To date, Google has successfully kept under wraps the salient details on one of the most talked about smartphones of the year, the Nexus 5, leading to speculations that most likely the handset is none other than the Moto X.

The assumption makes sense - Google owns Motorola Mobility and business logic dictates it taps in-house talents to put together the device that will replace the popular Nexus 4. Besides, the decision will allow the tech giant to start recouping the investments it made in acquiring a name that is synonymous to the invention of cellular phones.

Is Moto X, first referred to as the Motorola X-Phone, really the Nexus 5? There are many reasons to believe it is but we are citing three reasons here to prove otherwise - that another device maker will build the powerful and affordable vanilla Android phone.

Moto X is not pure Android

Details about the upcoming Motorola handset strongly suggest that its maker is deviating from the known Nexus model - independent release. Google issued the previous makes not only with stock Android but also without official tie ups with global distribution. The rationale behind this is to unshackle users from services not of their choice, giving them the freedom to access networks that best fit their needs and budget. We've that in Nexus 4, specifically.

The same is not true with Moto X, which reports suggest will rollout initially in the United States in direct tandem with telcos like AT&T and Sprint. Entering on these deals, the likelihood is Motorola will have to make concessions and one of them is packaging the device with services that are easily identifiable to network providers. It would be hardly surprising that out of the box, Moto X comes with apps supplied by firms wanting to get users' attention and their cash as well.

The Moto X brand tells the whole story

Leaks, specs and images, have been coming out and they decisively point to one thing - Motorola is coming up with a handset minus the Nexus branding. There is no single indicator - no logo, no Nexus printed on any part of the Moto X - that suggests Nexus 5 and Moto X is one and the same product cooked up by the ingenious minds coming from Google and Motorola. This confirms earlier reports that Google has decided to withdraw from its active participation in the so-called X-Phone project, giving its division free-hand in finalising the final make of the Moto X.

The reason given - what was taking form then was not Nexus enough, which brings is to the third evidence why Moto X is not the Nexus 5 Android fans are waiting for.

Moto X specs fall short of the Nexus 5 requirements

A new report from Phone Arena showed the supposed Moto X - still no Nexus trace - plus the following attributes: a dual-core CPU, Jelly Bean 4.2, a 10MP main cam sensor, 720p display resolution and removable back cover. Experts are in agreement that these details merely define a mid-range device and not the top-notch smartphone that Google intends to pit against the likes of iPhone 5S, Galaxy S4 and HTC One.

Nexus 4 already established a benchmark that the above specs will not measure up to and it is safe to say that Google is still in the process of cooking up the final Nexus 5 serving, and the tech giant will release it red-hot soon with everyone enraptured. That is not the case with the looming Moto X release date, though.