Motorola unveils new Moto X, Moto G smartphones
SAN FRANCISCO - Motorola is taking aim at the more-affordable smartphone market with new versions of its Moto X flagship Android smartphone and the lower-cost Moto G.
The Moto X sports a 5.2-inch 1080p full HD display. It has a 13-megapixel camera and a new ring flash that Motorola says provides more balanced light. It can capture 4K Ultra HD video.
Under the hood is a 2.5Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM.
USA Today's San Francisco-based technology editor Nancy Blair gives a sneak peak at two new Motorola products.
It lands later this month for $499 off-contract in the U.S. Motorola did not release carrier details but says it will be available for as low as $99 with a two-year contract. (As a point of comparison, Samsung's flagship Galaxy S5 goes more that $600 off contract in the U.S.)
The new Moto G, with a 5-inch 720p HD display, a lesser processor, 8-megapixel camera and stereo speakers on the front, is available today starting at just $179.99 unlocked. It comes in a black or white front; you can swap out the back with colorful shells. The new Moto G adds a slot for a micro SD card.
Shell cases for the Moto G.(Photo: Motorola)
As with its predecessor, the look of the high-end Moto X is customizable through Motorola's Moto Maker online design studio. Motorola is adding new colors and materials including eco-friendly woods and new leather finishes.
As you'd expect, the makeover ups many of the specs of the first generation Moto X, which had a 4.7-inch, 720p HD screen, a 10-megapixel camera and started at around $599 without a contract.
That first Moto X launched about a year ago as the first flagship since Google's purchase of Motorola Mobility in 2012. This past January, Google agreed to sell Motorola Mobility to Lenovo in a $2.9 billion deal expected to close by the end of the year. Lenovo is a small player in the U.S. smartphone market but its handsets sell well internationally.
Motorola says the Moto G is its best-selling smart phone ever and is the current best-selling phone in Brazil.
The new Moto G.(Photo: Motorola)
Both the new Moto X and Moto G run the latest KitKat version of 'pure Android' - basically, Google's own take on its mobile operating system.
Among new features in the Moto X are enhanced voice controls that allow you to interact with the phone without touching it, a hallmark of the first version of the phone.
September is a big month for smartphones. Samsung just unveiled new oversized Note handsets, including the Note Edge, with a separate curved display alongside the right edge. And Microsoft added to its Lumia portfolio with its own new 'affordable flagship' in the Nokia 830, which will be priced at about $430 without a contract when it arrives in the U.S. Microsoft also has two other new Lumias aimed at the budget market.
And looming large on Tuesday: Apple, which will take the wraps off its newest iPhone.
Follow Nancy Blair on Twitter: @nansanfran.
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