The Moto X (2nd-gen) boasts a premium design with a 5.2-inch AMOLED display, a quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, and improved 13MP rear camera, but has limitations including low built-in storage and mediocre battery performance. Motorola enhances the user experience with stock Android and features like Moto Voice and Moto Display. While the device offers a distinct design and solid specifications, it faces stiff competition at its price point from rivals such as the HTC One E8 and Samsung Galaxy S5.

1. Moto X
(2nd-gen)
Review in pictures
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2. 2
Phablet by definition, not by size
Instead of the handier 4.7-inch display, the new Moto X gets a roomier 5.2-inch screen
However, Motorola has kept the bezels to a minimum
In fact, its size is almost equivalent to devices with 5-inch displays, including its sibling,
the new Moto G
The front portion of the device gets two metal bars above and below the display, but
only the bottom one is the speaker
DESIGN

3. 3
Screams premium right from the get-go
Going a step further than its predecessor, the phone is offered in in leather and wood
back variants, along with the usual ones
The leather variant feels superb in the hand, but requires careful handling as it picks
up scratches rather easily
Thanks to a metallic band running along its edges, it exudes premiumness
Handling is further improved with its curved rear, which makes the device look thin
DESIGN

4. Keeps your eyes glued
The 5.2-inch AMOLED display panel features full HD resolution resulting
in a rich pixel density of 423ppi
The screen outputs vibrant colours and wide viewing angles
Thanks to ample brightness, the display is legible in direct sunlight as well
Protection against scratches is provided by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 3
DISPLAY

5. Just two flicks away from your perfect shot
The shooter in the original
Moto X was its Achilles’ heel
Motorola hopes to change that
by equipping the second-gen
Moto X with a 13MP primary
camera, supplemented by a
ring flash with two LEDs
The custom camera app is
extremely minimal allowing you
to capture images by tapping
anywhere, but is also short on
image manipulation options
The smartphone sports a 2MP
camera at the front
While the rear shooter can
record up to 4K videos, the
front camera can capture full
HD videos
CAMERA

6. But quality is still a notch lower than the competition
While the camera is better than its
predecessor with a lot more detail,
it falters on sharpness
We also noticed that it’s tuned to
capture bright objects, resulting in
blown-out highlights
In comparison, other flagships
offer better imaging quality in all
kind of situations
The ring flash works well to
illuminate low-light scenes, but we
didn’t find it much better than the
usual flash
The 2MP front camera is good for
taking selfies or making video calls
Long shot
Close up
CAMERA

7. 24-carat Android
Follows Motorola’s tradition
of offering the latest, stock
build of Android
There are no
customisations at all
But the device does come
with a few preloaded apps
from the company
Motorola Migrate helps to
transfer all your stuff from
your old phone to the new
device quickly
With Motorola Connect,
you can mirror your
messages on your Chrome
browser
USER INTERFACE

8. From Okay Google to Hello Moto and beyond
Apart from the preinstalled
apps, there are a few features
that give the device its X-factor
With Moto Voice (formerly
Touchless Control), you can
interact hands-free with the
phone by using a custom
trigger phrase, even when the
device is locked
With your voice, you can ask
the device to read notifications,
post on Facebook, make a call,
set an alarm and more
Along with that, you can also
perform a web search on
Google
USER INTERFACE

9. Motorola’s magical touch continues to amaze...
Moto Display uses the
AMOLED display’s property to
display notifications, while
conserving battery life
With Moto Actions, the new
Moto X utilises IR sensors to
display Moto Display or
silence a call and snooze an
alarm when you wave your
hand over it
Moto Assist lets you
configure various preset
modes like Work, Driving,
Meeting to define how the
phone should behave in those
situations
USER INTERFACE

10. As smooth as silk
Instead of a modest dual-core processor, the second-gen Moto X runs on a quad-core
Snapdragon 801 SoC ticking at 2.5GHz, along with Adreno 330 GPU
The processing muscle is accompanied by 2GB RAM
The combination leads to zippy performance in all tasks
Processes heavy-graphics titles like Beach Buggy Racing and Riptide GP2
extremely well, and the device doesn’t heat up after continuous gaming
PERFORMANCE

11. Storage might be an issue
The 32GB variant is
unavailable in India
Comes with only 16GB of in-built
storage
Only 7.7GB of that space is
available to the end user
This is an issue considering
there’s no expansion slot
Although, you can make use of
USB On-the-Go support to use
your flash drives with the
smartphone
PERFORMANCE

12. Compromises on the battery life
The only compromise in the
device to keep it slim would
be its battery, which is a
2,300mAh unit
It’s just 100mAh larger than its
predecessor
Motorola claims an all-day
battery life, though we had
mixed results
It manages to last a day with
moderate usage, but with
heavy usage, it wasn’t able to
Played back an HD video as
part of our battery drain test
for close to 10 hours
PERFORMANCE

13. At a glance…
5.2-inch display, 1,920 x 1,080 pixels
(~423ppi)
Motorola Mobile Computing System
consisting of a 2.5GHz quad-core
Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor,
Adreno 330 GPU, Natural language and
Contextual computing processor
2GB RAM
13-megapixel primary camera
supplemented by ring flash
2-megapixel front camera
3G support (nano-SIM)
Wi-Fi ac (dual-band capable), Bluetooth
4.0 LE, NFC and GPS
2,300mAh battery
Android 4.4.4 KitKat

14. Pros and cons
Premium, distinct design
Lovely display
Powerful specs
Latest Android
Motorola's customisations
Fixed memory
Camera can't match up to other
flagships

15. Verdict
“Motorola has definitely upped its game when
compared to the original Moto X. But the price has
also been increased considerably (even more for
wooden and leather-finish variants). At this price
point, the device faces tough competition from
offerings like the Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro, HTC One E8
and the slightly costlier Samsung Galaxy S5. That
said, if you’re looking for a smartphone that goes
beyond the hardware and makes your life easier,
you can’t go wrong with the second-gen Moto X.”
Price:
Rs 31,999 /
Rs 33,999