Lenovo arguably created one of the best Android OS smartphones of all time in the form of the Moto X, but the new Motorola Moto X4 might just take the crown. The main idea behind this product is to provide users with a “near-flagship experience” for a mid-range price of 400 euros (in Europe).
One of the first things you’ll notice about the 5.2-inch Moto X4 is the polished glass finish on the front and back wrapped with a black aluminum frame. Next, you’ll probably spot the dual rear-facing camera which has one lens with the normal angle and the other is a wide-angle lens. Once you get past the exterior, you’ll find advanced music playback options with the ability to wirelessly connect to as many as four speakers via Bluetooth at the same time. As if that wasn’t cool enough, you can adjust the sound output to each speaker separately through a type of software mixer app.
In a similar fashion, those markets where the smart voice assistant Amazon Alexa is available will find the Moto X4 even more interesting because of its added value.
When it comes to the internal hardware, the device is based on Qualcomm’s octa-core Snapdragon 630 platform and Adreno 508 graphics, while the previously mentioned price will secure you 32 GB of memory storage and 3 GB of RAM. A model with 64 GB of memory storage is also available with 4 GB of RAM. This might not deliver the most impressive results in synthetic benchmarks but the Moto X4 should deliver solid, reliable performance and good power management for most users.
The Full HD (1080p) IPS LCD display is well suited for the 5.2-inch diagonal screen size, given that it results in perfectly sharp 424 ppi. The color accuracy appears realistic and well saturated. The 3000 mAh battery is reasonably good for a 5.2-inch phone and should help with battery life.
As previously stated, the finish is one of the Moto X4’s most striking features. The phone has a glass unibody, covered with Gorilla Glass and an aluminum frame. Of course, fingerprints are impossible to miss when it comes to such a combination of materials and you will constantly be wiping your phone with whatever cloth is handy. If you can get over the need to keep your phone clean it does look exceptionally good. The odd and large circular frame of the rear-facing cameras is also eye-catching and hints that above average photographs can be taken with this phone.
Motorola is the only premium brand which offers different viewing angles with its dual cameras in the mid-range price point. This lens/camera combination allows you to use special effects like the much adored bokeh effect. The first camera has an f/2.2 aperture with auto focus and phase detection and a dual-LED flash. What is far more interesting is the option of recording 2160p videos with 60 fps, which is due in no small part to the processing performance of the Snapdragon 630. After testing the photographs and videos at Lenovo’s exhibition area, I concluded that they seem above average for this phone range.
On the other hand, party goers and music buffs are the kind of users Lenovo is counting on when it comes to the Moto X4. Connecting up to four external speakers with Bluetooth is a unique option no other phone supports at the time of this writing and the option of toying with sound settings of all four of these channels additionally contributes to creative possibilities for music ambience. Along with all of this, it should be pointed out that the Moto X4 comes with a fingerprint reader and the IP68 certificate (it is water-proof) and a dual-SIM slot, which are all praiseworthy and offer good value. Our only potential complaint is that the Moto X4 is not entirely up-to-date in terms of software, as it comes with Android OS 7.1 (Nougat).
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