As the first flagship smartphone developed entirely under Lenovo's stewardship, the Moto X Style (Pure Edition) is the biggest member of its product family to date. While the original impressed with its compact measures, the newcomer is a bona fide phablet thanks to is 5.7" display.
And while we're still in the beginning in this review, we would like to make it clear that the Moto X Style and the Moto X Pure Edition are one and the same device, only Motorola has chosen the latter name for its US version and we're reviewing the device in the US. Nevertheless, we intend to use the names interchangeably.
Whatever its name is, the latest and baddest Moto X is not only bigger, but also better equipped and more customizable than any of its predecessors. Unlike the first and second generation which carried a "less is more" air around them, this year's Moto X Style (Pure Edition) leaves little to chance hardware-wise. Motorola has paid attention to criticism and feedback, and has equipped the XT1575 with vastly improved camera, bigger battery, and expandable storage.
Key features
- 5.7" IPS display with QHD (2560 x 1440 pixels) resolution; 520 ppi
- 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 MSM8992 chipset; dual-core 1.8 GHz Cortex-A57 & quad-core 1.44 GHz Cortex-A53 CPU; Adreno 418 GPU; 3GB of LPDDR3 RAM;
- 16/32/64GB of built-in memory; microSD card slot (up to 128GB)
- Stock Android 5.1.1 Lollipop with no bloatware
- 21 MP main camera with f/2.0 aperture; phase detect autofocus; dual-tone LED flesh; gesture controls
- 4K video capture @ 30fps; 1080p video capture @ 60fps; slow-motion video capture
- 5MP front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture; 1.4um pixels; LED flash
- Cat. 6 LTE support; 802.11a/g/b/n/ac + MIMO; Bluetooth 4.1 LE; NFC; GPS
- Front-facing stereo speakers with Smartboost setting
- 3,000 mAh battery; TurboPower quick charging
- Customizable body with metal chassis; optional Moto Maker customization
- Internals with water repellent nano-coating
- Attractive price with no contract
Main disadvantages
- The battery is not user-replaceable
- No fingerprint sensor
- No wireless charging
- No IR port
- Not available in key global markets
We've encountered the combination of Qualcomm Snapdragon 808, 3GB of RAM, and QHD display in the past and have found it to work well. Coupled with stock Android, the hardware promises snappy performance on all occasions.
Motorola has been confident about the new 21MP camera sensor of the Moto X Style (Pure Edition) since its launch. The component is expected to be a vast improvement over past efforts by the manufacturer, so we are quite curious to put it through its paces. The same goes for the 5MP front-facing snapper and its LED flash.
The customizable body through Moto Maker has been a product family signature since the first Moto X. This year, it is better than ever with more color choices and textures than ever before.
Design and build quality
The Moto X Style (Pure Edition) features the same three-piece design and slightly curved body as the model it is about the replace, as well as the Motorola Nexus 6. The only noticeable differences between the 2014 and 2015 Moto X models are the presence of a front LED flash in the latest version, as well larger camera area on its back. This particular element is similar to the one found in the latest Moto G.
With the above in mind, we find the Moto X Style (Pure Edition) handsome in person, yet also a tad too familiar. Once again, it will be up to Moto Maker to ensure that each smartphone stands out in today's mobile crowd.
Speaking of Moto Maker, this year, Motorola's customization platform for the Moto X Style (Pure Edition) is richer than ever. There is a new, gold option for the device's metal frame, as well as more colors and textures for its back.
Various customized variants of the Moto X Style (Pure Edition)
The Horween leather back covers now feel better suited for the smartphone, sporting a fine texture that will hold well over time. Of course, wood back covers, and customizable accent colors are also available.
Once again, the latest Moto X Style (Pure Edition) sports exceptional build quality. With a metal frame, front covered by Corning Gorilla Glass 3, and back covered by quality material of your choice, the handset will certainly live up to the expectations of even the most demanding power users.
