Moto X - "The first smartphone that you can design yourself."

Ordered the Verizon moto x this morning. Should be here tomorrow morning. Just an FYI, use coupon code VERIZON30 to save 30%. It knocks the moto x down to 139.99 on Verizon website.
 
freakycody said:
Ordered the Verizon moto x this morning. Should be here tomorrow morning. Just an FYI, use coupon code VERIZON30 to save 30%. It knocks the moto x down to 139.99 on Verizon website.
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Let us know how you like it. Thinking about picking up the VZW Dev edition once it comes out.
 
ComputerBox34 said:
Let us know how you like it. Thinking about picking up the VZW Dev edition once it comes out.
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Will do. It would be hard for me to pay full price for a dev edition though, as much as an unlocked bootloader would be nice.
 
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Ordered the Verizon version yesterday...missed the delivery today (apparently there definition of a second attempt is waiting in a truck for 5 minutes and trying again)....so it be at the Fed Ex store tomorrow.

Pretty excited...still rocking the original Verizon Galaxy Nexus so almost been 3 years since I replaced the phone.
 
Lazy_Moron said:
Ordered the Verizon version yesterday...missed the delivery today (apparently there definition of a second attempt is waiting in a truck for 5 minutes and trying again)....so it be at the Fed Ex store tomorrow.

Pretty excited...still rocking the original Verizon Galaxy Nexus so almost been 3 years since I replaced the phone.
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"Original" Galaxy Nexus ? How's that different than the non original ? LOL :)

And the Galaxy Nexus is not 3 years old, not even 2 years yet, it came out in December 2011, so its only 20 months old.

Just saying.
 
Quick review on my Verizon moto x as was requested. I received it on Friday at 1030am and have had it for a little over 2 days. So far I am not regretting my purchase. This is a very large upgrade for me as my previous phone was the HTC incredible 2.

First thing first, is LTE is FAST! I know this is not inherent to this phone but what I will say is its reported dual antennas and excellent reception has proven to be true. I have yet to go anywhere where I have not had 4g. My parents RAZR M's continually drop 4g. Also boy is this phone clear to talk on. It is noticeably different for me as the user and even the people on the other end state it is very clear for them also, noticeable improvement over other people they have talked to. Antenna reception has been great consistently better than my inc2. Going dove hunting this evening so I will be out in the boonies so I will report back how reception is out there. It will be a good test.

OK performance, as expected this blows away my inc2 but what I bet everyone wants to know is how it does against the other top tier phones. First thing you will notice is the Moto X is smooth, I have yet to experience any lag or slow downs. Very responsive. I have handled the gs4 and it seems like there is sometimes a hesitation when using it but that is not to be found in this dual core moto x. I really do not feel like the moto x is lacking. Screen is dang clear, text is easy to read. No noticeable pixels or difference for me when looking at this or a 1080p screen.

Battery life has been great. First day it got in excess of 24hr and that was with 4 hours of screen time (30% brightness). It involved lots of internet surfing, installing apps, occasional YouTube videos and just general showing it off. Second day I had it off the charger for 18 hours and it had 32% battery left, so still on pace for 24 hours. I think moto has done well with their optimizations and making this phone very efficient. There 24 hours is showing to be true, at least for me.

Some other points worth mentioning. Like the active notifications, really handy and it seems to pop up when I every look at my phone so that is great (light sensors and gyrometers?). Though I won't lie, I do kind of miss the blinking LED but I think that is prolly just cause I am use to it and this will prolly not be missed in a week or 2. Camera is kind of disappointing but I expected that. Biggest thing I find is that the flash never seems to trigger even when it is fairly dark. So if I want the flash I usually have to turn it manually on or be in a very dark location. The wrist turn to bring up the camera is pretty dang handy and it does quickly take pictures. Quality is OK, I still feel if I want a real good pic I will use a point and shoot over a phone but this does fine with snapshots and what not. The hands free "OK Google now" works great but it seems gimmicky to me, but maybe I will use it more not sure yet.

