Moto X+1 for AT&T mentioned on Motorola's website, Verizon and Sprint variants might also be in the making

Motorola is once again mentioning the unannounced Moto X+1 on its official US website. It first did it at the beginning of this month, but deleted the Moto X+1 reference shortly after that. Well, the name popped up again today, and this time Motorola mentions a “Moto X+1 for AT&T” - as you can see in the image above.

The device that appears on the right is not the new Moto X+1, but the older Moto X, and it’s probably there as a placeholder and nothing more. The $400 price is most likely a placeholder, too. According to Droid-life, there are also references to a Moto X+1 for both Sprint and Verizon. So the new handset might be released via the three largest US carriers at some point - just like the Moto X.

Not long ago, we heard that Motorola would offer no less than 25 backplate options for the Moto X+1, including leather and wood models. While nothing is truly confirmed at the moment, it’s pretty clear that Motorola can barely wait to officially unveil the Moto X+1. Still, it looks like the company will announce a Moto E first, during an event that’s going to take place on May 13.

We’re certainly looking forward to seeing what Motorola has in store for us this year. Are you?

Motorola puts a placeholder for the Moto X+1 on the Moto Maker website

We first caught a whiff that Motorola might introduce a Moto X successor about a month ago, and the rumor was titling it Moto X+1. This time around, the speculation around the name suddenly got confirmed straight from the horse's... err... Motorola's mouth. When you replace the Moto X codename (FLEXR1) in the Moto Maker website address bar with FLEXR2, a placeholder site for the Moto X+1 appears, as you can see in the screenshots below, or for yourself when you visit the source link.

The eventual upgraded Moto X+1 all of a sudden doesn't seem so eventual, but what exactly will be the improvements that warrant the "+1" tag, remains still a mystery. We can reasonably expect bumped-up specs, whether in chipset, camera, or screen resolution. Alternatively, Motorola might have decided to bet on extra software functionality, building on the always-on environmental awareness of the Moto X. In any case, judging from this placeholder for the Moto X+1 on Motorola's site, the announcement shouldn't be far away.

Moto X prices will start at $299 on May 1, Developer Edition will cost $325

In case you didn’t have the chance to buy the Moto X when it was on sale earlier this year, Motorola will host a new sale this week, on May 1 (for 24 hours, only in the US). On that day, the Moto X 16GB will cost $299.99 instead of $349.99, while the 32GB model will be sold for $324.99 instead of $399.99. The Moto X Developer Edition will be offered for only $324.99, too.

Although it’s Motorola’s flagship smartphone, the Moto X was never supposed to be a true high-end device, as its specs (starting with the 720p display) aren’t on par with what other flagships are offering. Still, this is undoubtedly a good handset, and $300 is a great price to pay for an unlocked unit. Sure enough, you may want to hold on until the next-generation Moto X (possibly called Moto X+1) is released. That is, of course, if you can wait until the second half of the year, because it doesn’t look like the new smartphone will be introduced in the next few months.

Next-gen Moto X and Moto G will have near-stock Android (Lenovo won't alter Motorola's software strategy)

Back in January, when Google agreed to sell Motorola Mobility to Lenovo, the companies said that "Lenovo intends to keep Motorola’s distinct brand identity.” Even so, some users may be worried that Lenovo could alter the software experience on the upcoming Moto smartphones. As you may know, Mototola’s latest handsets, the Moto X and Moto G, are both offering near-stock Android.

Punit Soni, VP of Software at Motorola, today answered a few live questions via Google Hangouts. One of the questions addressed exactly the issue mentioned above: “will future versions of the Moto X and Moto G stick with almost-stock Android?” Punit Soni’s answer was a definite “yes.” He continued by saying that “the core premise of the software strategy is making sure we have pure Android, and that we can provide the best experience to users.”

Well, there you have it: the rumored Moto X+1 (which is expected to be the successor to last year’s Moto X) will run near-stock Android. The same will likely happen with the Moto E (another rumored handset that should be introduced this year), although this doesn’t seem to be the Moto G’s successor, but an even cheaper device.

Punit Soni also said that Motorola will continue to provide quick software updates, and that its handsets’ camera experience (including image quality) will be improved. You can see the full discussion in the video below:

Besides making its own new smartphones, Motorola may also design a handset in collaboration with Lenovo- a device that could be launched before the end of the year. Will this have near-stock Android, too? We don't know, but we're looking forward to finding out.