Motorola may be going through some changes but its flagship smartphone is still the same. Or at least in name. The new Moto X was revealed and it's bigger and better than the last.
For starters, the new Moto X features a 5.2-inch AMOLED display. It's still Corning Gorilla Glass and the change in size is nothing too drastic given the display is only about half an inch wider than what the last Moto X had. Still, it's a full HD 1080p display now, a bump up from the 720p resolution from the previous flagship, fitting the new model with more pleasing visuals. Use of the phone's face has been optimized too, leaving just a little of the bezel at the top and bottom to give the illusion of a bigger display.
But despite using a bigger screen, the new Moto X is just a little bigger than its predecessor at 72.4mm wide and 140.8mm tall, weighing around 144 grams. Motorola also kept it easy to hold, using the same design from the original that entails a curved back that tapers off towards the edges.
Build quality is as excellent as ever but Motorola wanted to give the new Moto X a more premium feel. This is why instead of using plastic for the frame, Motorola's flagship was fitted with a smooth aluminum piece that wraps around the phone. On top of this, leather choices are now being offered, bringing Moto Maker 25 customization options. The leather is sourced from Horween Leather, the same tannery responsible for the Moto 360's straps.
Inside, the new Moto X comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 2.5GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, an Adreno 330 578MHz GPU, and a 2,300mAh battery that is touted to last one whole day. Both 16GB and 32GB options will also be available.
Like before, the new Moto X will be running on "pure Android," meaning there will be very little bloatware. And whatever Motorola does add are useful, like the Migration tool that simplifies porting contacts from an old phone to the new one. The new Moto X also retained Touchless Control, Motorola Assist, and Active Display from the old model, but these have been renamed to Moto Actions, Moto Assist, and Moto Display.
The new Moto X will be available later this month in North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia, retailing for $99.99 with a contract or $499.99 without.
