My initial Moto X experience

[pc747]

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Got a chance to get my hands on a motorola x and I just want to talk about it. I will go over my thoughts, who this device is for, and is it worth the price point.​

 

[pc747]

Any one who read my posts on the Motorola X knows that going in I had more negatives to say about the device than positives for me (at the time) I felt like motorola dropped the ball yet again. But I have to admit that I found the device to be a solid device. Though plastic it didn't feel like the Samsung creaky plastic it was a solid feeling device. Size wise it feels a lot like the galaxy nexus except more of a solid feel. But look and feel I literally felt like I was holding my galaxy nexus in hand and any one who have had a galaxy nexus can attest to it being one of the best feeling devices in hand. Navigating through the device felt silky smooth with no lag.

Pros: Size is just right for those wanting a nice device but wanting something more mid range in size then this may be the device for you. The ability to truly customize with moto x and with clean vanilla look any one who hated blur will love this. The look and feel brought my back to that of the og Motorola Droid. Radios: motorola makes some of the best radios in the business.

Cons: Camera. For those who want the appeal factor of a sense or touchwiz this device may not appeal to you.

Overall: If you loved your galaxy nexus but felt like if it had just a better radio it would be perfect, then the Motorola X is for you. It looks and feels a lot like an updated and improved galaxy nexus with the addition of being able to customize the look. Is the camera great, no but the galaxy nexus camera wasnt the greatest either but if you can live with that then you will be getting a solid overall device and I do believe that it is worth the asking price.

Would I buy it? If this device was released just before the note 2 came out there is no doubt I would have had one all decked out in red and gold (niners colors) but I have been spoiled by the note 2 and it would be very hard to go down in screen size. With that said I would highly recommend it for someone who wants a smaller screen and want the clean nexus look.

 

[pc747]

thread open for comments

 

[dezymond]

great review PC, you pretty much nailed it on the head how I feel about the device, a better Galaxy Nexus.

Now did you only have some short hands-on experience or are you able to take it home and really have a chance to use it? I'm very interested in the cpu and want to know how overall the experience is on the device when it comes to everyday use. In other words, does it warrant the $200 price tag with a new contract when it comes to being compared to the likes of the other choices selling at $200 w/ new contract (s4, One, Note 2, etc.)? Screen wise I already know it doesn't, but performance wise can it keep up?

 

[pc747]

great review PC, you pretty much nailed it on the head how I feel about the device, a better Galaxy Nexus.

Now did you only have some short hands-on experience or are you able to take it home and really have a chance to use it? I'm very interested in the cpu and want to know how overall the experience is on the device when it comes to everyday use. In other words, does it warrant the $200 price tag with a new contract when it comes to being compared to the likes of the other choices selling at $200 w/ new contract (s4, One, Note 2, etc.)? Screen wise I already know it doesn't, but performance wise can it keep up?

I knew I was going to do a post on it so I played with it for some time thankfully the people in the store at the time were not interested in the X. For what I use my phone for which is emails, browsing sites, and music for my work outs performance wise it kept up just fine. I did not play any graphic or memory intensive games so I can not compare that with how the n2 performs but again I rarely play games on my device any way.

For me I could not see picking it over the note 2 or s4 but that is because i have been spoiled by samsung as of late and as much as I harped about vanilla android I find my experience is better if I put nova launcher on top of tw vs Aosp. Battery wise I found using nova launcher on top of tw to be on par with my running Aosp. But again that is my personal experience. With that said, those who hate tw, sense, or manufacturer skins you will love the motorola X. I really do not see the point of a Motorola X Google edition, developer edition yeah, but not a google experience as the device looks and feels like a google experience device out of the box. As far as how will the X fair against the Droid Ultras it is going to be a matter of do a person want google edition skin or a little bit of blur look on top.

 

[sc0rch3d]

exactly the kind of review i was looking for. GNex was by far my favorite phone since OG Droid and looking for something that feels better in hand. it's amazing how you get obsessed with phone shopping like car shopping. you just know when the right one comes along.

 

[bkdodger]

I played with the phone for a long period of time yesterday ...I agree with a nice feel in hand and definitely better than ultra in hand if you are on Verizon ..I played YouTube videos ..ran thru screens and menus ..all was fluid and you won't skip a beat...I'm sure it will handle everyday use nicely with no trouble ..for me obviously the screen was small but it will be good for most size wise ..I noticed the white was dirty from store handling ..something to keep in mind if you get white ...camera was quick and snappy ...I know everyone complains of Moto ..it's same as before IMO ..good enough for most ..complaints for the camera aficionados..hehe ....one cool thing I enjoyed was if you press and hold while taking pics it will rapid fire pics in burst mode..kudos no menu changing..I'm going to say cameras simple and reliable...overall I think plenty of peeps will be happy...enjoy y'all...thanks for review PC

N2 tap'd HD

 

[jntdroid]

@dez I've been trying out a Maxx for the past week and I can tell you it's been the least laggy Android experience ever... the HTC One is the only one that comes close to it. It just never hiccups and is extremely smooth and responsive. If nobody knew the specs, and did a "blind taste test" next to the S4 and the One, I guarantee you, based on feel alone, they'd say the X/Maxx/Ultra/Mini felt like it had at least the quad core setups the S4 and One have. It's really really nice... but I hate that dang camera.

