By 
We don’t know much about Motorola’s so-called X Phone. The only confirmation of the phone’s existence comes by way of a job posting seeking a product manager to work directly with the team designing the device, but few details have surfaced. Today, however, a report has surfaced over at SmartHouse giving us just enough new info to whet the appetite.
According to sources close to CTO Hugh Bradlow of Australian carrier Telstra, the X Phone is being billed as a “game changer.” OK, that sounds like pretty typical smartphone hype, but that’s not the only sliver of info that was gleaned. According to the report, Google has been working on the software side of the X Phone for quite a while, and when the handset launches it will feature an entirely new software experience with features never seen on a smartphone.
The rumored debut at Google I/O in May — again corroborated by this report — leads to the assumption that the phone will launch as a flagship for the next iteration of Android, Key Lime Pie. From the sound of things, though, the phone could launch with exclusive software features that might not reach other. This includes putting together Google’s suite of mobile services “like no other manufacturer has done in the past.” Can we expect a non-stock Android device designed directly by Google?
The X Phone is headed toward a July launch, if all pans out, and will be available on all US carriers and in the Google Play Store with a pricing and sales model similar to that of the Nexus 4 (or cheaper). Consider us excited.
[via DroidLife]
Consider me excited, too.
Sooo… Google forks Android *blank stare* BRILLIANT!
If these rumors turn out to be true (not holding my breath but one can hope) then I’m buying this phone no question. Either full price and keep my unlimited VZW or drop VZW and get an unlocked Play Store model. So long as it has an unlocked bootloader and either >= 3000 mAh non-removable battery or >= 2200 mAh removable battery, I’m in. I miss Moto’s hardware, my GNex is great and all but my mom’s Razr always has better signal than I do.
The signal is always worse in the basement.
I’m not sure I follow… are you implying I live in the basement of my mom’s house? That’s just not true… I live on the first floor :) But I do like to have reception when I’m in the federal and state courts I frequent to litigate cases and the feds I’m pretty sure put something in the walls to kill cell phone reception because in the district courts, I lose basically all signal with my Sammy GNex.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…
Burn!
^_^
Just grabbed the Nexus 4 and will be promptly selling it to grab the Motorola X.
I may also be doing that…
The X phone sounds extremely intriguing and I will be keeping a close on eye on it too. The main thing for me is whether the phone will be given timely Android OS updates (as I have come to love on the Nexus phones). I currently have the Nexus 4 phone and am loving it. Easily the best bang for buck top end phone you can get. However, I remember Google describing their Nexus One phone as a game changer as well. While that may have been true, I was not so impressed when it was launched. However, if this does prove to be a proper game changer then I could well see myself trading in my N4 for the X phone. It has potential, I just hope they can deliver.
Nexus One’s game changing feature was selling it SIM free through Google’s website. Unheard in America, but enjoyed for years in the rest of the world.
I still have my sattilite commander (lol) and with the only exception of the power button, I still use it from time to time. Especially when I’m feeling Nasstolgic
nexus one is still the best looking phone to me….i love that phone more than anything!
I cant wait for this to be announced sounds like a fantastic high end Android phone.
Would be nice if it had a Xenon flash like the Motorola TX720 but with better photo & video quality.
Motorola need to announce earlier though as by May, the HTC one & samsung Galaxy s IV will be on sale.
announcing early is a moronic move. You announce when you are ready. Don’t get pushed into announcing early just to beat others to the press release. More times that not you screw yourself.
Google is awesome.
I was going to try and get out of my VZW contract early to get a Nexus 4, but I might just wait until May and see what we get.
Same here, let’s just hope it comes out in a CDMA flavor for those of us on Sprint/Verizon. I wouldn’t mind upgrading my Galaxy Nexus if this turns out as good as the hype.
CDMA carriers are garbage. After using my Nexus 4 on the $30 unlimited data/text/100 minute plan, I could never justify going back. Being able to buy any unlocked phone in the world is amazing.
However if you don’t live in a city, you don’t get 4G HSPA+, and won’t see LTE for a few years, if ever. A huge portion of Tmobile’s coverage is 2g and 3g only. I need my LTE video streaming, even if I am locked in to a certain phone.
Besides, I have unlimited and pay way less than it would cost to get slower unlimited on tmobile or sprint.
I will be VERY unhappy if this device gets special privileges that “no other” will get. Google said they would not be doing that when they bought moto-mo. Why the hell would you get a “non stock” experiance on a google made phone? this is crazy.
want to launch a phone that’s built in house? that’s 100% OK, it clearly works, look at the iPhone, no one can argue that that is an amazing piece of tech.
But Google should put that hard work into Key Lime Pie, and just have this phone debut android 5.0, under the Motorola neXus X. that way us gNex and nexus 4 owners can have it, and they won’t leave the entire Android ecosystem out to dry.
maybe they are merging android and chrome OS though….that I could roll with ;-)
not if they don’t bring their long time OEMs with them. They’ll just be apple.
