[Q] Moto X Vs. Galaxy S3 - Moto X Q&A

Hello guys and happy new year to all of you!
I'm about to pull the plug for a phone for my daughter. I've been thinking on a Galaxy S3 or a Moto X.
She says that she wants the phone to have a nice front camera for selfies.
Which one do you guys thinks that takes better selfies pictures?
Also which one is the best choice over all?
Thanks

I happened to have both Galaxy S3 and Moto X. And as far as camera is concerned, Galaxy S3 has better camera hands down. In both photo and video quality there is no comparison, S3 is far better. But if you say overall so i would pick Moto X any day. Moto X has stock UI which is very very smooth. I am using it for almost 6 months and i have not seen any lag since day1 compare to Samsung Touchwiz, no matter what you do, it will lag. Even you can see lag in Galaxy S5. Also Moto X is currently on Kitkat 4.4.4 and will soon get lollipop 5.0 compare to Galaxy S3 which is stuck on Jellybean 4.3.

I have an S3 for work and its probably one of my least favorite android phones I've used (of the 10-15 my wife and I have had). As a poster mentioned, the lag that Touchwiz causes is awful. I have older phones that run smoother than the S3. You could root and run something else I suppose, I don't as its a work phone. I think moto hardware is vastly superior to Samsung.
I am not sure which takes better photos as I never take pictures with my S3. Overall, Moto X over S3 all day. I've had no lag with my X, after figuring out the settings I'm a me to get about 15 hours on battery with close to 4 hours screen on, and I like active display and the shake to open the camera.
Hope that helps and good luck.

What did they sat at the Galaxy S3 site?

Had one before my Moto X, the only thing similar is that they both run Android. The Moto X runs circles around the S3.
It's great that you want to treat your daughter to a new phone, but the quality of selfies isn't something you shouldn't be concerned with. I'd be concerned with battery life and signal in case of emergencies. Tell her too bad so sad if she's not happy with the quality of her selfies.

I had an S4, and performance wise is was about on par with the X.... Better rear camera on the S4 for sure, not sure about the S3 or the front camera, not a lot of selfies...
The Moto twist for camera lets you twist the phone twice to launch the camera even when locked, then again to switch between front and rear cameras.... This does make it easier to take pictures imo, but the moto X is know for a pretty poor (rear) camera.

Thanks a lot guys for all your comments!!

I just got an s3 and I love it. Its smooth. Runs nice. No lag yet and the front facing cam is 1.9 megapixels. Rear is 8 megapixels.
I'm sure once I get all my apps installed it might slow down a little but the dual-core 1.2 processor is still pretty powerful if you know how to manage your phone.

Moto x! I just got this phone and even though it is from 2013 it still kicks ass
Also. Impending Android 5 update > whatever the S3 is running lol
Sent from my XT1053 using XDA Free mobile app

The S3 is terrible. May as well save money and buy an S2 if you go that route.
The camera may be as good or better than the X, but buying a completely inferior device based only on the camera is ridiculous... To me anyway. ?
But to each their own. She probably wouldn't know the difference, so get whatever makes her happy. Though the eventual lag and ugliness of the S3 may be noticed by her. ?
The X is incredibly better than the S3 in absolutely everything... Camera maybe is a tie... But otherwise. I prefer my S2 to the S3 I briefly had. ?

My other daughter has a S3 and she likes everything but the camera. Well I have to say is running Likewise rom from the S3 Fotums Section. I was thinking that maybe a Z1 Compact but that phone is still to expensive. Btw at the moment shes using a Lumia 1020 that feels great to use but the lack of the most popular apps does not help the windows phone platform.
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

Related

[Q] Motorola Moto X or Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition?

