Motorola turns on the style for latest flagship smartphone

At special coordinated live events in London, Brazil and New York, Motorola took the wraps off a new handset, the Moto X Style, which, the company claims, redefines the relationship that consumers have with their smartphones.

And that's why the Moto X Style is heavy on the things that matter and light on those that don't. It's called the ‘Style' because it is meant to complement the user's personal taste, and Motorola claims it is the most customizable handset in existence, or at least it will be when it goes on sale in September.

Motorola has been busy examining how consumers actually use their devices and what can be done to improve to redefine the relationship so that it's less one-sided.

So as well as a host of customization options such as natural wood covers or brightly colored plastics, it has a huge, 21-megapixel camera on its rear -- one of the best in the industry -- plus a 5-megapixel unit with flash on the front. Motorola explains this focus on photography because of the brand's belief that smartphones should be there to help make and share memories.

However, they should also be there and ready when you are, so the Moto X Style has the fastest-charging battery of any phone on the market. A 15-minute charge will give it 10 hours of power.

Likewise a phone should learn your preferences and know when and when not to ring, so Motorola has focused heavily on software features that are contextual and useful such as Moto Assist which will read out text messages as well as transcribe dictated notes and will be able to tell when the user is in a meeting or at home and so will slip into silent mode.

The handset is big on entertainment too thanks to a Quad HD 5.7-inch almost bezel-free display plus front-facing stereo speakers; it packs a six-core Snapdragon processor and 3GB of RAM. In the US it will be offered directly from Motorola unlocked and carrier free as a ‘Pure' edition with guaranteed priority software updates. An unlocked edition is expected to cost $399.

But Motorola also had another surprise up its sleeve: another new model called the Moto X Play, which offers almost the same specifications as the Style save for a slightly smaller 5.5-inch display, but that boasts a 48-hour battery life. Finished in a water-repellent coating (inside and out) to protect against accidents, it will be coming to Europe, Latin America and Canada, but not the US, in August and will cost "$300-$400 less" than competing handsets.