Top Motorola engineer defends Moto X specs

Iqbal Arshad, one of Motorola’s top engineers, has become a little defensive since the launch of the much-anticipated Moto X last week, as some have criticized the device for not being innovative enough.

Friday, August 09, 2013

Iqbal Arshad, one of Motorola’s top engineers, has become a little defensive since the launch of the much-anticipated Moto X last week, as some have criticized the device for not being innovative enough.The smartphone, which is the flagship device of the newly reinvigorated Motorola, is among the first devices to be introduced to the market since Motorola was acquired by Google a year ago.While most technology reviewers who have gotten their hands on the Moto X agree that the new smartphone is a worthy competitor to the top phones on the market, including the Apple iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One, some tech enthusiasts have complained that, at least on paper, the specification list doesn’t match its competitors’ specs.There have been cries on social media sites, such as Twitter, and comments following CNET’s stories complaining about Motorola’s nerve for charging $199 with a two-year service contract for a device many say is using "last year’s technology.”Arshad, Motorola’s senior vice president for product development, said he thinks the critics are missing the point. And he said there is nothing "last year” about this device. He even called the Moto X the "most advanced smartphone on the market. Period.”"I think people who are hard core about comparing specs simply don’t understand the design of the product,” he said.The two main complaints from people when looking at the specification sheet of the Moto X compared to other devices, such as the Samsung Galaxy S4, is the fact that the Moto X uses a Qualcomm dual-core processor instead of a newer and potentially faster quad-core processor, like the one used in the Samsung Galaxy S4Another big complaint is that the screen resolution at 720P with a maximum pixel density of 312 pixels per inch falls short of the GS4’s 1080P screen with a maximum pixel density of 441 pixels per inch.