Moto X can handle light splashes too thanks to water repellent nano-coating treatment on its internals. Motorola however, has stopped short of giving the smartphone an IP rating. The handset cannot be fully submerged in water - it can only things like accidental spills and rain.
The Moto X Style (Pure Edition) is 153.9mm long and 76.2mm wide. Its thickness varies between 6.1 and 11.6mm, while its weight tips the scale at 179 grams. Overall, the device's measures are similar to those of Samsung Galaxy Note5, which also sports a 5.7" display.
Controls
The area above the display of the Moto X Style (Pure Edition) is quite busy. It is home to one of the stereo speakers which also acts as an earpiece, the 5MP front-facing camera and its LED flash, as well as an ambient light and proximity sensor. An IR sensor for the device's gesture controls is also on board.
Busy area above the screen
Below the screen is where the second stereo speaker resides, with the mouthpiece seemingly integrated there too. A duo of gesture control sensors are also present.
A look below the display
There is nothing on the left side the device. On the right is where the power/lock key and the volume rocker can be found.
The sides of the handset
The 3.5mm audio jack is located on the top of the smartphone, joined by the nano-SIM/microSD card tray and a duo of antenna strips. The microUSB port and two more antenna strips sit on the bottom.
The top and bottom of the smartphone
On the back of the Moto X Style (Pure Edition) is where the hot new 21MP camera and its dual-tone LED flash reside, tucked into a dedicated area with contrasting texture from the rest of the device's back. The signature dimple with Motorola logo is also there, as is a tiny pinhole for a secondary microphone for noise cancelling.
The back of the device
Battery performance
Last year, the second-generation Moto X took a few knocks for its small battery, so this year Motorola took notice and equipped the XT1575 with a 3,000mAh non-removable unit. As always, we put the smartphone through the paces of out battery test and its came out with an endurance rating of 63 hours.
This means that the device will easily make it through 2 days if you use it for an hour each of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. Such usage pattern is of course entirely artificial, but we've established it so our battery results are comparable across devices.
As a reminder, we test standby power draw, which is taken into account for the Endurance calculation.
Overall, the device's endurance rating is considerably better than that of last year's Moto X, though not the best we've seen in a 2015 flagship.
Connectivity
In terms of available cellular network connectivity options, the Moto X Style (Pure Edition) could well be the best equipped smartphone we've seen to date. To kick things off, the device covers the basics with quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, followed by penta-band UMTS/HSPA+ connectivity.
Even more impressively, the smartphone supports the LTE bands of all wireless carriers in the United States, thus meaning that users can easily switch service if they so desire. The Moto X Style (Pure Edition) can also handle cat. 6 LTE when it becomes available.
Additional network connectivity options include WCDMA, CDMA, and EV-DO support. To sum things up, we are quite impressed with the network connectivity chops of the latest Moto X Style (Pure Edition).
Of course, the Moto X Style (Pure Edition) features Wi-Fi 802.11a/g/b/n/ac as well. Bluetooth 4.1 LE, NFC, and GPS feature as well, as does microUSB port. Like its predecessor, this year's Moto X Style (Pure Edition) has nano-SIM card slot.
User interface
The Moto X Style (Pure Edition) boots stock Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. Motorola prefers vanilla Android UI with minor improvements, so it is able to provide quick firmware updates. Take a quick look at the device in action in the video below.
Motorola has a new cool way to display notifications without waking up the screen. The feature is called Notifications at a Glance and is very similar to Lumia's Glance screen but it's even cooler.
Whenever the phone registers you're taking it out of the pocket or picking it up from a table, it lights up a clock on the locked screen, flanked by icons for any missed notifications. Tapping and holding such an icon reveals more information and details. All this happens without waking up the phone.
Other two exclusive Moto features include quickly twisting your wrist to activate the camera, chopping gesture to utilize the LED flash as a flashlight, and activating dedicated sound profiles at night or when you're in a meeting.
