Motorola Launches Moto X Play and Moto X Style Along With Moto G

Motorola launches the next generation Moto X smartphones with big camera upgrades.

Moto X Style. (Photo: Motorola)

Motorola has refreshed its Android smartphones with better cameras and other improvements as it seeks to lure customers who want lower-cost alternatives.

The new models - the Moto G, Moto X Play and Moto X Style - will appeal largely to people who have to pay full prices for phones, rather than discounted prices that come with two-year service contracts.

“We’re about delivering great mobile user experiences at a price that doesn’t break the bank,” Motorola President Rick Osterloh said in an interview.

While Motorola launched the Moto G 3rd Gen in India at a starting price of Rs 11,999, the company hasn’t announced prices for the Moto X models, but they are expected to be a few hundred dollars cheaper than high-end phones, which cost $600 or more without a contract in the US.

In touting improved cameras, Osterloh carefully said that they will deliver some of the best pictures “at this price point.” Apple and Samsung, in particular, have been advancing phone-camera technology with better auto-focus and low-light performance. Their high-end phones also have other wizardry such as fingerprint sensors for bypassing passcodes.

The 5-inch Moto G will have a 13-megapixel camera, up from 8-megapixels in last year’s model. Motorola says the phone will be able to withstand dunking in up to three feet of water for up to 30 minutes. All models will support 4G cellular connections; in the past, 4G models of the Moto G cost more.

Moto X Play. (Photo: Motorola)

The cameras on the Moto X phones will be 21 megapixels, up from 13 megapixels, but they won’t have extensive water protection. The 5.5-inch Play model promises two days of battery life while the company says the 5.7-inch Style should last more than a day. The Style will have a sharper screen than the Play and more customisation options, including wood and leather backs for a higher price.

The Moto G goes on sale exclusively on Flipkart in India and the Moto X models will follow later this year in India.