Moto X(2nd-gen)

Review in pictures

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Phablet by definition, not by size

Instead of the handier 4.7-inch display, the new Moto X gets a roomier 5.2-

inch screen

However, Motorola has kept the bezels to a minimum

In fact, its size is almost equivalent to devices with 5-inch displays, including

its sibling, the new Moto G

The front portion of the device gets two metal bars above and below the

display, but only the bottom one is the speaker

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Screams premium right from the get-go

Going a step further than its predecessor, the phone is offered in in leather

and wood back variants, along with the usual ones

The leather variant feels superb in the hand, but requires careful handling

as it picks up scratches rather easily

Thanks to a metallic band running along its edges, it exudes premiumness

Handling is further improved with its curved rear, which makes the device

look thin

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Keeps your eyes glued

The 5.2-inch AMOLED display panel features full HD resolution

resulting in a rich pixel density of 423ppi

The screen outputs vibrant colours and wide viewing angles

Thanks to ample brightness, the display is legible in direct sunlight

as well

Protection against scratches is provided by a layer of Corning

Gorilla Glass 3

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Just two flicks away from your perfect shot

The shooter in the original Moto X was its Achilles’ heelMotorola hopes to change that by equipping the second-gen Moto X with a 13MP primary camera, supplemented by a ring flash with two LEDsThe custom camera app is extremely minimal allowing you to capture images by tapping anywhere, but is also short on image manipulation optionsThe smartphone sports a 2MP camera at the frontWhile the rear shooter can record up to 4K videos, the front camera can capture full HD videos

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But quality is still a notch lower than the competition

While the camera is better than its predecessor with a lot more detail, it falters on sharpnessWe also noticed that it’s tuned to capture bright objects, resulting in blown-out highlightsIn comparison, other flagships offer better imaging quality in all kind of situationsThe ring flash works well to illuminate low-light scenes, but we didn’t find it much better than the usual flashThe 2MP front camera is good for taking selfies or making video calls

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24-carat Android

Follows Motorola’s

tradition of offering the

latest, stock build of

Android

There are no

customisations at all

But the device does

come with a few

preloaded apps from

the company

Motorola Migrate helps

to transfer all your stuff

from your old phone to

the new device quickly

With Motorola Connect,

you can mirror your

messages on your

Chrome browser

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From Okay Google to Hello Moto and beyond

Apart from the preinstalled

apps, there are a few

features that give the

device its X-factor

With Moto Voice (formerly

Touchless Control), you can

interact hands-free with

the phone by using a

custom trigger phrase,

even when the device is

locked

With your voice, you can

ask the device to read

notifications, post on

Facebook, make a call, set

an alarm and more

Along with that, you can

also perform a web search

on Google

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Motorola’s magical touch continues to amaze...

Moto Display uses the

AMOLED display’s

property to display

notifications, while

conserving battery life

With Moto Actions, the

new Moto X utilises IR

sensors to display Moto

Display or silence a call

and snooze an alarm when

you wave your hand over

it

Moto Assist lets you

configure various preset

modes like Work, Driving,

Meeting to define how the

phone should behave in

those situations

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As smooth as silk

Instead of a modest dual-core processor, the second-gen Moto X runs on

a quad-core Snapdragon 801 SoC ticking at 2.5GHz, along with

Adreno 330 GPU

The processing muscle is accompanied by 2GB RAM

The combination leads to zippy performance in all tasks

Processes heavy-graphics titles like Beach Buggy Racing and Riptide

GP2 extremely well, and the device doesn’t heat up after continuous

gaming

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Storage might be an issue

The 32GB variant is

unavailable in India

Comes with only 16GB of

in-built storage

Only 7.7GB of that space is

available to the end user

This is an issue considering

there’s no expansion slot

Although, you can make

use of USB On-the-Go

support to use your flash

drives with the smartphone

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Compromises on the battery life

The only compromise in

the device to keep it slim

would be its battery, which

is a 2,300mAh unit

It’s just 100mAh larger

than its predecessor

Motorola claims an all-day

battery life, though we

had mixed results

It manages to last a day

with moderate usage, but

with heavy usage, it

wasn’t able to

Played back an HD video

as part of our battery

drain test for close to 10

hours

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At a glance…

5.2-inch display, 1,920 x 1,080

pixels (~423ppi)

Motorola Mobile Computing System

consisting of a 2.5GHz quad-core

Qualcomm Snapdragon 801

processor, Adreno 330 GPU, Natural

language and Contextual computing

processor

2GB RAM

13-megapixel primary camera

supplemented by ring flash

2-megapixel front camera

3G support (nano-SIM)

Wi-Fi ac (dual-band capable),

Bluetooth 4.0 LE, NFC and GPS

2,300mAh battery

Android 4.4.4 KitKat

Pros and cons

Premium, distinct design Lovely display Powerful specs Latest Android Motorola's customisations

Fixed memory Camera can't match up to other flagships

Verdict

Price: Rs 31,999 / Rs 33,999

“Motorola has definitely upped its game when compared to the original Moto X. But the price has also been increased considerably (even more for wooden and leather-finish variants). At this price point, the device faces tough competition from offerings like the Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro, HTC One E8 and the slightly costlier Samsung Galaxy S5. That said, if you’re looking for a smartphone that goes beyond the hardware and makes your life easier, you can’t go wrong with the second-gen Moto X.”