Google acquired Motorola several months ago and few months back Motorola under Google released its first mobile the MOTO X. The MOTO X looked totally different from the way we have seen Motorola devices before and it worked way different and much better. Still is Moto X really a dependable phone fit to be in the competition in the android race? Let us analyse.
It’s no doubt that Motorola has turned much better than it was before after it was acquired by Google. Google closed a lot of Motorola’s branches around the world kept the company in a low profile and by the middle of 2013, came back to the market with a new device the Moto X.
Although the Moto X’s components were not a match to the then best smartphones in the market like the Samsung galaxy S4, Google introduced the phone claiming it as a high-end smart phone and marked the price at around $199. The phone’s resolution was not a match to the high end phones and the screen size was just content and it had a 10mp camera.
SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro
CPU: Dual-Core 1.7 GHz Krait 300
GPU: Adreno 320
Display: 4.7-inch HD SuperAMOLED
Memory: 16/32 GB
RAM: 2 GB
SIM: Nanosim
Main camera: 10 megapixels + LED flash
Secondary Camera: 2 megapixels
Weight: 130 grams
Dimensions: 129.3 × 65.3 × 10.4 mm
Software: Android 4.4 KitKat
The features are no different and are less standard than the high end devices except that the Moto X can be customised with the MotoMaker.
Preliminary analyses of the device indicated clearly revealed that it has followed the steps of Apple’s iPhone where user interface is given the main importance.
Moto X though using an android OS has some additional features like active display and touch less control making it stand out from the other android devices.
Many devices have been released since the Moto X’s release upgraded with the latest versions of software and other features. Is Moto X still worth a user’s money and performs well enough to be in the race? Let’s find out.
Design
As we discussed earlierMoto X is the first phone after being acquired by Google and the hence the design has been carefully done. Moto has followed iphone steps in deciding the size of the phone, neither too compact nor too big. Moto X’s has dimensions 129.3 x 65.3 x 10.4 mm. This is a little longer then the iPhone 5S and the phone weighs about 130gms.
Owing to its small compact size and the design, the Moto X is really comfortable both in the hand and the pocket.
The volume control, power button, camera, headphone jack are in the usual position. The one most important thing that Google has added is the motomaker with the use of which uses can customise the colour of their MotoX. But this facility is only available in the US.
Screen
Moto X has a great and attractive display but it is not simply the best we could see in a smart phone. The phone use super AMOLED technology display and grants many advantages and of course disadvantages too.
The maximum brightness of the Moto X is much lesser than the other Smartphones like the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy 5s S4.The screen offers good viewing angle but a blue hue appears when you exceed 180 degrees. The same issue prevails in the LG flex too which is not a surprise since both the phones use AMOLED technology.
Performance
As far as the performance of the Moto X is concerned there can be no complaints. Moto X performs smoothly and the apps open to speed. Thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 SoC Pro and there are two more cores which are responsible for the touch less control and quick camera.
Camera
Camera is one of the major disadvantages of the phone. Moto X has only a 10 mp camera with clear pixel technology. In good lighting conditions the camera is capable of taking good pictures but after a particular point of zoom the clarity in the images is lost.
The camera is almost of no use at all in low light. It is not worse but the camera in other smart phones is far better when compared to this.
On the whole Moto X’s camera is good but is not even close to the smart phones in market.
Software
Moto X comes with the latest version of android. Software is one place where Motorola has put more thought into. No disadvantage can be put forward in terms of software in the Moto X.
In addition to this Motorola also offers additional features like the active display and touch less control.
Touch less control
This is one of the best features of the phone. It uses Google voice search. The phrase ‘Google ok now’ activates the control. The best part is that the voice control recognises only to one voice.
Active display
With the use of active display users can see notifications without even having to unlock the device, similar to the one found in the iPhone. The AMOLED screen displays only a part of the display lights when the notifications are displayed saving battery power.
The best feature would be the Moto assist. This assists in controlling the profiles and other controls for example when the user has added a business appointment Motoassists takes a note of the appointment and the phone is placed in the silent mode automatically.
Autonomy and sound
Moto X uses a 2200 mAh battery and with moderate use the battery holds for the whole day. But with extensive use of the phone the battery does not stay for the whole day.
The battery life of the device is good but it does match the battery of the high end devices.
The sound system of the Moto X is pretty good with good quality but still does not match to the high end devices.
Advantage:
Software: The phone uses the latest version of the OS.
Performance: Performance of the device is good it works fast and fluid.
Sound: Motorola known for good sound and has shown their standard in Moto X too.
Disadvantage:
Display: Though it uses a super AMOLED screen much improvement is necessary.
Conclusion
On the whole the Moto X is a really good phone and is fit to be in the race with the smartphones. But a lot of improvement is necessary to meet the standards of the really good smartphones ruling the market.
