Motorola X Phone Delayed, May Miss Google I/O

The latest report speculates that Google-owned Motorola Mobility has faced some delays for the X Phone. Originally, it was believed that the device would be announced at Google I/O in mid-May and will face in the July time frame. However, according to sources to Phone Arena, it appears that the X Phone may not ship until ‘August or later,’ with no reason being cited for the delay.

Given the latest rumors of the X Phone being delayed, it remains unclear if the phone would be ready in time by Google I/O. Google was originally rumored to introduce the next generation of Nexus phones and tablets at the conference, along with showcasing Motorola’s latest phones.

The X Phone is said to be part of a strategy by Google and Motorola to expand the appeal of Motorola Mobility’s Android smartphones. However, the X Phone won’t be a phone that will compete with other high-end phones on specs, and instead Motorola will be focused on bettering the consumer experience for its X Phone-branded device.

The rumored device, however, seems to come with competitive specs, including a 4.7-inch 1080p display and a thin bezel. This would make the display highly competitive with the HTC One. And like the One, the device lacks an SD card and was shown running Android 4.2 with some Motorola modifications to the Android OS.

The Motorola X Phone is said to be the last device that was developed in Motorola Mobility’s pipeline before Google had acquired the company. As such, it is believed that Google’s influence in the X Phone is very little. The publication says that Google is internally unhappy with the  phone and perhaps the company decided to tweak the X Phone before announcing or releasing it.

And though Motorola was an early partner that helped to bring Android mainstream with the release of the original Droid slider on Verizon Wireless, the company had experienced little success outside of Verizon’s Droid branding. In more recent years, Motorola has been focused on battery life and different materials for its phones, rather than the keyboard that made the original Droid series popular. Hopefully, with Google’s direction, Motorola will be able to place more of its phones into consumers’ hands and pockets.