Moto X 2016

[Aquila]

At what price point would everyone be ok with the Mod idea? What if the base phone is $300 and the mods are $100/ea? So, theoretically, the base experience is good across the board (great/good display, good camera, good audio), but nothing is GREAT, but also isn't terrible. (One exception being the display, which HAS to be great since you can't mod that to be better). But if you want great audio, you buy that mod. If you want great camera, you buy that mod.

So for $400 you could have a phone that is good across the board but has fantastic audio, or camera, or whatever.

Only problem I see with that plan is if you want more than one mod, in which case I guess the answer would be "get a different phone" since at that point you'd be approaching the price of competing devices that already have "GREAT" in those categories.

Disclaimer: When I say "audio" I mean headset audio since phone speakers will never be "GREAT"

I would not be on board with this unless the modules introduce functionality that is otherwise impossible in a phone. Otherwise, put it in the phone and raise the BOM by the $20 or whatever the component costs.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

I would not be on board with this unless the modules introduce functionality that is otherwise impossible in a phone. Otherwise, put it in the phone and raise the BOM by the $20 or whatever the component costs.

Nah you're missing my point entirely.

The phone would be plenty good enough for most people right out of the box for the asking price (in my example, $300). Majority of people that buy it would be very happy with their purchase. This also plays to the value perception that people have of Moto because of the E and G lines, and MXPE to a lesser extent.

The modules would allow the other people to make a particular experience top of the line (this is easier for some areas, like audio, than it is for others, like camera).

Obviously what would be bad is if the phone was $500+ but only "good" all around and then you need a module to make the audio top notch (pushing the price into the territory of the other flagships).

 

[Aquila]

Nah you're missing my point entirely.

The phone would be plenty good enough for most people right out of the box for the asking price (in my example, $300). Majority of people that buy it would be very happy with their purchase. This also plays to the value perception that people have of Moto because of the E and G lines, and MXPE to a lesser extent.

The modules would allow the other people to make a particular experience top of the line (this is easier for some areas, like audio, than it is for others, like camera).

Obviously what would be bad is if the phone was $500+ but only "good" all around and then you need a module to make the audio top notch (pushing the price into the territory of the other flagships).

I'm specifically talking about flagships. If you want to add modules to a Moto G that turns it into something next level, have at it. That's the best of both worlds opportunity that I think you're describing. But I'm unaware of any single module that gives you a much better camera AND much better audio AND much better battery, etc. On a flagship device, IMO, all that should be included and I have no problem with the price being a total of $100 or even $200 more than a Moto G sans modules with all of that included in it.

 

[Ry]

At what price point would everyone be ok with the Mod idea? What if the base phone is $300 and the mods are $100/ea? So, theoretically, the base experience is good across the board (great/good display, good camera, good audio), but nothing is GREAT, but also isn't terrible. (One exception being the display, which HAS to be great since you can't mod that to be better). But if you want great audio, you buy that mod. If you want great camera, you buy that mod.

So for $400 you could have a phone that is good across the board but has fantastic audio, or camera, or whatever.

Only problem I see with that plan is if you want more than one mod, in which case I guess the answer would be "get a different phone" since at that point you'd be approaching the price of competing devices that already have "GREAT" in those categories.

Disclaimer: When I say "audio" I mean headset audio since phone speakers will never be "GREAT"

I am expecting the starting price for this Moto Z Style to be $399.99. Any higher and it'll be a tough sell.

great/good display - any flagships with a crappy display in 2016?
good camera - the fourth gen Moto G Plus got a high score at DxO. I doubt they'd regress with the Moto Z.
good audio - the speakers are fantastic (for a phone) on my Moto X Pure Edition. Even if only single speaker, sound quality needs to be the same if not better.
AOSP/Nexus-like UI - (we know we're not getting an update commitment, and based on the new Moto G, Lenovo is going to push the clean, stock interface, not the updates)

If $400 for the above, what's so crappy? Why the hate? FPS can't be on the rear since that's where the modules go. If the display, camera, and audio quality are as good, if not better than the third gen Moto X, it'll be fine.

 

[Ry]

I would not be on board with this unless the modules introduce functionality that is otherwise impossible in a phone. Otherwise, put it in the phone and raise the BOM by the $20 or whatever the component costs.

Because everyone is going to use that Pico projector.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

I'm specifically talking about flagships. If you want to add modules to a Moto G that turns it into something next level, have at it. That's the best of both worlds opportunity that I think you're describing. But I'm unaware of any single module that gives you a much better camera AND much better audio AND much better battery, etc. On a flagship device, IMO, all that should be included and I have no problem with the price being a total of $100 or even $200 more than a Moto G sans modules with all of that included in it.

Not talking about the G. I also specified that the modules won't be able to do everything and that people will run into a problem if they want to use more than one at a time.

I am expecting the starting price for this Moto Z Style to be $399.99. Any higher and it'll be a tough sell.

great/good display - any flagships with a crappy display in 2016?
good camera - the fourth gen Moto G Plus got a high score at DxO. I doubt they'd regress with the Moto Z.
good audio - the speakers are fantastic (for a phone) on my Moto X Pure Edition. Even if only single speaker, sound quality needs to be the same if not better.
AOSP/Nexus-like UI - (we know we're not getting an update commitment, and based on the new Moto G, Lenovo is going to push the clean, stock interface, not the updates)

If $400 for the above, what's so crappy? Why the hate? FPS can't be on the rear since that's where the modules go. If the display, camera, and audio quality are as good, if not better than the third gen Moto X, it'll be fine.

