Moto X4 Review: Premium And Compact Design With Decent Dual Camera
by Himanshu S. Dec 6, 2017
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rs22,999Buy Now
SPECIFICATIONS
- Display5.2
- Rear Camera12MP + 8MP
- Front Camera16MP
- ProcessorSnapdragon 630
- Resolution1080x1920 pixels
- RAM4GB
- Operating SystemAndroid 7.1.1
- Storage64GB
- Battery3000mAh
- WaterproofYes
- Dual SimYes
- Quick ChargingYes
Since Lenovo’s acquisition over Motorola, the Chinese giant has been trying to resurge the Moto’s loss on the market hold after the rise of Android. The company has been working on four distinct classes of smartphones including the budget-friendly Moto E, mid-range Moto G, the high-end offering under Moto X family and the flagship Moto Z.
The firm recently launched the Moto X4 that lies between the flagship Moto Z2 Play and the Moto G5S Plus in terms of pricing. The phone comes with a premium look and is the first phone from Motorola to come in a metal and glass body.
Similar to all the other devices from Motorola, the Moto X4 is the first smartphone with curved edges, glass finish and premium looks. The phone also comes with mixed features of both the high-end and mid-range smartphones from the company. A dual camera setup, IP68 dust and water resistance, a fingerprint sensor, turbocharging and a lot more. However, the phone is powered by Qualcomm’s mid-range processor, the Snapdragon 630 that is aided by the Adreno 508 GPU.
The standout feature of the phone is that it comes with Bluetooth 5.0 that enables the phone to connect to four Bluetooth devices simultaneously. The near stock Android UI with fewer bloatware applications make it a real go-go.
The phone faces tough competition with the OnePlus 5 and Moto’s very own Moto G5S Plus. The first device comes at a much higher price tag but has specifications much higher than that of Moto X4. The latter one is priced slightly higher but offers benefits of Moto Mods (Add-on mods sold separately by Motorola, like a speaker, projector or an add-on camera).
We have received 4GB/64GB variant of the phone in Sterling blue colour. The phone also comes in Super Blue colour variant and 3/32GB memory variant.
The high-end 4GB variant of the phone is priced at Rs 22,999 while the 3GB variant has been priced a bit lower at Rs 20,999.
Let’s take a quick view of the components of the box.
DESIGN
The Moto X4 comes in an all metal and glass design with curved edges as seen on previous Motorola devices. The phone is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass on both front and back giving a premium and compact look to the phone. The phone is very comfortable to hold in hand due to its curved panel. However, the glass panel catches smudges very easily so will have to either get a case or will have to clean the phone of those irritating smudges in every 5 minutes.
The phone has thin bezel-less on sides and very thick bezels at the top and bottom for a 2017 smartphone. The display is 5.2-inches tall to keep up with the compact look of the device. There are three microphones on the device for better noise cancellation making it first phone to do so.
The fingerprint sensor lies at the bottom below the display. The positioning of fingerprint a bit vague as fingers reach the home button while unlocking apps or other authentications bringing you back to the home screen.
The bottom of the phone houses the USB Type-C post alongside the 3.5mm audio jack that is a rare sight these days. The power button and the volume rockers lie on the right side of the device. The power button is textured so that can easily be differentiated with the volume buttons.
The top of the phone comes with SIM slots. There is two SIM card support on the phone one of which is hybrid. This means that either you can use a second SIM or a microSD card.
DISPLAY
The Moto X4 features a 5.2-inch display that is neither too tall nor too small and fits comfortably in the compact design of the phone. The display is an OLED one and comes with a screen resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels and a pixel density of 424ppi.
The always on display discreetly lights up the portion of the screen to show date, time and notifications. The display is not very impressive at first but as you start to use phone, the display is clear and crisp.
The display also lets you interact with notifications, allowing you to quickly reply to text messages using the keyboard or your voice without fully unlocking the phone. You can also play and pause music without lighting the display completely.
