Category: Moto

Moto 360 Gets New Metal Straps, Watchface and Fitness App

Even though a lot still consider it is too early for smartwatches to break into the full scale commercial market, Moto 360 managed to turn heads with its design when we first saw it at Google I/O 2014.

However, the much-loved smartwatch was limited to only two colours and material choices at the launch. But, Motorola now wants to give you more options. The company has also begun selling the Moto 360 with metal options, which are now available with either dark or light grey finish in the regular 23 mm band size for $299.99.

Announced in a blog post yesterday, the company said, “Crafted from aircraft-grade stainless steel, these bands feature a modern, contemporary tri-link design that complements the round face of Moto 360. Starting today, Moto 360 with light and dark metal bands are available on motorola.com for $299. Coming soon, we will offer Moto 360 with new slim bands, which is an option for smaller wrists or for people who want a different look. Slim bands will be available in time for the holidays in light metal ($299) and a brand new champagne gold finish ($329).”

The bands were earlier listed on Amazon.com, however, they are official now. Along with this, Motorola also announced new accessory bands that can be purchased separately in stone, black, or cognac leather, along with dark and light metals. Plus, they have partnered with brands like DODOcase (stitched leather bands) and TYLT (silicone bands) to offer even more options.

The company has also rolled out a new update of the Moto Connect app. The update introduces the an attractive ‘My Design’ watch face that allows you to customise everything from the background image to the style of the tick marks and watch hands. Motorola also added the Design Face-Off winner’s watch face to the collection.

Finally, the Schaumburg-based giant is introducing Moto Body, a fitness-inspired experience app that tracks your steps, distance, heart rate, and calories. Moto Body will be available through the new Moto Connect app.

November 7, 2014
With Moto-Power Lenovo Becomes the Third Largest Smartphone Company in India

The acquisition of one of the most adored brands, Motorola by Lenovo was met with a wide negative response in India. But this acquisition did more for Lenovo than just being the owner of an awesome brand. It took an enormous leap in the Indian smartphone market. The Chinese electronics company now is the third biggest smartphone company in India.

Lenovo acquired Motorola from Google for a sum of $2.9-billion. The deal was finalized this Thursday, the 30th of October, and it will give Lenovo the boost in the Indian market that it was looking for. The deal got Lenovo in the third spot in India and many other markets globally.

This may also mean a bit of a pull back for Xiaomi. According to data research by IDC, the company will move down to the fourth spot after just recently hitting the podium stand. Seems like celebrations didn’t last long for the company. This will be a neck and neck competition because both Motorola and Xiaomi are stars of the low-cost markets. This is a market where the maximum amount of sales takes place. Lenovo has a good market stand in the offline channels and combined with the high online demand for Motorola product it can easily set a flag post at the third spot.

The top spot in India is still in the hands of Samsung, that has come up to become an alternative recognizable brand after the demise of Nokia. It holds 23.8% of the mobile phone market and is distantly followed by Apple with a market share of 12%.

Lenovo says that it considers India as an important market, and it will continue its original market plan. It will definitely benefit from the brand recognition of Motorola, especially in the youth market. Since its return to Indian shores, the company has sold over 2 million products from its catalog.

The Lenovo-Motorola partnership plans to sell about 100 million smartphones and tablets globally by march of next year which is an audacious task. The part of this acquisition that will be appreciated by most folks casting doubts on the future of Motorola products is that Lenovo and Motorola will continue on as separate entities. So you can expect your next Moto buy to still hold the Moto experience that you have come to love and appreciate.

November 1, 2014
Motorola’s Monster Droid Might Get a Global Release as ‘Moto Maxx’

Verizon-exclusive Motorola DROID Turbo is reported to get a global release under the company’s quintessential ‘Maxx’ branding. Going by the invite posted by a Portuguese publication named Tecnoblog, the company is gearing up to announce the global roll-out of the smartphone on 5th November at an event in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The country has always been an important market for Motorola since its heydays, which is evident by the fact that the company globally unveiled the popular Moto G (first generation) last year at an event in Sao Paulo.

The invite doesn’t illustrate any specific phone, but it does show a device with the same Ballistic Nylon back panel featured on the DROID Turbo.

The DROID Turbo, which is popularly known as Moto Maxx, features a 5.2-inch Quad-HD AMOLED display, 3900 mAh battery, Android 4.4.4 KitKat and 2.7 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor. The phone also packs 21 MP rear camera with f/2.0, 2 MP front snapper, LTE support, 3 GB of RAM, and 32/64 GB of internal storage.

Motorola’s last Maxx-branded smartphone, the Motorola DROID MAXX, launched last year exclusively at Verizon Wireless. Meanwhile, the last ‘Droid’ smartphone that was announced back in 2012 in India was the Motorola RAZR MAXX.

October 31, 2014
It’s Done! Lenovo Now Officially Owns Motorola

Today, Motorola officially announced that Lenovo has completed the acquisition of Motorola Mobility and the company is now a part of the Lenovo family.

Lenovo Group Ltd has finally closed its $2.91 billion acquisition of the Motorola handset unit from Google Inc and is preparing itself for a fresh attack on the U.S smartphone market. The purchase comes as Lenovo, the world’s leading PC maker, is trying to integrate its business into various segments and establish itself as a smartphone maker with global appeal.

Back in 2012, Google acquired Motorola Mobility and its patent for $12.5 billion but was unable to revive the company to its old glory.

“The iconic Motorola brand will continue, as will the Moto and DROID franchises that have propelled our growth over the past year,” explains Rick Osterloh, Motorola President, “We will continue to focus on pure Android and fast upgrades, and remain committed to developing technology to solve real consumer problems.”

“Google will maintain ownership of a majority of the Motorola Mobility patent portfolio, while Motorola will receive a license to this rich portfolio of patents and other intellectual property,” says Lenovo. Google’s CEO Larry Page said, “Motorola is in great hands with Lenovo, a company that’s all-in on making great devices.”

October 30, 2014

Motorola’s Newest Smartphone Comes with 3900mAh Battery and 21 MP Main Camera

Motorola has officially launched the Droid Turbo, a Verizon-exclusive smartphone manufactured by Motorola, and it appears to be their most powerful yet. Verizon and Motorola have always shared close relationship, at a time where AT&T was the exclusive US carrier for the iPhone.

The Droid Turbo’s biggest catch is its battery life, though moreover, it’s a fact that it has much more powerful specs than any of Motorola’s available flagship. The Droid Turbo has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 with four Krait 450 cores clocked at 2.7 GHz and 3 GB of LPDDR3 memory. It sports a 2560×1440 AMOLED display, which we see quite often these days on Android flagship smartphones. The device comes with a 2MP front-facing camera capable of recording 1080p video along with three capacitive navigation buttons, which means we won’t see any on-screen buttons that Motorola has been using on their devices.

Key Specs	Droid Turbo
Display	5.2-inch 2560×1440 AMOLED at 565ppi
Processor	APQ8084 2.7 GHz Snapdragon 805 with 4xKrait 450 + Adreno 420
Storage	32/64 GB
RAM	3 GB LPDDR3
Camera	21 MP (5248×3936) Rear Camera with F/2.0 aperture, 2 MP Front Camera
Battery	3900 mAh
Operating System	Android 4.4.4 KitKat

As already mentioned, the most striking aspect of the phone is its 3900 mAh capacity battery and it claims to last up to 48 hours of usage. The Droid Turbo will also support Motorola’s Turbo Charger, a new accessory from Motorola that is said to provide 8 hours of battery life in a mere 15 minutes of charging. It will have support for 4G LTE with LTE Cat 4, apart from CDMA, EVDO Rev A, GSM/ UMTS/ HSPA+. Meanwhile, the back of the phone houses the 21 MP primary camera, which Motorola claims is capable of recording 4k videos at 24fps, along with support for 1080p recording at 30fps. The back of the phone is quite similar to what we have seen in the Moto X and Moto G, but slightly less curvy. There’s also a lot of branding on the back with a logo for Verizon, the Droid brand, and of course, Motorola. Even with those, it still emanates Motorola’s design language.