Yes, the G5 has a poor display.

Audio - headset audio is really the talking point here, not speaker quality (though it not being shrilly and distorted at high volumes should be standard)

 

[Clocks]

I was trying to type a response to Kevin's question about the right price point for mods to make sense for me. And the reality is there is no price point. I guess if I was given a free 2016 moto x(z) I would pay as much as $50 more for a battery mod.

But the damn thing is going to be at least $399 16gb up to $549 or more for 64gb . And the mods will not cheap enough to be impulse buys. I would take two nexus 5x's or a 64gb nexus 6p at that price any day of the week.

It sucks, because I love moto, but all I want is an upgraded moto x (sd820, fingerprint scanner) along with timely updates. That I would pay a 'nexus 6p price' for because I like moto hardware and their little software additions.

Rare and heavily delayed updates and expensive snap on mods? It's just a non-starter .

The 5x/6p are too good of phones to put up with a manufacturer's inability to provide software updates.

 

[Ry]

I was trying to type a response to Kevin's question about the right price point for mods to make sense for me. And the reality is there is no price point. I guess if I was given a free 2016 moto x(z) I would pay as much as $50 more for a battery mod.

But the damn thing is going to be at least $399 16gb up to $549 or more for 64gb . And the mods will not cheap enough to be impulse buys. I would take two nexus 5x's or a 64gb nexus 6p at that price any day of the week.

It sucks, because I love moto, but all I want is an upgraded moto x (sd820, fingerprint scanner) along with timely updates. That I would pay a 'nexus 6p price' for because I like moto hardware and their little software additions.

Rare and heavily delayed updates and expensive snap on mods? It's just a non-starter .

The 5x/6p are too good of phones to put up with a manufacturer's inability to provide software updates.

Regardless of modules, we can assume that Lenovo won't be updating these Motorola devices like Motorola did. That alone should strike this new Moto Z off your potential next phone list based on your requirements.

Posted via the Android Central App on the Moto X Pure Edition

 

[Citizen Coyote]

Regardless of modules, we can assume that Lenovo won't be updating these Motorola devices like Motorola did. That alone should strike this new Moto Z off your potential next phone list based on your requirements.

I had completely forgotten about Lenovo's recent sketchy update history in all this talk about mods. I'm looking at my unlocked 2014 Moto X right now, and see that it's still sitting on 6.0 with the November 1, 2015, security update. My year-older Nexus 7 tablet, on the other hand, is on 6.0.1 and the May 1 update, and I expect the June update will be coming down the pipe in the next couple of days.

Delays to OS updates are something you live with when dealing with non-Nexus hardware, but for crying out loud, at least keep the security patches within a month or two of release. Six months is ludicrous. It's even more painful when you remember when Moto was second only to Google in getting updates pushed out to their phones. Sigh.

 

[Ry]

I had completely forgotten about Lenovo's recent sketchy update history in all this talk about mods. I'm looking at my unlocked 2014 Moto X right now, and see that it's still sitting on 6.0 with the November 1, 2015, security update. My year-older Nexus 7 tablet, on the other hand, is on 6.0.1 and the May 1 update, and I expect the June update will be coming down the pipe in the next couple of days.

Delays to OS updates are something you live with when dealing with non-Nexus hardware, but for crying out loud, at least keep the security patches within a month or two of release. Six months is ludicrous. It's even more painful when you remember when Moto was second only to Google in getting updates pushed out to their phones. Sigh.

That era of Motorola is over. If it's a concern, it's time to move on.

 

[sharkita]

That era of Motorola is over. If it's a concern, it's time to move on.

Amen! I think a lot of us, though, are kind of in mourning for the creative, innovative, best-of-both-worlds Motorola with fast updates and clean Android experience with enhancements that made the phone that much better.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Ry]

Amen! I think a lot of us, though, are kind of in mourning for the creative, innovative, best-of-both-worlds Motorola with fast updates and clean Android experience with enhancements that made the phone that much better.

Posted via the Android Central App

We still have the "clean Android experience with enhancements".

Posted via the Android Central App on the Moto X Pure Edition

 

[Ry]

Looks like silver, gold, pink options?

Leaked Moto Z teaser shows off colors on the siderail | Pocketnow

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

Looks like silver, gold, pink options?

Leaked Moto Z teaser shows off colors on the siderail | Pocketnow

At least on the side rail.

 

[happasaiyan]

Those expecting a pure are going to be disappointed.

 

[Clocks]

Those expecting a pure are going to be disappointed.

What do you mean?

 

[Ry]

Those expecting a pure are going to be disappointed.

Uh oh.

Posted via the Android Central App on the Moto X Pure Edition

 

[Clocks]

Uh oh.

Posted via the Android Central App on the Moto X Pure Edition

Based on what I think the "pure" means, we may be looking at a skinned version of android, or one that isn't carrier/bloatware free, or one that doesn't have an unlockable bootloader.

Carrier-only versions would be awful Those are the ones that are having support dropped so quickly.

 

[Ry]

Those expecting a pure are going to be disappointed.

Are we going back to carriers?

Posted via the Android Central App on the Moto X Pure Edition

 

[Ry]

Based on what I think the "pure" means, we may be looking at a skinned version of android, or one that isn't carrier/bloatware free, or one that doesn't have an unlockable bootloader.

Carrier-only versions would be awful Those are the ones that are having support dropped so quickly.

It sort of makes sense though if they want/need carrier help pushing the modules.

Posted via the Android Central App on the Moto X Pure Edition