Motorola’s Moto X4 is coming to Google’s Project Fi network, and it’s bringing Android One along with it.
On Wednesday, Google announced that Motorola’s latest smartphone will work with its cellular MVNO service, which piggybacks off the networks run by T-Mobile, Sprint, and US Cellular in the US. As a result, the Moto X4 will be the first smartphone that isn’t part of Google’s own Nexus or Pixel family devices to support Project Fi. It’ll be available to pre-order today.
The company also brings a relatively affordable option to the network; ever since Google stopped selling the older and more affordable Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X through Project Fi, the only Project Fi devices available have been the year-old Pixel and Pixel XL, which cost a minimum of $650. Sequels to those phones are coming soon and are all but guaranteed to support Project Fi, but they are expected to be even pricier. At $399 outright, the Moto X4 isn’t exactly cheap, but it should still be more manageable for a wider audience.
This version of the Moto X4 isn’t the same as the one Motorola started selling in Europe earlier this month, though, as it runs the stripped-down Android One edition of Google’s mobile OS. Google announced a sort of revamp to Android One a few weeks back, continuing its shift from an initiative that brought quality low-cost phones to developing markets into a brand name that signifies which phones run stock Android.
As such, the Project Fi Moto X4 lacks most of the software modifications Motorola typically plants on its handsets. The “one-button nav” option that lets you get through the phone without onscreen navigation buttons is gone, for instance. The new software also means this version ditches Motorola’s support for Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant, something that Google and its competing Google Assistant probably don’t mind. But the barebones, Google-heavy take on Android should still be relatively smooth and uncluttered either way.