Moto X is an Android smartphone developed and manufactured by Motorola Mobility, and released in August 2013.
The Moto X was the first smartphone from the company fully developed under Google - which acquired Motorola Mobility in 2012 – introduced with a brand refresh, and a new flagship design language replacing the "sharp" metallic and Kevlar coating used since the original Droid. It was primarily aimed at "mainstream" consumers, distinguished by features taking advantage of voice recognition (through Google Now) and contextual awareness, the ability for users to custom-order the device in their own choice of color options, and emphasizing the fact that the phone had final assembly completed in the United States. It was backed by a large advertising campaign. The Moto X was available on all U.S. carriers rather than being a Verizon exclusive.
Moto X was met with mostly positive reviews, with particular praise towards its hardware design, Motorola's new approach to customizing Android, along with its suite of contextual features, and the influence of its "mainstream" targeting on its overall performance, user experience, and battery life. Its camera, while praised for its user interface, was criticised for inconsistent image quality (later updated with an OTA software patch), and the lack of certain advanced features for the sake of simplicity. Before its release it was tipped as Motorola's "comeback" device. Despite positive reception, the Moto X did not fare well commercially, having failed to grasp enough sales against rival makes.
The Moto X was succeeded by the second generation Moto X on September 5, 2014.
Development
On August 15, 2011, Google announced its intent to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion; At the time, Motorola had its fifth straight quarter of losses, and Google also wanted to have access to the company's portfolio of 17,000 issued patents as a means of defending its Android mobile operating system. Following the closure of the acquisition in 2012, rumors began circulating that Google and Motorola were developing a device known internally as the "X Phone", which would be the company's next flagship device. Reports indicated that the device was to have a focus on unique functionality in an effort to compete against Apple and fellow Android vendor Samsung, and that the company had experimented with curved screens and ceramics as possible hardware aspects. While Motorola's new CEO Dennis Woodside declined to comment directly on the X Phone project, he did mention that the company now had the "resources to do big things" because of its acquisition by Google and that Motorola was "investing in a team and a technology that will do something quite different than the current approaches."
At a press conference hosted by AllThingsD in May 2013, Woodside publicly teased a new Motorola device known as Moto X. Although Woodside did not present the device (which he claimed was in his pocket), he did reveal that Moto X would be "contextually aware", and had two special processors which would allow it to do so while maintaining sufficient battery life. Woodside also announced that the phone would be designed and manufactured in a factory outside of Fort Worth, employing 2,000 people, and would be released by October 2013. Later details revealed that the phone would be available across all four national carriers in the United States, and that Motorola planned to spend $500 million on marketing Moto X. The device was designed to appeal to mainstream users as determined by focus groups and surveys, with a focus on unique functionality and ensuring long battery life as opposed to a focus on reaching high-end specifications. Motorola design head Jim Wicks stated that Moto X was "really not about being intimidating and tech, it's really about being human and comfortable."
Moto X was revealed publicly for the first time during a press event on August 1, 2013, where it was announced that the device would be released by all major U.S. carriers, while Rogers Wireless later announced it would exclusively sell the device in Canada.