Now that it’s all out in the open, the Moto X announcement has either left you impressed or painfully underwhelmed. Many of the leaks we saw of the device have been confirmed, but with all of the cool customizations limited to AT&T only at launch, some may not be so happy with what was just unveiled.
The IntoMobile team had a few things to say about the announcement:
Blake
I can’t say that I’m unimpressed with the announcement of the Moto X, but I’m hardly blown away. The Moto X is a mid-range phone at a high-end price, which may make customers think twice about such a purchase. The handset is no doubt sleek in form, but so is something like the HTC One and Galaxy S4, both of which come at the same price as Motorola’s offering.
My biggest peeve about the handset is that Moto Maker is exclusive to AT&T at launch. While this may be best due to possible supply constraint, the Moto X isn’t going to have people switching carriers for a different back plate. Moto Maker should be available to all customers, accessible through all carriers, and that’s that.
Overall, I believe Motorola has produced a decent handset and has received quite a bit of attention. The Google-backed marketing campaign will ensure that everyone knows the Moto X, and having the device launch on all four carriers could send Motorola back up with the big boys.
Kelly
From a consumer’s perspective, the Moto X is just like any other Android phone. It has its innovative additions like its Clear Pixel camera and its run-of-the-mill features like a 720P display. I think the Moto X will sell well to consumers, though. People are familiar with the Motorola name from their flip phone days, and its Google-backed advertising budget will likely be big. Motorola is also wise to launch the Moto X on as many carriers as possible.
Motorola better get it right with the Moto X, though. Motorola hasn’t launched a new phone in a while on some carriers, and the Moto X undoubtedly will catch people’s eyes. If they buy the phone, it’ll form an impression that’ll be hard to shake. If performance is slow and the handset is buggy, then Motorola will falter because customers won’t buy from the American manufacturer again. If the handset is worthy, then customers will look forward to version 2. And with all these new early upgrade plans, customers will be able to upgrade quickly to the next version when it arrives in a year or two.
Not having used the phone yet, I can’t comment on the overall experience. I’m hoping it’s good as I would like to see Motorola succeed.
Ian
After months of following rumors about the Moto X, I can’t say I was surprised at what Motorola unveiled today. The device didn’t deviate much from recent rumors, but I can say this: the Moto X seems to have struck the balance between specs, price points and ease of use, which is something that most handset manufacturers don’t focus on.
Design wise, the Moto X is stunning. The curved back design looks great, and will surely fit well in the hand. Although many were probably hoping for a bigger screen, I think Motorola nailed it with the 4.7 inch screen size, which is not too bulky and fits comfortably in the pocket. Sure, higher resolution would be nice, but beggars can’t be choosers.
All in all, it is nice to see Motorola focusing on bringing a powerful enough device at a decent price point to the market. While most companies focus on having the beefiest specs, that often means lower battery life and tons of unnecessary software. Only time will tell if this puts Motorola back in the spotlight. My guess is it will.
George
I think after years of intense iOS and Android competition, we finally have the iPhone of Android phones. I hate to jump right into the iPhone comparisons, but hear me out. It seems like this is the first real attempt by an Android manufacturer to target the exact same audience as Apple does.
The Moto X has a very clean design, relatively simple software with not too many extra bells and whistles like some Android phones have, and the specs are great but technically speaking they aren’t the best of the best. That’s what Apple has been doing with the iPhone for a few years now. Plus, an added benefit of the Moto X is all the customization options for the hardware. Despite Motorola’s past with the Droid and its aim toward geeks and spec lovers, make no mistake that this phone is a phone for the people. It’s for people who don’t care about specs and simply want a nice-looking phone that works well, lasts throughout the day, and has enough features to make it useful for the price. I, for one, am very impressed with it.
Charles
Today Motorola officially rejoined the conservation with consumers looking for their next mobile device. The Moto X isn’t a powerhouse phone that can be compared to the Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One, or iPhone 5. However, it offers a simplistic approach most folks should have no problem gravitating to. Although the Google owned company made tremendous strides today for what they offered, they still missed on many things. For example, the company’s Motorola Maker feature, is limited to only AT&T to at the moment. In addition the price ($199 on contract) is a bit much for a “mid-range” phone when compared to the high-end devices I already listed. Again, I applaud Motorola for taking the first steps back into relevancy, but much work still needs to be done in order to grab mindshare from the likes of Apple and Samsung.
Wade
I can’t say anything about the Moto X announcement came as a big surprise.The steady stream of leaks had the device pegged long ago. It’s about what most of us were expecting, a well designed, mid range phone with some nifty customization features and great battery life.
THE GOOD: The design of the thing is spectacular. I love the curved glass and the color options. If the battery life claims prove true, it’s a major selling point. Also, the nearly stock Android is nearly what I want on a handset.
THE BAD: It’s really too bad that the nearly stock Android is still going to be Jelly Bean 4.2.2 instead of 4.3, as rumored. You’d think Google-owned Motorola would have this locked down, but apparently not.
The AT&T exclusivity for customization is unfortunate. If this is Motorola’s new flagship, it shouldn’t limit a key selling point to one carrier.
Finally, it’s $199 (with contract) price tag is just too high for a phone with its middling specs. Both the HTC One and Galaxy S4 are available in the same price range.
THE UGLY: Faux Wood Panel Phone Backs. Nope.