£420 inc VAT
Manufacturer: Motorola
By Jim Martin | PC Advisor | 05 September 14
We liked the original Moto X, but the Android smartphone didn't have all that much going for it. Now, with Moto Maker available in the UK and some nice upgrades, the new Moto X is an altogether different proposition. Here's our hands-on review of the second-generation Moto X.
We liked the original Moto X, but the Android smartphonedidn't have all that much going for it. Now, with Moto Maker available in the UK and some nice upgrades, the new Moto X is an altogether different proposition. Here's our hands-on review of the second-generation Moto X. See also: price, specs, release date and features of thenew Motorola Moto X.
When Motorola launched the Moto X in 2013, it had some unique features, such as the ability to wake up to voice commands without needing to touch the phone at all. However, it was fairly expensive but didn't have the top-end specs or build quality of its rivals.
See also Motorola Moto 360 hands-on review and new Motorola Moto G review, and our chart of Best smartphones 2014.
The all-new Moto X (previously thought to be called the X+1) has been "redesigned from the ground up" according to Motorola, and feels every inch the flagship device.
Motorola Moto X 2014 hands-on review: price
Before we get to the specs, there's the thorny issue of price. The new Moto X costs from £420. That's a lot more than the original, but not a whole lot less than rivals such as the LG G3.
If you want a custom-built Moto X - see Moto Maker below - then you'll pay extra for the wooden or new leather rear covers: from £440. And, because it's custom, there's a chance the resale value will be lower unless you can find a buyer with your exact taste.
Motorola Moto X 2014 hands-on review: design and build
With an aluminium chassis and premium materials, the Moto X really feels a step up from the original. It's also a huge leap up from the budget second-generation Moto G. There's no flex at all, and the smooth finish around the edges makes the new Moto X feel fantastic in the hand.
Despite an increase in screen size from 4.7 to 5.2in, the smartphone is barely larger and weighs only a few grams more. At 144g, it feels very light for its size.
Thanks to the beautifully tapered edges which at their thinnest points measure just 3.8mm, it feels much thinner than it really is, which is 10mm at the thickest point.
The screen now has a much needed full HD resolution (the original Moto X had only a 720p screen - one of its sore points), but this lags behind the highest resolution available today of 2560x1440 as seen on the LG G3.
The pixel density of 423ppi means the new display looks lovely and sharp, and as Motorola has stuck with AMOLED technology, colours really pop.
Around the back, the design has remained symmetrical, with a centrally placed rear cameraand dual LED flash, which sits in a ring around the camera, and looks great. The camera is now a 13Mp snapper, up from 10Mp. It's also capable of shooting 4K video, which we'll be testing out shortly. The front camera has a 2Mp sensor and, from what we can see, takes pretty decent selfies.
Unfortunately, there's still no expandable storage, so you're limited to the 16 or 32GB of internal memory.
Like the new Moto G, the Moto X has front-facing stereo speakers which sounded good in our short tests.
Motorola Moto X 2014 hands-on review: hardware
Although not the latest chip, the Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor is still a force to be reckoned with and, in our brief tests, the new Moto X was as fast as you'd expect. The Adreno 330 GPU is also a powerhouse, and the games we tried, including Asphalt 8, both ran smoothly and looked great.
There's also 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, GPS, and 2GB of RAM.
New IR sensors on the front - easily seen on the white version - mean the new Moto X can sense more gestures than before. So, for example, you can silence the morning alarm by waving your hand over the phone.
Motorola Moto X 2014 hands-on review: Software
The new Moto X ships with KitKat, and a guarantee of an update to Android L, which should be released soon.
Like the original, the second-generation Moto X has plain Android but adds some nice features which set it apart not only from Motorola's cheaper phones, but also other premiumAndroid smartphones.
Moto Voice is one, and it's been improved with a custom voice trigger. You no longer have to say "Ok Google now" and can record any phrase you like to begin voice recognition, which works even if the phone is in sleep mode.
Moto Voice is also integrated with What'sapp, YouTube, Facebook and other apps so you can tell the phone to post a photo to Facebook, for example.
Moto Assist is back, and also improved. Using the phone's array of sensors it knows if you're sleeping or in the office or driving. This means the Moto X can automatically enable silent mode when you're in meeting, and read out text messages in the car.
Moto Display is yet another feature which has seen a facelift (it used to be called Active Display). There are now three notifications instead of one. You still have to swipe the notification to see what it is, but at least the limit of one has been lifted.
You can still use the Quick Capture gesture to launch the camera app, which is two flicks of the wrist. The camera app has been updated and starts taking images immediately on launch. The Best Shot feature analyses photos it has taken and will offer one if it's better than one you've taken yourself. Clever stuff.
Like HTC's Zoe software, the Moto X will automatically stitch together a collage of photos and video to create a highlights reel based on time or location.
Motorola Moto X 2014 hands-on review: Moto Maker
Finally, Moto Maker is coming to the UK at the end of September, which is when the new Moto X launches. This customising service was only available to US residents for the original Moto X.
With the new Moto X, you can choose between wood (bamboo), leather and plastic rear inserts. It's also possible to change the colour of the speaker grilles on the front.
Using the online tool, you can see how your Moto X will look - as a 3D model - before you hit the Buy button.
It's also possible to engrave a message and add a custom start-up greeting. Moto Maker can suggest a wallpaper which will best match the other customisations you've made, and the phone can be shipped with your Google ID, ready for you to enter your password when you take it out of the box.
The turnaround time from receiving your order to actually having your shiny new Moto X in your hand is currently seven working days. Leather and wood pushes the price up to £440, and upping the storage from 16 to 32GB will also increase the price by £40.
Motorola Moto X 2014 hands-on review: bottom line
If you like to personalise your phone, the new Moto X could well be for you. It has a greatscreen, isn't too big or heavy, and has excellent performance. The only snag is the price, as it's not cheap.
We'll reserve final judgment for when we've had time to properly test out the Moto X, and see if it's worth £100 more than the old model.
We liked the original Moto X, but the Android smartphone didn't have all that much going for it. Now, with Moto Maker available in the UK and some nice upgrades, the new Moto X is an altogether different proposition. Here's our hands-on review of the second-generation Moto X.
It's too early to give a definitive verdict on the new Moto X. We'll update this review when we've fully tested it.
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