The Motorola Moto X4 is a smartphone with strong mid-range specs including a 5.2 inch full HD display, dual rear cameras, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage (for US models, at least).
An Android One version of the phone should be available from Google’s Project Fi network soon for $400.
But you can also buy an unlocked model that will work with any US wireless carrier. And Amazon has just announced that it’ll let Amazon Prime members save $70 on an unlocked model by purchasing a Moto X4 Amazon Prime Exclusive model.
That means the phone will come with some Amazon apps pre-loaded, including one that shows ads on the lock screen. But it also means that Prime members can pick up the phone for $330 instead of $400.
The phone is compatible with all major US wireless carriers and ships with Android 7.1 Nougat software. Keep in mind that this isn’t an Android One phone like the version that Project Fi is selling, so it’ll likely come with a little more Motorola bloatware and it may take a bit longer to receive security and OS updates.
But you get the same hardware including the 12MP + 8MP rear cameras, 16MP front-facing camera with an LED flash, microSD card slot for up to 2TB of removable storage, 3,000 mAh battery, and IP68-rated water resistance.
Amazon says the Moto X4 Prime Exclusive phone will be available starting October 26th and it’ll come in black or blue color options.
Meanwhile, if you’re more interested in the Android One version of the Moto X4, check out the Liliputing review.
(Carriers delay updates most of the time)
Again, I don’t think the updates on these unlocked multi-carrier phones go through the carriers, because the carriers don’t determine what’s on the phone in the first place. If Moto forums the update timing does not seem to be carrier dependent.
I don’t believe the updates on the Amazon version of the G4+ are taking any longer than the non-Amazon models.
Also, just for others, the ads on these Amazon phones are not nearly as intrusive as on a Fire tablet. The one on the lock screen, in particular, disappears really fast with the touch of the fingerprint scanner. But these are harder to root–Moto won’t give you the code to do so on the Amazon models.
On the update issue, I’m not even sure they go through the carrier, since it’s an unlocked phone. But Moto isn’t particularly fast releasing updates. I’m currently on the August 1 patch, and a month ago I think it was maybe April.
Right, I wasn’t comparing to non-Prime Exclusive models though, I was talking about the Android One variant of the Moto X4, which should get monthly updates for at least 2 years.