More than a year after it announced the original Moto X, the company is finally back with a new phone, the Moto X (2014). The phone brings several notable improvements over its predecessor including a bigger display, a newer design and better internals.
The display size of the phone has increased by half an inch to 5.2”. Its resolution is 1080p but is a Super AMOLED panel now, which is a big deal. As a consequence, the phone is larger.
Talking of design, the phone comes with a metallic frame this time, giving it a premium touch (the frame also doubles as an antenna). The popular Moto Maker is still available in some markets and allows you to add your personalized touch to your phone.
The phone is a powerhouse inside too. While the last phone came with a dated processor, this one instead opts for the quad-core Snapdragon 801 clocked at 2.5Ghz with Adreno 330 GPU. Amount of RAM is set at 2 GB while you can choose between 16 and 32 GB of internal storage, which is unfortunately non-expandable.
The camera’s resolution is bumped up to 13 megapixels, and is capable of shooting 4K videos at 30fps but the real deal is the flash. There are in fact two flashes in the form of a circular ring, and you won’t even notice them probably as they seem to blend in the design with the much-prominent Motorola logo just below.
The operating system running is as usual, Android KitKat but the “L” update will be coming soon. Of course, there are a few customizations to differentiate it from stock versions, and exclusive features do exactly that.
But rather than features, Motorola is placing more emphasis on a consistent, 60fps experience, which seems quite achievable now. The last model felt quite organic and livable in practice and we doubt this one will be different.
Lastly, the metallic frame will be available in two colours, black and white, with further customizations via Moto Maker. Pricing will start at $499 for the starting model.