The Droid Turbo will have two choices of materials. One is a metallic finish which comes in black or red and is lighter and slimmer of the two. They will all have 32 GB capacity. Meanwhile, the 64 GB version will only get the Nylon Ballistic Black finish, which is slightly thicker and heavier.

The Droid Turbo has been priced at $199.99 (approximately Rs. 12,250) for the 32 GB variant, while the 64 GB version costs $249 (approximately Rs. 15,300), both on a two-year term.

To us, it’s yet another Droid that India won’t get its hands on.

October 29, 2014

New Update for Moto 360 Brings Better Battery Life and User Interface

Motorola Mobility is known for its timely updates for its widely popular Moto G, Moto E and Moto X handsets. It looks like the company is continuing its update strategy with its smartwatch Moto 360 as well. Motorola has rolled out a new software update for the circular Moto 360 smartwatch. It promises better battery life and UI among some other tweaks.

The company said that the new update will automatically turn off the ambient mode and hence, will save upto 15% of the battery life. The ‘Mood Lighting’ feature will adjust the brightness of the device according to the lighting conditions for a better ambient viewing experience.

‘Ambient Screen Off’ comes as a default setting and is preferred by most users. However, ‘Ambient On’ gives you an experience that more closely models a traditional watch with a watchface that is visible without any twist and tricks on your wrist. Motorola has also tweaked the device, and now one can connect bluetooth headsets with it.

Along with this, the company has added a new gesture for better notification viewing. This new gesture allows you to see the full watchface without permanently dismissing the alert. Now, you can just touch the notification, swipe it down, and it will show you the message again when you have another high priority notification coming through. This way, you can easily navigate through the messages without them covering the entire elegant watchface.

The company’s official blogpost reads, “We will roll out the new software in phases. Look for the update notification on your watch! You will be prompted to install it. To install the update, make sure that you’re connected to your phone with an internet connection and that your watch has at least 80% battery.”

The company also mentioned that they have added some bug removal application in the update for better overall user experience.

October 27, 2014
After Acquiring Motorola, Lenovo to Become the Third Largest Smartphone Vendor in India

New reports by IDC have revealed that Lenovo is set to become the third largest smartphone vendor in India. But only after the completion of its acquisition of Motorola Mobility is complete. The acquisition is considered one of the sharpest move in the industry for the Chinese company, which has previously made its name though PC sales.

“Presently, Motorola is at number four in India. And, we are expecting to close the acquisition by the end of the calendar year, which we believe make us the third largest smartphone player the in the Indian market,” Amar Babu, managing director at Lenovo India said.

Amar said that Lenovo’s smartphone business has grown by 200% year on year, much faster than the rest of the market. He added that Lenovo will build the Motorola brand the way it has built the ThinkPad notebook brand within the company.

The overall Indian smartphone market is expected to cross 80 million devices by shipments, up from 44 million a year back. Shipments grew by 84% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2014 to June, with vendors shipping a total of 18.42 million smartphones.

The company is also positive on setting up manufacturing units in the country, given the ‘Make in India’ initiative by the Indian government and the company is hoping for certain incentives by the government that would encourage the same.

The company is already the number one player in the PC market in India. In the Indian smartphone market, Lenovo lags behind Motorola, which is the fourth largest player. The company also plans to enhance its position in the tablet market in India. Lenovo recently launched its new range of ‘Yoga’ tablets in India, priced between Rs 20,990 to Rs 47,990. The range — comprising of four devices — will go on sale today exclusively on eCommerce site, Flipkart.

October 17, 2014
Exclusive: Google Nexus 6 Will Launch in India End 2014 for Rs. 42,999

This will be a shocker of mammoth proportions, especially for those waiting for this handset. Agreed that on paper, and mostly in reality, the Nexus 6 is expected to be a monster, but this will be Google’s most expensive handset yet.

