Building a smartphone in the U.S. isn’t an easy feat, but the Google-owned Motorola is doing just that. Meet the Moto X, a near-stock Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean smartphone designed to be easy to use, responsive and customizable. Unlike the manlier and darker Droids on Verizon, the Moto X caters to all crowds. It’s got a 4.7-inch 720p AMOLED display that almost has no side bezels, a 1.7GHz dual-core processor with extra Motorola X8 cores, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage (32GB model also available), NFC, 4G LTE, 10-megapixel rear camera/2-megapixel front camera and a 2200mAh battery that reportedly lasts up to 24 hours (depending on usage).
You can weigh the Moto X Specs against other flagship devices such as the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4, and it’d lose. But that’s not what the Moto X is about. It’s all about usability and personalization. First, the Moto X tightly integrates Google Now so that you can operate it hands-free. Simply say a command like “OK Google Now…Call Ray” or “OK Google Now…Set an Alarm for 8AM”. Moto X listens and supposedly only obeys your command. Additionally, Moto X lets you flick the device twice to quickly start up the camera and an Active Display feature allows it to display the standby screen by knowing when it’s flipped over and pulled out of a pocket. No more unlocking your phone just to see the time!
As the a phone made in the U.S., the Moto X can also be customized to thousands of combinations and colors using Moto Maker. Shoppers can choose from 18 different colored backs, black or white front and seven different colored accents (camera ring, volume buttons, etc.). Want a custom boot-up message? You got it. Want a personal engraving on the back of the Moto X? Done. All of that for no extra charge. You just have to wait four days for Motorola to build your device and ship it to you.
The Moto X might not be a performance game changer, but it does have a certain “Google-y” playfulness to it. It’ll be available on AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular later this month to early September. Prices are listed below.
Price: 16GB ($199.99 with 2-year contract), 32GB ($249.99 with 2-year contract)
Source: Motorola
Here are the first two video ads for the new Moto X:
“Quick Draw”:
“Always Ready”:
