The original Motorola Moto X delivered a fun design you could customize online, solid performance and innovative voice commands. So how do you follow up on what was essentially a whole lot of win? Simple: You go bigger and more powerful and up the innovation factor. The second-generation Moto X offers a sleek, premium design with even more customization options. There's a bigger 5.2-inch display paired with a powerful Snapdragon processor and improved voice commands. And, at $99 ($124 as tested), the new X is less expensive than all other flagship smartphones. Break out the champagne ladies and gents; we've got a winner on our handsDesign
What a difference a year makes. When the Moto X first debuted, it was made of a plastic composite material. This time around, it has a more grown-up, sophisticated look, coupling metal and leather.
The rear panel of my review unit was swathed in alluring black leather (the starting model has a black resin back). It's definitely a step up from the plastic with faux weave pattern of the original Moto X. Motorola wisely kept the rounded back, which let me keep a nice comfortable grip on the device.
Lined by a clear plastic ring featuring a pair of LED flashes, the 13-megapixel camera at the top of the panel is hard to miss. The panel also has a stainless-steel Motorola logo directly below the camera as well as the AT&T logo etched into the leather. It's simple touches like this that help raise a phone to flagship status.
The Moto X's sides are lined in dark-gray aluminum with a slightly raised, ridged volume rocker and power button on the right. The SIM card slot and 3.5mm audio jack sit along the top, and the micro USB port occupies the bottom.
The front of the phone features an inky-black plastic bezel that ensconces the 5.2-inch display and gently wraps around the sides. The 2-MP camera resides on the top-right corner of the phone, with a single front-firing speaker at the bottom of the display.
To accommodate the larger screen, the Moto X's chassis has gotten taller, wider and heavier, weighing 5.07 ounces and measuring 5.5 x 2.9 x 0.15~0.39 inches, which compares to the original's 4.8 ounces and 5.1 x 2.6 x 0.22~0.4 inches.
Still, the new Moto X is lighter than most of its competition, including the HTC One M8 (5.6 ounces, 5.8 x 2.8 x 0.37 inches) and the Samsung Galaxy S5 (5.1 ounces, 5.6 x 2.9 x 0.32 inches). However, the new X is not as thin or as light as the Apple iPhone 6 (4.6 ounces, 5.4 x 2.6 x 0.27 inches).
Moto Maker
Motorola has updated its Moto Maker website, which lets consumers customize how their Moto X looks. During its initial launch, Moto Maker featured 18 back-cover designs, seven accent colors and two front colors.
For the next-generation Moto X, fashion-forward Moto Maker users can choose from 25 backs made up of 17 colors. Four of the rear panels are genuine leather, while the remaining four are made from Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood. People looking to upgrade to a leather or wood finish should expect a $25 surcharge. The company has expanded the number of accent colors from seven to 10, and has brought back the option to laser-engrave a name or message onto the rear panel.
You can also choose the size of the phone's onboard memory (16GB or 32GB) and wallpaper. Motorola offers the option to have the phone set up with your Google ID and have a custom message appear when you turn on the phone.
There are several accessory items, including a charger (available in black or white), color-coordinated Sol Republic JAX earbuds and several cases. Prices on the cases will range from $14.99 to $20. People who hate waiting for their phone to charge can switch out the regular charger for the Motorola Turbo Charger, which the company claims will supply up to 8 hours of power in 15 minutes.
Durability
There comes a time in every phone's life when it makes an unscheduled trip into the bowels of a toilet. Fortunately, Motorola treated the Moto X with a water-resistant coating, so you don't have to panic when the device takes the inevitable plunge.
Keep in mind, however, that water-resistant coating isn't the same as waterproof, so you can't leave it in the drink. The Moto X can't withstand being submerged in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes like the Samsung Galaxy S5 can.
Display
Covered in resilient Corning Gorilla Glass, the Moto X's 5.2-inch AMOLED display has great viewing angles. The 1920 x 1080-pixel panel also delivers sharp detail and rich, voluminous color, as evidenced when I watched the 1080p trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy.
In a side-by-side comparison between the Moto X and the Samsung Galaxy S5 (Super AMOLED display), I found that the Moto X had the warmer hues. This was particularly apparent on reds, like Star-Lord's maroon leather jacket, and the whimsical wisps of magenta flowing playfully through Gamora's hair.
The Moto X might have had the better hues, but the Galaxy S5 was the victor when it came to sharpness. Details, such as the raised scales on Drax's skin and the striations on Groot's bark, were crisper on the GS5's display. However, with both color reproduction and sharpness, the differences between the two were miniscule.
The Moto X is an overachiever when it comes to color reproduction. The smartphone displayed 164.7 percent on the sRGB color gamut test, besting the 116 percent average. That placed it above the Galaxy S5 (158 percent). The One M8 notched 116.1 percent, while the iPhone 5s hit 98.4 percent.
The Moto X didn't fare quite as well with color accuracy. It scored 2.5 on the Delta-E test (a score of 0 is perfect). That's better than the 4.9 category average and the One M8 (5.9), but the Galaxy S5 and iPhone 5s registered a better 0.9 and 0.05, respectively.
The Moto X wasn't as bright as I expected, averaging only 268 nits, which is much dimmer than the 353-nit smartphone average. The Galaxy S5 scored 373 nits, while the One M8 and iPhone 5s dazzled with 402 and 470 nits, respectively.
When looking at the Laptopmag.com home page on each display in direct sunlight, I found that the Galaxy S5 had a whiter, brighter backdrop, creating more of a contrast with the black text, which made for easier reading. That's not to say that you can't read the Moto X outdoors; it's just a little harder.
Audio
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the Moto X's front-firing speakers could fill a small room with clear, almost balanced audio. I say "almost" because as I listened to Usher's warm, honeyed tenor on "She Came To Give It To You," the percussion wasn't as pronounced as the other parts of the track. The bass guitar and the horn section were full and lively, but I could barely hear the bongos. The accompanying hand claps were also slightly submerged.
The HTC One M8, which features BoomSound speakers, provided a richer, fuller listening experience. Usher's vocal had a presence that the Moto X just couldn't touch. Those bongos were right out there with the French horns, while the claps were nice and crisp.
The Moto X measured 86 decibels on the Laptop Mag Audio Test, matching the One M8 and besting the 80 dB average. The Galaxy S5 only registered a measly 73 dB.
Interface
Similar to the first-generation Moto X, the second generation has a relatively stock Android experience. The X runs 4.4.4 (KitKat), and the navigation between apps and screens was quick and seamless. Icons are large and colorful, making them easy to discern at a glance.
Swiping down with one finger from the top of the display unfurls the notifications shade. A two-finger swipe displays a host of shortcuts, such as Brightness, Settings, Wi-Fi and Battery Life. Google Now can be accessed by long-pressing the home button or swiping all the way to the right.
Below the dotted line demarcating the home screens sit icons for Phone, Google Chrome, Apps, Messaging and Camera. Everything except the Apps button can be switched out with a quick drag and drop.
One of my favorite things about the Moto X's interface is that Motorola ditched the unsightly black strips that normally occupy the top and bottom of the display. Instead, the top-side notifications and the bottom-mounted Back, Home and Recent Apps buttons reside on the wallpaper with everything else. It just makes for a prettier viewing experience.
The only downsides to the stock Android experience is that quick settings and alerts exist in separate panels. I also miss having the ability to launch the camera app from the lock screen, as you can do on the GS5 and One M8.
Moto Voice
Motorola wants you to make the Moto X truly yours. To that end, the company has added a number of features to further customize the smartphone beyond mere aesthetics. For example, the Touchless Control feature has been rebranded as Moto Voice and has more than a few new tricks up its sleeve.
Instead of saying "OK, Moto X" or "OK, Google," you can wake your phone with a customized phrase. In honor of my dog, my Moto X became Mr. Xerxes. After a quick setup in a quiet room, where I repeated the phrase three times, Moto Voice was ready to go. All in all, it was about a 3-minute process.
From there, I simply said "OK, Mr. Xerxes," followed by a question or command, and the smartphone quickly reacted. (The "OK" part is now optional.) For example, saying "OK, Mr. Xerxes, what's up?" made Moto X read out all my unchecked notifications, including text messages, Google Hangouts and the number of emails received.
Other functions include the ability to set reminders and place phone calls without even touching the phone. It really comes in handy if you're washing your hair and need to remind yourself to buy more shampoo on your next shopping trip.
If you forget some of the Moto Voice commands, simply say, "Help" to launch a quick list of phrases.
My favorite part of Moto Voice is the ability to interact with certain apps, such as Facebook. After uttering the phrase, "OK, Mr. Xerxes, post to Facebook," Moto Voice took dictation of what I wanted to post, repeated it back, turned it into text and asked if it was OK to post.
Moto Voice also works with WhatsApp and YouTube, but in the case of the video service, you say the name of the video you want to watch. So, to pull up one of my favorite Web series, I'd say, "OK, Mr. Xerxes, play The Unwritten Rules on YouTube." Motorola is working to bring voice control to other third-party apps such as Twitter.
Moto Voice can also answer questions relatively accurately. Mr. Xerxes correctly pulled up and read the Wikipedia entry for fashion designer Tracy Reese when I asked who she was. He also correctly identified 18-time U.S. Grand Slam winner Serena Williams.
But for all the handy things Moto Voice can do, it still can't book reservations to my favorite Indian restaurant or buy movie tickets, as you can with Apple's Siri. Sigh, maybe next generation.
Moto Display
Active Display, retooled and renamed Moto Display, uses a dedicated contextual computing processor to keep track of when you move the phone, and displays all your new notifications without waking the device. It can also flash new alerts while keeping the screen mostly dark -- a good way to conserve battery life.
My Moto X displayed email notifications from my Gmail, Yahoo and work accounts, along with updates from Facebook, Google+, Twitter and Swarm. If you don't want to view every single notification, you can go to the Settings menu to choose which app alerts you want to receive.
To view an alert, I pressed the icon in the center of the display, which delivered a small summary at the top of the screen. I could swipe up to address the new notification, or swipe down to unlock the Moto X completely.
As an obsessive phone-checker, I appreciated not having to constantly unlock my phone to keep abreast of emails and notifications. (It's also a reason not to invest in a smartwatch. Sorry, Moto 360.)
Moto Assist
Sometimes you have to set boundaries for an unruly smartphone so that it doesn't ring at all times of the night, or worse, at an important meeting. The Moto Assist feature allows you to do just that, and create rules for how you interact with your Moto X.
To ensure I got a full 7.5 hours of uninterrupted slumber, I went to the Sleeping option in Assist and created a rule for the phone to go into Silent Mode from the hours of 12 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. Since Silent Mode means that any phone calls received during that time would go straight to voicemail, I amended the rule to give my mother and brother the ability to reach me if needed.
Assist also enables you to set rules for safe driving conditions by providing the option to read your emails aloud while you're at the wheel or play music via Bluetooth. You can also set the phone to read the day's email as soon as you arrive home or send autoreplies to people who are trying to contact you during important meetings. Clever.
Moto Actions
It just wouldn't be a modern-day smartphone without at least a few gestures. Wave to Silence quickly quiets incoming calls and can put an alarm into snooze just by waving your hand over the display. It's a helpful feature that comes in handy if you forgot to set up meeting rules in Moto Assist (D'oh!). The Reach for Moto Display gesture prevents Moto Display from launching when the device is moved.
