The Moto X Pure Edition: A Flagship Phone Without The Exorbitant Price Tag

Motorolas are known for their solid build, cutting-edge engineering, and first-hand integration with the Android. They are one of the first companies to create cellular phones, and they are synonymous with “top quality.” It is understandable then, that an Android die-hard would choose a Motorola over a Samsung, an LG, or even an Asus.

When Google acquired Motorola, they wanted an OEM that could engineer the best hardware where they could showcase only the best versions of Android. Even after selling Motorola Mobility to Lenovo, Google’s paradigm and philosophy in creating bleeding-edge Android devices as they should be was retained by Lenovo. No frills, no bloatware, just pure Android goodness. And pure Android goodness is coming to US shores with the Motorola X Pure Edition.

The Moto X Pure Edition is the company’s flagship, and rightfully so: The hexa-core beauty is bigger than the S6 Edge at 5.7 inches. It has a sharper camera at 21MP as the main, and 5MP as the front cam. It even has a bigger battery at 3000 mAh. It comes with 5.1.1. Lollipop out of the box, waterproofing, a microSD card slot, and a $399 off-contract price tag for the 16GB model. Would two more cores on the S6 Edge really justify the $950 price tag?

The Specs:

-Processor: Hexa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808: Dual-core 1.8 GHz Cortex-A57, quad-core 1.44 GHz Cortex-A53

-RAM: 3GB

-Graphics: Adreno 418

-Internal Storage: 16/32/64 GB

-Cameras: 21 MP main camera with dual-LED/dual tone flash, 5MP front camera with LED flash

-Display: 5.7 inches, ~74.9% screen-to-body ratio, ~520 ppi pixel density, 1440 x 2560 pixels, coated with Corning Gorilla Glass 3

-Battery: 3,000 mAh

-Bells and Whistles: MicroSD card slot that supports up to 128GB, IP52 certified water repellant nano-coating, fast battery charging at 34% in 15 minutes, active noise cancellation with dedicated mic

Even at two cores less, and at only $399 for its 16GB model, and possibly $499 for the 32GB model, the Motorola X Pure Edition is, by far, a more sensible buy, off-contract. More than that, remember that the device will carry a pure, fresh off the Android labs version of the OS, without the bloat of an unnecessary UI overlay. It’s possibly safe to speculate that the Moto X Pure Edition might run faster than the flagship Samsungs.

Other than that, the waterproofing, the bigger battery, and the microSD card slot could pretty much steer the decision towards the Motorola X Pure Edition. Add to those the price tag, the highest-resolution camera on the market so far, and the pure version of the Android, Lollipop 5.1.1 from the get-go at that, and choosing the Moto X Pure Edition should be an easy, sensible decision to make.

The Motorola X Pure Edition is also known as the Motorola X Style outside of the US. Motorola is also releasing a mid-range version, the Motorola X Play, which might retail for $100 less.

The Moto X Pure Edition is also customizable via the Moto Maker, so a prospective buyer could choose the device’s back panel colors, as well as the material. Wood and leather are available. The silicon and leather versions sport diagonal lines that enhance the grip on the device. It’s going to be a big and powerful beauty.

The Moto X Pure Edition will be available autumn 2015.