At its reveal event yesterday, Motorola announced its Moto X release date and specs to the world. The new device by Google’s Motorola looks to take a step back from the kind of devices flooding the high-end smartphone market and get back to basics by focusing on the aspects of smartphone usage that people actually engage with, rather than simply upping its technical specs.
The Moto X is all about being tailor-made for the user with over 500 different variants of the handset for people to opt for. The kevlar backplate is available in 18 different colors or styles and the near-stock Android UI will probably be tweaked ever so slightly by respective cell carriers. The biggest draw, though, has to be the $199 for 16GB of storage price tag. Look for a late August to early September consumer availability date. But don’t take my word for it. Check out what the pros think in their Moto X reviews below.
Technology Review: “The most lasting impact of the Moto X will be beneath the surface. Local, just-in-time assembly may shift how and where many electronics are manufactured and make customization more common. Phone makers are also looking to larger possibilities for speech, proximity, and motion sensing, and beefing up their processor designs accordingly. Whether the Moto X is Motorola’s iPhone moment or not, it shows where mobile computing is headed.”
Tech Radar: “Where Motorola really shines is in the way its managed to make the Moto X all about the user, whether it’s in the control or the design, and that could go a long way with consumers tired of the same few colors and styles most manufacturers have been relying on.”
CNET: “The Moto X may not be able to change your TV channel, but it does offer some compelling extras in the way it handles alerts through Peek, and with the touch-free voice commands with Google Now. Motorola’s options for customizing the hardware design will also appeal to customers’ sense of individuality… if Google stops short of throwing its tremendous marketing clout behind it, Samsung has all the advantage. In an uphill battle against prime rivals, Motorola’s Moto X at least has a shot at making a dent.”
