Finally uncovered. The 2nd gen Moto X is here. Motorola didn't participate in IFA,Berlin but they just couldn't stop unveiling their 2014 flagship.
When last year's X was unveiled, it left many people wanting for more. It didn't have the most updated specs and was criticized a lot for its mediocre specs. But this happened only until the tech savvy realized that the game was changing. Moto had created the phone with most mediocre specs but which still had the performance of this flagships.
This year might finally up the specs game. But not only the specs are improved, there are a lot other bells and whistles.
Display
The first thing noticed about the new X is the display. Its been upped from 4.7" 720p to a 5.2" 1080p display. This still sounds like last year when the new flagships like LG G3 and Galaxy Note 4 are getting 2k displays, but I personally think anything north of 400 ppi is not required. Your eyes just can't notice the difference. But then again this was the thing said when 1080p displays were handed to people for the first time. We'll obviously see a good difference in display quality and sharpness but we can only enjoy those when we get better performing batteries. Lets just hope this year's X has the same type of battery backup as the last year's.
Battery
The battery is the most lowly upgraded thing. Its still just a 2300 mAh battery. A 100 mAh more than last year. Considering the upgrade in display, this is a bit concerning but moto still promises a full day usage. Just like last year. We'll see that once someone gets their hands on the device.
Those longing for a better CPU in the awesome first gen Moto X might finally be pleased. The X 2014 has got a 2.5 GHz Spandragon 801 powering the device with an Adreno 330 to handle the graphics. The RAM is still the same at 2 gigs which is more than enough considering that moto ships the phone with almost Stock Android.
Camera
The back of the devices houses a 13MP camera with a dual LED flash. Each on a side of the camera. Moto likes to calls it a ring flash. Last year's X had a disappointing camera. This year's a significant improvement over the original in terms of raw hardware, but real world performance might reflect different results. Stay tuned to the internet to get camera reviews soon.
Design
The X has an edge wrapped in metal which gives it a premium feel. (Because metal is premium, duh..!!) It just has a better look and feel. The bezels on the sides have been cut making the device look sleek. The design improvement in size increase adds a mere 5 grams weight over last year's model which is really awesome. The power and volume buttons are both on the right edge with the power button textured making it easier to distinguish from the volume rockers.
Storage
Sadly, the X still does not support SD Cards. You get to choose from a 16 & a 32 gig model. You want more, get something else.
Software
This is where things get interesting. The previous X showed off some real cool features like always listening and active diaplay. So we can hope similar feature improvements this year too.
Above and below the display you can see two front facing speakers which is slowly becoming a norm for flagships. (Yeah HTC. Well done). Better and louder sound shouldn't be questionable. On the sides of the bottom speaker, you can see two sensors for gesture controls. We'll get back here in a sec.
Horse Power
The phone currently launched with Android 4.4.4 Kitkat but will surely be updated to Android L. Remember that the X 2013 unlocked version was launched with Jellybean and was updated to Kitkat in just 2 weeks of Kitkat launch. So software update isn't really a concern.
Moto still packs almost Stock Android with additional features included as separate apps, This is pretty awesome as OS updates could be crazy fast.
What's even better is that stock moto apps got better. Touchless Display has been renamed as Moto Voice and instead of saying Ok Google, you can program custom keyphrase like "Hello Kitty" or "Wake up Sheldon".
Moto Voice gives you full access to Google Voice Search but it also has the ability to work with some 3rd party apps. For the time, there are just a handful off supported apps like Facebook, WhatsApp and Youtube. Updating your Facebook status or sending a WhatsApp message should be a breeze. Moto says more 3rd party apps are coming soon. So this might actually gives us fully touchless controls of the phone.
Other features like Active Display and Moto Assist are still the same but general upgrades. The Active Display has been renamed as Moto Display. Because Google isn't the parent company now. Branding matters now.
Moto Actions is a new feature. It uses the front IR sensors below the display to silence incoming calls and alarms with a wave of your hand.
About customisations, the moto maker still exists and does the exact same thing as last year. But for the original X, moto is stopping any further software updates. Its a dead device now. I feel sorry for the X 2013 users but then again, they do have plenty of developer support for their device.
