Motorola CEO talks screen-size customization option, a $50 smartphone in recent interview

It’s no secret that 2013 was the best year that Motorola has had for quite a while, even contending for the crown of the best OEM of the year. Much of the company’s success is thanks to its CEO, Dennis Woodside. Woodside has made headlines for his comments before, and just recently, he conducted an interview with Trusted Reviews, during which he made some very interesting comments regarding the pricing of phones, as well as customization. Motorola has revolutionized both of these categories already, with Moto Maker and the Moto X and the $179 Moto G (via Droid Life).

First, Woodside commented on how even the $179 price tag for the Moto G is considered a lot of money in many parts of the world. He adds that the company is looking for ways to further trim down the prices of devices.

“In much of the world $179 is a lot of money so there’s a big market at a price point of less than $179. We’re going to look at that and just delivering on that value promise is super important. I mean why can’t these devices be $50? There’s no reason that can’t happen so we’re going to push that.”

Now, it will take a lot of cutting down to get a device to the $50 price point. It’s important to note, however, that the United States will probably not be the target market for this device. Motorola will probably look at emerging markets where $179 is considered expensive for this device.  Although, given how well the Moto G was received, its $50 sibling may still be worth a look for the U.S. consumer.

Next up, Woodside mentioned more customization options for high-end premium devices. Motorola has already done a lot in the customization department with Moto Maker, offering things like more color choices and wood backings. In his interview with Trusted Reviews, Woodside made mention of being able to customize things like the screen size and functionality of devices.

“On the more premium side we’re pushing more customisation. Today you have colours and beginning of materials but you don’t have screen size and you don’t have functionality and we’re going to bring all that in in the next year or so.”

It’s unclear what exactly Woodside means by customizing the functionality of devices, but it certainly seems like he is referencing the internal specifications of devices, such as RAM. We’ve heard rumors of built-to-order phones before, and that certainly looks like a category Motorola is looking to explore.

After its successful 2013, it obvious that Motorola doesn’t have any plans on slowing down and has a lot planned for the new year. It will be interesting to see what the company revolutionizes this year.