In his review of the second-generation Moto X last September, our Senior Mobile Editor Chris Velazco called it “a huge step forward from last year’s model.” He complimented the seamless feel of the edges and thought its improved OLED screen was “one of the nicest smartphone screens I’ve seen in a while.” But not everything was pure love with the 2014 Moto X. The battery can squeeze out a day at most, and the front camera fails to be “consistently good” and is often slow to focus, with photos full of grain. But in spite of these flaws, Chris felt that the new Moto X “earned itself a spot in the pantheon of smartphone greats.”
That’s a pretty big proclamation to make; how well does it hold up? To find out, we turn to the discerning opinions of our loyal readers, who have taken to the product database page for the 2014 Moto X to share their own experiences with the phone. With a user average of 9.2, it was a definite improvement over the original Moto X (which averaged a score of 8.8), but would they agree with our reviewer’s assessments?
Readers like MrFancyPants certainly liked the way it looks, admiring its “premium feel,” while DownGoesFrazier noticed it “fits perfectly in my hand.” It also slipped into dicenzo’s pocket quite easily, and WoodyH finds he can’t “go out in public without people wanting to fondle my phone.” Indeed, many users certainly thought it was worth the attention, with pramopu calling it “fabulous,” while WoodyH simply says it’s “the best-looking smartphone.”
Those best-in-class looks certainly extend to the display as well, with guigreg liking its “amazing colors and brightness” and BinZ was pleased to see that the color was “not noticeably oversaturated.” Pramopu says it’s “one of the best available.” The speakers are not too shabby either, with colonelpackage calling the audio quality excellent.
Sure, the phone looks and feels good, but how well does it work on a daily basis? Quite well, in fact, with WoodyH praising its “lightning fast and smooth” operation and useful software features. MrFancyPants likes how you don’t even need to touch the device at all thanks to the new voice commands, and thinks replacing the notification light with Moto Actions was “a great move.”
Unfortunately, not everything was sunshine and roses for our users. They agreed with our assessment of the camera, finding it suitable for instances like taking pictures of roses in the sunshine — but only barely. MrFancyPants says it’s “not good” in low light, and even just “okay” outdoors, while TheRydad found it “quite passable,” but still pretty “meh” overall. The battery life fared a little better, getting WoodyH through a full day “easily” and BinZ says it’s “OK for regular usage,” but DownGoesFrazier says that heavy users might be “better off” with the Droid Turbo.
If you’re not a heavy user, though, you’ll probably be perfectly happy with the Moto X. DownGoesFrazier says it’s a real “pleasure” and colonelpackage just appreciates using it, while TheRydad goes so far as calling it “the best phone I have owned.”
If you’re a Moto X owner, how has your experience been? If you agree — or disagree — with the reviews here, you can always contribute your own by heading over to the product page for the second-generation Moto X. In fact, you can review almost any product you find in the Engadget database, including the iPhone 6 Plus, the Amazon Fire TV or the Microsoft Band.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
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