Moto X finally official: Motorola X8, 4.7-inch 720p AMOLED, custom finishes, assembled in the USA from $199
Well, you've gotta hand it to Motorola -- the company has managed to build an unprecedented amount of buzz surrounding what's turned out to be a relatively mundane mainstream smartphone launch. The Moto X is likely to be a big hit, don't get us wrong, but many of the device's banner features debuted last week, with Verizon's 2013 Droid lineup. The major differentiator here is that the X is uniquely customizable, and available through multiple carriers. At the core, there's Moto's new X8 Mobile Computing System. It's not simply a custom SoC; there's a Snapdragon S4 Pro under the hood, with a 1.7GHz dual-core Krait CPU and a quad-core Adreno 320 GPU, positioned alongside two unique Motorola processors, including one to handle language interpretation (Google Now without the associated battery drain) and a contextual computing core, which manages the smartphone's sensors.
From there, we're looking at a 4.7-inch 720p (316 ppi) AMOLED panel, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of base storage (there's a 32GB option with AT&T), a 2,200mAh battery offering up to 24 hours of "mixed" usage and your standard suite of 4G radios. On the imaging front, there's a 10-megapixel Clear Pixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, both of which shoot 1080p video. As for connectivity, there's Bluetooth 4.0, USB 2.0, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, GPS and GLONASS, a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, Miracast Wireless Display, NFC and a nano-SIM. Beginning at the end of August, the 16GB model will retail for $199 with a two-year contract on AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular and Verizon, while the 32GB flavor (an AT&T exclusive) will ship for $249. Only AT&T customers will have access to additional color options -- those on other carriers can choose from black and white.
You'll be able to pick up a standard Moto X at carrier retail and Best Buy stores, or you can configure your own at the Moto Maker site, available exclusively for AT&T customers. There you can select from multiple case and accent colors, which you can pair with a black or white faceplate. There's also an option to add custom text to the rear, such as an email address in case you lose your device, and you can pre-select a wallpaper and power-on greeting as well. Finally, several wood backings are set to be available in the future, assuming you don't mind waiting until Q4 to configure your phone. Motorola hasn't detailed global availability, but the device is expected to launch in several other countries soon, albeit without customization options and Texas assembly. Check our our Moto X preview, spec comparison, Moto Maker walkthrough and unboxing video (after the break) for more.