And finally quality. First off I will say it it feels like a very solid phone not plastic and light the gs4. I really like the rubber texture back and the wraparound front panel. I can feel a very very slight edge where the screen meets up with the wraparound plastic front but I kind of expected that. The one thing I am slightly disappointed with is the volume rocker is a little loose (other reviews described this). I I can rattle to with my finger but if I shake my phone I do not hear it. It is really not a deal killer but a definite knock on quality, really the only knock I have. The size is perfect. I am really against large phones and this was just small enough to be perfect. I think the rounded back really helps it feel not at all bothersome in the pocket plus it makes it real nice to hold.

Well there it is, in the end, pretty happy with my phone. I think I can live with this for 2 years haha. Let me know if you have any questions and I will try my best to answer them.

PS this entire post was written on the Moto X. I would never have attempted it on the laggy ancient inc2 so this is a very nice change.
 
freakycody said:
Quick review on my Verizon moto x as was requested. I received it on Friday at 1030am and have had it for a little over 2 days. So far I am not regretting my purchase. This is a very large upgrade for me as my previous phone was the HTC incredible 2.

First thing first, is LTE is FAST! I know this is not inherent to this phone but what I will say is its reported dual antennas and excellent reception has proven to be true. I have yet to go anywhere where I have not had 4g. My parents RAZR M's continually drop 4g. Also boy is this phone clear to talk on. It is noticeably different for me as the user and even the people on the other end state it is very clear for them also, noticeable improvement over other people they have talked to. Antenna reception has been great consistently better than my inc2. Going dove hunting this evening so I will be out in the boonies so I will report back how reception is out there. It will be a good test.

OK performance, as expected this blows away my inc2 but what I bet everyone wants to know is how it does against the other top tier phones. First thing you will notice is the Moto X is smooth, I have yet to experience any lag or slow downs. Very responsive. I have handled the gs4 and it seems like there is sometimes a hesitation when using it but that is not to be found in this dual core moto x. I really do not feel like the moto x is lacking. Screen is dang clear, text is easy to read. No noticeable pixels or difference for me when looking at this or a 1080p screen.

Battery life has been great. First day it got in excess of 24hr and that was with 4 hours of screen time (30% brightness). It involved lots of internet surfing, installing apps, occasional YouTube videos and just general showing it off. Second day I had it off the charger for 18 hours and it had 32% battery left, so still on pace for 24 hours. I think moto has done well with their optimizations and making this phone very efficient. There 24 hours is showing to be true, at least for me.

Some other points worth mentioning. Like the active notifications, really handy and it seems to pop up when I every look at my phone so that is great (light sensors and gyrometers?). Though I won't lie, I do kind of miss the blinking LED but I think that is prolly just cause I am use to it and this will prolly not be missed in a week or 2. Camera is kind of disappointing but I expected that. Biggest thing I find is that the flash never seems to trigger even when it is fairly dark. So if I want the flash I usually have to turn it manually on or be in a very dark location. The wrist turn to bring up the camera is pretty dang handy and it does quickly take pictures. Quality is OK, I still feel if I want a real good pic I will use a point and shoot over a phone but this does fine with snapshots and what not. The hands free "OK Google now" works great but it seems gimmicky to me, but maybe I will use it more not sure yet.

And finally quality. First off I will say it it feels like a very solid phone not plastic and light the gs4. I really like the rubber texture back and the wraparound front panel. I can feel a very very slight edge where the screen meets up with the wraparound plastic front but I kind of expected that. The one thing I am slightly disappointed with is the volume rocker is a little loose (other reviews described this). I I can rattle to with my finger but if I shake my phone I do not hear it. It is really not a deal killer but a definite knock on quality, really the only knock I have. The size is perfect. I am really against large phones and this was just small enough to be perfect. I think the rounded back really helps it feel not at all bothersome in the pocket plus it makes it real nice to hold.

Well there it is, in the end, pretty happy with my phone. I think I can live with this for 2 years haha. Let me know if you have any questions and I will try my best to answer them.

