Updated by Jeffrey Van Camp on 2-25-2014 at Mobile World Congress: I’m at a Motorola event in Barcelona and Motorola executives just confirmed that Moto Maker is coming to Europe in March, beginning with the UK. The Moto X is available now.
Motorola has confirmed the Moto X smartphone will launch in several European countries at the beginning of February, following not only its success in the U.S., but also the international release of the cheaper Moto G. At the moment, the Moto X is set to hit stores in the UK, France, and Germany, at a cost of £380/400 euros.
While we’re pleased the well-received Moto X will be sold elsewhere, it’s not all good news, as Motorola won’t be opening up the Moto Maker software for Europe. This means buyers will get a regular black or white model from which to choose, instead of customizing their own through the Moto Maker website. Shame.
However, that’s the least of the problems. The Moto X’s price is considerably higher than in the U.S., and way beyond the bargain status of the Moto G. A SIM-free, unconnected Moto X is $400, which converts over to around £245. That’s £135 less expensive than the same phone will cost in the UK, or the equivalent of a whole Moto G. According to early reports, the on-contract price will start at £25 per month.
The phone itself remains the same, so European buyers will get a 4.7-inch 720p touchscreen, Android 4.4.2, the Motorola X8 mobile computing system, 2GB of RAM, a 10-megapixel camera, plus a choice of 16GB or 32GB internal memory. Additionally, the Moto X comes with voice recognition, a selection of gesture controls, and the cool active homescreen for discreet and fast notifications.
Sales of the Moto X will start in the UK on February 1, and while we’re fans of the device, we’re not sure it’s worth three times the price of the Moto G. It’s also going to face stiff competition from the similarly priced Nexus 5. All that said, we’re glad Motorola is paying attention to the European market again, even if it is a bit late in doing so.