The Moto app
The homescreen is a usual Android affair - you change wallpapers, add/remove widgets, create shortcuts. The leftmost pane is reserved for Google Now. All the apps are stored into a comfy app drawer, sorted alphabetically. There is no option for custom order.
The home screen and the app drawer
One finger swipe from the top of the homescreen will open the notification area, which features a clean look in Android Lollipop. Additional swipe reveals quick toggles that include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Airplane mode, screen auto-rotate, flashlight, location on/off, and the option to cast the screen. Of course, you can also adjust the brightness of the screen and go into the settings menu too.
The app switcher has a neat card interface that allows you to select the app you need by swiping up or down. You can close apps by swiping left or right, or by hitting the dedicated button on the top right corner of each card. Each Chrome tab now appear as a card, too.
The notification area and the task switcher
Finally, Google Now is summoned by an upward swipe from the virtual Home key. It is also available as a homescreen - the leftmost one.
Web browser and other apps
Google Chrome is unsurprisingly the default browser in the Moto X Style (Pure Edition). Its design matches the material look and feel of Android Lollipop.
Google Chrome
One of Chrome's strengths is its ability to seamlessly sync with the desktop version, using nothing but your Google account. This allows you to open an article on your PC and finish reading it on your mobile phone. It also syncs your bookmarks and favorite sites.
The usual organizing tools are present as well - there is the massively capable Google Calendar, a neat Calculator, and Clock (alarms, world clock, timer, stopwatch). A proper File Manager app is missing though so you'd have to download one off the Play Store.
Calendar • Calculator • Clock
There is no office editor out of the box. However, Google's highly capable Docs is available for free in Google Play.
The Moto Migrate app will help you transfer contacts, messages and multimedia from other Android devices or iPhones. The app is easy to use and
Motorola Migrate
In addition to being easy to update, the stock Android build of the Moto X Style (Pure Edition) is also a blank canvas for user customizations. With a plethora of quality launchers, icon packs, and wallpapers available, each owner can tweak the device's UI to their liking just .
Performance
The Moto X Style (Pure Edition) features Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 SoC and 3GB of RAM. The chipset consists of a duo of Cortex-A57 CPU cores and a quartet of Cortex-A53 cores. Graphics are handled by the Adreno 418 GPU.
This particular chipset configuration is already familiar to us from the LG G4. Therefore, we knew what to expect from its benchmark performance before we began putting it through out benchmark tests.
Naturally, we kick off our performance routine with the GeekBench 3 test, which gauges the multi-core CPU performance. The device performed similarly to the LG G4 and posted a stellar result, though it surely didn't light the charts on fire.
GeekBench 3
Higher is better
The AnTuTu 5 benchmark result painted a similar picture. Once again, the Moto X Style (Pure Edition) did a good job during the test without threatening the top spots held by members of the Samsung Galaxy S6 family.
AnTuTu 5
Higher is better
BaseMark OS II 2.0 is quite intensive benchmark, which puts to the test CPU, GPU, memory, system and browser performance. The Moto X Style (Pure Edition) posted an impressive score on this instance.
Basemark OS II
Higher is better
The single and multi-core CPU breakdowns from the BaseMark OS II 2.0 are not as convincing. Somehow, the Moto X Style (Pure Edition) didn't even match the performance of LG G4 on this instance.
Basemark OS II (single-core)
Higher is better
Basemark OS II (multi-core)
Higher is better
The GFXBench tests put the Adreno 418 GPU of the Moto X Style (Pure Edition) to work. In line with our expectations, the smartphone matched the performance of the similarly equipped LG G4.
GFX 2.7 T-Rex (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
GFX 2.7 T-Rex (onscreen)
Higher is better
GFX 3.0 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
GFX 3.0 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
Basemark X test the device's gaming credentials. Again, the Moto performed like LG G4.
