Nokia Lumia 825 Release, AT&T's Moto X Ready to Challenge iPhone, Galaxy S4

Nokia Lumia 825 Release, AT&T’s Moto X Ready to Challenge iPhone, Galaxy S4

Written by Craig Galbraith
August 16, 2013

As the smartphone world looks ahead to what will most likely be an iPhone announcement from Apple on Sept. 10, a pair of other devices hope to steal a little of the Silicon Valley giant's thunder.

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As the smartphone world looks ahead to what will most likely be an iPhone announcement from Apple on Sept. 10, a pair of other devices hope to steal a little of the Silicon Valley giant’s thunder.

The first is Google’s new Moto X, from Motorola Mobility, which is marketed to both the business user and the general consumer. On Friday, AT&T was the first to announce a release date for the phone, which will be available on Aug. 23. Verizon, Sprint and U.S. Cellular are all expected to carry it, but no official dates have been revealed. (A leak this week said Verizon would get it on Aug. 29.)

AT&T’s Moto X comes in a 16GB version that will set you back $200 and a 32GB version that will cost you $250 if you sign up for a new, two-year service agreement. AT&T customers who want to upgrade via the carrier’s new Next plan will pay $27 per month for the former and $32 per month for the latter.

AT&T’s model is customizable for those who go online and register. The handset runs on Android 4.2.2 and features a 4.7-inch HD display. It has a 1.7GHz, dual-core processor; 2GB of RAM; and a 10MP camera.

Meantime, Nokia, which has been making strides with its Lumia line of smartphones, is said to be working on what’s commonly referred to as a "phablet" a large-screen smartphone that’s big enough to double as a small tablet.

New details about the Lumia 825 leaked this week. It will supposedly be the first quad-core Windows Phone 8 device. A Chinese website said the 825 will feature a 1.2GHz processor and a 5.2-inch HD display, International Business Times reported. Since the processor isn’t quite the behemoth that you’ll find on some newer models, it’s expected to sell for the unsubsidized price of about $470 off-contract.

Nokia is in third place in global smartphone market share, but is far behind rivals Samsung and Apple.

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