According to our source at Motorola, the Google Nexus branded Moto phone will be available later this year for a whopping price of Rs 42999 for the 32 GB variant. The Nexus 6 is also expected to go on sale by the 11th of December, however with the past track record of Nexus devices in India we can’t be too sure. Granted that for a QuadHD display and Snapdragon 805 one would be willing to shed out that much, the Nexus 6 however has not been Google’s best attempt at making a budget flagship. Which was the case with devices like the Nexus 4 and the Nexus 5, which were essentially cheaper variants of their expensive counterparts, i.e. the LG Optimus G and the LG G2.

This is the first time the Nexus device is actually more expensive than the device it is based on, and that due to mostly the bumped up specs, and Motorola’s already tight margins.

Motorola in India may not have the right alignment for the Nexus 6, however it may be a great opportunity for the company to initiate tie-ups or payment schemes to help users buy this device. This could also be a great opportunity to talk network tie-ups and contracts in India, which might become a big thing starting 2015.

Either way you look at it, the Nexus 6 will miss out most of its prospective buyers in India, and Google may need to work really hard to sell the one the the very price conscious Indian audience.

The Nexus 6 was announced along side the Nexus 9 and Android 5.0 Lollipop and features a 5.96” 1440×2560 display (493 ppi) a 3220 mAh battery. Camera is a 13MP rear-facing with optical image stabilization and a 2MP front-facing. The Nexus 6 runs a CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 – Quad Core 2.7 GHz processor along with GPU: Adreno 420 and the storage options are 32 GB and 64 GB.

October 15, 2014
Google Outs Nexus 6 – Pre Order it for US $ 649 on Oct 29th

Google has just made the Nexus 6 official and yes it’s a Moto X on steroids. The Nexus 6 is the first phone to run Android 5.0 Lollipop, yes it’s called Lollipop. For whatever reason, everything that you wanted in the Moto X has actually been given in the Nexus 6. You get a 5.9 inch QuadHD, screen a faster Snapdragon 805 chipset and a heftier 3220 mAh battery.

Regretting buying that Moto X yet? You get the Moto logo along with a Nexus badge at back and the same 13 MP snapper with the ring dual LED flash.

The phone will be available in the following sizes 32 GB and 64 GB in either the Cloud White or the Midnight Blue colors. The Pre-Orders are set to begin on the 29th of October according to The Verge.

The phone has the same metal structure of the Moto X and also presumably will have the same strength. The button locations are the same, and thanks to the minimal bezel design, the Nexus 6 should look a lot less big.

As far as India is concerned, there is no news on arrival but we are in talks, so stay tuned.

October 15, 2014
Motorola Brings Out its Deck Bluetooth Speaker in India

Motorola launched its Deck Bluetooth speakers in India which will be sold exclusively via Flipkart at Rs. 8,990. The company launched these speakers in collaboration with SOL Republic in the US last year in September .

The Bluetooth 4.0-enabled Motorola Deck speaker runs on the R2 Sound Engine. The speaker also features LED lights, the color of which change according to the active user controlling the device. The ‘Outdoor Mode’ enhances the audio and is especially made for outdoor usage.

The Motorola Deck is claimed to feature 360-degree full sound and 300-foot wireless range. Deck is said to be the first wireless speaker with Heist Mode that allows up to five people simultaneously paired to the device and control the music. Heist Mode is supported through Bluetooth and Near Field Communication (NFC).

The Motorola Deck Bluetooth Speaker weighs in at 325g and would be available in White, Gun Metal and Blue colors. Motorola, besides unveiling its much-awaited Moto G (Gen 2), Moto X (Gen 2) and Moto 360 smartwatch last month, also took the wraps off two new smartphone accessories – namely Moto Hint (a Bluetooth-enabled earbud) and the Power Pack Micro (a power bank).

Compatible with Bluetooth-enabled smartphones, the Moto Hint wireless earbud lets users hear notifications, make calls, get directions, perform quick search, and send messages without accessing the handset. The Motorola’s Power Pack Micro while acting as a portable battery, also lets users search for their smartphone or keys by using the Motorola Keylink feature.

October 15, 2014
New Reports Reveal Nexus 6 Will Arrive Sooner Than You Expect

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Google will announce its next flagship Android smartphone, the Nexus 6, by the end of this month. While it didn’t say the handset will be sold as the Nexus 6, the publication confirmed its internal code name, “Shamu” adding that the handset will have a 5.9-inch high-resolution display and will be sold under the Nexus brand.

The Wall Street Journal hasn’t heard an exact release date, it has heard that the Google Nexus 6 will arrive this month, and will be bigger and cheaper than the iPhone 6 Plus and Galaxy Note 4 with a 5.9-inch display. The same features have been mentioned in countless leaks that detailed Google’s first Nexus-branded phablet. Previous reports also claimed the phone will arrive by late October or early November.

Google Nexus 5

“Shamu,” or Moto S, depending on which website you follow, but those are most likely just code names, much like Hammerhead was for the Nexus 5. As you might already know, it’s been suggested that Google might shake up the naming convention. The most popular replacement for Google’s numeric tradition is to simply call it Nexus or even Nexus X.

The new Nexus device is said to be a super-sized, more powerful version of the Moto X. While there are a lot of photos and videos leaked regarding the new Nexus device, the reports illustrate that the appearance of the device is basically going to be a scaled up 2nd generation Moto X with some minor tweaks to make the larger size easier to use. It is also said that it’ll have the same aluminum frame, and the company has apparently relocated the phone’s lock and volume buttons down to make them more reachable.

Nexus devices are known for proving pricing rumors wrong every time they debut in the market. They often seem much cheaper than what the specs and user experience would demand. The only price leak we’ve seen is a relatively sketchy one from TKTechNews, who reportedly spotted a listing for a Nexus X device for $420 for 32GB and $450 for 64GB without contract.

October 11, 2014
Everything We Know About Google’s Upcoming Nexus Device

The Nexus series are Google’s star Android devices which showcase true stock Android power every year. As we get closer to this year’s Nexus launch, rumours are flooding our feeds illustrating what the Nexus 6 might look like. Much like the older Nexus devices, the new will most likely showcase the very latest Android L build. Here’s what you can expect from the Google’s next:

Nexus 6 or Nexus X?

The device has been named “Shamu,” or Moto S, depending on which website you follow, but those are most likely just code names, much like Hammerhead was for the Nexus 5. It is also said that the Moto S is a reference to a likely Verizon-exclusive Droid-variant of the upcoming Nexus. As you might already know, it’s been suggested that Google might shake up the naming convention. The most popular replacement for Google’s numeric tradition is to simply call it Nexus or even Nexus X.

Who is making it?

All leaks and rumors have claimed that the new Google Nexus will be made by Motorola. Considering Google’s decision to sell Motorola Mobility to Lenovo in January this year, while retaining many of the company’s patents, this comes as a small surprise. Though, it seems both companies have a healthy relationship, as Motorola handsets are one of the first ones to get Android updates. Earlier it was believed that Google will rope LG or HTC to make the new Nexus Device. Instead, recent rumors illustrates that HTC got the nod for the Nexus 9 tablet.

Design

The new Nexus device is said to be a super-sized, more powerful version of the Moto X. While there are a lot of photos and videos leaked regarding the new Nexus device, the reports illustrate that the appearance of the device is basically going to be a scaled up 2nd generation Moto X with some minor tweaks to make the larger size easier to use. It is also said that it’ll have the same aluminum frame, and the company has apparently relocated the phone’s lock and volume buttons down to make them more reachable.

Others speculate that Google might consider releasing two separate Nexus devices—a 5.9-inch and a 5.2-inch, but the rumors about any smaller version have been remarkably thinner than those about the bigger one. One of Moto X’s main draws is Moto Maker, the smartphone’s dedicated customization site that lets customers pick specific colors, accents, and materials. However, Google is possibly planning its own Nexus-based design tool that can personalize your phone to an even greater degree with your own photography or maps of specific places.

