Motorola today launched its first flagship smartphone Moto X, after being taken over by Google last May, to take on competition from Apple and Samsung.
With Motorola in its pocket since last May smartphone enthusiasts were eagerly awaiting a product that would encapsulate the best of Google's Android software and Motorola hardware.
Their wait has finally ended with the launch of the Motorola Moto X today.
Based on Google's all-pervasive Android operating system, the Motorola Moto X will be available in the US for $199.99 (approximately Rs 12,100) for the 16GB model and $250 (approximately Rs 15,140) for 32GB variant with a two-year contract that locks a consumer to the service provider's network.
Five of the US's biggest telecom service providers have been roped in by Motorola to take on the might of Apple and Samsung, firmly ensconced in the US market.
The move, however, is likely to ruffle feathers of market leader Samsung, which rode piggyback on Google's Android OS for the past couple of years to take on competition from Apple's iPhone variants and a variety of smartphones from Nokia.
The phone will be up for sale in the US in the last week of August.
Powered by custom-made Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual core processors the Motorola Moto X comes loaded with a 2200mAh battery that the manufacturer claims will last a full day, a 10 megapixel Clear Pixel auto focus camera that aids low-lighting photography, a front-facing 2 megapixel secondary camera for full HD video capture, 2GB RAM, Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean out of the box, a 4.7-inch RGB AMOLED capacitive touchscreen that offers 316 pixels per inch density.
Apart from these heavy-duty specs the most interesting aspects of the Moto X, believe many online bloggers, are its 'always listening' feature that allows users to access 'Google Now' even when the phone is in 'sleep mode' and the freedom of choice to personalise the smartphone.
The Motorola Moto X offers dual band Wi-Fi connectivity, Wi-Fi hotspot, NFC and a host of other factors that seem like a direct attack on Samsung's Note 2 and other high-end phones from the company.
Indian consumers will have to wait a while before they could get to use the Motorola Moto X in India as the company has yet to announce its plans for India.
Photograph: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Motorola Mobility
Image: Motorola Moto X
