Moto G Confirmed as a Contract-free $179 Premium Smartphone for All

This morning, Motorola officially announced the all new Moto G smartphone. Coming in as a mid-range device and essentially a mini Moto X, the G is Google and Motorola’s dream of a premium smartphone for any and all users, worldwide. Offering a near flagship device with above average specs for a low price aimed at emerging markets and prepaid offerings.

Following countless leaks and rumors of the device being free on contract, today Motorola took to Google+ and its blog to announce the new, customizable Moto G will start at just $179, off contract. That’s outright. Get this brand new phone with some of the latest mobile technology and Android 4.3 Jelly Bean all for only $179. Motorola explains it by saying consumers don’t want to spend $600 on a phone, or be forced into cheap devices or last years model, and its answer to that problem is the Moto G.

Bringing many of the premium features announced and loved with the Moto X such as the stock Android OS, customizable back covers and accents, a powerful processor and HD display all for a third of the price. It matches most of the rumors, and is available starting today in select regions. Sadly the US won’t get to enjoy this new device right away.

So what will $179 get customers? The Moto G sports a 4.5-inch 720p HD display, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor with 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, Android 4.3 Jelly Bean (with a promise of 4.4 KitKat early next year) and two cameras. 5 megapixels on the rear and 1.3 front for video chatting and self portraits. There is only one compromise here, and that is the G does not support 4G LTE. Only this isn’t a major issue considering many emerging markets have yet to offer 4G LTE. This device will fit right in. Here’s a quick video from Motorola.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VunSqD1MOjE

The Moto G is available starting today and this week in Brazil and parts of Europe, and we can expect Latin America, Europe, Canada and parts of Asia to also offer the smartphone in the next 2-3 weeks. What about users in the US who’d rather not buy a $500 Galaxy S4 or $600 iPhone 5s? Sadly the Moto G won’t be available in the US until early January 2014, when it will also launch in India and the Middle East.

By 2014 the Moto G will be available in 30 countries with more than 60 partners on board. All offering a flagship quad-core smartphone with an HD display, customization options and more, all for just $179. Motorola will also be offering a 16GB model for $199, if customers would like additional storage.

You’ll be able to buy the Moto G carrier, SIM, and bootloader unlocked at Motorola.com for users in the US, and multiple retailers and carriers will also offer the handset. Hopefully early next year the Moto G will be free with a new 2-year contract from various US carriers.