Motorola XT531 Launches Today in China, With Android 2.3 and Front-Facing Camera

Motorola is giving Chinese consumers first pick on its new XT531 – a budget-minded, youth-oriented smartphone that’s running the very latest Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) software. For the Chinese market it’ll get some unique customizations…

With a price tag of only 1,998 RMB (that’s US$310), it still has some stand-out features, such as a front-facing camera for video chatting, and an iPhone-sized 3.5-inch touchscreen. It supports WDCDMA 3G, so it can run on China Unicom’s 3G network, but the phone will be sold unlocked and off-contract, the way that most Chinese people like to have it.

At that price point, it’ll be quite a bit cheaper than HTC’s brand-new Weibo phone, the Weike, which is selling for 2,300 to 2,800RMB online right now. Both phones share some specs, such as front-facing cameras, 512MB of RAM, 800MHz processors, and 480 x 320 resolution screens. However, the XT531’s screen is a tad larger than the Weike’s 3.4-incher.

The Motorola XT531 also has a black version with a sweet blue trim line around its body.

The very slick Android skin looks familiar from Motorola’s dual-core, business-oriented beast that it made for China Mobile’s TD-SCDMA 3G network earlier this year. That was based on the ATRIX.

But this XT531 is aimed at a different audience. Speaking to Penn Olson, Motorola’s top PR guy in China, William Moss, says:

This is definitely a more youth-oriented phone than the ATRIX. More affordable, but still with a very solid range of features.

William also explains how the China-only version of the phone will differ from the international one that’ll roll out later, with some unique customizations. For China, the new smartphone will come pre-installed with some of the country’s favourite apps, such as QQ, Tudou, and the increasingly ubiquitous Sina Weibo. Also, only in China will it come equipped with Motorola’s own SHOP4APPS store, which has a mix of free and paid apps, and supports local payment methods.

The XT531 goes on sale today across mainland China. It’s expected to land in other countries in its global trim a couple of months later.

Here’s Motorola’s full press release which contains more info and specs: