Motorola this week unveiled the Moto G. While it will launch in Canada shortly, customers in the U.S. will need to wait until early January to get their hands on it. Having to wait will have one benefit though: Android 4.4 KitKat will come pre-installed.
Mark Randal, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain & Operations, explained to Omio that the U.S. launch is part of ‘Wave 2.’ Randal added that whereas Wave 1 devices will ship with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean with an upgrade to 4.4 to follow, Wave 2 ones will have Android 4.4 preloaded. Here’s part of the discussion with Omio:
“Here is the way to think about it: we have different waves of releases.”
“UK, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, France: are in what we call Wave 1.”
“And wave 1 will release with 4.3 [Android Jelly Bean], and by the end of January, all those people will get onto 4.4.”
“Wave 2, products that we ship after Christmas, will start with KitKat.”
“So if you think about it, everyone by the end of January will have KitKat.”
Canada, being part of Wave 1, will get the Moto G with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. The 8GB model will be offered by TELUS Mobility and Koodo for CA$199 outright.
Much like the Moto X comes with some unique features that distinguish it from its competition, Motorola is trying something new with the Moto G. It combines current but not cutting edge specifications with an extremely affordable price (as low as US$179 outright) in a bid to make a dent in the sizeable budget-level smartphone market. It will eventually be available in some 30 countries through 60 partners.
Sources : Omio // 9to5Google