What we know so far: Moto X (2017) edition

Motorola unveiled the budget Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus at MWC 2017, but it appears the company is looking to introduce another affordable handset later this year. Remember how the Moto X used to be Motorola’s flagship product, until the Moto Z line came along?

While many believed Motorola had abandoned the Moto X for good, it turns out the company has plans to bring back the model this year – but as a middle-range product.

Curious of what the Moto X (2017) might bring to the table in 2017? We have complied every rumor and leak into one comprehensive post, so that you can be up to date with what we know about the new phone so far.

Design

• Metal body
• Fingerprint scanner embedded in home button

Based on what we have seen so far, the Moto X (2017) will feature a design language very similar to the Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus. It hasn’t specifically been mentioned in leaks, but we tend to believe the Moto X (2017) will feature a sleek metal body with a physical home button very reminiscent of the one we’ve seen the Moto G5 bring along.

Display

• Unknown display size possibly 5.5-inch
• Unknown resolution

For the time being, we don’t know much about the upcoming Moto X (2017)’s display. However, we can speculate, that given the fact that the Moto G5 comes with a 5-inch display and the Moto G5 Plus has a 5.2-inch screen, Motorola might want to offer the new phone with a differentiating form factor. And given that older Moto X devices were larger phones, maybe the new Moto X will come boasting a 5.5-inch display (or larger). We expect the screen to boast at least 1920 x 1080-pixel resolution.

Internals

• Snapdragon 625
• 3GB/4GB of RAM
• 32GB/64GB of internal storage

Like the Moto G5 Plus, the Moto X (2017) is tipped to arrive with a Snapdragon 625 processor. The SoC is a middle-range octa-core affair consisting of eight Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 2.0 GHz.

The device will be offered in two variants, the most advanced one coming with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage onboard, which is what the new Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ also bring to the table. There’s no mention of a microSD card so far, but given that the M5 Plus has one, we tend to believe that the new Moto X will also carry one.

Cameras

• Main dual camera

How does Motorola plan to differentiate the new Moto X from the Moto G5 Plus, you might be wondering at this point? Well, by the look of things the Moto X will be the first Moto to bring forth a main dual camera setup.

One of the sensors onboard is going to be of 13MP variety, but at the moment we can’t tell you whether the second one will be of the same capacity or not. As for the selfie camera, we expect at least a 5MP snapper, although an 8MP one would be nice.

Other features

• Google Assistant
• 5 mm headphone jack
• Android 7.1.2 Nougat out of the box or maybe even Android O
• No Moto Mods

Like the Moto G5 Plus, the Moto X (2017) will take advantage of a Google Assistant. While Google promised that all phones running Android 6.0 Marshmallow+ will eventually get its Assistant-treatment, mostly premium devices have seen the AI-driven companion arrive. The Moto X (2017) will expand the availability of the Assistant to more middle-range devices.

We don’t know when Motorola plans to launch the new phone, but if the new Moto X ends up going official sooner rather than later it will probably come equipped with Android 7.1.2. If the rollout will happen later in 2017, chances are the phone might see the light of day with Android O onboard.

It might come as a disappointment to some, but given that the Moto X (2017) appears to have a slightly curved back panel, it doesn’t seem it will be compatible with Moto Mods.

There’s more information to be revealed about the new Moto X including battery capacity, but don’t worry, we will keep you posted.

By the way, Motorola might have inadvertently leaked the Moto X (2017) yesterday in a video celebrating 44 years of mobile communication business. The dual camera on the back is not exactly visible due to blur, but we’re pretty sure this is the new phone. Take a look below: