Motorola Moto X review

It may look pretty, but how does it hold up as a handset?

In 2012, Google bought Motorola, and the cellular world waited with bated breath for the first joint device from the Android giant and the mobile maker.
On Thursday, Motorola gave us the first official glimpse at the combined efforts, and one year's worth of hype and hope was realized in the Moto X.
In a world where new Android phones are arriving at an alarming rate, it would be easy for Motorola's latest venture to get lost in the shuffle.
However, instead of relying on specs, and focusing on a more user-oriented experience, the Moto X is a refreshing bit of smartphone ingenuity, and one that could put other Android manufacturers on notice.

Ok, Google, now what?

Unfortunately, despite hopes of the operating system's fans, the Moto X will ship with Android 4.2.2: Jelly Bean, and not Android 4.3, let alone Android 5.0: Key Lime Pie.
Still, the Moto X we tested was running pure Android, and the phone won't have any third-party skins like Sense or TouchWiz getting in the way.
The phone is fast and responsive, which is to be expected with 2GB RAM and a 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chip.

A 10MP snapper occupies a prominent position

That processor is just a part of the new X8 Computing System, the real brains behind the Moto X operation, which also includes a quad-core Adreno 320 GPU.
Jelly Bean is just the foundation with which Motorola has built an impressive set of features, most notable of which is a whole host of voice-activated touchless controls.
The X8 architecture provides to key features which should help set the Moto X apart from its competition: a natural language processor and a contextual computing processor.
The natural language processor gives the Moto X the ability to work without you ever having to touch a button.
By offering the key phrase, "OK Google Now…" you can start up any number of features like phone calls, web searches, etc.

The Moto's curved back is designed to fit snuggly in the hand

The phone gets trained to work with your voice, and even in the crowded showroom where Motorola had its devices on display, the Moto X was able to clearly hear and execute commands.
This is thanks in large part to three different microphones built into the device (on the front, rear and top of the phone), which work to reduce noise interference, and allow users a greater opportunity of being heard correctly, even if the phone is in their pocket.
Motorola claimed the Moto X would be able to hear you from up to 30 meters away, but we couldn't really push the voice activation to the limits at the event.
Security freaks shouldn't worry too much though, as the phone will still require you to put in your PIN before it will actually perform any voice-activated task.
However, you can bypass that need when the Moto X is tethered to a trusted Bluetooth device, which means you can keep doing things like asking for directions hands-free while driving.
Google and Motorola envision a world in which touching your phone becomes a thing of the past, and the ease of the Moto X's voice features could make bring that future ever closer.

The Moto X goes side-by-side with the Galaxy S4

Point and click

Contextual computing comes into play in a few different ways, but the most important is in the Moto X's photographic capabilities.
Motorola's key idea was in finding the fastest way for users to get the phone from users' pockets to snapping pics.
By making a twisting gesture when pulling out the Moto X, the contextual computing recognizes you want to take a picture, and instantly boots up the camera app.
Motorola has ditched the shutter button all together, and images are taken by merely taping anywhere on the screen.

In execution, it works well enough, but the camera's autofocus isn't always on point, meaning you might not get the shot you want right away.
The 10MP rear camera isn't really anything to brag about compared to the likes of the HTC One or the Nokia Lumia 1020, but the Clear Pixel technology inside more than makes up for the lack of pixels.
With its RGBC image sensor, the Moto X is able to conjure solid images thanks to a portion of white pixels set aside for the singular purpose of capturing more light.
This means pictures taken in low light should come out better as well, but they appeared a bit washed out and overly bright.
Granted, the environment we had to snap pics wasn't exactly the best, but for all the talk about how impressive the images were supposed to be, we were a bit underwhelmed.

S4 snap vs Moto X pic

In-a-glance info

The contextual computing is also responsible for the new lockscreen, which always displays the time and notifications without any need from the user to wake the Moto X up.
Motorola discovered users turned their phones on for 10-15 seconds at a time some 60 times a day, which the researchers realized was to check the time or messages.
The Moto X shows that data every 10 seconds on its OLED screen, but users shouldn't worry about losing out on any battery life, as the screen only uses those same pixels every single time, and not the full screen.
Tapping on the screen allows you to see more details, and you can either swipe to send them away, or to respond to the call or text.
It's not a feature that's going to change the face of smartphones forever, but it's a small touch that is built to make the phones easier to use.

Custom crafted

While Motorola's clearly spent some time crafting some distinctive innards and features, part of Motorola's big plan for the Moto X includes giving users more choice when it comes to the look of their cell phones.
The online Moto Maker gives you a host of options when designing your phone, including the color of the front, back, accents and the default wallpaper.
You can also pick just how much storage space you want, and the Moto X comes in the familiar 16GB and 32GB varieties.
There's no expandable memory, but the free 50GB of Google Drive cloud storage included should make up for the fact there's no microSD slot.

Like picking a flavor of ice cream

All the custom options in the world wouldn't matter however if the phone didn't look and feel good in its most basic form.
Motorola based the design around the screen, a slab that's 4.7-inch size was derived from testing to find the perfect fit in users' hands, or so the company claimed.
Additionally, the rear of the Moto X has been contoured to better fit in the palm, which also gave Motorola more space for the phone's 2200mAh battery.
Using a new bonding polymer, Motorola was able to conceal the Gorilla Glass face within the bezel with no seams visible on the front of the device.
In fact, the only seam noticeable is that dividing the front and back panels, leaving you with an incredibly smooth smartphone whether its in your pocket or against your ear.

Will wood work on a phone?

Even though the Moto X feels light, it also manages to feel durable and strong, though particular attention should be paid to the upcoming wood panel versions due out later this year.
Having a wood phone sounds strange at first, but the texture is like nothing you've ever held, giving you a truly unique device.
If you're concerned with moisture affecting the wood, Motorola assured it was treated in a similar way to a deck, and was laminated and constructed to withstand the elements.
We won't know for sure just how well the wood holds up until it arrives, but it's easily one of the most desirable looks for the Moto X at the moment.

Basic white...not so fun

Early verdict

We've been waiting for Motorola and Google to do something eye-catching since they teamed up last year, and the Moto X doesn't disappoint in that regard.
The Moto X isn't as spec heavy as some of its competition, but it has the power in important places like RAM, and doesn't spend any extra juice running a skinned version of Android.
The voice-activated control appears to be really strong, but until we can put it through the ringer with daily use, we're not consigned to mark it as a major victory just yet.
Where Motorola really shines is in the way its managed to make the Moto X all about the user, whether it's in the control or the design, and that could go a long way with consumers tired of the same few colors and styles most manufacturers have been relying on.
Whether the freedom afforded by the Moto X is something consumers flock to remains to be seen, but we're glad to see phones are again being designed with us in mind, and not finding a way to jam in a bigger processor than the competition.