google with the price to back it up, which would've been $199 with no contract."Brian - you surely meant $399... no contract/subsidy price - right?
And if you did, I would agree. Perhaps a max of $425 for the 16 GB model. Skip 32 GB. Say, $500 for a 64 GB model. Extra 48 GB of high quality eMMC costs approx. $50, so that would be fair price.
kddd - Saturday, August 3, 2013 - link
Pity that it's unavailable for countries other than the USchizow - Saturday, August 3, 2013 - link
Far too expensive relative to the competition, which has been on the market for a good 6-10 months already. This phone should be free w/ 2 year or $200-300 max without contract. Not sure how Motorola/google expect to sell any of these as it is, especially now that real flagship handsets for Apple, Samsung, HTC are going for $100 or less.Krysto - Saturday, August 3, 2013 - link
$200 without a contract? I don't think people have a clue how these phones are made. What phone do you know that has these specs and costs $200 without contract, and isn't some garbage Chinese clone that only sells in one Chinese town?Hon - Saturday, August 3, 2013 - link
It's $200 with a contract...chizow - Saturday, August 3, 2013 - link
Google just released the new Nexus 7 with basically the same guts, bigger screen, bigger chassis for $230 so I do think I have a clue how these phones are made and how much they cost.Unfortunately for the smart phone industry, there are now tablets that tell us the true BoM on these phones, they don't cost anywhere close to what they charge you for out of contract, the price you pay with 2 yr. agreement is pretty much cost for them, they just eat the profit they would've made if you bought it outright and instead amortize it over the life of your 2 yr. plan.