Motorola returns to China with Moto X

Motorola returned to the world's most populous cellphone market on Thursday following a two-year absence with its flagship Moto X now available from JD.com, the sole e-commerce platform for the handset.

Motorola left the Chinese market in 2013 after its acquisition by Google Inc.

The world's largest computer maker Lenovo Group bought Motorola Mobility for 2.9 billion U.S. dollars last year to support its efforts to become a global wireless device player.

The 32 gigabyte version of the Moto X, which runs on the Android 5.0 operating system (OS), costs 3,699 yuan (603 U.S. dollars). The 16 gigabyte version is 400 yuan cheaper.

More than 1.8 million people preordered the handset.

Jim Wicks, vice president and director of the Consumer Experience Design group at Motorola, said a production line will also return to China catering for the Asia-Pacific market, he did not disclose where this would be based.