This is really good news for Motorola fans.
One of the big questions coming out of Google’s announcement of the Android One Moto X4 coming to Project Fi was what impact this had on the release of a “normal” Motorola version in the U.S. Thankfully, Motorola has confirmed to Android Central that there will be a standard, unlocked, Motorola software version of the Moto X4 hitting the U.S. this year.
That means it would no longer be part of the Android One program, and would offer all of the Motorola-specific features and tweaks so many of us enjoy using. On the other side of the coin, it’s also likely to have more relaxed standards in terms of a commitment to software updates.
It looks like a really nice phone, but it’s probably not worth changing carriers for.
This is a big sigh of relief for those who were intrigued by the idea of the mid-range Moto X4 being a great phone at a reasonable $399 price, but weren’t willing (or able) to switch carriers for it. While the Android One Moto X4 is most likely unlocked (like the Nexuses and Pixels before it) and able to be used on other carriers after purchase, it isn’t so different from the standard Moto X4 that it’s worth jumping through the hoops of buying one through Project Fi with no intent to use it there.
Motorola isn’t offering any more specifics in terms of pricing, release time frame or retailers, but we can expect that the $399 price will carry over to the regular U.S. model when it’s released. We’d expect Motorola to let the Android One news die down a bit and make an independent announcement in October.
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