X Phone with Android 5.0 could herald Motorola comeback

The rumour mills are abuzz with news that Motorola may be working on a new flagship smartphone, dubbed the X Phone. After a successful couple of years as an Android smartphone and tablet manufacturer, the company is battling to stay relevant and revive flagging interest in the Motorola brand with the X Phone, which is expected to have top-of-the-line specs.

News about the new device originated on DroidForums, where a post details the features and unconfirmed specs of the X Phone. According to forum user dgstorm, the new X Phone will be unveiled at Google I/O in May 2013 along with the latest version of Android OS, widely believed to be Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie.

Can the X Phone revive Motorola's magic?

The X Phone will also feature a 5-inch edge-to-edge display in a package believed to be similar in size and dimensions to the Samsung Galaxy S III. Besides its bezel-free design, the display is expected to be full-HD in keeping with the 2013 phone launches. That and the fact that Google normally reserves new versions of Android for the Nexus line-up, lend credence to the Nexus 5 talk floating around. But the X Phone, the rumour states, will not be a Nexus device. Instead, it is said to be running a brand new Motorola-developed skin on top, which will be very close to the pure Android experience. However, it is unclear at this moment if the moniker is just a working title or the actual name of the device. One possible reasoning behind the name could be that the phone is intended to be a cross-carrier device.

After its acquisition by Google, Motorola has been relatively quiet on the new devices front. The company last launched the Intel-powered Razr I, but as Google CEO explained in an interview with Wired magazine last week, the Razr I was in the pipeline long before Google’s buyout. So this X Phone could very well be the first smartphone to come out of Google working closely with Motorola.

While there is little doubt that Motorola’s high-end smartphones can keep their own against the might of Samsung and Apple’s hardware onslaught, the company has come under fire for playing truant when it comes to updating its phones. So much so that it is offering a $100 credit to users whose Motorola phones won’t see a Jelly Bean update, when upgrading to a new phone. The damage done by that update fiasco could be remedied with the X Phone and more specifically by Motorola getting first dibs on the new Android version—something that holds a prized place in the Android community.

Besides being the first phone with Key Lime Pie, the X Phone is also rumoured to be Motorola’s latest salvo at staying relevant. The manufacturer is believed to be developing apps and features that will directly compete and in some manners, surpass Samsung’s offerings like S-Beam. What we can be sure about is that Google I/O is becoming THE place to be, year after year. After last year’s Jelly Bean launch and Google Glass preview, the 2013 edition is already shaping up to be a scorcher.