Motorola President Rick Osterloh has already confirmed that the company will launch the third generation Moto X later this year. We’ve also seen multiple alleged leaks claiming to reveal the hardware specifications of the device. One such leak about the upcoming gadget had claimed the device will come with a 5.2 inch Quad HD (2560 x 1440) display, 4 GB RAM, a 16 megapixel rear camera, a 5 megapixel front camera, a 3280 mAh battery, Android 5.1.1 Lollipop and will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 808 processor. But another, more recent report claimed the device will be offered in two sizes – a smaller 5.2 inch variant (XT1542) and a larger 5.7 inch phablet (XT1097) – both apparently sporting Quad HD displays. The device is also said to come in two storage options of 32 and 64 GB. While the veracity of either of those claims are yet to be ascertained, it was to be expected that more such leaks will turn up as we get closer to the launch of the device.
A new leak now claims that at least the 5.2 inch (XT1542) variant will be powered by the Snapdragon 810 SoC rather than the Snapdragon 808. While the Snapdragon 810 is a more powerful chip than the 808, and comes with obvious performance benefits especially in the graphics department, there have been reams of columns written about the supposed overheating of Qualcomm’s top-of-the-line chip since last year. Things haven’t gotten any better since then, with recent reports of the HTC M9, powered by the Snapdragon 810, getting overheating warning on AnTuTu. While OEMs like HTC and Sony have already released flagships (One M9 and Xperia Z3+ respectively) powered by the Snapdragon 810, others like OnePlus have confirmed that the company’s next generation flagship – the OnePlus Two – will be powered by the same chip.
As for the latest leaks, it remains to be seen how reliable they are, but since most of the reported specs are roughly along expected lines for flagships awaiting release over the next few months, it is unlikely that the third generation Moto X’s hardware would vary significantly. The only question that still remains to be answered is whether the slight performance benefit will really trump excessive heating. For that matter, is the heating issue real to begin with? The debates and discussions surrounding the chip meanwhile, continue unabated.