Update: Moto X review


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Update includes a video....

 

I didn't write this review but it is worth a look. From The Verge.   To much to post here but worth a read.
 

 

It?s difficult and perhaps dangerous to make a big deal out of a smartphone these days. Can one phone change an industry? Save a company? Create a market? Perhaps that was true in the days just following the original iPhone, but times have most certainly changed. Smartphones are the norm now. No longer a novelty. Not a luxury. Just what everyone has, in some iterative, similar, necessary form.

 

The Moto X, a new phone from the Google-owned Motorola is supposed to be a big deal. A new way of thinking about a smartphone. When it becomes available on all four major US carriers at the end of August or early September, for roughly $199 with a two-year contract, this device will be one of the first modern, mass-market consumer electronics to be assembled (though not exactly ?made?) in the USA. It?s the first smartphone that you can customize and have hand-built in a variety of configurations and colors. And it?s the first smartphone that is supposed to represent what the new Google-Motorola union is capable of.

 

But that?s all ? mostly ? unimportant unless the phone is any good. It can match your outfit, sure, but do you actually want it in the pocket of your jeans?

 

 

http://www.theverge.com/2013/8/5/4588922/moto-x-review

 

Video

http://www.theverge.com/2013/8/5/4588634/moto-x-hands-on-review-video

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People who will buy this phone are mainly people, like myself, who understand user experience matters more than raw specs. This is something Apple focused from the start, even when their raw specs and screen size started lagging behind Android ever since they released the iPhone 4. Yet user satisfaction remained high once people got over the small screen and that is due to the massive efforts they put towards optimization. MotoX picked this same path. it will be a win and TheVerge review does a good job of pointing out why. I'm just waiting for the google play version to go on sale later this month and I'll be ordering two.

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Another Android phone with a crappy AMOLED screen...

 

These companies really kill themselves by designing their products with inferior components.

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Another Android phone with a crappy AMOLED screen...

 

These companies really kill themselves by designing their products with inferior components.

 

AMOLED gets roughly 25% longer battery life than IPS displays. Given one of the main goals of the MotoX is battery life and making sure it can last an entire day without charge, it's a fair tradeoff. Any screen will have it's flaws if you look closely enough and nitpick everything. But most of it aren't noticeable at all in the demos and normal usage, which again is what matters most.

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AMOLED gets roughly 25% longer battery life than IPS displays. Given one of the main goals of the MotoX is battery life and making sure it can last an entire day without charge, it's a fair tradeoff. Any screen will have it's flaws if you look closely enough and nitpick everything. But most of it aren't noticeable at all in the demos and normal usage, which again is what matters most.

 

Not to mention the review said it was basically as good as the retina display which has always been rated well.

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Another Android phone with a crappy AMOLED screen...

 

These companies really kill themselves by designing their products with inferior components.

I can't tell the difference between the iPhone 4s and galaxy s4 screen (contrast CAN be adjusted for amoled)

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People who will buy this phone are mainly people, like myself, who understand user experience matters more than raw specs. This is something Apple focused from the start, even when their raw specs and screen size started lagging behind Android ever since they released the iPhone 4. Yet user satisfaction remained high once people got over the small screen and that is due to the massive efforts they put towards optimization. MotoX picked this same path. it will be a win and TheVerge review does a good job of pointing out why. I'm just waiting for the google play version to go on sale later this month and I'll be ordering two.

 

Kind of what  I said on the front page last week.  If the phone performs as well as they claim, then it is worth the price as well.  WP and Apple showed you dont need 4 cores.  If Google can stream the software with the hardware, then they will do well.  Also, I am sure the Moto X will be supported update wise fast and for a long time.  At least I hope.

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I can't tell the difference between the iPhone 4s and galaxy s4 screen (contrast CAN be adjusted for amoled)

Right, because the S4 has a 1080p screen, which covers up the typical pixelation on an AMOLED (and pentile) screen.  It'll still be a bit over-saturated compared to an IPS screen though.

 

The Moto X is 720p, and the review said the pixelation is definitely noticeable.

Between the pixelation and over-saturation, it's pretty disappointing compared to the competition.

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Right, because the S4 has a 1080p screen, which covers up the typical pixelation on an AMOLED (and pentile) screen.  It'll still be a bit over-saturated compared to an IPS screen though.