I've been using the LG Nexus 4 since February & I feel as if it is about time for an upgrade, we've had some great times together but I'm just about ready to retire from it. My main reason why, battery life. It's obvious that the Nexus 4 has awful battery life, I've never been able to make it through a full day even when I first bought it. I love it for the obvious reasons; vanilla android, updates, etc.
SO my question for you guys today is what seems like the better buy here? The Moto X or the GPE S4? Keep in mind that money is not an issue here. Now this is the Moto X thread & I know that many will say go with the X for sure but I want to hear everyone's take on this.
Reasons why I'd consider the Moto X:
Active Display - Just brilliant, I played with it on my friend's X the other day & it's TRUE. I don't think I could consider any other phone that doesn't have this feature. On my Nexus 4, I have to pull it out of my pocket, hit the power button, unlock it, check the notification, hit the power button again & then put it back in my pocket. -_-
Touchless Control - Is a feature I've always wanted without having to buy an S3, S4, with S-Voice. Being able to call out "Okay Google Now" while idle is genius.
Quicklaunch Camera: I was starting to believe that this feature was a gimmick but this isn't the case, I can see myself using this daily.
Vanilla Android: I don't do skins & this is probably why this phone is so damn fluid, I honestly think the X smokes my Nexus 4 with just about everything except maybe gaming. But I could care less about that I'm not a mobile gamer.
Moto Assist: Watching my friend use this feature while riding in the passenger seat of the car I was completely blown away, this works as advertised. Enough said.
AMOLED Display: Confession, I'm an AMOLED whore. I miss the over saturation on my Galaxy Nexus & active display takes full advantage of this. I'm reminded how much more battery I can save with blacked out apps. I don't care about burn in, I don't use a phone as my daily driver for more than two years & I don't find myself staying on one screen for very long.
Build Quality: This phone was obviously well built. It's the same 4.7 inch display on my Nexus 4 but yet somewhat a tad bit smaller which is a plus. I'll leave it at this, the Moto X feels like sex in my hand.
Battery life: Last but certainly not least. I haven't had the chance to play with one for a full day but from what I've been seeing on G+, people have reportedly been able to get through a FULL day of heavy use with an average of 5hrs of SOT consistently. Now that sounds like the kind of battery that I desperately need. If I do end up getting the X I'll probably pick one of these up just in case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=0SC-000Y-00026
Timely updates: Android 4.4 KitKat was announced along with the Nexus 5 on Halloween, & every Moto X was updated within three weeks of that. That's quite impressive to me, the Verizon variant was first in line, word?
Cons: The only con that I've been hearing is the camera but apparently the recent update fixed it. I have never been a big smartphone camera dude but I guarantee that it bests my Nexus 4. Another con would be the specs but Moto has proved that the spec war is just about over. The only thing I'm curious about is how long will this phone get updates because of its hardware/processor. Another con, ROM Development: Doesn't really bother me one bit, all I need is XPosed Framework, Unicon, & GravityBox. Truth be told I'm sort of over flashing & flashing every other day. I'm one of the few crack flashers left, I wonder how many there are left out there.
Reasons why I'd consider the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition: Let's get this out of the way now, I've been told to just buy the regular S4 & flash the GPE ROM on it, I refuse. I want the actual OTA to come to the phone.
Super AMOLED 1080P Display: Like i said before, I'm an AMOLED whore & the 1080P would sweeten the icing on the cake even more.
Timely updates: Another major deciding factor here, it already has KitKat, but after the Moto X which is okay.
IR Blaster: I DO wish the X had a dedicated IR port, this is a feature that I really need but so far the X has more going for it as you can see above.
Removable Battery: Something that I really miss with my GNex was the removable battery. Battery life means a lot to me and that's WHY I'm not buying a Nexus 5. They say "just flash a custom kernel" but no I want something that is great out of the box with little to no modification. & besides the Nexus 5 doesn't have an OLED display but that's neither here nor there so let's get back on topic. Some say they've switched from the S4 to the X & noticed better battery regardless of the S4 having a slightly larger battery. But this is something I'll purchase if I do pick up the GPE S4: http://zerolemon.com/details.php/zerolemon-2x-galaxy-s4-3000mah-slim-battery-charger
Earbuds: It comes with earbuds, which is something that shouldn't even be on this list but seeing as the GPE S4 is losing I'll add this ha ha.
Cons: I was upset to find out that the GPE S4 doesn't support the 1700mHz band on T-Mobile which is 3G/HSPA+. I did some research but this isn't true. This only applies to the GPE HTC One.
ROM Development: There are like no ROM's for this phone but again, all I need is the XPosed framework, good to go.
No Active Display: I could use Knock2+ Notifications or Dynamic Notifications to achieve the feature on the X but I'm not sure how reliable they are.
Plastic Build Design: The plastic on Samsung phones has NEVER concerned me, although I cannot speak for other's. As I just put a high quality case on it anyway.
That's just my take on it, if you don't mind I'd like to hear everyone's take on this.
I have had both phones and have to say it's not even close. The mha of the battery is misleading on this phone. With all bells and whistles turned on I get consistently around 16 to 20 hours, and I pound out my phone allot all day while professors are gabbing. More if you use tasker and other techniques. And I used to love huge phones but the Moto x just gets every thing right. I'll never own another phone until the Moto x successor, and that's coming from someone who used to switch phones every other month
Sent from my XT1056 using xda app-developers app
I also had a gs4 earlier this year. I was able to get good battery life on my GS4 and it had a great camera but the X overall is a better phone with better battery life and fairly comparable camera. The active notifications are simply amazing, voice control works well and everything else simply just works properly with no lag. The GS4 just seemed glitchy and the stock samsung ROM was laggy.
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk
Thanks guys keep them coming!
I just came from a Galaxy S4 and moving to Moto X was the best decision I ever did.
Moto X has a much better battery life, it doesn't lag AT ALL, active notifications, voice recognition, almost no bloatware (google apps don't count).
I came from a Galaxy Nexus. The hardware design alone is astounding - you would actually rather have it in plastic than in metal, like what the HTC One offers. I spoke at length about what's so wonderful about the phone in some other thread. Long story short, I'm not switching away from this phone for a long time. I haven't had such a regretless purchase in a while. heh
I came from an S3 so take it for what it's worth.
Don't worry about specs. This phone runs very smooth better than my note2(when I had it). Every touchwiz device seems to have that bit of a lag or stutter.
I purchased this phone primarily for the touchless control feature, bit I've found myself liking the active notification feature just as much.
Although I did think the twist to launch camera was a gimmick it's actually very handy to be able to launch the camera from anywhere with a flick of the wrist.
One con of this phone is the camera quality I do prefer the pics of the S3.
Sent from my XT1058 using xda app-developers app
EternalAndroid said:
Removable Battery: Something that I really miss with my GNex was the removable battery. Battery life means a lot to me and that's WHY I'm not buying a Nexus 5. They say "just flash a custom kernel" but no I want something that is great out of the box with little to no modification. & besides the Nexus 5 doesn't have an OLED display but that's neither here nor there so let's get back on topic. Some say they've switched from the S4 to the X & noticed better battery regardless of the S4 having a slightly larger battery. But this is something I'll purchase if I do pick up the GPE S4: http://zerolemon.com/details.php/zerolemon-2x-galaxy-s4-3000mah-slim-battery-charger
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been looking into alternate battery options on the Moto X lately and for what it's worth Zero Lemon are making batteries for the Moto X.
EternalAndroid said:
Removable Battery: Something that I really miss with my GNex was the removable battery. Battery life means a lot to me and that's WHY I'm not buying a Nexus 5. They say "just flash a custom kernel" but no I want something that is great out of the box with little to no modification.
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The highlighted text describes the Moto X so well, and that applies across the board. Well, except the camera maybe.
What other phone can you think of that has middle of the road specs yet offers a user experience that bests all the flagships? I had the S3, I still have my Note 2, and I've played with all the current flagships. I think it's rare that a device, which can't (or shouldn't) compete on paper with the latest and greatest, leaves users without envy.
The Moto X truly is greater than the sum of its parts.
I love how you mention how you'd never go back to a phone with a fixed battery. I switched from an S3 to the Moto X and I'm loving all the other features but I miss the camera picture quality.
I have both phones. Moto X is superior in pretty much every way, perhaps save the screen. The software on the s4 impedes use and causes lag and crashes. The Moto SW actually improves things (shocker I know). Love active notifications, and as long as I'm alone OK Google Now is pretty fun
Moto X. And I like Samsung phones. I don't miss the removable battery nor microSD slot.
Both have the full AOSP experience, Motorola takes it to the next level with their X8.

Any former S4 users jump ship to the X?

