I can't believe how much I love this phone. I've been running a rooted Motorola Droid Bionic and remain partial to the quality of the Motorola brand so even though I could have upgraded a couple of years ago, nothing excited me enough to buy. When I finally read the reviews of the Moto X, being a veteran geek who is also a spec-freak, I was frankly, disappointed and didn't even put it on my consideration list. Well, a one day special allowed me to get a super deal on this phone and with my Bionic getting older by the minute, decided to take a chance. Boy was I surprised when I set it up and started using it.
First I'll point out that I didn't know about the new sync software that allows you to transfer data from you old phone to your new one via bluetooth. I was pleasantly surprised by how simple it was as well as how fast, and it got everything from contacts, music, video, texts and key application data and took around 15 minutes to complete. No wires, no PC, no pulling of online backups, just plain old simple.
Second, I can't believe how fast this phone performs! I don't run benchmarks and don't normally subscribe to test results since I'm not using the phone for gaming or other majorly high-end tasks. And due to reading some benchmark test results, didn't expect this to be any faster than my souped up Bionic was. Wrong, wrong, wrong. I've yet to say to myself that I wished the phone was faster. Yes, it's that fast in day to day use. As well, I've now learned that I'll never own another smartphone without an Active Display such as this one has. A number of reviewers complained about the lack of notification LED's for texts, emails and Facebook so I was expecting things to be compromised. No, no, no! The Active Display is a new feature I'll never live without. Pick up the phone, it lights the display with the time, an unlock function and a list of what your phone has received. It'll show if you have emails, texts, voice messages, missed calls, software updates and Facebook updates. So obviously simple and useful, I can't believe this is the first phone to have it. I don't miss my Bionic's LED notifications at all.
Third, concerns about the 720p screen where almost everyone has 1080p are the buzz in most reviews of this phone. I can say this, I love the display, it's depth of color and all. Some complain it's too color-saturated, but to me, it's better than some that claim to have much better color accuracy. It's like using Velvia film in an old 35mm camera. Rich and saturated can be beautiful and for me, a preference. Another point on the screen, it is way more accurate and sensitive to touch than the Bionic or even my original Droid. That makes navigating the phone so much easier, I'll never go back.
Fourth, the camera isn't rated among the best when compared against the current crop of phones out there. But, it is still better than what I had on the Bionic and better than my wife's Droid 4 and my daughter's iPhone 5, in my opinion. The coolest part about the camera isn't the camera itself, but the "launch" procedure that allows you to open the camera and start shooting in mere seconds. A couple of quick twists of the wrist, like you're twisting a key in a lock, and wallah, camera launches without any other action required. This, to me more than makes up for it being slightly behind the cream of the crop cell phone cameras out there. And I believe it really isn't far behind the best of the best.
Fifth, my Bionic had the upgraded extended battery that I upgraded to since I'm rarely stopped anywhere long enough during my work day for a recharge. On my Bionic, I got probably 30 hours before I needed a recharge. So far on this phone, I've gone 17 hours and still had 13% charge left, and without doing any power management which most other phones would need to match that. I'm not disappointed with the lack of a changeable battery at all.
Sixth, lack of an SD slot was a big negative for me since I've had a 64GB microSD in my Bionic which was loaded with data, files, music, movies among other things. I expected I'd miss that, and to a small extent, I almost do. But, it only took a minor adjustment on my part to get used to pushing and pulling things from the phone as needed and so far, I don't really miss the extra storage capacity. I won't go so far as to say that having access to data on the cloud is a direct replacement for on-board storage, but it does help.
Seventh, I expected such a tiny phone to have limitations with regards to the internal "radios". I can say I've lost nothing with regards to voice, WiFi, Bluetooth or 4G connectivity. The Bionic was praised for its' radios as are the Droid 4 and other Motorola phones, and this one doesn't disappoint. I still get signals with decent to good connectivity where my iPhone and Samsung brethren still can't. This surprised even me as it seems amazing that they can create effective antennae in such a small package.
Eighth, I thought the smaller screen, albeit the same size as I had on my Bionic, would make me want to await a model with a larger display such as the Samsung GS4. Instead, I found I miss nothing and for the first time since I've been using a smartphone, I no longer put it in a case to sling on my belt. I tried and liked putting the Moto X in either a back or front pocket and forgoing any type of case. It also shows off the sexiness of this phone!
Lastly, this phone is the first effort by the now Google owned Motorola where they did their best to keep the phone as close to "stock" Android as possible. To me, I find this to be way above the original Bionic Android "overlay" known as MotoBlur. Which, by the way, is way less of a change from stock Android than what Samsung does on their phones. The far cleaner OS, I think, is what makes this phone so fast. No I/O exchange between the overlay and the OS to slow the phone down! Motorola continues to be my phone of choice and I'm so happy I jumped on a deal on the Moto X! I thought I was compromising just to get a great deal, instead, I find that I got way more phone than I ever expected! I'll never go back now that I have a Moto X! I'm so glad Amazon had this on sale! If it weren't for them, I'd still be using my Bionic and awaiting the "next best thing" in phones without knowing it was already out there in the form of the Moto X.
Even hard core users are now coming around and being far less critical of the hardware specifications now that they've had a chance to live with the phone for awhile. If you're considering a new smartphone, please give serious consideration to the Moto X, and if you get one, I'm pretty sure you'll be as pleasantly surprised as I was. And I've been in IT for 30 years and actually attended meetings where the original cell phone concept was being proposed. How far we've come, indeed!
Customers also viewed these products
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
From the manufacturer
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
What is an unlocked phone?An unlocked phone is a device that is not bound to any carrier or plan. It allows you to choose your phone first and your carrier second. Upon selecting a plan, simply insert the carrier's SIM card into the phone and you're ready to go. If you decide you want to change carriers down the road or want to take an international trip, it's as simple as replacing your existing SIM card with a new SIM and activating your new plan. |
What are the benefits of an unlocked phone?Freedom: Choose the carrier with the best service or price. If you find a better deal later, you have the ability to change to a different carrier. Travel: Take your phone internationally and use the carrier of your choice. It's as easy as inserting an active SIM card. Selection: Choose the phone with the features you want, whether or not your carrier sells it, and get more service options without a contract. |
How do I set up my unlocked phone?The first thing you’ll need is a SIM card for your desired carrier. When activated, the SIM card will let your phone connect to your carrier’s network. If you decide to upgrade to a newer unlocked phone in the future, you can easily remove the SIM card from your old phone and put it in your new phone—just make sure you get the right size of SIM card (nano, micro, or standard) for your phone. If you want to use your phone while traveling internationally, you can easily buy a SIM card for a carrier that operates where you’re traveling. As long as it’s activated, you can just swap SIM cards when you arrive at your destination. |
