The Moto X had been out for a little while before I was finally able to get my hands on it and really try it out. I'm not shy about admitting that Motorola's hero device in 2013 was a great handset, and truly deserved all of the praise it received from critics across the board. The Moto X was a great new start for the manufacturer, especially when you take in Moto Maker, and the amount of customization offer to the consumer.
I was pretty close to falling in love with the Moto X, and it was very nearly my favorite handset of 2013, but my gripes with the device were pretty huge. Big enough to give the gold and silver medals to other handsets. While I did have an issue with the camera, my biggest complaint was the price tag, right from the beginning. The Moto X was a mid-range device, there just wasn't any other way to look at it, and yet Motorola priced it right along with some of the best high-end devices out there at the time. For me, while I *wanted* to recommend the Moto X to plenty of people, I did so with massive hesitation, and plenty of fine text about that price tag and the other devices out there in the market.
With that in mind, I'm kind of shocked that I'm looking at the rumored specs for the Moto X+1 and thinking it's going to be an easy choice this year.
As it stands right now, we haven't really heard much about the Moto X+1, at least not in any definitive way. We've seen plenty of rumors, sure, but they've all been focused mainly on one thing: the display size. Rumors suggest that the Moto X+1 is going to have a larger display than the original Moto X, and that shouldn't be too surprising to anyone, honestly. The latest rumors, based on an unnamed source at Motorola, suggest that the display will indeed be bigger, and have a 1080p HD AMOLED panel. Previous rumors have said that it will be around 5.1-inches, which would indeed be quite the jump from the 4.7-inch screen on the previous generation handset.
Some other specs worth noting are the 2GB of RAM, and the fact that Motorola is apparently putting a bigger focus on the camera this time around. The company is reportedly testing out two different camera systems right now, and they're putting such a focus on it that the device could see a launch in September, rather than late August, depending on which one they go with.
First, let me just get this out of the way: I'm not expecting this device to be cheap. It's pretty clear that Motorola wants their X-branded device to be the flagship model for their Moto family of devices, with the G and E variants filling in the spaces below. The Moto X wasn't cheap despite its mid-range qualities, and if the Moto X+1 is going to boast some impressive internals, well, we should expect the price tag to reflect that.
If the specifications are worth the price tag, well, I won't have any issues recommending it at all. And I'm certainly hoping that happens. Especially when it comes to the camera. I hope Motorola has paid attention to the other companies out there, like LG, Samsung, Apple (and even HTC) and noticed their focus on the cameras in their devices. Motorola needs to follow this path, and give us a shooter that's actually worth using more often than not.
And that's why I'm excited for the next Moto handset. I have no doubt that Motorola paid attention to what they created and the feedback they received, and they're going to make the next handset even better. And I can't wait to see it. Are you looking forward to the Moto X+1?
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