PERFORMANCE
The standout feature of the Moto X4 is that it can be connected to four Bluetooth devices at a time. There are three microphones that take active noise cancellation to a whole new level
Despite the premium look and decent build quality, the Moto X4 comes with specifications of a mid-range smartphone. The device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 SoC that is coupled with 3GB or 4GB of RAM.
The RAM and processor marriage performs well. The day to day tasks can be performed with ease. Even the heavy-duty gaming applications run smoothly on the phone.The phone comes in two memory variants – 32GB and 64GB that can further be expanded up to 2TB via Hybrid microSD card slot. Despite having several open pores, the phone comes with IP68 dust and water resistance.
BATTERY
The Moto X4 comes with a 3000mAh battery that comes with Motorola’s Turbo Charge support. The phone runs for more than a day of moderate use. The phone provides one full day of battery backup easily on regular use which includes surfing, chatting watching videos and listening to music.
Even after the battery drains out, it is very easy and fast to charge the phone using the Motorola’s Turbo Charging. The turbo-charger charges the phone up to 54 per cent in just 30 minutes. The charging gets slower as it starts reaching towards the end.
Getting your phone charged for a couple of hours in just a couple of minutes. Isn’t it a relief?
CAMERA
Continuing the trend, the Moto X4 sports a dual rear camera setup that comes with a 12 telephoto lens and an 8MP wide-angle lens. The camera is capable of recording 4G similar to other devices in this price range.
The camera setup comes with dual LED flash that comes handy while shooting in low light conditions. However, the hefty camera bulge does not look appropriate for 2017 device.
The camera allows you to either to focus on a subject or capture wider area with the help of two sensors, without having to move forward and backward each time. The images captured by the phone are good with decent details.
The camera application is not that fast and takes time to load but it lets you to adjust with the settings real quick. The focusing in very fast, adjusting to different lighting conditions with just a movement of your finger. It can be really useful for social media butterflies. The primary sensor is telephoto one but uses only wide-angle lens during the Pro mode. You can shoot some nice fish-eye shots with a wide field of view.
However, the camera did bother us when the HDR mode was on as we did not know what the picture will turn out as the HDR processing did not show until the photograph is captured.
There is also a 16MP front camera that also features flash allowing you to capture selfies even in low light conditions. Overall, the phone’s front camera is not excellent but given can be worked with in this price segment.
SOFTWARE
In, India, the Moto X4 comes with almost stock Android experience running on the Android 7..1.1 and will get the Oreo update very soon. The UI is very close to the stock including the app launcher. However, there a custom icon and Moto apps and gestures suite. There are a few preinstalled apps like LinkedIn and Outlook than cannot be uninstalled.
The Moto app on the phone offers similar features that we have already seen in previous devices. Gestures can be used to switch on the flashlight or launching the camera. The always-on display on the Moto X4 lets you take a sneak at the time, date or notifications without completely unlocking the device.
The Moto Voice has been the introduced the Moto Voice in the phone that lets you check calendar appointments by using phrase “Show me”. There is also a feature named “Voice Security” which detects your voice specifically and allow commands even when the phone is locked.
The Moto key helps you use your phone’s fingerprint sensor for authentication even for logging into a Windows PC or on a website that requires a password. All you need to do is to install the Moto Key app and once to set it up, the process becomes very easy and comes really handy.
Should I Buy It?
You can opt for the Moto X4 if you want a premium looking phone that comes in a compact design and rear dual camera. The almost stock Android experience the device even more desirable. We will not say that the dual camera setup is very good but it is fine for a phone that is priced at Rs 22,999.
The phone offers good battery backup given the display size of 5.2-inches. The turbocharger adds a cherry on top of the cake. The 3GB RAM and 32GB storage variant is priced at Rs 20,999. For a better choice, you can opt for Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro but it will not come with the dual camera support. If you are ready to spend slightly higher price you can opt for Oppo F5 that comes with a great camera or Moto Z2 Play that offers Moto Mods.
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