Basemark X
Higher is better
Finally, the web browsing experience, courtesy of Chrome, turned out quite good. The Moto X Style (Pure Edition) is a speedy web browsing platform, offering smooth and pleasant experience.
Kraken 1.1
Lower is better
BrowserMark 2.1
Higher is better
To sum things up, the Moto X Style (Pure Edition) performed just as we expected it to. The handset is a powerful piece of hardware, though not as convincing as the Exynos 7420-packing Samsung Galaxy S6 family.
Motorola deserves props for keeping away from the controversial Snapdragon 810. Coupled with stock Android, the Snapdragon 808 offers plenty of oomph for even a seasoned power user.
Telephony and messaging
The contacts manager features tabbed interface, which displays all contacts and the favorites. You can sync with multiple accounts including Google and Exchange. A button to add a new contact is constantly present in the bottom right corner - you can choose which account to sync the new addition with.
Managing the contacts
The phone app comes with a tabbed interface for speed dial, recent calls and all contacts. The dialer is invoked by taping on its dedicated key and supports smart dialing.
Phone app with material design
The Moto X Style (Pure Edition) offers high in-call volume. Its stereo speakers are also loud and crisp, so speakerphone conversations will certainly not be a chore.
Messaging is pretty much as straightforward an affair as on every other droid out there. The generic Email app is being decommissioned in favor of the Gmail app. If you tap on its icon, it will tell you the Gmail app is the client that will handle all your emails from now on.
Oddly, Motorola has opted for its own messaging app. We found its interface to be inferior the one found in Google's own Messenger app. Thankfully, the latter is available for free in Google Play.
Motorola should have opted for Google Messenger
As expected, the default Google keyboard is on board as well. It offers two sleek-looking, brand new skins - Material Dark and Material Light. The duo matches the new look of Android Lollipop.
Stock Android keyboard
Multimedia
Motorola's proprietary Gallery is the default image explorer on the Moto G (2nd Gen). Its browsing interface is very basic, but there are powerful editing options. It handles videos, too, as there is no dedicated video player.
Motorola's gallery app
Google Photos is onboard as well with unlimited backup of your images. Upon opening the app you'll see two tabs - one for all photos and another one for highlights.
Viewing a single photo gives you a number of options. You can share it, set it as wallpaper or contact photo, or edit it. The built-in Photos editor is incredibly powerful too.
Google Photos
Both galleries handle video files, as Android Lollipop lacks dedicated video app, and are equally capable. Available video decoders include Xvid, DivX, H.263, H.264 AVC (MKV files), and MPEG-4. The app will play most major file formats, though serious video fans should certainly seek out a more capable solution from the Google Play, as the lack of AC3 audio support is quite limiting. Subtitles aren't supported either.
The video player is somewhat of an afterthought
Finally, Google Play Music is the default player for your tunes on the Moto G (3rd gen). The app has been treated to the new material design, though it functionality remains unchanged - it can play your local files, as well as stream music from the cloud.
Google Play Music
You can tweak the sound via the built-in equalizer. There are dedicated toggles for surround sound and bass.
EQ settings
Audio quality is very good
The Moto X Style (Pure Edition) went off to a flying start in our audio quality test, posting excellent scores when connected to an active external amplifier and garnishing them with impressively high volume levels. In fact in the first part of our test the smartphone was among the loudest out there.
Plugging in our standard headphones set didn't do much harm to the clarity of the output – outside of a moderate hike in stereo crosstalk there were no affected readings. Volume levels dropped from impressive to above average though, so the overall output is just very good rather than perfect.
