Moto X Scores Perma-Price Cut With The Dawn Of 2014

As everyone awakens bleary-eyed from a celebratory night of ushering in the new year, Motorola has announced a permanent price cut for its no-contract Moto X flagship handset. Whilst a bit too late for those of you who grabbed one of these customizable phones for the holidays, the holdouts among us who have been waiting for a price drop can get the device for $399 USD off contract.

Motorola is inviting all to "ring in the new year" with a sans-contract Moto X, the price of which is now $399, with the handset maker promising it applies to any color combination. This under cuts some of Motorola's competitors' handsets, with the company taking a direct jab at the iPhone 5s and GALAXY S 4 pricing — both are higher than the new Moto X pricing.

This contrasts with yester-year's $499 pricing, and brings it closer to the Nexus 5, financially speaking. You'll still need to drop another $100 if you want to get the fancy wood backing, and this price drop applies to the 16GB model. If you want to get the no-contract 32GB model, you're going to be shelling out $449.99 instead.

At the end of the day, the price drop gives consumers another solid handset option — off contract — that doesn't break the bank. Whether buyers will be jumping aboard the Moto X ship this new year or going with the slightly-less-expensive Nexus 5 is yet to be seen, but for those dreaming of a special color scheme or some polished bamboo goodness, Motorola has used the dawning of the new year to make its wares a bit more attractive.