Specifications
Processor: Octa-core 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 615, Screen Size: 5.5in, Screen resolution: 1,920x1,080, Rear camera: 21 megapixels, Storage (free): 16GB (11GB) / 32GB, Wireless data: 3G, 4G, Size: 148x75x8.9mm, Weight: 169g, Operating system: Android 5.1.1
The Moto X has gone through several transformations since it launched back in 2013. Whiel the original Moto X was a compact mid-range marvel, the 2nd Gen model quickly morphed into a metal-framed 5.2in flagship. Now Motorola seems to have come full circle again, retreating back to the more wallet-friendly middle ground with the £280 Moto X Play.
The Moto X Play is actually one of three new Moto X handsets arriving this year - the others being the jumbo Moto X Style and the incredible shatterproof Moto X Force. The Force sits at the top of the range with its 5.4in, 2,560x1,440 shattproof display and octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor, while the Style is Motorola's phablet offering this year, as this has a large 5.7in, 2,560x,1440 resolution display and a Snapdragon 808 processor. All three phones have a 21-megapixel camera, but the Force and Style come with a few extras, such as phase-detect auto focus, a dual colour correlated flash and 4K video capture. They are, however, more expensive, as the Style costs £350 SIM-free, while the Force costs £480 SIM-free.
to hold thanks to its rubberised rear panel. The rounded edges can be a
tad slippy at times, but I was easily able grasp it in one hand and
reach across to the other side of the screen without any fear of
dropping it.
Unlike the 3rd Gen Moto G, the Moto X Play isn't completely waterproof. Instead, it's merely water resistant, so it will survive the odd splash or accidental spill as well as a light rain shower, but it won't fare so well if you drop it down the loo. This is a shame, but it's the exactly the same situation with the Moto X Style, so it's not like you're missing out by opting for the Play.
Ironically, it's the Moto X Play which has the more flexible design, as its removable back cover means you can customise it with as many different coloured inlays or Flip Shell cases as you like. Admittedly, a rubber back is never going to match up to the Style's real leather or wood panel textures (both of which add a bit more to the Style's overall price), but it does mean you can always change the colour later on if you get tired of the one you bought originally. The design of the Style, on the other hand, remains fixed for the life of the handset.
There's a range of different colours to choose from using Motorola's Moto Maker service, and you can even customise the colour of the metallic accent that runs down the back around the camera. Prices here start at £280, which is only £10 more than the standard black or white model available from other retailers, allowing you to find your perfect personalised colour combo without compromising your wallet.
The only option which does increase the phone's price is the amount
of storage. The phone has 16GB by default (around 11GB of which is
available to the user), but you can get 32GB for another £40, taking the
total cost up to £319. However, the microSD card slot accepts cards up
to 128GB, so this seems like a bit of waste of money – you could buy a
128GB microSD card for the same amount of money.
as its big brothers, but its octa-core, 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 615
processor is certainly no slouch. Paired with 2GB of RAM, Android 5.1.1
runs beautifully, with super smooth menu animations and lightning fast
loading times. Likewise, its performance in Geekbench 3 is actually on
par with the Snapdragon 808-based LG G4
with scores of 708 and 2,567 in the single and multicore tests
respectively. This also outstrips many of its Snapdragon 615-based
rivals, such as the Vodafone Smart Ultra 6 and Sony Xperia M4 Aqua, giving the Moto X Play an extra speed boost worthy of its slightly higher price.
The Moto X Play drops the ball slightly when it comes to browsing the web, though, as its Peacekeeper score of 828 is decidedly average compared to other 615-based handsets. Scrolling down The Guardian's home page, for instance, was still quite jerky even once it had loaded, but the Moto X Play coped much better with other sites such as the BBC and Expert Reviews.
Thankfully, its graphics capabilities are far more in keeping with a sub £300 smartphone. While it may only have scored 361 in GFX Bench GL's offscreen Manhattan test, equating to roughly 5.8fps, the Moto X play was equally capable
of playing demanding games such as Blizzard's Hearthstone and 2D
puzzlers like Threes were super smooth, so you should be able to play
any game on the Google Play Store without any trouble.
Battery life was good, too, as its large 3,630mAh battery lasted 13h 08m in our continuous video playback test with the screen set to half brightness. This is just 30 minutes behind the Samsung Galaxy S6, so the Moto X Play certainly has the stamina to match this year's top flagships despite being a fraction of the price.
to use outside.
I was also impressed by its relatively low black level of 0.36cd/m2. Black levels often suffer the most when the screen is this bright, as I've seen plenty of equally-bright Xperia phones reach black levels as high as 0.72cd/m2, giving dark areas a distinctly grey-ish undertone. Luckily, the Moto X Play averts this problem, ensuring text is deep and inky and images aren't bleached out by its high white levels.