PS this entire post was written on the Moto X. I would never have attempted it on the laggy ancient inc2 so this is a very nice change.
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Indeed. I've played with the phone for maybe 5 minutes in an ATT store and left with a good impression of it, and it's pathetic how much armchair quarterbacking this phone still gets, especially from self-appointed "techies" that have no idea what they're talking about.
 
Trombe said:
Indeed. I've played with the phone for maybe 5 minutes in an ATT store and left with a good impression of it, and it's pathetic how much armchair quarterbacking this phone still gets, especially from self-appointed "techies" that have no idea what they're talking about.
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The only problem I had with the phone was the asking price. I'm still waiting to see if this phone gets some spiffy holiday deals, I really want it for a work phone.
 
Trimlock said:
The only problem I had with the phone was the asking price. I'm still waiting to see if this phone gets some spiffy holiday deals, I really want it for a work phone.
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It's already rumored for a $100 price drop at the start of Q4
 
So yeah, agreed with the price. Though I did get mine for 139.99 so I did not feel to ripped off (verizon30, code I used online buying from verizon).

Quick update. The nano coating to make it water resistant does not make it water proof. Had to dive in to an irrigation canal to save my dog when I was out hunting this weekend. He was caught in a back eddy with no way to get out. So he survived just fine but the phone in my pocket did not. Had my old phone for 3 years and already lost my new phone in 3 days. Thank god for insurance.
 
I really want to get this phone for my wife, but she's really put off by the camera on it from all the reviews I've showed her. She pretty much has it down to the One or S4 now. This phone would be the perfect phone if it had a comparable camera on it. She really wants something with decent battery life too, which this phone surpasses the One and S4 on.

If anyone can link me to some good camera comparisons between the X and the One/S4 that shows it's not that bad, maybe I can convince her to go for it.
 
ComputerBox34 said:
It's already rumored for a $100 price drop at the start of Q4
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Interesting.

I absolutely LOVE Moto phones, 9 out of 10 times I'm buying a Moto phone and I would hate to lose the radio quality by moving to Samsung. My main driver is most likely going to be a Note 3 but I would love to have a top quality phone with great reception as the phone I can keep on my person while at work.
 
I just read the anand review in depth. There doesnt seem like there is much that seperates the phone from the rest other then a small profile and excellent design. Usage it doesnt seem to excell in anything which is surprising and dissapointing. If i can nab one for about $400 ill jump on it.

One thing i REALLY liked is the 1.5 amp charge support.
 
Trimlock said:
I just read the anand review in depth. There doesnt seem like there is much that seperates the phone from the rest other then a small profile and excellent design. Usage it doesnt seem to excell in anything which is surprising and dissapointing. If i can nab one for about $400 ill jump on it.

One thing i REALLY liked is the 1.5 amp charge support.
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I'd say the biggest differentiation is what something the average person would easily recognize - the SW. It's stock Android. Every other phone has custom skins and gimmicks. This phone packs a much more subtle package.
 
ComputerBox34 said:
I'd say the biggest differentiation is what something the average person would easily recognize - the SW. It's stock Android. Every other phone has custom skins and gimmicks. This phone packs a much more subtle package.
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Depends if thats a need or not, its not giving you anything from the skins other then basic experience. I forgot one thing and thats the notifications which is one of the reasons i want it for a work phone, the flick photo thing is pretty cool but i have no use for it.
 
I played with one today at AT&T, it's a nice phone but not enough to make me go back in a contact for. J wish AT&T and t mobile had Motorola phones the verizon users get all of them, now this one comes out. I won't buy a used moto phone because of the sealed battery, I know they go bad and with my luck id get a used one with a shot battery
 
Bman123 said:
I played with one today at AT&T, it's a nice phone but not enough to make me go back in a contact for. J wish AT&T and t mobile had Motorola phones the verizon users get all of them, now this one comes out. I won't buy a used moto phone because of the sealed battery, I know they go bad and with my luck id get a used one with a shot battery
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It doesn't seem too hard to replace the battery according to iFixit's teardown. I would definitely feel the same way if it was the HTC One (that's vitually impossible to open up without destroying the phone), but this phone doesn't seem too hard to swap the battery on. But you shouldn't have to worry about that anyways as you can still warranty it if you got it used as long as it's less than a year old.
 