I've had my Verizon GS4 since late summer, and while it's a nice device, it's not as smooth as my GS3 was. No matter what ROM I use or what update I'm running, it still feels "laggy" a lot of times. My S3 was butter all around, never had a single hangup with it. However, I do enjoy the display on the S4, it's fantastic.
But, times are changing and I'm no longer picky about things as I used to be. I'm now looking for a device that's smooth, fast, and reliable. I'd also like to have a phone that's just a tad smaller, trying to carry the S4 with a case on my duty gear sucks sometimes.
I've been eyeing the Moto X since it came out and played with it in the store from time to time, seems really nice. I've bounced between the idea of getting the X or Droid Maxx, but it seems the X performs better.
Anyone here that used to have an S4 that went to the X? Thoughts?
Came from a S4...HTC One, Moto X, then iPhone (wat), DROID MAXX, and now Moto X. Yes call it abnormal but I like trying new things. Let me tell you, I normally don't go back to the same device twice but the Moto X is the first phone to do that to me. It's a fantastic phone for everyday use.
S4 was jank central, HTC One had, in my opinion, a well optimized Sense skin but terrible functionality on top of Android. Went to Moto X to try it out as I was skeptical if it could run well with its mid range specs. Hands down the best Android experience. Useful features such as Active Display and Touch less control is a great and useful thing to have.
Being adventurous and Ocd as I was, I wanted to compare it with the iPhone 5...let's not go there. Lasted 2 days until I went to a Droid MAXX.
Droid MAXX is just as smooth coupled with the same Moto X experience but the feel and ergonomics compared to the Moto X is unmatched.
And now I'm currently typing this from a Moto Made Moto X. My god is this thing a god send. So smooth and so efficient with Motorola's software optimization.
Do yourself a favor and switch to the Moto X. It has cured my flashing and device switching OCD for now.
Edited for grammar.
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk
I jumped ship. I bought the S4 on release day and even though, on paper, it's superior spec wise it's nowhere near as smooth as my moto x. The only things I miss from my S4 is the camera, screen and the ir blaster. The feel, active notifications, and touchless controls trump all the things the S4 offered.
I did. I had the S4 for a bit but as soon as I found out about the Moto X and kept reading about it, I had to give it a try. Glad I did. It's much snappier and overall has a better feel in the hand then the S4 ever did.
The only thing I miss from the S4 is the awesome camera and a bit more dev support, there's definitely a lot more roms for the S4. But quite honestly there isn't much needed on this phone, it's awesome out of the box and with simply having xposed framework and some of those modules, you're set!
Well, I just found out that with the S4 on 4.3 (MJ7, etc), you cannot flash another kernel with Safestrap, you're locked into the stock kernel. I was hoping I could at least flash a different kernel to help with the lag issues, but that's not possible now.
Making the jump to the X more enticing, now.
I jumped and couldn't be happier!
First phone ever with "lower specs" but a much better experience (and battery life!)
I'm in the middle of considering it . I *LOVED* my Galaxy S 3, it worked great, then I upgraded to the S4 when it was released, signal strength never seemed as strong as with the S3 and I hoped a radio update would fix that, it never did...not to mention the weird storage partitioning they have (only 9gb available to the user on a 16gb device..da hell?)
When the Moto X price was reduced I bit the bullet as I had been tempted to buy it for quite awhile and that was the final straw, I purchased the Verizon Dev Edition, so far the screen is great, the speaker is AMAZING, and the battery life seems great!
I see a few of you have missed the camera from the S4, I was doing comparison shots yesterday with the S4 running CM11 (I know AOSP camera usually doesn't get as much love as stock), but the pictures looked pretty good on both phones to me, I actually preferred the Moto X versions on 9/10 pictures.
Can you only buy the Dev Edition from Motorola directly? If I go with the X, it will be the Dev Edition.
I'll be able to compare soon - I have an S4 for my work phone and my new moto arrives tomorrow. I love android, but wtf did Samsung do to make it so laggy? I can't flash it as its a work phone, so am stuck. Even the iPhone 5 feels fresh compared to it...!
triton302 said:
Can you only buy the Dev Edition from Motorola directly? If I go with the X, it will be the Dev Edition.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah
Either that, or websites like swappa
I switched last month to the MotoX from the S4... Haven't looked back. I like the software out of the box for the X. I even prefer it to CM11 that I was running on my S4. As a matter of fact I may be a dedicated Motorola (non-"droid") customer. I like what they did with the software from top to bottom.
Dusty Rhodes said:
I switched last month to the MotoX from the S4... Haven't looked back. I like the software out of the box for the X. I even prefer it to CM11 that I was running on my S4...
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Click to collapse
Agreed, I fully expected the X to become my backup phone, just in case anything happened to my S4, but now I'm just selling the S4. It doesn't even matter that my subsidized X doesn't have custom recovery, of course you won't have that problem with the Dev Edition.
So far its the Samsung thats leading in Android updates.....Moto X is behind.
kolyan said:
So far its the Samsung thats leading in Android updates.....Moto X is behind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean 4.4.2 only to Note 3 owners specifically in Poland!
I dunno, I'm posting on a .com here and my X is running 4.4.
Had an s4 the day it came out. I also have a HTC one and lg g2. Just picked up the moto x Dev edition over Xmas and as a true power switcher I'm hooked. You won't be disappointed.
Sent from my XT1053 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I to am a former user of a GS4 , and before that was the HTC one .
Like some people here, i also like to try new gadgets, and i also had gs3, nokia lumia, htx 8x, but mainly i use in my day to day 2 phones, iPhone 5s and now the moto X . I still have my GS4 and the nexus 5, but the moto x is overall better, nothing on the papper can tell you that, it just is.. the iphone i still have, but it's been since GS3 that apple phones are not my go to phone, they are the one i leave in the car or at home when i don't want to carry 2 phones, but they are light , small, and if you don't use it much it last 4 days with a single charge.
I am now going back to GS4, just because i got bored with the moto x, but i'm sure i will be back to it in no time, and there is no good reason to use my gs4 back, coz the moto x reception is much better (4g all the time in my region, with galaxy it keeps switching between 4g and H+ all the time), also the speaker is much louder and clear that i actually use the speakerphone during a call, and i can't even say its beacause the camera, coz i don't use it that much, or the SD card too, 16gb is more then enought for my usage, so no logic in going back to GS4.
This year the story will be the same i guess, i will be buying the GS5 , and be waiting for the release of the New Moto X .
syntrix said:
You mean 4.4.2 only to Note 3 owners specifically in Poland!
I dunno, I'm posting on a .com here and my X is running 4.4.
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Click to collapse
Yeah it started to roll from Poland....I though GS4 also rolling update
s4 to moto x
I had the s4 for awhile. it was a good phone, I hated touch wiz though. it was laggish and gimmicky. I rooted it and went to cyangenmod. the phone was good, no serious problems. I just recently got the moto x. its honestly the best experienced I've had. at first I was a littlie nervous with the "mid range specs". but from personal use you would never guess it had "mid range specs". it is buttery smooth. and the screen was pretty good to. The battery life is surprisingly good, considering it only had a 2200 mAh battery. the only thing that isn't that good is the camera. but it still does take good pics. just not as good as my s4.
damn, must have been the rom I was running on my S4, because my X takes better pictures.
Photo guy with dslr's for like 20 years... yeah, I'm that guy. I'm not even fat, lol.
Moto X is solid as stock. GS4 is best used with a GPE ROM IMO, even if left at 4.2 with safestrap. Add Google Experience launcher, root and use GravityBox to either the Moto X or GS4 and you have a very similar experience that is epic. The X certainly does an outstanding delivery with the human integration. If screen size matters to you, choose accordingly. It is a very close call! Pretty amazing really because the X has the CPU of the GS3, but with the same GPU as the GS4. Moto won my trust back when they delivered the X after having lost it when they left the Atrix 4G in the dust.

