I got my hands on the new Moto X by Motorola this past Thursday. For those who don't know much about this phone, it's Motorola's new flagship Android device. It is also the first Motorola phone made under development with Google. Google purchased Motorola Mobility last year for $12.5 billion (jeez!).
What does this mean? Well mainly that the device will be a much tighter, pure Android experience. So forget about manufacture's OS skins and additional software features. It's not part of the Nexus line, but it could be.
You can design this phone to your liking on the Moto Maker website before purchase. I decided to go with the Kermit Green look. I don't know why, but I wanted something kind of loud and obnoxious with this device lol.
The design of the phone is of very high quality. It has a polycarbonate, non-removable back plate. The back is concaved which makes holding the phone a joy. It's a very comfortable phone to use. Even the Motorola "M" logo on the back is recessed for your index finger to stay snug in one spot. The screen has curved glass which has been a feature used in every Nexus device since Samsung's Nexus S.
I have heard some complaints about the sleep/wake and volume rocker buttons to feel too loose but in my case I don't have this problem. Every single thing on this phone feels solid and of high quality. It is also the first smartphone to actually be designed AND assembled in the USA, if that matters to anyone.
The phone has a 4.7" 720p AMOLED screen. I really like the display. Everything looks very clear and crisp. The screen certainly does pop when viewing it. It has been a long time since I used an AMOLED display, I forgot about the good stuff. But with saying that it still has issues on any AMOLED display (poor visibility in daylight and so-so viewing angles, mainly).
I have personally been comparing this device side-by-side with my iPhone 5. Mainly because I am looking to stop having two phones. This work device is 100% free and 100% unlimited, I have just been very wrapped up in the iOS ecosystem so I am looking for something good enough to make the jump. This phone might be the one to do it.
Camera, Winner = iPhone 5
There is simply no better camera on the market in my opinion for a daily, quick to use shooter. There's a lot out there that come with more features (Galaxy S4) and others that truly have better image quality (Lumia 1020) but as a whole the iPhone 5's camera takes better pics each and every time.
The iPhone will almost always get a good shot. Low light, with a flash, movement... it doesn't matter. I could name a phone that does each thing better, but not all of them. iPhone is pretty darn good with color accuracy and especially with adjusting to the appropriate white balance (one thing where the Lumias are all over the place). If I am doing tons of manual adjustments and tweaking settings to get a good shot, something like the Lumia 1020 would kill it each time. But if I was going to spend that much time I would just use my DSLR.
If you can't tell, the Camera is the biggest thing that makes me hold on to my 5.
The Moto X camera is above average though, but its very unpredictable. Sometimes it can get a great shot and other times its just plain bad. It seems to have problems adjusting indoors. It can do good low light shots, it just takes a few tries.
Here's a few shots with the Moto X:
As you can see, quality jobs around a lot. This is definitely fixable with a software update though. Good shots are definitely doable.
Android vs iOS, Winner = Moto X
At this point I find Android to be a more enjoyable user experience than iOS. There are still some things where iOS perform better. The keyboard and web browsing through Safari are two immediate things that come to mind. But Android is just more fresh. Their updates in the past 2 years feel more significant and multi-tasking and android's notification system is just above and beyond iOS's.
Keep in mind though, I don't feel this way towards most "tweaked" Android roms. I don't like Samsung's TouchWiz and I am not a fan of HTC's new Sense 5 with the BlinkFeed features. I would still put iOS above those.
Battery Life, Winner = Moto X
Oh where the mighty has fallen, right? Android is simply better at power management this point in the game. Another big fact of the matter is the iPhone's battery is relatively small compared to other devices. Small battery = Small battery life. iPhone's still charge fast as [censored] though!
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Anyone else interested in getting this phone? I'm only two days in and it's very safe to say that the experience is good. Real good. I am going to wait for Apple's announcement on Sept. 10th before I decide to stay with one phone. As of right now, the idea of a gold iPhone 5s isn't doing much for me. And iOS7 is a mixed bag as well.
What does this mean? Well mainly that the device will be a much tighter, pure Android experience. So forget about manufacture's OS skins and additional software features. It's not part of the Nexus line, but it could be.
You can design this phone to your liking on the Moto Maker website before purchase. I decided to go with the Kermit Green look. I don't know why, but I wanted something kind of loud and obnoxious with this device lol.
The design of the phone is of very high quality. It has a polycarbonate, non-removable back plate. The back is concaved which makes holding the phone a joy. It's a very comfortable phone to use. Even the Motorola "M" logo on the back is recessed for your index finger to stay snug in one spot. The screen has curved glass which has been a feature used in every Nexus device since Samsung's Nexus S.
I have heard some complaints about the sleep/wake and volume rocker buttons to feel too loose but in my case I don't have this problem. Every single thing on this phone feels solid and of high quality. It is also the first smartphone to actually be designed AND assembled in the USA, if that matters to anyone.
The phone has a 4.7" 720p AMOLED screen. I really like the display. Everything looks very clear and crisp. The screen certainly does pop when viewing it. It has been a long time since I used an AMOLED display, I forgot about the good stuff. But with saying that it still has issues on any AMOLED display (poor visibility in daylight and so-so viewing angles, mainly).
I have personally been comparing this device side-by-side with my iPhone 5. Mainly because I am looking to stop having two phones. This work device is 100% free and 100% unlimited, I have just been very wrapped up in the iOS ecosystem so I am looking for something good enough to make the jump. This phone might be the one to do it.
Camera, Winner = iPhone 5
There is simply no better camera on the market in my opinion for a daily, quick to use shooter. There's a lot out there that come with more features (Galaxy S4) and others that truly have better image quality (Lumia 1020) but as a whole the iPhone 5's camera takes better pics each and every time.
The iPhone will almost always get a good shot. Low light, with a flash, movement... it doesn't matter. I could name a phone that does each thing better, but not all of them. iPhone is pretty darn good with color accuracy and especially with adjusting to the appropriate white balance (one thing where the Lumias are all over the place). If I am doing tons of manual adjustments and tweaking settings to get a good shot, something like the Lumia 1020 would kill it each time. But if I was going to spend that much time I would just use my DSLR.
If you can't tell, the Camera is the biggest thing that makes me hold on to my 5.
The Moto X camera is above average though, but its very unpredictable. Sometimes it can get a great shot and other times its just plain bad. It seems to have problems adjusting indoors. It can do good low light shots, it just takes a few tries.
Here's a few shots with the Moto X:
As you can see, quality jobs around a lot. This is definitely fixable with a software update though. Good shots are definitely doable.
Android vs iOS, Winner = Moto X
At this point I find Android to be a more enjoyable user experience than iOS. There are still some things where iOS perform better. The keyboard and web browsing through Safari are two immediate things that come to mind. But Android is just more fresh. Their updates in the past 2 years feel more significant and multi-tasking and android's notification system is just above and beyond iOS's.
Keep in mind though, I don't feel this way towards most "tweaked" Android roms. I don't like Samsung's TouchWiz and I am not a fan of HTC's new Sense 5 with the BlinkFeed features. I would still put iOS above those.
Battery Life, Winner = Moto X
Oh where the mighty has fallen, right? Android is simply better at power management this point in the game. Another big fact of the matter is the iPhone's battery is relatively small compared to other devices. Small battery = Small battery life. iPhone's still charge fast as [censored] though!
--------------
Anyone else interested in getting this phone? I'm only two days in and it's very safe to say that the experience is good. Real good. I am going to wait for Apple's announcement on Sept. 10th before I decide to stay with one phone. As of right now, the idea of a gold iPhone 5s isn't doing much for me. And iOS7 is a mixed bag as well.