Can the Moto X Make Motorola Relevant Again?

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By Christina Warren2013-08-01 16:32:04 UTC

This post reflects the opinions of the author and not necessarily those of Mashable as a publication.

Motorola and Google on Thursday will formally announce details of the much-anticipated Moto X smartphone. The phone, which is the first product developed under the auspices of both Motorola and Google, is highly customizable and manufactured in America. Its launch will be accompanied by a massive $500 million ad campaign.

Already the early media buzz has dubbed the phone as a potential iPhone killer and a strong competitor to Samsung's monstrously successful Galaxy line. But can the Moto X really revive Motorola's brand? Will consumers care enough about this phone?

Motorola's Tough Road

Motorola is a company that helped definite the cellular phone as we know it. In the 1990s, the Motorola StarTAC was the phone for business professionals. In the early 2000s, Motorola cemented its place in history with the iconic Razr. The Razr was one of the most successful cell phones of all time and Motorola milked that cow for all it was worth.

Unfortunately, that success may have led to the company's slow embrace of modern smartphones in the post-iPhone era. It wasn't until the original Motorola Droid — which debuted in late 2009 — that Motorola had another hit.

By the time Google acquired the company for $12.5 billion in 2011, Motorola's fortunes in smartphone sales had reversed, losing significant ground to Samsung, HTC and others in the Android space.

Now, more than a year after the Google-Motorola deal was finalized, the Moto X is supposed to be the fruits of the partnership — offering the best of Motorola's hardware with Google's software ingenuity.

But the smartphone market is now more competitive than ever. Google's Android is the leading operating system — but it's Samsung — not Motorola or Google's Nexus line — that dominates the sales charts.

The big question with the Moto X is, will it be enough to bring customers back to the Motorola?

Can Motorola Play to Win?

The toughest road ahead for the Moto X is whether or not the phone will be enough to go against the strong Android competition. Ironically, that competition includes Motorola itself.

Last week, Motorola and Verizon unveiled three new phones under the Droid brand. These phones include a low-powered core and new software features also rumored to be coming to the Moto X.

So not only does the Moto X have to compete against the Galaxy S4 and HTC One, it's also potentially going against its own Droid Ultra and Droid Maxx phones. Yes, those are exclusive to one carrier, but it happens to be the No. 1 carrier in the U.S.

I can't even pretend to understand how Motorola plans to differentiate the Droid line against the Moto X on store shelves.

Everyone Loves a Comeback Story

Motorola and Google could still pull success out of its hat. If the phone is unique, attractive and priced to move — the issues surrounding competition and brand clarity may not matter.

We'll be interested to see the role Google plays in the marketing of the Moto X.

Do you think the Moto X will make Motorola more relevant? Let us know in the comments.

Image: Google+/Дима Прокопенко

Topics: Android, Gadgets, Mobile, Moto X, Motorola, opinion, Tech