Verizon customers, do not despair. The AT&T variant of the just-announced Motorola X may be the first to be able to be customized using Moto Maker, Verizon has confirmed that their Moto X version will be available for customization “later this year.”
Motorola finally announced its oft-leaked Motorola X smartphone today in New York City. It has been confirmed that all four major U.S. wireless carriers will stock the device. At launch, Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon will have a non-customizable version available in stores and online. AT&T customers will also have the option to use the new Moto Maker to personalize their device.
Moto Maker allows users to choose from more than 2,000 color and casing options. You can even get a wood-backed phone, if you like. AT&T has the exclusive on Moto Maker for the moment. We don’t know when that exclusive will end, but Verizon at least has confirmed that their customers will also be able to customize their Moto X.
Verizon gives us the time frame of “later this year” but does not indicate anything more specific. One of the major benefits of the Moto X phone is customization. This gives is an advantage over devices like the HTC One and Galaxy S4, as well as Apple’s iPhone. No other device on the market has the number of quality options the Motorola is offering with through Moto Maker. Verizon may not be the only other carrier to have customization options for the Motorola X. Sprint and T-Mobile are likely to announce Moto Maker compatibility as well, but we haven’t heard anything from those companies.
The Motorola X phone is relying on consumers desire to personalize their phones. The device is not looking to compete on pure specs. It has:
- 4.7 inch, 720p AMOLED display
- 1.7 GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor
- Motorola X8 processing
- 10 megapixel Clear Pixel rear camera
- 2 megapixel front camera
- Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
Although the phone is launching with Android 4.2.2, Motorola has stated that an update to Android 4.3 will be happening quickly. Motorola is also handling software updates for the new smartphone. This should facilitate much faster updates, although any updates will still need to be approved by carriers before it can be rolled out to users.
Google has also confirmed that a Moto X Google Edition smartphone will be made available in the future, but again, no timeframe or price has been announced.