Moto X 4.4.3 "Improved Camera Quality" Claims True?

So can anyone confirm or deny this?
I don't believe I have any images to take a picture of now and compare with side by side.
If anyone has any to provide, please do so. :good:
i was wondering the exact same thing
Low light pictures have definitely improved in my opinion.
Groid said:
Low light pictures have definitely improved in my opinion.
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Same opinion here. The camera update is a good one.
rupterr said:
Same opinion here. The camera update is a good one.
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Click to collapse
SO is the camera of the Moto X now at par with the competition like Nexus 5 or Galaxy S4 etc?
aadi007 said:
SO is the camera of the Moto X now at par with the competition like Nexus 5 or Galaxy S4 etc?
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Click to collapse
LOL that escalated quickly. I don't think it can get as good as that of s4 with just an S/W update. S4's hardware is also better.
DaRkRhiNe said:
LOL that escalated quickly. I don't think it can get as good as that of s4 with just an S/W update. S4's hardware is also better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, what abt N5 then?
aadi007 said:
Ok, what abt N5 then?
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S4.....no way !!!! S4 camera is amazing
But moto x camera update can fight with Nexus 5 camera for sure.
Btw...the moto x flash led is really really really enhanced.
^ Thanks guys..
I have experience with Nexus 5 but have never used a Moto X.
I am not looking for the best camera smartphone but Nexus 5 camera is good enuff for me.... I use my DSLR when I need better performance or quality.
So, its reassuring to know what Moto X camera is at par with N5..
I was confused whether to get a N5 or MotoX ,, I m more inclined towards the Moto
Hold on, isn't Nexus 5's camera pretty awful? After using the S4 for pretty long I can say it has an okay camera, a very good for a mobile phone's perspective though. S4 is leaps and bounds ahead of N5 right?
I think the Moto X sits in between them?
Looks like now we are close to N5. Neither Moto X or N5 are good in the camera department in my opinion, but then again both had to keep costs down not like the S4.
It looks to me like this update claims are valid. It doesn't make the camera a brand new one (for instance the moto x still has trouble with white balance, and two quick pictures of the same subject can have two different color temperatures), but it definitely shows improvements.
aadi007 said:
^ Thanks guys..
I have experience with Nexus 5 but have never used a Moto X.
I am not looking for the best camera smartphone but Nexus 5 camera is good enuff for me.... I use my DSLR when I need better performance or quality.
So, its reassuring to know what Moto X camera is at par with N5..
I was confused whether to get a N5 or MotoX ,, I m more inclined towards the Moto
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Having had both the Nexus5 and MotoX at the same time I have been asked to compare the two many times. The best way to describe them in comparison I've found is this:
The MotoX is a great value phone with minimal lag and amazing features that truly make a smartphone smart.
The Nexus5 is the smallest computer I've ever had with no lag whatsoever, very nice vibrant screen and when necessary it makes phone calls too.
Camera wise, I took multiple pictures with both phones back to back and in low light the Nexus always won. This was a few updates ago and now I only have the MotoX so I can't compare with 4.4.3... but like I said I only have the MotoX.
P.S. with the limited information we have on the X+1 it seems as though we might be getting the best of both worlds. Might be worth the wait.
DBBGBA said:
Looks like now we are close to N5. Neither Moto X or N5 are good in the camera department in my opinion, but then again both had to keep costs down not like the S4.
It looks to me like this update claims are valid. It doesn't make the camera a brand new one (for instance the moto x still has trouble with white balance, and two quick pictures of the same subject can have two different color temperatures), but it definitely shows improvements.
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Click to collapse
Don't know about other places but in India, the N5 costs as much as the S4.
Moto X costs around 15-20% less.
About the camera of N5, I find it adequate for the purpose...it's not that good but will serve me fine.
I haven't seen the Moto X..And here in India, Motorola has a unique sales strategy where all their phones are available thru only one online retailer. SO, you can't go to a retail shop and try it.
I am inclined to buy the Moto X as long as the camera is decent .. I mean if it matches N5 in camera, that 'll be fine for me.
As per earlier reviews, it seems N5 camera is better than Moto X. So, I wanted to find out if the Moto X has improved after the updates and it now matches the N5 in camera.
Cheers.
aadi007 said:
Don't know about other places but in India, the N5 costs as much as the S4.
Moto X costs around 15-20% less.
About the camera of N5, I find it adequate for the purpose...it's not that good but will serve me fine.