Finally had a chance to get check out the Moto X at a local AT&T store. I was surprised by how solid and well built it felt. Size and weight were perfect (for me), and the responsiveness was damn good. Its too bad the thing costs so damn much off-contract (and I've already resolved to make my next smartphone an off-contract one).
 
Some news on the Moto front lately:

  1. An "entry-level" spec'd Moto G should be announced on the 13th. (Meh?)
  2. Moto X has seen a $100 price drop across the board, the most notable being the new off-contract $499 price tag "T-Mobile" version.
  3. T-Mobile and the other carriers are going to be getting the Moto Maker customization sometime next week.

The T-Mobile version seems like a good way to go. If if we look at this unboxing video of the T-Mobile version we can see no carrier branding or apps/bloatware. Just Google/Motorola apps. VANILLA.

$500 is still about $50-100 more than I think the phone is worth, but this phone has a mystique about it I can't get over and most people who own one are happy with it, despite the "mid-range" specs.

I just can't decide what to do. My Nexus 5 has been sitting in the box unopened since Tuesday. Keep the Nexus 5 and wait for Motorola to redeem themselves with a possible Moto X successor in 2014 or buy the T-Mobile Moto X with Moto Maker next week?
 
There is already a KitKat build for the T-Mo and ATT MotoX floating around the interwebs.

Based on build dates, looks like Moto devs had access to kit kat source before it hit AOSP...something Google said wouldn't happen.

Oh well
 
ComputerBox34 said:
There is already a KitKat build for the T-Mo and ATT MotoX floating around the interwebs.

Based on build dates, looks like Moto devs had access to kit kat source before it hit AOSP...something Google said wouldn't happen.

Oh well
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So it's skipping 4.3 for 4.4?

Moto still seems slower than Samsung and HTC for updating their phone despite being near stock and owned by Google. GS4 (at least Verizon right now) and One are on 4.3 now and HTC said 4.4 will be available on the One in the next 3 months. I know Google said that they won't be giving Moto any special treatment, but I would hope they at least make Moto more competitive with software updates. It really shouldn't take that long to update a phone that's already pretty much running stock Android in the first place.
 
T4rd said:
So it's skipping 4.3 for 4.4?

Moto still seems slower than Samsung and HTC for updating their phone despite being near stock and owned by Google. GS4 (at least Verizon right now) and One are on 4.3 now and HTC said 4.4 will be available on the One in the next 3 months. I know Google said that they won't be giving Moto any special treatment, but I would hope they at least make Moto more competitive with software updates. It really shouldn't take that long to update a phone that's already pretty much running stock Android in the first place.
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Yup. They confirmed on G+ they are skipping 4.3
 
Meh, at least they are getting an update out for it. 4.4 is a decent upgrade but I feel 4.3 was the biggest so far.
 
Trimlock said:
Meh, at least they are getting an update out for it. 4.4 is a decent upgrade but I feel 4.3 was the biggest so far.
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There are 4.3 engineering builds out there for the Moto X. The theory is that they were developing 4.3 and all the reviews came out saying the X had a horrible camera, so a majority of their dev effort went to fixing that. They succeeded - and now all Moto phones now have the fixed camera...but are still on 4.2.2

Personally, I didn't see much difference between 4.2.2 and 4.3 on my Nexus 7.
 
ComputerBox34 said:
There are 4.3 engineering builds out there for the Moto X. The theory is that they were developing 4.3 and all the reviews came out saying the X had a horrible camera, so a majority of their dev effort went to fixing that. They succeeded - and now all Moto phones now have the fixed camera...but are still on 4.2.2

Personally, I didn't see much difference between 4.2.2 and 4.3 on my Nexus 7.
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Well 4.3's big thing was trimming, which is more to do with long term usage or someone who does a lot of data swapping.

Oh and group messaging! /gag

But that's very plausible in the development side. Id want the camera fixed over the upgrade.
 
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