Official: Moto G to be unveiled in nine days

BY Stefan Constantinescu

Published 4 Nov 2013

Motorola has just published a website teasing the “Moto G”, saying that it’ll be announced live on the internet on the 13th of November. For those who are counting, that’s just nine days away. What do we know about the Moto G thus far? Let’s set some expectations. This isn’t going to be an iPhone competitor, nor will it be a competitor to Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S5. The Moto G is rumored to be a cut down version of the Moto X that will cost around $199.

How will Google/Motorola hit such a low price point? Step one, put in an off the shelf five megapixel camera instead of using a custom 10 megapixel ClearPixel custom part that isn’t very good in the first place. Step two, use a smaller screen, because smaller panels cost less to make. Step three, skip 4G LTE connectivity; paying for those patents and that expensive modem isn’t worth it at this point in many parts of the world. These are all rumors mind you, so take that into consideration.

The biggest question, in my mind, is the distribution. The Moto X is an amazing phone that you can’t buy if you’re in Europe or Asia. That drives me up the wall. After playing with several during my recent trip to America, I’m furious that it’s a device I can’t recommend to people over on this side of the pond. Maybe this cheaper Moto G will solve that?

Stay tuned.