I haven't seen the Moto X..And here in India, Motorola has a unique sales strategy where all their phones are available thru only one online retailer. SO, you can't go to a retail shop and try it.
I am inclined to buy the Moto X as long as the camera is decent .. I mean if it matches N5 in camera, that 'll be fine for me.
As per earlier reviews, it seems N5 camera is better than Moto X. So, I wanted to find out if the Moto X has improved after the updates and it now matches the N5 in camera.
Cheers.
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Click to collapse
Go for it!! You will not regret. It truly lives up to the word "Smartphone"
SymbioticGenius said:
The Nexus5 is the smallest computer I've ever had with no lag whatsoever, very nice vibrant screen and when necessary it makes phone calls too.
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I disagree about the N5 being able to make phone calls. I went through 11 Nexus 5's due to major issues with call quality. Build quality was poor too as 2 of my replacements had dead pixels. Also the SIM tray on some of them didn't sit flush against the body.
It's the main reason why I replaced it with the Moto X.
Camera wasn't great but neither is the one in the Moto X. They're both average.
Didn't have any build quality issues on my Nexus and I was day 1 order (most of whom did have issues). If I went through 11 phones for call quality I'd look into a different carrier cause the strength of the Motorola radios might be masking the fact that your carrier sucks.
Your post however did remind me that the screen on the Nexus was incredibly bright and didn't produce an actual black but more of a gray and the speaker was horrid... Still, smallest PC I've ever had and better that most tablets I've seen for my usage
Ordered the Moto X finally... waiting for it impatiently now
aadi007 said:
Don't know about other places but in India, the N5 costs as much as the S4.
Moto X costs around 15-20% less.
About the camera of N5, I find it adequate for the purpose...it's not that good but will serve me fine.
I haven't seen the Moto X..And here in India, Motorola has a unique sales strategy where all their phones are available thru only one online retailer. SO, you can't go to a retail shop and try it.
I am inclined to buy the Moto X as long as the camera is decent .. I mean if it matches N5 in camera, that 'll be fine for me.
As per earlier reviews, it seems N5 camera is better than Moto X. So, I wanted to find out if the Moto X has improved after the updates and it now matches the N5 in camera.
Cheers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well when it came out the S4 was way more expensive than the N5. I'm not surprised the price went down since the new S5 is out (plus in the US the S4 has a slower processor compared to the N5).
I'm checking right now on Amazon:
Samsung Galaxy S4 unlocked seems to average $425
Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play edition (from the play store) $649
Nexus 5 straight from Google Play is $349
Moto X unlocked from amazon ~$315 while from the motorola website $400
The camera is decent on the Moto X. I'm a visual artist so I can tell you it's not gonna replace real cameras, but it's great for those family photos, events, outside landscapes. It takes a bit of time for it to adjust the colors to the correct light around you. You can wait a bit and snap a good pic or do it quickly and color correct it later. My roommate took amazing pictures of landscapes in Ecuador and she's technologically inept and knows nothing about waiting for the right picture. So I can assume with sunlight the camera works great.
It doesn't have any of the Samsung or LG gimmicks and auto functions. Which is fine for me since I like to shoot normal pic and edit them later.
I was thorn too because of the camera, but then I decided to get the moto X and I can tell you that there's so much more this phone does for me that I can definitely overlook the camera aspect. Plus I never really use my phone as my main camera, more like a backup in a pinch or to remember things so it worked out quite nicely.
omias said:
S4.....no way !!!! S4 camera is amazing
But moto x camera update can fight with Nexus 5 camera for sure.
Btw...the moto x flash led is really really really enhanced.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You people are wrong, yet the galaxy s4 uses a 13mpx SONY RS sensor, lacks in low light conditions even further than moto X would, the omnivision sensor placed on moto x it's capable of shooting 2k-4k real videos, I think moto x camera need heavy efforts in development by lenovo in this case, they can achieve wide benefits from the clear pixel technology, some algorithms an improved camera app and a better image processing would put the moto X in the top of g
High end phones with great and no regrets cameras.
Thepho3nix said:
You people are wrong, yet the galaxy s4 uses a 13mpx SONY RS sensor, lacks in low light conditions even further than moto X would, the omnivision sensor placed on moto x it's capable of shooting 2k-4k real videos, I think moto x camera need heavy efforts in development by lenovo in this case, they can achieve wide benefits from the clear pixel technology, some algorithms an improved camera app and a better image processing would put the moto X in the top of g
High end phones with great and no regrets cameras.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good info