And here go the results so you can do your comparisons.
| Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
| Motorola Moto X Style (Pure Edition) | +0.03, -0.02 | -93.5 | 93.2 | 0.0038 | 0.0091 | -92.7 |
| Motorola Moto X Style (Pure Edition) (headphones) | +0.02, -0.02 | -93.6 | 93.2 | 0.0030 | 0.044 | -58.5 |
| LG G4 | +0.04, -0.07 | -93.4 | 93.3 | 0.0021 | 0.050 | -92.6 |
| LG G4 (headphones) | +0.93, -0.13 | -91.4 | 91.9 | 0.013 | 0.244 | -50.4 |
| Samsung Galaxy S6 edge | +0.03, -0.01 | -95.6 | 92.8 | 0.0023 | 0.0078 | -95.7 |
| Samsung Galaxy S6 edge (headphones) | +0.05, -0.02 | -92.6 | 92.5 | 0.0028 | 0.044 | -76.9 |
| Samsung Galaxy S6 | +0.01, -0.04 | -95.6 | 92.8 | 0.0024 | 0.0094 | -94.5 |
| Samsung Galaxy S6 (headphones) | +0.02, -0.05 | -92.6 | 91.9 | 0.0025 | 0.042 | -83.4 |
| HTC One M9 | +0.02, -0.06 | -94.8 | 93.0 | 0.0049 | 0.026 | -93.7 |
| HTC One M9 (headphones attached) | +0.03, -0.05 | -93.7 | 92.7 | 0.0082 | 0.030 | -91.6 |
| +0.06, -0.02 | -94.0 | 93.9 | 0.0012 | 0.0065 | -73.4 | |
| +0.11, -0.06 | -93.8 | 93.8 | 0.0022 | 0.099 | -65.1 | |
| +0.02, -0.08 | -86.4 | 86.4 | 0.014 | 0.021 | -86.6 | |
| +0.29, -0.10 | -85.7 | 85.7 | 0.035 | 0.064 | -50.8 |
You can learn more about the tested parameters and the whole testing process here.
Excellent 21MP camera with dual-tone flash
The Moto X Style (Pure Edition) features a 21MP main camera with f/2.0 lens and dual-tone LED flash. Motorola flagships have taken heat in the past for their camera performance, so the manufacture put a lot on effort into the snapper of its latest flagship.
The camera does have the same minimalist interface as on the Moto X and E, which includes just two on-screen buttons on the right-hand side for video recording and front-facing camera. Taking an image is done simply by tapping the screen.
The camera UI
The camera settings include HDR with available auto mode, touch capture, panorama, geo-tagging, widescreen mode, and shutter sound. A dedicated night mode is also available.
The twist gesture to launch the camera that debuted in the Moto X two years ago is naturally present in the third installment. Motorola has expanded the gesture's functionality even further this time around - a second twist right after the first one switches to the front-facing camera.
Thanks to the powerful hardware on tap, the camera of the new Moto X Style (Pure Edition) feels incredibly responsive at all times. Thanks to the quick launch gesture and the rapid focus, taking quality photos is a pleasant experience on all occasions.
Speaking of quality, we are truly impressed by the images that the Moto X Style (Pure Edition) captured. Daytime photos came out with impressive detail and colors. The processing and dynamic range are right on the money as well.
Moto X Style (Pure Edition) camera samples
HDR Mode: off • on
Nighttime images lose some detail, but retain the excellent colors and dynamic range. To sum things up, Motorola has really done a great job with the camera of the Moto X Style (Pure Edition). The smartphone can finally rub shoulders with the best in the business.
Low-light shots
The 5MP front-facing camera of the smartphone offers standard performance for the segment. However, the built-in LED flash offers a level of low-light usability that most rivals cannot match.
Selfie shots: flash off • on
Panorama sample
4K capture at your disposal
Like its predecessor, the Moto X Style (Pure Edition) can capture UHD video. Naturally, 1080p video recording is also available.
The camcorder interface is exactly the same as the still camera one. One you launch the camera, you simply tap on the key in the top right corner to begin recording.
The videos captured by the new Moto X Style (Pure Edition) are excellent. All clips came out with smooth frame rate, good colors, and excellent dynamic range. The level of detail in each clip is impressive too.