Admittedly, I'm slightly disappointed that Motorola has opted for an IPS display this time round, as all previous Moto X handsets have used AMOLED panels. However, an sRGB coverage of 91.0% is still very respectable for a £280 phone, and colours were very evenly balanced across the entire gamut. Greens and yellows were very slightly short, but skin tones still had a warm, natural appearance, and all of my test images looked bright, rich and vibrant. Likewise, a contrast ratio of 1,670:1 ensured there was plenty of detail on show, and the screen's viewing angles superb.
This is particularly useful if all you want to do is quickly glance at the time, and swiping upwards on a notification button will automatically open up its respective app. You can also dismiss an app by swiping the button to the side. Admittedly, Android 5.0 lets you do all this from the lock screen anyway, but there's something extremely convenient about having all that information present without having to press a button when you simply pick it up off the table.
I'm also a big fan of the Moto app's quiet hours settings, as this automatically puts the phone into silent mode while I'm asleep, meaning I'll never be disturbed in the middle of the night unless someone from my priority contacts lists tries to get in touch. The Moto app can interact with your calendar as well to automatically silence itself during meetings, sending auto-reply texts saying you're busy to anyone who tries to get hold of you, as well as read text messages aloud while you're driving.
,
if slightly lower res, display. With its excellent screen, camera and
battery life, the Moto X Play is a great value handset in its own right
and punches well above its weight. It wins a Best Buy award.
The Moto X has gone through several transformations since it launched back in 2013. Whiel the original Moto X was a compact mid-range marvel, the 2nd Gen model quickly morphed into a metal-framed 5.2in flagship. Now Motorola seems to have come full circle again, retreating back to the more wallet-friendly middle ground with the £280 Moto X Play.
The Moto X Play is actually one of three new Moto X handsets arriving this year - the others being the jumbo Moto X Style and the incredible shatterproof Moto X Force. The Force sits at the top of the range with its 5.4in, 2,560x1,440 shattproof display and octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor, while the Style is Motorola's phablet offering this year, as this has a large 5.7in, 2,560x,1440 resolution display and a Snapdragon 808 processor. All three phones have a 21-megapixel camera, but the Force and Style come with a few extras, such as phase-detect auto focus, a dual colour correlated flash and 4K video capture. They are, however, more expensive, as the Style costs £350 SIM-free, while the Force costs £480 SIM-free.
Design and Storage
That doesn't mean the Moto X Play is any less of a great handset, though. While not the slimmest of phones, measuring 8.9mm at its thinnest point and curving out to 10.9mm, the Moto X Play is very comfortable
to hold thanks to its rubberised rear panel. The rounded edges can be a
tad slippy at times, but I was easily able grasp it in one hand and
reach across to the other side of the screen without any fear of
dropping it.Unlike the 3rd Gen Moto G, the Moto X Play isn't completely waterproof. Instead, it's merely water resistant, so it will survive the odd splash or accidental spill as well as a light rain shower, but it won't fare so well if you drop it down the loo. This is a shame, but it's the exactly the same situation with the Moto X Style, so it's not like you're missing out by opting for the Play.
Ironically, it's the Moto X Play which has the more flexible design, as its removable back cover means you can customise it with as many different coloured inlays or Flip Shell cases as you like. Admittedly, a rubber back is never going to match up to the Style's real leather or wood panel textures (both of which add a bit more to the Style's overall price), but it does mean you can always change the colour later on if you get tired of the one you bought originally. The design of the Style, on the other hand, remains fixed for the life of the handset.
There's a range of different colours to choose from using Motorola's Moto Maker service, and you can even customise the colour of the metallic accent that runs down the back around the camera. Prices here start at £280, which is only £10 more than the standard black or white model available from other retailers, allowing you to find your perfect personalised colour combo without compromising your wallet.
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Performance and Battery Life
The Moto X Play may not be quite as fast
as its big brothers, but its octa-core, 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 615
processor is certainly no slouch. Paired with 2GB of RAM, Android 5.1.1
runs beautifully, with super smooth menu animations and lightning fast
loading times. Likewise, its performance in Geekbench 3 is actually on
par with the Snapdragon 808-based LG G4
with scores of 708 and 2,567 in the single and multicore tests
respectively. This also outstrips many of its Snapdragon 615-based
rivals, such as the Vodafone Smart Ultra 6 and Sony Xperia M4 Aqua, giving the Moto X Play an extra speed boost worthy of its slightly higher price.The Moto X Play drops the ball slightly when it comes to browsing the web, though, as its Peacekeeper score of 828 is decidedly average compared to other 615-based handsets. Scrolling down The Guardian's home page, for instance, was still quite jerky even once it had loaded, but the Moto X Play coped much better with other sites such as the BBC and Expert Reviews.
