So it’s probably just a few more days before we actually see Motorola’s brand spanking new Moto G launched in Brazil, and leaks are showing up all over the place. Swiss retail website Digitec just did an “oops” when it published a complete listing of the new Moto G, but is completely unrepentant, it seems, because the listings are still there as of writing.
The images from the listing show that Motorola is giving the phone a bit more of a premium feel to it – going with a textured back and an LG-like metallic fixture down the middle of the phone’s back cover. How are you guys liking the shape of this new “budget” phone so far?
It’s interesting to look at the specs on the listing – although they could be placeholders. It lists a 5-inch Full HD (1080p) display, contrary to the rumored 720p display. It also lists 2GB of RAM, which would be quite a boost to this phone. It also comes out with the rumored quad-core processor, which we hope to be the Qualcomm Snapdragon 610, but in all reality could be the rumored Snapdragon 410.
The price is listed at 235 Swiss francs, which translates to around USD$245. This has been our worry for this phone. The Moto G’s predecessors banked heavily on solid specs at a sub-$200 price point. Will this phone still compete if the price increases to nearly USD$250?
2 GB of RAM is cool, as is a 1080p screen. “The Moto G’s predecessors banked heavily on solid specs at a sub-$200 price point.” And Motorola’s last profitable quarter was when, exactly? There is a difference between ripping people off with overpriced devices like Apple and arguably Samsung do, and wanting something for nothing. It would be one thing if a company sold devices at cost to try to make it up on services and content the way that Amazon does with Kindle tablets and Xiaomi does. But everyone else has to make money on hardware.
The only way that Motorola – or anyone else – is going to be able to sell quality devices for less than $200 is to switch from Qualcomm SOCs to the subsidized Intel or the despised MediaTEK ones. Oh, and to sign deals with Microsoft and everyone else to pre-load bloatware like Asus did. That is right: Asus signed bloatware deals with everyone they could find, used the Intel SOC and was still only able to get the 2 GB version of their Zenfone 2 down to $199. And unlike Motorola, Asus actually makes a net profit every quarter.
Kind’a cool see my allthings digital goto store featured in on of the websites I visit regularly. Digitec is quite good BTW. 😉