iPhone 5S vs. Moto X: New Google-Motorola Features are Cool, but It’s Not an iPhone Killer – Analysts
The Moto X promises of a day-long power juice, hands-free functions and precognitive features but it remains a mid-range device and hardly an iPhone 5S killer, early reviewers and reports said.
The wow-factor was there when Google and Motorola unwrapped the new mobile phone but one thing is sure, according to Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray, the Moto X will not disturb the iPhone model, more so the upcoming iPhone 5S release on September 2013.
True, the gadget comes with functions and features never seen before both in the iOS and Android systems but it "isn't significantly different than (the Galaxy S4 and HTC One) to change the current market dynamics between Android and iPhone," Mr Munster was reported by Apple Insider as saying in a new research note.
It could trigger considerable consumer interests but not enough to impact on the projected sales of the iPhone 5S in the immediate months following its September rollout. There is no compelling reason in the Moto X that should convince gadget buyers to scrap their 5S upgrade plans, Mr Munster said.
In the same way, while shoppers will surely appreciate the thousands of ways to personalise the new phone and its unique features, it is hard to imagine that the Moto X will take away significant market shares from the Android biggies like Samsung, HTC, Sony and LG, analysts said.
It will be rough ride for the Motorola flagship once these Android makers start unleashing their offerings for the second half of 2013 - the Galaxy Note 3 for Samsung, the HTC One Max for HTC, the Xperia Z Ultra and the LG G2.
These gadgets brim with inside and outside components that can be characterised only in superlative terms while that of the Moto X are undeniably outside of the upscale category.
The question is, according to Roger Cheung of CNET, "Will people want to sacrifice cutting-edge specs for a device adorned with their favorite colours?"
Clearly, Google and Motorola are betting on the possibility that opening up a device for wide-range of customisation will spark huge interests that translate to sales in big numbers.
However, it remains a big question mark if buyers are willing to skip on higher specs and pay for the mid-range Moto X just to avail of more consumer control, Mr Cheung said.
Google and Motorola is releasing the Moto X by the last week of August 2013, at the earliest, in the United States at $199 with contract and bearing the following specs: a dual-core Krait CPU with top-speed of 1.7GHz, an Adreno 320 GPU in the quad-core class, a 2GB of RAM and a 2000mAh that can deliver 24 hours of gadget use.