 

[pc747]

exactly the kind of review i was looking for. GNex was by far my favorite phone since OG Droid and looking for something that feels better in hand. it's amazing how you get obsessed with phone shopping like car shopping. you just know when the right one comes along.

If you have an att corporate store near you walk in when you get a chance. If you have your nexus in hand and you grab the X you would have sworn that it was a later model nexus (with an upgraded processor, more ram, and the ability to choose the look). I seriously think this is the device nexus users can upgrade to. As you will have everything you loved about your nexus with much better radios which is something nexus user feel was the only thing the galaxy nexus needed. The only lack would be that it will not get updates like a nexus but then again if you had a Verizon Galaxy Nexus you are already use to that.

 

[bkdodger]

Def spot on..I didn't hate camera but it's not a Motorola strong quality...fluid operational UI most certainly...and screen 720 doesn't look bad most won't notice a thing..it was crisp enough

N2 tap'd HD

 

[dezymond]

I knew I was going to do a post on it so I played with it for some time thankfully the people in the store at the time were not interested in the X. For what I use my phone for which is emails, browsing sites, and music for my work outs performance wise it kept up just fine. I did not play any graphic or memory intensive games so I can not compare that with how the n2 performs but again I rarely play games on my device any way.

For me I could not see picking it over the note 2 or s4 but that is because i have been spoiled by samsung as of late and as much as I harped about vanilla android I find my experience is better if I put nova launcher on top of tw vs Aosp. Battery wise I found using nova launcher on top of tw to be on par with my running Aosp. But again that is my personal experience. With that said, those who hate tw, sense, or manufacturer skins you will love the motorola X. I really do not see the point of a Motorola X Google edition, developer edition yeah, but not a google experience as the device looks and feels like a google experience device out of the box. As far as how will the X fair against the Droid Ultras it is going to be a matter of do a person want google edition skin or a little bit of blur look on top.

I hear ya on Samsung spoilin ya, to this day I still turn my screen on just to see it and I already know the X doesn't compare to the screen of the s4. Had it been available BEFORE the s4, I would've put some real thought into, but for me it's a no brainer especially since they're the same price. It seems like a real solid device, but it doesn't seem like a real significant upgrade over the Nexus either from what I've been reading/watching.

I'm with sc0rch3d when it comes to the Nexus being my favorite phone. I wanted something similar to the Nexus, but there was no phone like it available at the time so I tried something different. I really think Samsung hit the sweet spot, at least for me, with the size of the phone and the display quality. It can be a bit of a stretch to use one-handed, but I can't find myself using a device using a smaller screen anymore. Nexus is still my favorite phone despite its drawbacks, but I think the s4 is very close to becoming my new favorite, but that decision won't be made until I have a new phone 2yrs from now.

 

[sc0rch3d]

If you have an att corporate store near you walk in when you get a chance. If you have your nexus in hand and you grab the X you would have sworn that it was a later model nexus (with an upgraded processor, more ram, and the ability to choose the look). I seriously think this is the device nexus users can upgrade to. As you will have everything you loved about your nexus with much better radios which is something nexus user feel was the only thing the galaxy nexus needed. The only lack would be that it will not get updates like a nexus but then again if you had a Verizon Galaxy Nexus you are already use to that.

I went to our ATT store the day after the Moto X was released and played with it while my wife was looking for her next phone (probably an S4). I never noticed when the GNex received Android updates b/c it rooted/unlocked within the first day of getting it. I'm holding off until the rumors play on what the Moto X Dev Device will be. I have a DSLR, so a crappy phone camera is not that big of deal if you plan in advance.

thanks @bk - i was considering a custom version with white back and black front, but not doing that now!

 

[bkdodger]

Yes I think the phone should be used no case..just feels solid as it ships..and I found it too dirty where I did a double take and even asked the rep wth y'all do with it..lol

N2 tap'd HD

 

[pc747]

Def spot on..I didn't hate camera but it's not a Motorola strong quality...fluid operational UI most certainly...and screen 720 doesn't look bad most won't notice a thing..it was crisp enough

N2 tap'd HD

Yeah to be honest 720 is not a bad screen resolution. Looks just fine on my n2. When I look at a 1080 p screen you can tell a difference but on a screen this small it is not enough to make or break a decision for me.

 

[pc747]

I went to our ATT store the day after the Moto X was released and played with it while my wife was looking for her next phone (probably an S4). I never noticed when the GNex received Android updates b/c it rooted/unlocked within the first day of getting it. I'm holding off until the rumors play on what the Moto X Dev Device will be. I have a DSLR, so a crappy phone camera is not that big of deal if you plan in advance.

thanks @bk - i was considering a custom version with white back and black front, but not doing that now!

SO did I and ironically it is the only way to get updates on time, Shame on you Verizon. I still use my galaxy nexus mainly as a remote for my chromecast, an alarm clock, or as a voice over ip (rarely).