When last year's X was unveiled, it left many people wanting for more. It didn't have the most updated specs and was criticized a lot for its mediocre specs. But this happened only until the tech savvy realized that the game was changing. Moto had created the phone with most mediocre specs but which still had the performance of this flagships.
This year might finally up the specs game. But not only the specs are improved, there are a lot other bells and whistles.
Display
The first thing noticed about the new X is the display. Its been upped from 4.7" 720p to a 5.2" 1080p display. This still sounds like last year when the new flagships like LG G3 and Galaxy Note 4 are getting 2k displays, but I personally think anything north of 400 ppi is not required. Your eyes just can't notice the difference. But then again this was the thing said when 1080p displays were handed to people for the first time. We'll obviously see a good difference in display quality and sharpness but we can only enjoy those when we get better performing batteries. Lets just hope this year's X has the same type of battery backup as the last year's.
Battery
The battery is the most lowly upgraded thing. Its still just a 2300 mAh battery. A 100 mAh more than last year. Considering the upgrade in display, this is a bit concerning but moto still promises a full day usage. Just like last year. We'll see that once someone gets their hands on the device.
Those longing for a better CPU in the awesome first gen Moto X might finally be pleased. The X 2014 has got a 2.5 GHz Spandragon 801 powering the device with an Adreno 330 to handle the graphics. The RAM is still the same at 2 gigs which is more than enough considering that moto ships the phone with almost Stock Android.
Camera
The back of the devices houses a 13MP camera with a dual LED flash. Each on a side of the camera. Moto likes to calls it a ring flash. Last year's X had a disappointing camera. This year's a significant improvement over the original in terms of raw hardware, but real world performance might reflect different results. Stay tuned to the internet to get camera reviews soon.
Design
The X has an edge wrapped in metal which gives it a premium feel. (Because metal is premium, duh..!!) It just has a better look and feel. The bezels on the sides have been cut making the device look sleek. The design improvement in size increase adds a mere 5 grams weight over last year's model which is really awesome. The power and volume buttons are both on the right edge with the power button textured making it easier to distinguish from the volume rockers.
Storage
Sadly, the X still does not support SD Cards. You get to choose from a 16 & a 32 gig model. You want more, get something else.
Software
This is where things get interesting. The previous X showed off some real cool features like always listening and active diaplay. So we can hope similar feature improvements this year too.
Above and below the display you can see two front facing speakers which is slowly becoming a norm for flagships. (Yeah HTC. Well done). Better and louder sound shouldn't be questionable. On the sides of the bottom speaker, you can see two sensors for gesture controls. We'll get back here in a sec.
Horse Power
The phone currently launched with Android 4.4.4 Kitkat but will surely be updated to Android L. Remember that the X 2013 unlocked version was launched with Jellybean and was updated to Kitkat in just 2 weeks of Kitkat launch. So software update isn't really a concern.
Moto still packs almost Stock Android with additional features included as separate apps, This is pretty awesome as OS updates could be crazy fast.
What's even better is that stock moto apps got better. Touchless Display has been renamed as Moto Voice and instead of saying Ok Google, you can program custom keyphrase like "Hello Kitty" or "Wake up Sheldon".
Moto Voice gives you full access to Google Voice Search but it also has the ability to work with some 3rd party apps. For the time, there are just a handful off supported apps like Facebook, WhatsApp and Youtube. Updating your Facebook status or sending a WhatsApp message should be a breeze. Moto says more 3rd party apps are coming soon. So this might actually gives us fully touchless controls of the phone.
Other features like Active Display and Moto Assist are still the same but general upgrades. The Active Display has been renamed as Moto Display. Because Google isn't the parent company now. Branding matters now.
Moto Actions is a new feature. It uses the front IR sensors below the display to silence incoming calls and alarms with a wave of your hand.
About customisations, the moto maker still exists and does the exact same thing as last year. But for the original X, moto is stopping any further software updates. Its a dead device now. I feel sorry for the X 2013 users but then again, they do have plenty of developer support for their device.
Moto not only launched the X but also launched a new Moto G and the long awaited Moto 360 smart watch. Read more about the 360 here.
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Pictures: Courtesy, Gizmodo
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Pictures: Courtesy, Gizmodo
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