Nexus X Concept

Innards

A Nexus 6 benchmark has appeared, showing it’ll outperform top phones like the LG G3 and the Samsung Galaxy S5. The information leaked in the listing suggests the phone will have a 2.65GHz quad-core CPU, almost certainly the Snapdragon 805, and 3GB of RAM. The listing for the Nexus 6 has appeared on Geekbench, one of the top benchmarking utilities. It shows the Nexus 6 or Nexus X will offer more power than the current crop despite, with any luck, costing significantly less. The Nexus 6 scores 3,199 points in the Geekbench 3 test, roughly 10% more than top phones like the Samsung Galaxy S5. The phone may come to need that extra power as the Nexus 6 is believed to have a 2560 x 1440-pixel screen.

Price

Nexus devices are known for proving pricing rumors wrong every time they debut in the market. They often seem much cheaper than what the specs and user experience would demand. The only price leak we’ve seen is a relatively sketchy one from TKTechNews, who reportedly spotted a listing for a Nexus X device for $420 for 32GB and $450 for 64GB without contract.

When will it be available?

Google has never made a big deal about its Nexus releases. Last year, the Nexus 5 got a press release and a silent-yet-immediate rollout in the Google Play store. It is believed that google is planning to do something similar this time around with the release date being near the end of October.

October 10, 2014
Flipkart’s The Big Billion Day Sale : The Top 5 Smartphone Offers

Everyone is gearing up for the most important event of Indian year, Diwali. With popular companies and electronic giants offering festive sales and deals, there is too much to choose from. One such big sale is going on on Flipkart, called The Big Billion Day sale.

The sale is to be held from 6-10 October and opened at 8 am today. Flipkart has gone big this time with big discounts on 70 categories, flash sales, deals of the hour, lucky draws every hour and unprecedented offers and discounts. We are listing our Top 5 smartphone deals on Flipkart’s Big Billion Day sale.

If you’ve been thinking about investing in a new smartphone, today’s the today.

1. Moto E

It’s no secret that Motorola and Flipkart have a long running and healthy relationship. Well, this healthy relationship has given us great offers and easy availability of Motorola blockbuster handsets. Moto E is one of the most Android friendly smartphone in its price bracket. Flipkart is offering flat Rs. 1500 off on Moto E which means you can buy the smartphone for Rs. 5,499 only. Check out our Moto E review here.

2. Moto G (Gen 2)

Another great offer for Motorola fans is on the new Moto G. You can exchange your old phone with the new gen Moto G and can get upto Rs. 4000 off. You can exchange your old Moto G or Moto E to get Rs. 3000 off and Moto X to get Rs. 4000 off.

3. Moto X (16 GB)

If you wanted to buy this smartphone but couldn’t because of the pocket constraints, this is the best deal you can get for the Moto X. Flipkart is offering the device at Rs. 17,999. The original price of the device is Rs. 23,999.

4. Asus Zenfone 4

Asus Zenfone 4 is a value-for money gadget which has been one of the best selling phones by Asus. The original retail price of the handset is around Rs. 6000, however, Flipkart is offering the device for Rs. 4999 under the Big Billion Day sale.

5. Nokia Lumia 520

Lumia 520 is one the best selling smartphones from Nokia’s Lumia series. The original market price of the device is Rs. 6,999. FlipKart is offering Lumia 520 at the price of Rs. 4,999.

October 6, 2014
Moto X 2nd Gen Review : Better Android Smartphone Experience
The Moto X was the reason Motorola was able to bounce back from extinction. With the help and financial backing from Google, Motorola revamped their lineup of smartphones and today is one of the most coveted Android smartphone manufacturers. Although Motorola was unloaded by Google to Lenovo, the company’s principles have remained similar. With the Moto X 2014 Motorola is back with a vengeance, giving you the best mix of hardware and performance.