Moto Migrate
Moto Migrate lets people wirelessly transfer important information and data -- such as contacts, text messages, images, videos and even contact information -- between your old Android phone and the Moto X. Migrate can also be used with the iPhone, and even feature phones.
After downloading the app onto my Samsung Galaxy S4 and opening the app on both phones, I scanned the QR code on the Moto X with the GS4. From there, I checked off which items I wanted to move and hit Start Transfer. The process took approximately 4 minutes from start to finish.
Apps
Not a fan of bloat? Unfortunately, the Moto X comes with a number of AT&T-branded apps, such as AT&T Locker, Mail, Call Name ID, Navigator and AT&T Live. There's also a Yahoo-powered newsfeed to tie you over until you stumble across some more useful software.
Performance
This generation of the Motorola Moto X has quite a bit of muscle to throw around, thanks to its 2.5-GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage.
The phone launched the resource-intensive N.O.V.A. 3 in 12.5 seconds. That's faster than both the Galaxy S5 (19 seconds) and HTC One M8 (17 seconds).
The Moto X took 4 minutes and 15 seconds to transcode a 204MB, 1080p video to 480p, leaving the 7:43 smartphone average in the dust. The Samsung Galaxy S5, which also has a 2.5-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 CPU, turned in a slower 4:42. The HTC One M8 and its 2.3-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 CPU finished up in 5 minutes.
We saw the Moto X power through the Geekbench 3 benchmark with a score of 2,903. Not only does this top the 1,996 average, but it also trumps the GS5's 2,897, the iPhone 5s' (A7 processor) 2,556 and the One M8's 2,324.
On the 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited graphics test, the Moto X hit 19,593, surpassing the 12,548 average and handing the iPhone 5s (13,795) and Galaxy S5 (18,547) easy defeats. However, it wasn't enough to top the One M8's 20,640.
If 16GB of RAM isn't enough to hold all your images, videos, music and games, Motorola also offers a 32GB version of the Moto X.
Web Performance
AT&T's 4G LTE network is available in more than 400 markets, including New York City. Too bad the throughput was so inconsistent. In the Laptop Mag offices, I saw download speeds of 11.6 Mbps and upload speeds of 2.4 Mbps. When I walked down to Madison Square Park, download speeds dropped to 1.9 Mbps, while uploads remained at a fairly consistent, at 3.5 Mbps.
Camera and Camcorder
If you're looking for near-instantaneous shutter snaps, including burst shots, look no further than the Motorola Moto X's 13-MP camera. If you're looking for accurate color and detail, you'd best go elsewhere.
In a floral shoot-off between the Moto X, the iPhone 5s and the Galaxy S5 Sport, colors in the Moto X shot looked so blown out I had to double check that the flash was disabled. The magenta daisy looked borderline radioactive, while the orange flower was two shades lighter than the actual color. The white daisy in the middle of the shot was so washed out that I couldn't make out any of the detail outside of the overall shape of the petals.
The Galaxy S5 had more realistic color presentation, although the orange looked a little overblown. I found details on the camera were soft around the petals, particularly around the bright-pink flower, which had softer detail toward the right of the image. The iPhone 5s was the clear winner, showing off warm, rich color with details so sharp that I could see specks of pollen throughout the black cores.
When I sequestered a few of my co-workers in a darkened room for some low-light shots, colors from the Moto X improved but still weren't as good as the ones produced by the iPhone 5s and Galaxy S5 Sport.
The iPhone 5s still delivered the best color, with the Galaxy S5 coming in a distant second. I found that the iPhone also had the best detail, which allowed me to make out the subtle pinstripes in another co-worker's shirt. There was also quite a bit of visual noise throughout the Moto X's shot.
I have to admit that using the BlackBerry Passport made me miss the tactile feel of a real, physical keyboard on a smartphone. It's actually hard to make a typo on this ultrawide, sculpted layout, although I'm not a fan of the spacebar being in the middle of the third row.
