Motorola has officially unveiled its brand new Moto X smartphone, so here's how it compares to its predecessor in terms of specifications.
The original Moto X drew plenty of attention last year, as it was something new for the smartphone market. While it didn't boast the high-end specs and features of other flagship smartphones out there, it offered unprecedented and unparalleled customization options that made it stand out of the crowd. While other companies allowed consumers to choose from a few available color options and configurations, Motorola offered more than 2,000 possible combinations for designing a personalized Moto X smartphone through the Moto Maker customization tool.
The new Moto X is now even more impressive than its predecessor, boasting notable improvements in virtually every department. The new iteration comes with a bigger display, a better resolution, a faster processor, better graphics, a better camera, as well as a slightly larger battery. On the downside, the new generation Moto X still doesn't allow for expandable storage.
"The new Moto X is designed with a sense of style and balance, featuring a curved metal frame, vivid 5.2" Full HD display, and authentic materials such as FSC certified woods and genuine Horween leather that feel great in your hand," Motorola touts in its announcement. "Moto X gives you fast performance with the latest, unadulterated version of Android along with the quickest updates. Enhanced voice control lets you select a custom prompt, and use your voice to do just about anything. Plus, Moto X learns your preferences and adapts to you, making everyday interactions easier. Creating your standout style is simple through our online customization studio, Moto Maker, available in the United States and International markets."
To get a better idea of what the new iteration has to offer over the original Moto X, here's a spec comparison to see how the new Moto X compares to its predecessor.
New Moto X (2014) vs. original Moto X (2013)
The new Moto X sports a 5.2-inch AMOLED display with a full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and a pixel density of 423 ppi, whereas its predecessor has a 4.7-inch AMOLED display with an HD resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels and a pixel density of 316 ppi.
Under the hood, the new Moto X packs a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor clocked at 2.5GHz, paired with Adreno 330 graphics, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB or 32GB of internal storage capacity. The original Moto X, meanwhile, features a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor clocked at 1.7GHz, paired with Adreno 320 graphics, 2GB of RAM, and the same internal storage configurations (16 and 32GB). As previously mentioned, none of the Moto X models have microSD support for additional storage.
In the camera department, the new Moto X has a 13-megapixel rear camera with ring flash, and a 2-megapixel front shooter. The original Moto X has a 10-megapixel rear shooter with LED flash, and a 2-megapixel front camera.
The new Moto X also sports slight improvements in the battery department compared to its predecessor, packing a 2,300 mAh unit as opposed to the 2,200 mAh one found on the original model.
On the software side, both generations run Android 4.4 KitKat. Connectivity options are expected to be mainly the same, with the difference that the new model has infrared and its predecessor does not. Motorola has yet to provide more information regarding the new Moto X's specs or sensors.
Lastly, the new iteration also comes with notable improvements in terms of build quality, sporting an aluminum frame and wood//leather options, compared to the polycarbonate/wood materials of the original model.
In other words, the new Moto X is notable superior compared to the original model released last year, as it boasts better specs and features all around, as well as a better build. It remains to be seen, however, whether it will manage to attract buyers even if it doesn't have a microSD card slot for additional memory, as this aspect was a big drawback in the original model as well.
Motorola is yet to provide an exact launch date for its new Moto X, with the product page mentioning only that it's "coming soon." In its announcement, however, Motorola did say that the new Moto X is set to hit countries in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia, starting later this month. The smartphone will come with a $99.99 price tag with a new two-year contract on select U.S. carriers, or $499.99 unlocked and contract-free.
In the meantime, check out the promo video below to learn more about the new Moto X.