Thankfully, its graphics capabilities are far more in keeping with a sub £300 smartphone. While it may only have scored 361 in GFX Bench GL's offscreen Manhattan test, equating to roughly 5.8fps, the Moto X play was equally capable
of playing demanding games such as Blizzard's Hearthstone and 2D
puzzlers like Threes were super smooth, so you should be able to play
any game on the Google Play Store without any trouble.Battery life was good, too, as its large 3,630mAh battery lasted 13h 08m in our continuous video playback test with the screen set to half brightness. This is just 30 minutes behind the Samsung Galaxy S6, so the Moto X Play certainly has the stamina to match this year's top flagships despite being a fraction of the price.
Display
This is fantastic considering it has to power a large 5.5in, 1,920x1,080 resolution display, but you're unlikely to get similar figures if you keep the screen's brightness levels turned up to max. Our colour calibrator measured a massive 613.23cd/m2 on its highest brightness setting, pushing it even higher than Sony's ultra-bright Xperia Z3. Still, at least it makes the phone easy to use outside.I was also impressed by its relatively low black level of 0.36cd/m2. Black levels often suffer the most when the screen is this bright, as I've seen plenty of equally-bright Xperia phones reach black levels as high as 0.72cd/m2, giving dark areas a distinctly grey-ish undertone. Luckily, the Moto X Play averts this problem, ensuring text is deep and inky and images aren't bleached out by its high white levels.
Admittedly, I'm slightly disappointed that Motorola has opted for an IPS display this time round, as all previous Moto X handsets have used AMOLED panels. However, an sRGB coverage of 91.0% is still very respectable for a £280 phone, and colours were very evenly balanced across the entire gamut. Greens and yellows were very slightly short, but skin tones still had a warm, natural appearance, and all of my test images looked bright, rich and vibrant. Likewise, a contrast ratio of 1,670:1 ensured there was plenty of detail on show, and the screen's viewing angles superb.
Moto apps
My favourite part of the Moto X Play, though, is Motorola's clever Moto app, which has various settings to help make the phone feel that much smarter than your average Android handset. For instance, a quick twist of your wrist will automatically open the camera, while Moto Display shows the clock and any notification icons you have when you pick it up without having to turn the screen on.This is particularly useful if all you want to do is quickly glance at the time, and swiping upwards on a notification button will automatically open up its respective app. You can also dismiss an app by swiping the button to the side. Admittedly, Android 5.0 lets you do all this from the lock screen anyway, but there's something extremely convenient about having all that information present without having to press a button when you simply pick it up off the table.
I'm also a big fan of the Moto app's quiet hours settings, as this automatically puts the phone into silent mode while I'm asleep, meaning I'll never be disturbed in the middle of the night unless someone from my priority contacts lists tries to get in touch. The Moto app can interact with your calendar as well to automatically silence itself during meetings, sending auto-reply texts saying you're busy to anyone who tries to get hold of you, as well as read text messages aloud while you're driving.
Conclusion
It's these small touches that elevate the Moto X Play above the rest of the competition and make it a much better buy than other £200-300 phones, such as the Samsung Galaxy A5, Sony Xperia M4 Aqua, EE Harrier and HTC Desire 820. It's also great value on contract, as prices now start from as little as £19.50-per-month. I also think it's a much better buy than the Moto X Style, as the Play has an infinitely superior battery life, and a much more accurate,
if slightly lower res, display. With its excellent screen, camera and
battery life, the Moto X Play is a great value handset in its own right
and punches well above its weight. It wins a Best Buy award.| Hardware | |
|---|---|
| Processor | Octa-core 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 |
| RAM | 2GB |
| Screen size | 5.5in |
| Screen resolution | 1,920x1,080 |
| Screen type | IPS |
| Front camera | 5 megapixels |
| Rear camera | 21 megapixels |
| Flash | Dual LED |
| GPS | Yes |
| Compass | Yes |
| Storage (free) | 16GB (11GB) / 32GB |
| Memory card slot (supplied) | microSD |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11n |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 4.0 |
| NFC | Yes |
| Wireless data | 3G, 4G |
| Size | 148x75x8.9mm |
| Weight | 169g |
| Features | |
| Operating system | Android 5.1.1 |
| Battery size | 3,630mAh |
| Buying information | |
| Warranty | One year RTB |
| Price SIM-free (inc VAT) | £280 |
| Price on contract (inc VAT) | Free on £22-per-month contract |
| Prepay price (inc VAT) | N/A |
| SIM-free supplier | www.carphonewarehouse.com |
| Contract/prepay supplier | www.carphonewarehouse.com |
| Details | www.motorola.co.uk |
| Part code | XT1562 |
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