Moto X phone not coming to Verizon as a "Droid" device, report says

X Phone concept

X Phone concept

Shortly after a first ad for Google’s confirmed Moto X phone has been discovered, a new report claims that the handset will not be included in Verizon’s famous Droid family of Android handsets.

The Verge says it has learned from multiple sources that the "Moto X will not be a Droid device on Verizon," which means, if true, that Google is very much interested in creating a strong Moto X brand.

Verizon has traditionally been the U.S. carrier of choice for Motorola – in fact, the original Motorola Droid is a very important handset for the history of the Android ecosystem, with Verizon being partly responsible for the popularity of the late 2009 device – but the carrier will apparently not be able to sell the Moto X as just another Droid.

That said, it doesn’t mean that Verizon won’t get other Droids. We have recently seen details leak for a couple of Droid Ultra handsets, which will most likely be heading to Verizon, since the Droid family is a Verizon exclusive.

Moreover, the Verizon Moto X phone version is believed to have been spotted with the FCC already (XT1060), even though Google is yet to confirm the device.

It’s also worth pointing out that Moto’s CEO Dennis Woodside said at the D11 event back in May – while confirming the Moto X device – that the handset will be an iPhone and Galaxy rival. He also added that the Moto X will not be the company’s only smartphone, with cheaper models also coming soon.

First Moto X phone ad

In other words, Google surely wants customers to be able to tell the difference between the Moto X and the Droid lines of products, which means it can’t allow Verizon to market the handset a Droid device.

While we have no way of telling what the state of the Google-Verizon relationship is, it’s certainly interesting to see Google getting into a stronger position when dealing with carriers. So far, we’ve seen this happen with Samsung, which, starting with the Samsung Galaxy S3, did not sell its flagship under a different name with certain U.S. carriers, nor did it make a custom flagship version for certain carriers. HTC followed with the HTC One.

Also important to notice is that the Moto X will arrive from various other carriers – other FCC filings suggest that AT&T, Sprint and U.S. Cellular will also get the handset. That’s certainly a step up for Google, considering that it’s main partner in the region has been Verizon so far.

Considering today’s Moto X leaks, the phone is now expected to be announced in the coming weeks, so we’ll certainly look forward for more Moto X details for you.