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The Moto X Pure Edition is Motorola’s standard bearer for 2015.
Josh Miller/CNET
Just when you thought we were done with new Motorola smartphones for 2015, another device has landed on our rumor radar. According to Twitter source @upleaks, the Moto X Force will reportedly make its debut some time in December — with a “shatterproof” build.
Whether this is to be construed as a generally rugged phone or built to withstand more than typical drops remains to be seen.
Motorola’s handsets — like the Moto G and Moto X Pure/Play — typically focus on letting the buyer customize the phone’s look and feel, but the company has yet to tackle the notion of a more rough and tumble design. Although this type of ruggedized handset is much less emphasized recently in favor of cases people purchase separately, the rumor highlights a common problem buyers have protecting their expensive phones from drops and breaks — accidents that can have costly effects.
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Looking every bit the part of Motorola’s recent smartphones, the X Force is alleged to have a 5.43-inch display and a 2,560×1,440-pixel resolution. Additionally, the phone is said to boast a 21-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing shooter.
Other specifications rumored for the Moto X Force include storage capacities of 32GB and 64GB, and a battery capacity of 3,760mAh. It falls short of the Motorola Droid Turbo ‘s 3,900mAh battery, but could still be enough juice to get most folks through two days of usage.
Yet another Motorola smartphone could arrive before the year is out.
Upleaks (Twitter)
Taking a quick look at the competition, Samsung has released an “Active” version of its Galaxy S flagship phone for the last three years (see this year’s Galaxy S6 Active ), which has thicker plastic corners and physical buttons rather than on-screen controls. It’s designed to take a moderate amount of abuse.
Sony, for its part, has essentially switched over to only producing waterproof smartphones. Kyocera, which does make sturdier devices for the US, mostly, but now also for Europe, has moved away from higher-end Android smartphones and does a lot of work with simpler designs.
“Shatterproof” could also just reflect a strengthened topper that’s used — like glass or sapphire crystal — or it could describe a different material altogether. Remember, Motorola is a big fan of Kevlar.
Motorola responded that the company does not comment on rumors.
