Metal-bodied Moto M officially unveiled in China

Lenovo’s new mid-range Moto M is being launched in China today, and the handset’s official details have been unveiled over at an online listing from TMall and now on the company’s official website too. The page reveals a robust mid-ranger, but the 1,999 Yuan ($295) price tag fails to make the phone a competitive choice in today’s market.

The Moto M is powered by a 2.2GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio P15 processor, 4GB of LPDDR3 RAM, 32GB of internal flash memory with a 128GB memory card slot, and a 3,050mAh battery. The display is a reasonable 5.5-inch FullHD panel, and there’s a 16 megapixel rear camera with phase detection autofocus, along with an 8 megapixel front facing camera.

The handset isn’t going to win any awards for processing performance, so it falls to the hardware’s casing to be billed as the major selling point. The Moto M is constructed from a full metal unibody that has been painted with a double layer hydrophobic coating that will protect it from water splashes and spills. However, there’s no mention of an IP rating, so don’t plan on taking this phone for a swim. As additional extras, customers will also find a fingerprint scanner, Dolby Atmos audio, and fast charging capabilities packed in to the handset too.

There’s a reasonable package to be found with the Moto M, but the Helio P15 processor is rather inept compared to competing handsets already doing battle at this price point. The eight Cortex-A53 CPU cores and small Mali-T860 MP2 GPU can’t keep up with the likes of the Snapdragon 820 packed into the Xiaomi Mi 5, and that model can be bought for just 1,599 Yuan ($235) in China.

Lenovo will be showing off the Moto M alongside the Lenovo P2 at an event in China later today. We’ll have to see if the company has any plans to launch this smartphone in other regions too.