New to Moto X

I just switched from a S3 to a Moto X. My S3 was starting to lag pretty bad and the battery was crap. Well I can't say I am to impressed with the Moto X. I read comparisons between the 2 and the Moto X seemed better on paper to me. I know the camera on the S3 is much better but I wasn't to worried about that.
My question is Motorola just behind in the overall look of the phone? The interface with the dialer is back to the look of when I have an Incredible. And the battery is on par with my 3 year old S3. This phone is already at 4.4.4, so I cannot root it. Should I get rid of this and go for a S4 or pay more for an S5? I love the size of this phone and overall feel of it just disappointed I guess overall as compared to everything I was able to do with my Galaxy.
Like what ?
I also came from an S3 to a Moto X and it was completely night and day. S3 drained my battery and touchwiz was laggy as heck.
Agree the camera is not that good in the Moto X but other than that..i can't think of anything i missed from the galaxy S3.
I really can't think of what could be bogging down your phone so much... maybe you got a lemon..was it used?
I've been using mine for a year now and it's still pretty snappy and battery definitely is better than the S3 in my experience.
cheers
Ken
Having a large variety of devices on hand that I use (see the link in my sig), I still like the X best.
Sure, my S4 and S5 have a brighter display and better cameras (although, with 4.4.4 Moto has again made some improvements). But over all, the S4 and S5 are laggy compared to the X. (Note: Being my personal device, my X is loaded with apps and music. Being work devices, and often having to wipe and test, my S4 and S5 are stock with only two or three added apps.)
I'm 6'1" with average hands for a man that size. I find the S4 and S5 too big for single handed operation. The X is just the right size for single handed use, and fits in my pocket when needed without being noticeable.
Touch Wiz makes my samsungs look/feel cheap, and appears to be the cause of some/most of the lag I see. The only thing I LIKE is its calendar app, how it lists the agenda for the day on the bottom half of the screen. However, since I've been using Today Calendar on my X, I find that gives me what I like without bogging down my phone.
Not sure I see the resemblance between the Incredible's dialer and the near stock android dialer of the X. To be honest, I liked HTC Sense on my Incredible and Thunderbolt. I didn't like stock android on my original droid, or blur on my Droid X. Moto has made some nice, albeit slight, changes from stock on the X. Just enough to enhance it, and not too much that their changes get in the way or impact performance.
Battery life on my X is pretty good. I often go for more than a day and a half on my X between charges. Yeah, I wish it had replaceable battery, and microSD card slot, but I've learned to live without them now (I just have to make sure I always get a 32gig or more phone!).
I get that the X isn't the right phone for everyone, so if *you* don't like it. Return it. If you purchased it used, sell it. Don't rely on what others think or have to say.
It's your usage, setup or a poor signal causing your battery times... Or some issue.
It's not just "the phone".
Troubleshoot the issues in the "how's your battery life" thread in general. Lots of people to help there. ?
You're probably disappointed because there's no huge difference between the two.
Both have similar screens, battery life, etc. Moto X is faster, but the SGS3 has better camera and microSD.
I was thinking of buying the Moto X too. I have the SGS3, but I think the difference is little and not worth the money.
Sorry I made a post and haven't responded until now. I've had the Moto X for a week or 2 now and have gotten used to it but it seems like the battery dies must faster than my S3 did. I look at the usage and my work email is taking up most of the battery. I changed the sync from 15 mins to 30 mins but doesn't seem to help. I downloaded the Clean Master app and clear out the junk and stop apps from running a couple times a day but doesn't seem to help. Not sure if rooting would help but I've briefly read that if it's on 4.4.4 you can't. Oh well I still have my S3 so I may switch back and forth to see which I like better. Overall I like the size of the Moto X better as well as the speed!
I moved from a N4 to a G2 to a N5, to a MotoX. I didn't not have a HUGE down grade from the G2 to N2 with regards to battery. I'm not sure about the X yet as I've had it less than a day. I expect it to be the same as the N5 though.
nygbrad said:
I just switched from a S3 to a Moto X. My S3 was starting to lag pretty bad and the battery was crap. Well I can't say I am to impressed with the Moto X. I read comparisons between the 2 and the Moto X seemed better on paper to me. I know the camera on the S3 is much better but I wasn't to worried about that.
My question is Motorola just behind in the overall look of the phone? The interface with the dialer is back to the look of when I have an Incredible. And the battery is on par with my 3 year old S3. This phone is already at 4.4.4, so I cannot root it. Should I get rid of this and go for a S4 or pay more for an S5? I love the size of this phone and overall feel of it just disappointed I guess overall as compared to everything I was able to do with my Galaxy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What model of the x you have?
It's just a Verizon Moto X 16gb
So why you can't root it. Just unlock the bootloader and root it.
nexuspur said:
So why you can't root it. Just unlock the bootloader and root it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought the first sticky said any phone with 4.4.3 or higher cannot be unlocked.
nygbrad said:
Sorry I made a post and haven't responded until now. I've had the Moto X for a week or 2 now and have gotten used to it but it seems like the battery dies must faster than my S3 did. I look at the usage and my work email is taking up most of the battery. I changed the sync from 15 mins to 30 mins but doesn't seem to help. I downloaded the Clean Master app and clear out the junk and stop apps from running a couple times a day but doesn't seem to help. Not sure if rooting would help but I've briefly read that if it's on 4.4.4 you can't. Oh well I still have my S3 so I may switch back and forth to see which I like better. Overall I like the size of the Moto X better as well as the speed!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're writing a lot emails you could try out K9 and change the theme to "dark". It switches from black text on white background to white text on black background. That way you save a lot energy on AMOLED-screens. It's also quite well done in K9. Most inverted or "blacked out"-apps tend to look rather goofy. For SMS I use "Textra", that has a pretty nice dark theme too.
nygbrad said:
I thought the first sticky said any phone with 4.4.3 or higher cannot be unlocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there is one way to find out: TRY IT
Thanks I will definitely try the email app.
And I'm not an expert in rooting. Only did the last few phones I had. I always make sure they're proven to work before I try them haha.
nygbrad said:
I thought the first sticky said any phone with 4.4.3 or higher cannot be unlocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You read it totally wrong. Any phone on 4.4.3 or higher can not be rooted WITH AN EXPLOIT.
Any phone *except* Verizon (non-dev edition), AT&T, and Republic Wireless, can have the BL unlocked FREE, from Moto's unlock site.
Good Luck.
I came from an S3 and i found the MotoX to be much faster in responsiveness. Touchwiz is such a bulky laggy skin, although with that said, I do miss a couple of things about it:
1. The notification toggles
2. The photo gallery (create folders and drag-drop move feature so handy)
3. The ICS calendar integration
On 4.4 the battery was great on the X, but i found later iterations of the OS made the battery worse
Radio signal is much better on the MotoX device I can get LTE signal in my house which I never got with the S3
Sent from my XT1058 using XDA Free mobile app

Thoughts from those of you who switched from a Nexus 5. Is it a good upgrade?

