After reviewing many phones throughout the year, I notice how many great features they all have to offer. Many have decent processors, beautiful screens and useful cameras. That’s when you look for stand out features or deal breakers that make you pick one over the other. Motorola has done well with their Moto X devices. It’s nice to see a variety of options when it comes to unlocked phones. Motorola has seemed to master it with the Moto X Pure Edition (PE). I really enjoy using the Moto X PE for 3 major reasons: (Design, Software and Battery Life). I will elaborate more on those below, but first here’s a quick refresh of the specs.
Moto X Style / Pure Edition Specs
Display: 5.7 inch (2560 × 1440) Super AMOLED display (520 PPI)
Cameras: 21 Megapixel rear-facing camera / 5 megapixel front-facing camera
Processor / RAM: Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 hexa-core/ 3 GB RAM
Memory: 16GB / 32GB / 64GB Internal Memory (with expansion slot)
Battery: 3,000 mAh embedded battery / Turbo Charging
Connectivity : Bluetooth , Wi-Fi / NFC /
OS: Android Lollipop 5.1.1
Features: Water repellent coating / Moto Maker support /
Design
One of the main selling points of the Moto X Pure Edition (also the Moto G) is the design. You can design your phone on Moto Maker, Motorola’s own phone design site. You can choose various looks. From the simple and plain, sporty and rugged, or the luxurious premium look. You can choose from plastic, leather,or wooden back covers to achieve these looks. For many the bar design is getting old. Being able to add your own personal touch is definitely a plus.
The design of the phone itself is pretty simple. Looks the same as the previous models. With a nice 5.7 display, and a 5 megapixel wide-angled selfie lens with flash. ON the right side you have the power / standby button. The back has a removable cover, 21mp rear camera. and a 3,000 mah battery. For a phone in the sub $400 price range, it has a pretty nice build. It won’t feel full on premium, but it won’t feel cheap either. The front-facing speakers compliment the large screen when using the phone for watching videos. It’s always great when the speaker is in the front. It makes a world of difference even if the speaker isn’t large.
Less is More
Android can get pretty complicated with skins. But Android Lollipop 5.1 runs nice and smooth on the MotoX PE. That’s mainly because it’s nearly stock Android. And you get some pretty cool features from Moto Assist that I have grown to love. You get notifications at a glance, gestures to quickly turn on the camera, and you can control the phone with your voice. Helpful features with a skin that doesn’t make the phone laggy is always great.
Battery Life
Using a phone with a huge screen and always being on the go, battery life is key. Moto does a great with battery optimization. The Moto X PE can last an entire day with no problem. Another great thing is that that it has a Turbo charger. So it lasts long and charges quickly. Two wins for battery life.
Camera
The Moto X never had a great camera. Compared to other phones on the market, it wasn’t up to par. But now at the 3rd generation Moto X, the camera is at least decent. I am not a fan of the click to capture method. I prefer clicking the screen to focus on the subject. The camera interface is pretty easy
The pictures come out well. Given the pricing of the phone, you can’t complain about the camera. You won’t be stunned by the pictures, but you’ll definitely be able to share them on social media. But the improvement overall is immense.
Pricing and Availability
One of the best things about the Moto X Pure Edition, like I mentioned before is that it is unlocked and starts as low as $400. With some holiday sales coming up you can probably get it at an even lower price. Of course you will have to add on additional tags for luxury (for example wood finish), but you really can’t go wrong with the initial pricing and freedom of an unlocked phone. Learn more about designing and purchasing your Moto X Pure Edition HERE: Motorola.com
Overall
The Moto X Pure Edition isn’t the snappiest phone on the market, but it will be the best looking (for you anyway when you customize it). It’s large screen, decent battery life and gestures for turning on the camera and flashlight will make the Moto X PE a great pic for your regular smartphone user, who cares about affordability and entertainment. You won’t find a phone on the market with so many options at such a price.