I read it as Key Lime Pie might have new software features that would require certain hardware capabilities.
well duh.
I dont think i could pull the HTC Hero out of the drawer and slap KLP on it, lol.
“the phone could launch with *exclusive software features* that might not reach other [devices]”
unless Key Lime Pie ends up being based off the Windows Vista platform, my gnex should be able to run pretty much anything a mobile OS could throw at it, at least for the next half a year…
Hasn’t Cyanogin done that with JB? lol I’m pretty sure you can put anything on any device, maybe not the whole kit and kaboodle, but the main aspects of the OS
allthough I agree, we should be able to distinguish motorola from the rest too like how samsung got feature-packed touchwiz, HTC has edgy sense, etc. maybe that’s why it isn’t a Nexus. maybe most of it are built for Motoblur.
This has my attention…
rumors usually do.
And thus drama ensues
Do I wait for the next Nexus phone so I am certain to receive the latest software first
OR
Do I go for the X phone and am certain that it will have Google quality services never to find their way into stock devices
My only hope is this:
PLEASE GOOGLE, make it the Google Motorola Nexus X!!!
The decision is killing me! Even if the features can be hacked/flashed/sideloaded on the nexus phone later…how can I decide between a great phone now and another great phone of which I do not know the price and specs?!! O_O
needHelp
I’m pretty sure that it will be a Nexus of some sorts, I’ll even put 20 bucks on the line to do so.
I am hoping it will be a
Google Motorola Nexus X Chrome
(As In: Nexus times Chrome OS…giving it features never before seen in a phone)
“How can I decide between a great [insert piece of tech here] now and another great [insert piece of tech here] of which I do not know the price and specs?!!”
Ah, the joys of the digital age…
Well, the nexus line of devices cleared that problem for me….just buy a new nexus ever 1.5-2 years (N1, Gnex, nexus 5…nexus phone7…)
Now this comes in to ruin it all!!!! >:(
me want now!
Will this X-phone live up to all the hype, or will the Galaxy S-IV reign supreme over all smartphone devices?
It will steal a lot of market share from Samsung unless Google screws up the battery and internal storage.
Google’s retarded 8gb and 16gb internal storage without sd will not impress most of us no matter what it has to offer on the software side.
and marketing and distribution chain and unprofesional employees
He meant the nerd marketshare that doesn’t care about such things. Who needs marketing and customer service when there’s phandroid and xda?
Oh, but kind sir, you missed out on proper distribution, What is XDA and Phadroid help if you cannot put the product in your customer’s hands? Cheers Ari, having a few cold ones for ya.
I am getting my Nexus 4 in the mail today and frankly I am tired of trading my phones in when something “ground breaking” debuts a couple of months later. Nexus 4 will last me until the earliest December 2013 when the next Nexus debuts.
Wow, a whole 10 months at least?!?! Just so you know, most people have to wait a full two years!
Who says you have to wait 2 years? I signed a two year contract with the iPhone 4 and then 1 year later i bought the Galaxy S II unlocked version and just swiped my sim card. Granted I paid full price tho.
You complained that you have to buy new phones every couple of months, yet are fortunate enough to be able to update when you want. Apparently you don’t see the problem with that.
There is no problem with that… A Phone costs what? $199 on contract… a short year later sells that phone for about $300 maybe if lucky being that its a year old Gs2 and maybe there was a couple hundred saved over the course of time and Puts that towards a maybe used or ebay iPhone 4 at a lil less than Msrp from apple. Then that next year the contract finishes and he/she doesn’t have to pay full price again but the sub rate
That’s all fine and dandy…..but he isn’t talking about buying old phones!
Wow, a whole 11 months?
Sir, I respect you. I have never made it that far.
I feel for you, brother. It must be terrible to have that much disposable income.
Oh man. Google.. take my money!
I’m excited, yes, but I worry that this might mean even more android fragmentation.
Really? -_-
You really worry about “fragmentation”?
I haven’t noticed any issues with the dreaded “fragmentation” since ICS.
I recommend you seek professional help, worrying about things that you shouldn’t worry about is a bit obsessive.
O_o
“Worry” is probably too strong of a word for my level of concern. But yes, I would have liked it HTC had supported their at-the-time flagship phone with OS updates.
I have JB on my at-the-time flagship… Maybe your ship is just older than mine.
HTC actually support their phones!? Blasphemer!
^_^
I completely agree that we all would like HTC to give a damn, and support their phones in a more timely fashion. I would also like them to have larger batteries, and to stop being d**ks towards the ROM community by allowing S-OFF…
I don’t buy that rumor unless it runs something different than android which is doubtful. Most likely Key lime Pie that will of course will go to the Nexus devices as well. Just a rumor to build hype.