I have had the N5 since last November and I love the phone but it looks like Google will not be releasing a phone with this screen size anytime soon. Would like the features that the Moto X has with regards to waking the phone and a few other tweaks that they do.
I have a code from cyber Monday so it would cost $400 today, which is a great price compared to the Nexus 6 and other devices. Do I need a new phone? No, but I would like a new one to play around with for the next year until something better comes along.
The only thing it looks like I would really miss is the wireless charging.
So, for those of you who have come from the N5, was it the right choice?
Thanks
I thought it was going to be mostly a sidegrade with a couple bonus features and it ended up feeling like a reasonable UPgrade. The build is far nicer and more robust feeling, the curved glass on front that wraps around the edges feels infinetly nicer on your face. The moto display is just as awesome as I thought it would be, battery life is much better. The speaker for ringing/media is WORLDS AND WORLDS better, louder, clearer, deeper.
I think its well worth it, add to that, I sold my 5 for $260 (16GB black)
The camera is barely an improvement. Everything else is a pretty significant improvement here even though the specs dont show much, go ahead, it will be money well spent! The nexus 6 is just too big and too expensive!
I have both. The N5 is still an amazing phone but the Moto X is in a class all its own. It's a definite upgrade and well worth every penny, ESPECIALLY with the cyber Monday discount.
Sent from my iPhone 6 using Tapatalk
I traded my wifes N5 for a Moto X 2014 and i think it is a substantial upgrade. I benchmarked it even though it is an att phone with all of the att bloat and it still did 44000 antutu, whereas my N5 best score fully rom'd and custom kernel and everything only got 41750. I know some people think benchmarks are useless, but i like seeing higher scores from phones that have better specs.
I honestly think the camera on the x is not as good. I miss hdr+ and think the ois on the nexus is better, despite being a lower mp. The moto does feel better in hand to me and i didnt know how much i would love the dimple on the back. Its great to have to stabilize the phone with one hand.
Overall, the price is right, you can sell your N5 (i sold my n5 for $250 locally), and you are more up to date with the new phones out there.
Just my opinion.
Nick
I was hoping the camera would be just as good or a little better than on the N5, one person says that it is and another says it is not. Of course I know this is all subjective and I will be the only person who can determine this. I wish the camera was definitely better and not so close in quality.
Looks like I am just going to go ahead and order the Moto X, I will keep the N5 for a little bit just in case I don't like it and then I will try and sell it.
Raistlin1 said:
I was hoping the camera would be just as good or a little better than on the N5, one person says that it is and another says it is not. Of course I know this is all subjective and I will be the only person who can determine this. I wish the camera was definitely better and not so close in quality.
Looks like I am just going to go ahead and order the Moto X, I will keep the N5 for a little bit just in case I don't like it and then I will try and sell it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I honestly feel like the Nexus 5 is a bit snappier plus the camera on my Moto x doesn't seem to focus easily. I still think it's worth the upgrade though due to the build quality and the extras like active display etc. I always felt like I was going to break my nexus 5 at any moment
I remember I used to love the AMOLED display on my old Moto x but I'm having a little trouble getting used to it again. I know that's just temporary though and eventually it will be vice versa. Just some things to consider though
bobloblawsum said:
I honestly feel like the Nexus 5 is a bit snappier plus the camera on my Moto x doesn't seem to focus easily. I still think it's worth the upgrade though due to the build quality and the extras like active display etc. I always felt like I was going to break my nexus 5 at any moment
I remember I used to love the AMOLED display on my old Moto x but I'm having a little trouble getting used to it again. I know that's just temporary though and eventually it will be vice versa. Just some things to consider though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no way the N5 is snappier than the Moto X. I use both phones daily and when side by side the Moto X is noticeably faster and more responsive than the N5. I'm running stock KitKat on both devices.
I do agree that the camera on the Moto X leaves a bit to be desired but for my needs it's just fine. I do think it is a little better than the N5's camera but not by much. Both cameras are capable of producing some really nice shots, it just seems that conditions have to be just right in order to do so.
And yeah, the screen does take some getting used to. Both my N5 and my iPhone 6 have near perfect color calibration so whenever I pick up the Moto X it always looks excessively warm to me. But I'm using CF.Lumen to fix it so mine is a LOT better now. The Moto X does have waaaay better viewing angles than the N5 though so it's a trade off.
Sent from my iPhone 6 using Tapatalk
I was very torn about spending the money but made a very last minute decision to buy the moto x last night before the coupon expired. It is going to be a fairly expensive toy/experiment to play around with at first to see if I like it better than the N5, but I am looking forward to it. I figure I can sell either one to make some money back in the end.
I also decided to get it engraved with "pure X moto", I may regret this later but I liked it at the time. doh!
Raistlin1 said:
I was very torn about spending the money but made a very last minute decision to buy the moto x last night before the coupon expired. It is going to be a fairly expensive toy/experiment to play around with at first to see if I like it better than the N5, but I am looking forward to it. I figure I can sell either one to make some money back in the end.
I also decided to get it engraved with "pure X moto", I may regret this later but I liked it at the time. doh!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can afford it, I'd hang on to both phones, that's what I'm doing. I feel like the N5 is going to be a highly coveted phone a couple years from now, it's easily the best Nexus phone so far (yes, even better than the N6 IMO). Plus, if you are a fan of flashing custom ROMs and the like, you'll need the N5 for that because it's highly unlikely that the X will see much development.
Sent from my iPhone 6 using Tapatalk
_MetalHead_ said:
There is no way the N5 is snappier than the Moto X. I use both phones daily and when side by side the Moto X is noticeably faster and more responsive than the N5. I'm running stock KitKat on both devices.
I do agree that the camera on the Moto X leaves a bit to be desired but for my needs it's just fine. I do think it is a little better than the N5's camera but not by much. Both cameras are capable of producing some really nice shots, it just seems that conditions have to be just right in order to do so.
And yeah, the screen does take some getting used to. Both my N5 and my iPhone 6 have near perfect color calibration so whenever I pick up the Moto X it always looks excessively warm to me. But I'm using CF.Lumen to fix it so mine is a LOT better now. The Moto X does have waaaay better viewing angles than the N5 though so it's a trade off.
Sent from my iPhone 6 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very true, the Moto X is easily the snappier of the two, and is probably the snappiest phone on the market right now. The problem with the camera seems to be with the focus, especially with a foreground and a background subject or macro shots, it struggles to focus correctly. I'm still hoping Motorola to bring some sort of worthy software upgrade to the camera now that lollipop allows more control over the camera hardware. With flash though, the Moto X does seem to perform better than the N5 almost every time. Overall, it seems to be on par with the N5 or a little bit better than the N5, but yes, we all wish that the camera was a little more better!