You can download an untouched 4K video sample here - 10 seconds, 21MB.
Final words
This year's Moto X Pure Edition is easily Motorola's best Android smartphone to date. It combines attractive, highly customizable looks, excellent build quality, superb camera, and impressive connectivity suite to go with an attractive off-contract price tag.
Lenovo deserves as much credit as Motorola on this instance. The Chinese tech giant has not tried to change the direction of the Moto X product family in any way, unless it made the smartphone better.
Under the new management, Motorola has improved everything we liked about the first two Moto X generations. The latter's downsides have been addressed as well.
Key test findings
- The combination of Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chipset and 3GB of RAM is capable, though not the most powerful out there.
- The device's cellular connectivity options are among the best in the business.
- Both cameras are excellent and a massive improvement from past efforts by Motorola.
- The microSD card slot is a welcome addition to the product family.
- Motorola's Turbo Charger is quick and effective.
- The stereo speakers are another excellent addition to the Moto X lineup.
- Moto Maker is better than ever - it truly separates the Moto X Style (Pure Edition) from its competitors.
- The device's stock Android 5.1.1 Lollipop has absolutely no bloatware and ensures fast firmware updates going forward.
- The build quality and handling of the smartphone are exceptional.
- Battery life has improved from past generations, but does not stack up well against the best in the business today.
In terms of chipset performance, the new Moto X Style (Pure Edition) performed just as we expected. Qualcomm's Snapdragon 808 is not the most powerful high-end chipset but, coupled with stock Android, it felt snappy and responsive at all times.
The new 21MP camera is excellent, especially in good light. As far as photography is concerned, the new Moto X Style (Pure Edition) can finally go head to head with the best solutions in the segment without worrying about the final outcome.
Adding a microSD card will appeal to "old school" power users and owners of past Moto X iterations alike. Finally, owners of the device don't need to worry about the amount of full-size images and 4K video they shoot.
Of course, the past iterations' traditional strengths have also made it to the Moto X Style (Pure Edition). Superb build quality and tactility, Moto Maker, and stock Android ensure that the handset stands out in its ultra-competitive segment.
Most importantly, Motorola has priced the Moto X Style (Pure Edition) more aggressively than any of its predecessors. At $399.99 with no contract for a 16GB variant, the handset is easily one of the most attractive options available for the money.
Versions with 32GB and 64GB of built-in memory cost $50 and $100 extra respectively. The only other other available option for the device is a leather or wooden back for $25, so a fully loaded, customized Moto X Style (Pure Edition) with 64GB of storage still comes in for the highly acceptable $525.
As always, we took a look around to see what other smartphone can one get for the money Motorola is asking for the new Moto X Style (Pure Edition). Here are some of the notable alternatives to the device.
OnePlus 2 cost less than $400 for a 64GB variant and offers more powerful (and warmer) chipset and a fingerprint sensor. However, OnePlus 2 is hard to find and nowhere near as good looking as the Motorola. Its display and camera are also no match for the Moto X Style (Pure Edition).
OnePlus 2
Priced at $449 with no contract, ZTE Axon Pro matches the QHD screen of the Moto X Style (Pure Edition). It also comes with the best warranty in the business.
ZTE Axon Pro
Lack of expandable memory, lackluster camera, and lack of customization options prevent the Axon Pro from stealing Moto X's thunder. Motorola's latest flagship as simply a more polished proposal.
LG G4 is a tad more expensive, but just as capable as the Moto X Style (Pure Edition). It has optional leather backs and removable battery too, though it lacks stereo speakers, splash resistance, as well as Motorola's metal frame and customizable body.
LG G4
If $400 is all you can spend on a smartphone, we believe that you will be hard pressed to find a better option for your money than the Moto X Style (Pure Edition). The smartphone seamlessly combines looks and, so it is easier to recommend that any of its predecessors.
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