Overview

The new Moto X aka Gen 2014, is a major overhaul of what was already an impressive kit of a smartphone. The great mix of design build quality and top notch hardware makes the phone an aggressive competitor in the major smartphone market. In most countries the phone is available on the cheap with a contract, in countries like India however it has to be bought outright. Its price at launch is Rs. 31,999, which is much higher than the last generation’s price.

Hardware

Unlike the previous edition, the new Moto X is not impaired by old tech, it’s packed with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset with Adreno 330 graphics, has a larger 5.2 inch display with a Full HD resolution. New optics include a 13 MP camera with a faux dual led ring flash, and a front facing 2 MP one. The rear camera does 4K video and slow motion at 1080p which is really impressive. Storage is limited to 16 GB and RAM is kept at 2GB.
- 5.2-inch 1080P Display – 401 pixels per inch
- 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 801 Quad-core processor
- 2GB of RAM
- 16GB and 32GB storage options
- 2,300mAh battery
- 13MP rear facing camera w/ 4k video, 2MP front camera
- Dual LED Ring Flash
- Android 4.4.4 KitKat
- Over 25 customizable back options – India Gets Black Leather or White + Bamboo!
- 140.8 x 72.4 x 9.9mm – 144 grams
Build and Design

Thanks to the Stainless Steel frame, the Moto X is one of the most robust smartphones in the market, the reinforced design with the lack of easily ding-able parts makes the phone more sturdy than expected. The Moto X will not bend, not with your hands, and many videos are trending online to prove it. The phone is solid and engineered well, but the leather finish will not last. We used the phone for a mere 2 weeks and the leather at the back has a lot of nicks and cuts and basically wears easy, the bamboo variant of the new Moto X 2nd Gen costs an additional Rs.2000 but may be worth the moolah. Design is great, however, we are not too sure of the lager Moto logo in a steel insert, it looks great in the leather variant but not on the wooden one. Reactions have been mixed about that one bit, everything else is an excellent change up from the 1st gen. Stainless steel bezel adds premium class and functionality and looks good, the shape is well fitted and curves just right in the hand. It is a handsome smartphone and its built well.

Performance and Android OS

The overall performance from the handset is impressive, it runs top notch hardware on an almost vanilla build of Android 4.4 with an experience only south of Google’s own Nexus line. Benchmarks score upwards of 40,000 in Antutu and they translate to real life usage, RAM is managed well and the Moto X remains pretty smooth through the day of use. Motorola has managed to use its own features like, smart notifications which are now called “Moto Display” and the new voice assistant which can be called up by a custom phrase and not the traditional “Ok Moto” or “Ok Google Now”. Motorola has also managed to leverage Moto communicate, allowing for phone calls and SMS messages to be received and responded to from your laptop/computer, while the setup may seem tedious it works well, although is a major drain on the battery life. The new Moto Assist is also well rounded, it knows when you are sleeping, driving or whether you are at home or work and can customize the alerts according to that, it needs a basic setup, but works mostly flawlessly after that.

Camera

The camera is a big upgrade, a 13 Mp sensor, 4k video and 1080 slow mo, all sounds great on paper. Images however do not justify all that, they are still grainy and low light performance is terrible. Continuous burst mode is a great feature, but is randomly sluggish and will cause images to get blurry and out of focus. The concept of the ring flash is simulated and does do nothing really to enhance the image quality, although the color correction in post flash images is good. The flash module is just like any other on any other smartphone. The camera app is really basic and could use some better features, like filters and on the fly changes. Focus during video will jump in and out, and will cause heartache. 4k video sounds great, but the limited 16GB storage will fill up with just mere minutes of 4k footage.

Without Flash

With Flash

Slow motion works well, focus is tight and quality is impressive. It will do Slow motion at 1080p vs 720p in the last year’s model. The front camera remains basic with a 2MP snapper, it captures 1080p video, which is usually overexposed and grainy, not the best optics in the lot.