_MetalHead_ said:
There is no way the N5 is snappier than the Moto X. I use both phones daily and when side by side the Moto X is noticeably faster and more responsive than the N5. I'm running stock KitKat on both devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I still have my Nexus 5 and use it from time to time, there is definitely some noticeable stuttering in some apps that I've never experienced on the Nexus 5. I know certain apps are a bad comparison, the Facebook app for example, however I still have never experienced any lag, ever on the Nexus.
Nexus 5 has the stock lollipop image and my Moto was updated to lollipop immediately after powering it on. Maybe it's due to the OTA update
I love the new moto x. Just got it a couple weeks ago to replace my 5 and it's better in every way. I've always had nexus phones and shunned away from other customised android phones but the features Motorola adds in are actually useful and have a real world use unlike all the crap on galaxy phoned.
i prefer the moto x display, but the dev is literally nonexistent.
I switched from the Nexus 5 to the Moto X 2014 because Google ended up refunding me the cost of the Nexus 5 due to a defect under warranty. I posted my thoughts about the two on another forum and updated them below after having the Moto X for a week.
Build Quality
Overall, it feels more solid than the Nexus 5, not that the Nexus 5 was a poorly made phone. Both are fine here but I would give the edge to the Moto X. I got the royal blue back, and I will say that it's more slippery than my black Nexus 5, but not as slippery as my wife's white Nexus 5. I definitely prefer the soft touch of the black Nexus 5 though, as I really feel like I need to hold on to my phone.
Screen
I'd say it's a wash. You're basically looking at a middle of the road AMOLED screen vs a middle of the road LCD, with all the benefits and issues of each. Moto X has better blacks, brighter colors, no backlight bleed (since there's no backlight). But it has slightly pink whites unless you turn the brightness up. The Nexus 5 has more pure whites and gets a little brighter, plus you won't have to worry about burn-in.
Sound
Moto X is the clear winner here. Ignoring front vs bottom firing, the Moto X speaker is much louder and clearer than the Nexus 5. Headphone quality is about the same, though the Moto X response is lacking a bit in the sub-bass frequencies. I have the Sennheiser Momentum In-Ear and the ATH-M50, and the bass lacks some impact when using my Moto X headphone jack vs the Nexus 5. The Moto X headphone output also has more noticeable hiss than the Nexus 5.
Performance
Basically the same.
Camera
I don't think either of them have a great camera... but I also don't think the Note 4 has a great camera and that was rated as one of the best cameras on a phone. They just can't compare to even a cheap point and shoot. The lack of OIS is noticeable in low light though, especially when I was trying to take pictures of my Christmas lights. Neither camera took a great photo but the Nexus 5 was more acceptable.
Software
Again, very similar here. I like some of the Motorola tweaks but I don't make frequent use of many of them. Always listening is a neat gimmick but I don't find myself using it often "in real life." Active Display isn't that much of an improvement over a notification LED in my mind, but Approach triggering it is nice. "Sleeping" mode is a nice improvement over the complete lack thereof in KitKat but Lollipop implemented "Downtime" so it's not a killer feature. Only real annoyance so far is that Moto Display constantly triggers in my car even if I disable the Approach functionality.
Battery Life
Battery life is a wash. The Moto X gets better screen on time if I am actively using it, but the Nexus 5 seems to have better idle time.
Overall
I'm not really sure which I prefer. The better loudspeaker on the Moto X is a huge upgrade, but it's unfortunate that the headphone output isn't as good. The screens are about the same, though I do like the slightly bigger size of the Moto X. It's also unfortunate that the Moto X is not using soft touch plastic for its colors, despite saying that it has a "soft finish."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bobloblawsum said:
I still have my Nexus 5 and use it from time to time, there is definitely some noticeable stuttering in some apps that I've never experienced on the Nexus 5. I know certain apps are a bad comparison, the Facebook app for example, however I still have never experienced any lag, ever on the Nexus.
Nexus 5 has the stock lollipop image and my Moto was updated to lollipop immediately after powering it on. Maybe it's due to the OTA update
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, the N5 is completely lag and stutter free, there's no arguing that. But so is my Moto X, I've never noticed a single stutter. Maybe in FB, but it's no worse than the N5, and in my experience it's better. The N5 is a ridiculously smooth device, but side by side with my X, the X is smoother yet. One thing I find hilarious is how so many people dislike Android because it's not as smooth as the iPhone, but I own an iPhone 6 (typing on it now) and both the N5 and Moto X are actually smoother (at least in the UI) than the iPhone 6 is. It's quite remarkable, really. Both are amazing devices, and that's why I'll never sell my N5, and I'll likely hang on to my Moto X forever as well.
Sent from my iPhone 6 using Tapatalk
I bought the N5 on launch day last year and loved it. I got bored with it around august and went with a G3. The G3 was great at first because it was new, but as the days went on, I couldn't stand the lag and the LG skin. So my dilemma was do I wait for a nexus 6, go back to the nexus 5 or try something new?
I started seeing all this hype over the moto X and I figured, "what the hell" and I ordered it. Best damn phone I've ever owned. Yes, there are some draw backs, like the camera (it's not bad, just no where near the G3), but overall, the look, the feel, the solidness, the pure android experience with moto add-ons (not moto trying to re-invent the wheel) and battery life make this phone awesome. I get double the SOT of my N5 and the same as the G3. Moto's voice assist is great and active display is second to none.
Well worth it.
_MetalHead_ said:
Yeah, the N5 is completely lag and stutter free, there's no arguing that. But so is my Moto X, I've never noticed a single stutter. Maybe in FB, but it's no worse than the N5, and in my experience it's better. The N5 is a ridiculously smooth device, but side by side with my X, the X is smoother yet. One thing I find hilarious is how so many people dislike Android because it's not as smooth as the iPhone, but I own an iPhone 6 (typing on it now) and both the N5 and Moto X are actually smoother (at least in the UI) than the iPhone 6 is. It's quite remarkable, really. Both are amazing devices, and that's why I'll never sell my N5, and I'll likely hang on to my Moto X forever as well.
Sent from my iPhone 6 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have convinced me to do a factory reset on my moto x. Sounds like I might be having some issues from the 5.0 update
bobloblawsum said:
You have convinced me to do a factory reset on my moto x. Sounds like I might be having some issues from the 5.0 update
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no experience with 5.0 on the X, but I do with the N5... I'm not a fan. That's why I'm still running KK on both devices. Lollipop has just too many issues for me.
Sent from my iPhone 6 using Tapatalk
Thanks for all the input, I appreciate it!
I have the Moto X on order and now the waiting begins, I guess I should have skipped the engraving...
Got a pure edition with slate back, black front and silver metallic accents and for the engraving: pure X moto
And I also ordered the Gelli case since I was able to get 30% off accessories with the cyber Monday coupon code.

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