 

The Moto X is 720p, and the review said the pixelation is definitely noticeable.

Between the pixelation and over-saturation, it's pretty disappointing compared to the competition.

Ohhhhh 720p :S  

 If pixelation is noticeable then I'll have to agree with you, thats iPhone 3Gs days:P

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Right, because the S4 has a 1080p screen, which covers up the typical pixelation on an AMOLED (and pentile) screen.  It'll still be a bit over-saturated compared to an IPS screen though.

 

The Moto X is 720p, and the review said the pixelation is definitely noticeable.

Between the pixelation and over-saturation, it's pretty disappointing compared to the competition.

 

This is what the review said...

 

 

As far as resolution is concerned, text and graphics look plenty smooth on a 4.7-inch 720p display, but if you look closely, there?s a hint of pixelation compared with 1080p devices. I had to study them side by side to make out the difference, as it?s incredibly slight (keep in mind, the PPI of this phone is nearly the same as the iPhone 5?s Retina display). I expected to be bothered by the step backward in pixel density, but it wasn?t an issue.

 

 

Wouldnt call it noticeable and most wont even notice it.

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AMOLED gets roughly 25% longer battery life than IPS displays. Given one of the main goals of the MotoX is battery life and making sure it can last an entire day without charge, it's a fair tradeoff. Any screen will have it's flaws if you look closely enough and nitpick everything. But most of it aren't noticeable at all in the demos and normal usage, which again is what matters most.

That's actually a myth unless the AMOLED screen is displaying a high amount of black constantly.  Otherwise, it can be more power hungry than an IPS screen when whites are highly prevalent.

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This is what the review said...

 

 

Wouldnt call it noticeable and most wont even notice it.

I'm sure plenty of people will notice it.  It probably won't be a huge deal to many people, but my point was that this phone is inferior to the competition in many ways.

 

Between the screen and camera shortcomings, why would anybody buy this over the Galaxy S4?

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I'm sure plenty of people will notice it.  It probably won't be a huge deal to many people, but my point was that this phone is inferior to the competition in many ways.

 

Between the screen and camera shortcomings, why would anybody buy this over the Galaxy S4?

 

Battery life, customizations (yes, lots worry about the color of their phones) and how smooth the OS is.  Also, support.  If it is the non play GS4, then the Moto X doesnt have all the extra crap/bloat taking up the majority of the space.  And lots consider the iPhone inferior to the competition but yet, Apple still sells well.

 

Also, keep in mind this is Google's first phone so it can only get better from here.

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Right, because the S4 has a 1080p screen, which covers up the typical pixelation on an AMOLED (and pentile) screen.  It'll still be a bit over-saturated compared to an IPS screen though.

 

The Moto X is 720p, and the review said the pixelation is definitely noticeable.

Between the pixelation and over-saturation, it's pretty disappointing compared to the competition.

 

Well, coming from a Nexus 4 the PPI difference between it and the Moto X are almost negligible (318 vs. 312).  Also, the Nexus 4 IPS screen is very washed out.. I absolutely miss the vibrant color from my old HTC One S sAMOLED screen, would look forward to having an AMOLED screen from Motorola.  I prefer the oversaturation to a poorly calibrated washed out IPS on the Nexus 4 :\

 

Only thing holding me back from buying the Moto X is the contract requirement and upfront cost.  Might snag one off of eBay after some used models start popping up.

 

I'm on the road a lot, and the voice/notification features alone make it incredibly practical for me.  Battery life is secondary to that, I have a USB car charger that I use

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Kind of what  I said on the front page last week.  If the phone performs as well as they claim, then it is worth the price as well.  WP and Apple showed you dont need 4 cores.  If Google can stream the software with the hardware, then they will do well.  Also, I am sure the Moto X will be supported update wise fast and for a long time.  At least I hope.

 

Based on all the others reviews that got published today, the battery life indeed does hold up and will get you easily through the entire day. Keep in mind that most of their battery life benchmarks are simply looped talking, video, steaming, etc. In the real world, you get something more like what Engadget reported with 23% remaining after a 24 hour day since people don't talk for 14 hours a day.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Nice review. I have my sights on the Google Play version pending what Apple has in store with the 5S, not to mention how iOS 7 is.

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