Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Motorola Mobility will soon release a lower-cost variant to its flagship Moto X smartphone, a product that may be called the Moto DVX, according to leaked photos and several blog reports.
According to the photos, the DVX will have a slightly smaller screen at 4.3 inches or 4.5 inches, compared to the Moto X's 4.7-inch display. The phone will also have fewer options in terms of interchangeable back plates, the reports indicate. Additionally, according to documents filed with the FCC, the gadget will not support LTE networks, which could mean that the DVX is destined for prepaid carriers. According to Android Police, the FCC documents say that the phone is certified for GSM service on the 850 MHz and 1900 MHz bands.
Curiously though, a leaked photo of a training meeting at Sprint (NYSE:S) MVNO Republic Wireless indicated that the carrier is planning to launch the DVX as well. Republic recently said it will start selling the Moto X in November for $299 without a contract.
A Motorola spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
That Motorola might be working on a cheaper version of the Moto X shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside said when the Moto X launched in August that such a device would be coming, though he did not provide specifics. "Moto X is the brand that we are most focused on," he told CNET. "And there is more to come. You will see additional products within months."
Meanwhile, Motorola, which only released the Moto X in late August, is still going strong with its string of "lazy phone" ads for the gadget, in which a bearded man pretends to act as someone's smartphone, full of annoyances and delays that Motorola claims the Moto X eliminates via features such as voice control.
For more:
- see this Phone Arena post
- see this Android Police post
- see this CNET article
- see this The Verge article
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