All the news from Motorola’s Moto X event – The Verge

Under Lenovo, Motorola is more like Google than it ever was

2015-07-29T13:24:47-04:00

Now that we've had a moment to catch our breath after all the excitement surrounding the Windows 10 release, let's rewind to the other big news of this week: the launch of Motorola's 2015 smartphone lineup. Moto hosted three simultaneous events and launched three different phones on Tuesday, but there was one unifying vision tying them all together. And that vision, even under the ownership of new parent company Lenovo, is very much in the spirit of Motorola's former owner, Google.

At Google I/O this year, Sundar Pichai set out Google's internal mission as being the development of technology that works for and is accessible to everyone. Tha …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Moto X Pure Edition camera forecast: mostly sunny with scattered doubts

2015-07-28T14:11:11-04:00

We've said it once and then said it again and won't stop saying it: the camera matters, especially on Android, where the points of differentiation between flagship phones are becoming increasingly small. The Galaxy S6, HTC One M9, LG G4, and the new Moto X Style (or Moto X Pure Edition, if you live in the US) are all universally fast, well built, and (for the most part) have better-designed software than ever. That leaves the camera as the main sticking point, and luckily we've seen great progress from Samsung and LG (HTC: not so much). The last of the big four Android makers to check in is Motorola. And it's checking in with some very big t …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Motorola releases two new wireless headphones for only $59.99 and $69.99

2015-07-28T11:08:41-04:00

In addition to unveiling three new flagship smartphones, Motorola is releasing two new wireless headphones to pair with the devices. Available starting today, the Moto Pulse and Moto Surround are attractive (and attractively priced) enough to lure in anyone interested in Motorola's lineup.

The Moto Pulse is a classic pair of on-ear headphones aimed at Beats lovers, featuring 40mm speaker drivers that put them in the same lane as other, bass-ier headphones. The cans boast a 60-foot wireless range and can last up to 18 hours on a single charge.

The Moto Surround, on the other hand, are the kind of around-the-collar wireless earbuds most ofte …

Read the full story at The Verge.

The five most important things from Motorola’s Moto X event

2015-07-28T10:51:33-04:00

In 2013, Motorola Mobility introduced the Moto X, its first smartphone since being acquired by Google. The Moto X didn't have the best specs on the market, but it did have something virtually no other phone had: customizability. The Moto Maker store let buyers pick the color of the phone's backplate and accents, eventually adding options like a bamboo case. Motorola followed up with the Moto G, perhaps the cheapest usable smartphone on the market.

We're now on the third generation of Moto phones, and Motorola didn't have many surprises for us at its event today - especially since most of the details leaked out beforehand. It announced three …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Moto G hands-on: Motorola’s most popular phone gets a premium upgrade

2015-07-28T10:17:54-04:00

Much of the surprise surrounding the next version of the Moto G faded last week, after leaks told us nearly everything there is to know about the device. Motorola's "cheap" phone can't really be called low-end anymore. Like a car that got introduced as a value machine, it has steadily increased in power and features until it's become solidly a mid-range Android phone now - one that's still impressive.

But what does "mid-range Android phone" even mean in 2015? The ever-changing and ever-more-complicated striations in the Android market are hard to keep track of, so let's break it down. It has a 13-megapixel camera partially borrowed from the …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Hands on with Motorola’s new Moto X Style

2015-07-28T10:07:04-04:00

Motorola just announced the latest version of its flagship Moto X, which is now called the Moto X Style. It looks a lot like last year's Moto X, but it comes with a bigger, higher resolution display and a new, 21-megapixel camera. It's going to be available this September for $399 unlocked. And this time around, it will work on any of the major carriers in the US.

Motorola is making a big bet and some weird branding decisions with the Style. In the US, at least, the bet is that consumers will spring to buy it directly from Motorola, Amazon, or Best Buy. We confirmed here that it will not be available in any carrier stores. That's the bet, a …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Moto X Pure Edition will sell for $399 in the US this fall

2015-07-28T09:52:34-04:00

Motorola is pushing off-contract phones in a big way this year. As in, it isn't even selling the Moto X Style - its new 5.7-inch flagship - on contract in the US. Instead, it's rebranding that phone for the US as the Moto X Pure Edition, which will sell for for $399 unlocked. It's a surprisingly low price for one of Motorola's typically high-quality phones, especially since the Moto X is a pretty powerful device. The Pure Edition is designed to work on any US carrier, but because it comes straight from Motorola, it comes without carrier branding or bloatware. It's even customizable, just like the standard Style. Motorola also says that the P …

Read the full story at The Verge.

You can customize and buy the new Moto G with LTE today

2015-07-28T09:31:56-04:00

This year's Moto G may have been one of Motorola's worst-kept secrets, but it's still taking the time to formally announce the new smartphone on stage today. And Motorola's announcement actually confirms one important thing: the new Moto G now includes LTE as part of its standard model. That hasn't been the case until now, and it was one of the low-cost smartphone's biggest downsides. With this new model, which Motorola is releasing today, the Moto G becomes an even more compelling choice for people looking for a cheap smartphone. Even without LTE, it was already our go-to choice.

LTE is now in every configuration of the Moto G

The new Moto G …

Read the full story at The Verge.

The Moto X Play is cheaper than the competition and has a massive battery

2015-07-28T09:24:33-04:00

In addition to the third-gen Moto G and Moto X Style, Motorola today unveiled the new Moto X Play, a new, bigger Moto X that's cheaper than the competition and has an absolutely massive battery.

The Moto X Play as a little more than a spec bump and cosmetic refresh as compared to last year's Moto X. In terms of size, the Play features a 5.5-inch, 1080p screen and a huge 3630mAh battery. That's huge and important, and will more than likely address the poor battery life found in the original and 2nd-gen Moto X.

Battery life is one of the Moto X's classic pain points

In addition, the Play will also have a 21MP rear-camera and a 5MP front-facin …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Motorola announces 5.7-inch Moto X Style with ‘best-in-class’ camera

2015-07-28T09:15:21-04:00

The new Moto X is now official: it's a 5.7-inch Android Lollipop smartphone with "one of the best cameras in the world" and it carries the title of Moto X Style. This new Moto smartphone has a 21-megapixel image sensor and comes with a bold promise from Marketing VP Adrienne Hayes, who says that Motorola "can guarantee the cameras in our phones will now be best in class." Beyond the camera, the Moto X Style also has very small bezels around the screen, making it feel smaller than its large display would suggest, and it has "the world's fastest turbo charging" plus LTE compatibility with all US carriers.

A few more of the …

Read the full story at The Verge.