The Moto X Phone: Everything We Think We Know
At the D11 Conference yesterday, Motorola Mobility CEO Dennis Woodside teased the Moto X, possibly the first phone to earn the approval of the company’s overlords at Google.Google had previously distanced itself from Motorola’s products, despite having purchased the phone maker a year ago. In February, Google CFO Patrick Pichette said Motorola’s devices were not “wow” by the search giant’s standards, referring to them as “18 months of pipeline that we actually have to drain right now.” Ouch.
It sounds like the two companies are finally in sync on the Moto X–formerly known in the rumor mill as the “Motorola best cell phone deals.” Few official details are available, but between Woodside’s comments, a press release that followed, and the dozens of rumors that have been popping up over the last several months, we can piece together a picture of what the Moto X is about. Here’s what we know–and what we think we know–about Motorola’s next flagship phone:
It’s Being Made in America
While it’s not exactly a feature, Motorola says every Moto X phone shipped to the United States will be assembled in Fort Worth, Texas. According to Motorola, building in the U.S. allows the company to “iterate on design much faster, create a leaner supply chain, respond much more quickly to purchasing trends and demands, and deliver devices to people here much more quickly.”
Some components will come from America, but others, including the screen and processor, will come from countries such as Taiwan and Korea. A manufacturing partner, Flextronics, will assemble Latest Smartphones in China and Brazil for shipping outside the United States.CXSDdsf44
It Will Do Interesting Things with Sensors
Woodside gave a couple of vague examples of how the Moto X would be “contextually aware,” using sensors like the phone’s accelerometer and gyroscope. The Buy Cell Phones will know when you’ve taken it out of your pocket, and may turn on the camera after somehow recognizing that you want to take a picture. It can also sense when you’re in a car and provide a different mode designed for safe driving.
Some phones can already sense when they’re in your pocket. The HTC One, for instance, uses this capability to adjust ringtone volume. And I’ve seen plenty of drive-mode apps already, both pre-loaded on Android phones and offered separately through Google Play. We’ll need more details to understand how unique Motorola’s promises really are. (One possibility: Android and Me has claimed that the phone’s predictive intelligence could be based on how you hold the device. A rear touch sensor may help out with that.)
Durability and Battery Life Could Be Key Features
Woodside said that Motorola and Google CEO Larry Page are both interested in solving major consumer problems, including phone durability and battery life. And while he said Motorola won’t be solving those problems by this fall, the Moto X may at least get started on tackling them.
A report by GSM Arena in March claimed that the phone will have a 4,000 mAh battery. That would be huge by today’s standards, but Motorola did manage to pack a 3,300 mAh battery into its Droid Razr HD Maxx while maintaining a fairly slim profile. Woodside also mentioned that the discount cell phones will have “two processors” for optimizing battery life.
As for durability, it’s unclear what Motorola will do. The company has reportedly looked into flexible displays, but the technology may not be ready yet. According to GSM Arena, the phone may be water resistant–something we’ve seen in other phones already.