UPDATE: Check out the just released photos and specs of Motorola’s new Moto X flagship smartphone here
This afternoon Motorola’s Moto X press event start time is scheduled to kick off at 3pm ET/ 12pm PT in New York City. The Moto X event is expected to display Motorola’s latest flagship smartphone as well as give some insight into when the device will be consumer available. Though the event does not start until later, at which time we’ll be live streaming the showcase, here’s everything we know and everything you should expect of Motorola’s new Moto X handset.
The Moto X bears a striking resemblance to the Nexus 4 by Google, which is unsurprising seeing as how Motorola is now under ownership of the search engine conglomerate. The Nexus 4 is a viable gadget in its own right, but judging from leaked photos and specs up to this point, the Moto X has taken Nexus 4 cues and brought the Google-Motorola smartphone collaboration to a whole new level.
Design
By now most of you have seen the snapshot of Google chairman Eric Schmidt holding and using a mysterious Motorola-branded smartphone, but if not just take a quick peek above. The backplate is allegedly made out of kevlar, a lightweight synthetic fiber that’s approximately 5 times stronger than steel when compared pound-for-pound, for optimum shielding from the elements. The traditional Motorola ‘M’ logo is branded on the back as well, and the kevlar plate will be available in a spectrum of colors–including the usual black and white.
Size
The Moto X has been compared as of late to Google’s other flagship handset, the Nexus 4. Rumors are pegging the Moto X to be 125.9mm x 66mm x 8.7mm (height, width, depth) while the Nexus 4 is a slightly more robust 133.9 mm x 68.7 mm x 9.1 mm. A slimmer design will bode well for those who don’t like holding a brick in their hands while making a call or text, and is especially aesthetically pleasing when considering the display size.
Display
Reports on screen size are comfortably in the 4.5-inch to 4.7-inch range and interestingly it was reported yesterday that the display will be made of Magic Glass, a Gorilla Glass variant molded to a special polymer to make a continuous surface that wraps around the entire front and edges of the device. The resolution is expected to be a non-pixelated 1280 x 720. The Nexus 4 features an IPS panel which makes it more likely that the Moto X display will be of the LCD variety.
Specs
All sources are pointing to the Moto X to run on a burly 2,200mAh battery and operate on a 1.7GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor. A solid 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage are expected to be on board for plenty of simultaneous functions, operations, gaming, surfing, and applicable shenanigans. It is noteworthy to consider that there’s been a striking lack of mention concerning support for MicroSB so hopefully you won’t be needing more than the likely 12GB or so of usable storage.
A 10.5MP camera with Clear Pixel technology. If the gossip holds true, looks for AOSP camera apps that are focused more on swipe gestures and minute cues such as a left side control wheel for adjustment features like flash, focus, panorama, etc; a swipe-to-zoom instead of pinch-to-zoom function; a slow motion video setting; and an operation that allows the user to access the camera app while the Moto X is locked by simply giving it a little shimmy.
Look for the recently released Google flagship mobile operating system, Android 4.3 Jelly Bean to be on board running the show. Wi-Fi, NFC, and Bluetooth connectivity should come into play as well.