Display and Multimedia

The new display on the Moto X larger and brighter, looks good outdoors, and has a crisp 401 ppi density. The glass on the front is Gorilla Glass 3 and it rounds off and meets the bezel at the edges adding to a natural feel when using the touchscreen. The display has excellent viewing angles and looks great indoors and out doors. touch response is excellent and according to Motorola the whole ecosystem is run at 60 fps throughout which adds to the experience, although may not be perfectly accurate. The bezels on the front are really minimal so the display is what takes up most of the front adding to a better look and better content consumption. Thanks to a larger display you will enjoy watching movies and videos on the phone, performance is excellent so no lag or buffer is experienced in the usage of the phone. The speaker is now forward facing, but unlike HTC’s boomsound it’s still a single speaker , yet sounds good and is very loud.

Phone, Networks and Battery

The Moto X 2nd Gen uses the metal fame to boost networks and boy does it work well, we found excellent indoor reception even on 3G networks and no call drops. This goes to show that maybe not all networks are to blame for bad reception. In this case Motorola has really got its antenna design right and yes it is very functional. Call quality, thanks to the impressive reception, is better than most handsets, although noise cancellation is not very great. Microphone is sensitive and the earpiece is loud and crisp. Battery is a smallish 2300 mAh unit that will mostly last a day, but if you use your phone a lot a portable charger or a USB cable will soon become your best friends. Averaging a mere 4-5 hours of talk time, we wish the phone had more juice to go on about its day. If you need the new Moto X to last longer you may want to invest in the Turbo Charger. Although, not yet in India, this optional accessory can charge the Moto X incredibly fast, pumping in eight hours of power in just 15 minutes.

Conclusion

Motorola has a winner with the Moto X 2nd Gen, and while a lot of people are looking at the bump in price, we are looking at the bump in specs. The previous Gen Motorola Moto X was underpowered, under spec’d and smallish. The new Moto X, is powerful, has excellent specs, top notch performance, has the right size and it looks good doing daily deeds. The leather back is tastefully damage-able and will add a custom look to each Moto X, however extreme wear may happen sooner than later. Thanks to quick Android updates and a simple basic Android UI, the handset is customizable and fast from the get go. The display bump is a boon and is well received, the new design is flawless and the built appreciable. The phone is also water resistant and will last you a very long time. But, should you get it? If you want an android phone now, and the price bracket fits, Yes ! get it now. Alternatively wait for the OnePlus One launch or the Next Nexus, which may as well be a Moto X in a cheaper format, who knows?

Review Video

[tw-column width=”one-half”]

GOOD THINGS
- Superb Built
- Handsome Looks
- Top Notch Hardware
- Excellent Performance
- Moto Display
- Voice Assist
[/tw-column]

[tw-column width=”one-half” position=”last”]

BAD THINGS
- No Customization in Global Market
- Leather prone to Wear
- Camera is Sluggish and Not Refined
[/tw-column]
October 3, 2014
Limited Stock Moto 360 Goes on Sale Today

You have waited for this device for a long while, and now it’s finally here. Comeback Superstar Motorola’s 1st generation Smartwatch, the Moto 360 will be listed for sale by mid-day today. The device will be priced at Rs. 17,999.

It is one of the few Android Wear devices with a round display. Though this display does tend to cut the corners of the content but it is nothing to lose sleep over. Just like an update cleared the battery woes of existing users, a future update can get the round screen friendly UI.

The Moto 360 responds to your voice with voice control which makes it easy to get things done, even when your hands are full. Just say, “Ok Google” and you can send texts, set a reminder, check the weather, and even ask for directions.

The device will go on sale at MId-day.

The device can also be used as a health monitor; it comes with Pedometer and Optical heart rate monitor (PPG). It has a 1.56-inch LCD display with 320 x 290 resolution (205ppi) with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. It has IP67 rated water resistance. The device is powered by 320 mAh battery which now lasts a lot longer since the update.

At present, the company only has a limited stock so you can expect the device to run out of stock soon as there is a huge demand for it. So if you were on the lookout for one, now would be a good time to log onto your Flipkart account.

Watch us go hands on with the Moto 360 here:

October 3, 2014