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Moto X leak may reveal Google’s plan to attack its own Android partners

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 8:42PM EST
Moto X Photos

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Google has huge plans for the Moto X that could see it spend as much as $500 million marketing the new phone — but it may have even bigger plans for Motorola in general. A new leak seemingly reveals the completely overhauled camera app interface that will debut on Google’s Moto X smartphone next month. Screenshots of the UI were published by Android Police and they show a refined interface characterized by simplicity and controlled with gestures. But the real story here might not be the camera app itself, but what it means for the future of Android.

As many vendors had likely feared when Google first announced plans to acquire Motorola Mobility, Google now appears to be taking the first steps to separate itself from the Android pack. While it will undoubtedly continue to add great new features and functionality to the free and open version of Android, it will also apparently refine and build upon those features in its own smartphone division — Motorola.

What this means is that over the next few years, we may see real separation build between Google and its Android vendor partners. On one side we’ll have “open Android,” which companies like Samsung and HTC will use as the base for their own smartphone efforts.

But Google may reserve the best and most compelling new features for its own Motorola phones. The Moto X, for example, will feature various sensor-driven functionality that is not currently seen on any other Android phones. Now, these leaked images reveal even more separation between the Moto X and open Android — and this separation will likely become more and more substantial over time.

Several leaked images from the Moto X’s camera software follow below.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.