Motorola X Phone release date, news and rumours

10:27 AM

Google acquired Motorola Mobility a year ago but we’re still yet to see a handset slide out bearing the search giant’s brand and Moto’s design.

Rumours surrounding the X Phone have been around since December and, while neither Google nor Motorola has officially revealed anything about a potential handset, it hasn’t stopped the speculation and leaks.

It would make sense for Google to use Motorola as the manufacturer of its next Nexus-branded smartphone, as this would give the firm greater control at every stage of production – but that’s something which is far from certain.

Over in Australia, carriers have apparently already seen details of the X Phone, prompting one network head to say the handset will be a “real breakthrough, a game changer that will put pressure on Samsung and Apple”.

We’ve pulled together all the internet chatter surrounding the Motorola X Phone and stuffed it into one manageable article, just for you.

Motorola X phone release date and price

Most reports surrounding the Motorola X Phone release date seem to point towards the annual Google IO conference which takes place in mid-May.

Even if the X Phone is unveiled at IO, consumers may still have a lengthy wait before the handset lands in their sweaty palms – especially if the Nexus 4 is anything to go by which sold out in minutes when the first stock was made available, leaving many waiting for more units to turn up.

Initial reports suggested that the X Phone would arrive in stores in either June or July, but word’s got out that it’s already been delayed until Augustor later.

If the Motorola X does carry Google’s name, we could also see some rather competitive pricing as the search giant looks to undercut the top phones of the moment – such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One.

Pie or Beans

Google-branded handsets usually usher in a new version of the Android operating system, so if the Motorola X Phone does eventually end up adopting the search giant’s name you can expect it to arrive running the latest Android platform.

A new version of Android is also expected to be announced at Google IO, with early claims pointing towards Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie.

Key Lime Pie also seems to be on the cards for the X Phone, if the swathe of rumours are to be believed.

However, more recently we’ve seen reports saying that Key Lime Pie has been delayed, and instead we’ll see an updated Jelly Bean at Google IO,known as Android 4.3.

If this is the case then the X Phone could come running 4.3 instead of 5.0 – we’re just going to have to wait and see.

Look at this

The X Phone might build on the 4.7-inch display found on the Nexus 4 and rock up with a 5-inch screen with almost no bezel.

Another “tipster” doesn’t agree though, claiming the Motorola X will stick with the 4.7-inch format and instead up the resolution to Full HD, for a truly eye-popping display – something which has also been “confirmed” by a separate source.

We’re not done there though, with 4.65-inch also being bandied about as the potential screen size for the X Phone, although the unconvincing renders this information arrived with makes us question it.

Specs

In terms of power the Motorola X phone is hotly tipped to pack a 1.7GHz quad-core processor - various sources say the same thing – along with 2GB of RAM.

That’s not the only processor which has been linked to the X though, with Android World claiming it’s been told it could carry a powerful 2.3GHz Nvidia 4i chip.

The same leak also points towards the Motorola X packing a punchy 16MP camera which would put the handset head and shoulders above the current crop of flagship smartphones, plus it could measure a pocket friendly 131.2 x 66.7 x 7.9mm.

Another rumour claims that the new UI that will feature on the X phone will integrate a host of new features to rival Samsung’s S-Beam, S-Voice and the like.

In terms of storage we could well see the Motorola X offered in a 32GB guise, which will be music to some people’s ears after being left frustrated that the Nexus 4 was only available in 8GB and 16GB variants.

Real or render?

In terms of what the Motorola X Phone could potentially look like we’ve had a couple of leaks claiming to show the handset.

First up are a set of images picked up by Vietnamese site Tinhte and while the handset in question looks pretty impressive in terms of style, they appear to be renders instead of photos of the actual device.