So does this report mean that the next Nexus IS the X-Phone?
“Can we expect a non-stock Android device designed directly by Google?”
That’s basically saying “Can we expect a non-stock Google device designed directly by Google?”
If it’s designed by Google, it will be stock. Plain and simple.
Very exciting. We’ll see if Google shoots itself in the foot with an inadequate non removable battery and only 16gb of Internal storage.
I see Samsung really sweating nervously this year. There are so many amazing Android phones this year, either already here or on the way. The only device that beasts them all in terms of functionality is the Note II. These phones also all seem to be more beautiful than what Samsung had to offer
With the latest news that the Samsung Galaxy S IV will look pretty much like the S III, Samsung might just be screwed.
Samsung aren’t sweating anything. Even if this Moto phone prints f**king money, Sammy will still sell GS4’s by the boatload.
I’m gonna be kinda pissed if it has key lime pie while I’m sitting here with my Nexus 4 running JB. I won’t be as pissed when I sell my N4 for the X though =D
The only thing that might bring me back to Motorola after my Bionic experience. lol
I have a hard time believing that they could beat the N4’s price point.
I highly doubt it will be priced like the N4.
I would like to be proven wrong however. :D
Prices that low would destroy margins and cannibalize any contract offerings. I would guess lower than the standard $650-$700 range but higher than Nexus 4. Perhaps $400-$450
The Galaxy S IV is going to have to be one hell of a phone for Samsung to win me over again. I love my S III, but between what HTC and Sony have shown so far, and now this X-Phone, I could go in a lot of different directions…
bring it!!!!!
damn ok, then im gonna go get a cheap nokia today instead of the n4. so i can get a really good phone when going university
Time for Moto’s redemption.
This excites me. However, I hope this “entirely new software experience with features never seen on a smartphone” make their way to the Nexus line as well.
This^^. I’ve been waiting for a motorola phone that isn’t tied to the carrier for years; but i took the plunge on a N4 so now I can’t really justify a new phone in 6 months…
The S IV and X will surely own the top end market in 2013. I’m happy this falls right in line with my update schedule. I can’t wait for them to achieve sentience and start battling each other.
Software has never been Moto’s strong suit, so makes sense to let the Google guys do it.
the only way i’d really regret buying my N4 is if this one has massively more storage (or removeable, doubt it.) or massively larger battery. I will say i’m not super impressed with my n4’s battery life but it isn’t terrible (sometimes for reasons i can’t fathom it drains rapidly though)
GSam Battery Monitor — free app in Play store — is a great tool that gives you detailed information of anything and everything that is using your battery.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gsamlabs.bbm&feature=nav_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDNd
neXus
this should fall nicely after my next device renewal comes up. Pass the gnex to the wife, this should be my next.
If it’s priced like the Nexus 4, you won’t really have to wait for the device renewal… That’s kind of the point.
Is Motorola “all that?” (serious question… my only experience with Moto quality was a DX that I couldn’t get rid of fast enough — that thing sucked and blew at the same time.)
I’m having a hard time believing this too. I had an atrix hd that gave me nothing but a headache. It would lag in gaming despite having the same hardware as my one s before it, and this was one of their new phones. Despite looking like stock it was just slooow. Even the home screen lagged. People actually said the word ewww when they used it. Hopefully Google is the one doing all the software work.
You guys are quite optimistic. I read that as the phone possibly not running Android at all…
I read that as the phone will have Key Lime Pie. Y’now… totally new UI.
Super excited. Still might get the N4 tho.
Hooray! A whole new level of fragmentation. /sarcasm
Chrome OS on a phone?
this is clearly the best opportunity for Motorola to become the world’s #3 smartphone manufacturer behind SAMSUNG and Foxconn (iphone/nokia) with their 8-core XPHONE and XTABLET miracles.
1983: Motorola DynaTac 8000X.
2013: Motorola X.
In Google we Trust.
Looks like its time to go buy some Google I/O tickets!
As long as they leave the bootloader unlocked and it is sold under Google’s Play Store, the XDA community will treat it as a Nexus device just like we did with the Motorola Droid and would have continued to do if Motorola wasn’t stupid and locked the damned things up.
I’m sorry, but I just don’t see a phone like this selling at the same price point as the N4…how could it, assuming the rumored specs to be true? I hope I’m wrong, but until I see something substantial in the way of leaks, I’m not going to hold my breath.
I hate 2 year contracts.
Could it have a laser
projector?
Lets hope they anticipate the demand and order enough stock this time.
Google is like sex and breath. You never get tired of it!
LOVE GOOGLE!
is this 5555th article? if so congrats.
I don’t want to be negative, but where does it say anything about a totally ‘new UI’? It sounds as if Android will just be bundled and integrated even better than it already is?
if you think about it if google developes it no mattter what its stack android
maybe this new experience will be klp?