Moto X Play vs. Moto G (3rd) - X Play Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Apologies for the length of this reply. TL;DR - Moto G 3rd gen vs. Moto X Play - taking into account the extra $200 for the X Play, which would you recommend and why?
Longer version:
Had an accident with my Moto G2 last week (fell in the sink and fried the motherboard) and am now looking for a new phone.
I could get the Moto G for $0 or the X Play for ~ $200 (both carrier locked).
The main issues I had with my old Moto G2 were: a) the RAM; b) Internal Storage. I was constantly losing my audio playback (podcast) when running Waze simultaneously driving in the car and the phone just often seemed laggy in general. Also, I was constantly running out of space to install apps (particularly due to a couple of very large games).
Given that the new Moto G has the same 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage (at least here in Canada; would have really appreciated the 2/16 option that they have in the US), would I be likely to experience the same frustrations or would the performance be significantly better due to: a) better CPU; and b) Marshmallow [I was running Lollipop 5.0.2 on the old phone], which allows for use of SD card as internal storage?
My concerns with the X Play (other than the additional cost) are:
1) Durability - the Moto G has enhanced water resistance and is easier to grip (from what I've read)
2) Size - Moto X Play seems larger but I'm not sure how much of a difference it would be coming from the G2 ...
Any suggestions?

Personally I would never go back to a 1 GB phone (I used to have the original 2013 Moto G). Perhaps performance is better now with the 3rd Gen but having used 2 GB... I also had an Xperia Z from 2013 but it had 2 GB as well and there were no issues with apps closing like I had on my G.
So my pick would be the Play. However, what other choices do you have for that price?

koimr said:
Personally I would never go back to a 1 GB phone (I used to have the original 2013 Moto G). Perhaps performance is better now with the 3rd Gen but having used 2 GB... I also had an Xperia Z from 2013 but it had 2 GB as well and there were no issues with apps closing like I had on my G.
So my pick would be the Play. However, what other choices do you have for that price?
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Hi! Thanks for the quick reply.
Here are the devices available from my carrier (Wind Mobile) at these price points (price is what I would pay out of pocket - rest is covered by $250 tab):
Galaxy S4 - $200
Xperia C5 Ultra - $150
LG G Stylo - $100
Xperia M4 Aqua - $50
Ascend G7 - $50
Moto G (3rd) - $0
HTC Desire 626s - $0
Galaxy Grand Prime - $0
Thanks again!

koimr said:
Personally I would never go back to a 1 GB phone (I used to have the original 2013 Moto G). Perhaps performance is better now with the 3rd Gen but having used 2 GB... I also had an Xperia Z from 2013 but it had 2 GB as well and there were no issues with apps closing like I had on my G.
So my pick would be the Play. However, what other choices do you have for that price?
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As a follow-up, do you think it would be worth paying an additional $200 for the extra 1 GB of RAM?

nird12 said:
As a follow-up, do you think it would be worth paying an additional $200 for the extra 1 GB of RAM?
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I myself would pay for the extra RAM. My thought would be that memory requirements of both Android and apps is only going to increase and I try to keep my phones as long as possible.
I'm also on Wind so that list of potential phones looks familiar. My personal choice is still the Play.
I've also read that some shipments of Wind's X Plays are already SIM-unlocked but I don't have another carrier SIM to verify that mine is. I do know my Moto G was sold by Wind and it was unlocked because they checked it for me in-store.
You might want to try it out in-store to see if you are ok with the larger size. I don't mind it and prefer it because I'm getting old and my eyes aren't as good as they used to be.

Hi - I decided to try the Play but figured it might be worth a quick phone call - just got off the phone with Wind Loyalty and they added another $150 to the tab, so the phone only cost $49!

N/A

nird12 said:
Hi - I decided to try the Play but figured it might be worth a quick phone call - just got off the phone with Wind Loyalty and they added another $150 to the tab, so the phone only cost $49!
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Wow, nice. That makes it a much easier decision then, huh? Nice job, I think you'll be happy with it.

The extra 1gb surely will make a lot of difference. 1gb ram phone is only good if you could put custom rom in it.

I have both devices (and develop CM and my kernel for both) and happen to be on Wind Mobile too. Since they've added some extra to your tab, I suppose your decision has become easier.
If you care about the camera at all, the lux camera is certainly a major improvement over osprey (though osprey is not bad by any means). While the image processing with both the Motorola stock camera app and the CM camera are not up to iPhone standards (colours and dynamic range), detail on lux is amazing in good lighting.
Performance wise, lux (the X Play) will certainly be better, due to the RAM, and also the more powerful processor. Single core performance is a better on lux (more than the difference in clock speeds would indicate, since lux is using faster memory and higher clocked internal busses). The GPU on lux is also much more powerful than that on osprey. I don't know if you care about gaming performance, but lux would certainly be much better than osprey (triple the frame rate for heavy things). One area where you won't notice much difference is UI fluidity. Both run android smoothly without much lag or stutter. Marshmallow is better than Lollipop 5.1 which is better than Lollipop 5.0.
Lux also has a huge battery (but a more power hungry display and processor) - I get around 5-6 hours screen time on osprey, and 7-8 hours on lux.
One area where osprey has an edge is waterproofing (and perhaps overall durability). I've thrown my osprey into the water at a beach when showing off to family and left it in the water for a few minutes. No issues when I did that (though it's not something I recommend obviously). I would not do the same for lux, since it is not waterproof. If you have a habit of dropping your phone, osprey may also be more likely to survive because of its smaller screen.
In terms of in hand quality feel, lux is better than osprey. The body feels more solid, and the dimple at the back of the phone feels nicer. The back cover of my osprey creaks a bit when pressing the edge in some places, and that irks me somewhat. However, neither can match the quality feel of the 2nd gen Moto X (victara).
Size wise, lux is obviously bigger than osprey. Whether or not that's a good thing is down to personal preference. I found lux huge when I bought it (I came from a first gen Moto X). However, I got used to it and now find its size to be normal. However, I still like the in hand feeling of going back to a smaller phone sometimes.
Development wise, I'd consider them about the same. I'm one of the main developers for both devices, though lux is my daily driver right now. The osprey port of CM13 matured a bit sooner than my lux port, but they are both built from a common code base we are using for the entire MSM8916 family.
If there is leftover stock of the previous (2nd gen, victara) Moto X, I would also strongly consider that. Victara has better build quality than either of these, and is significantly faster than either of these. The victara camera is about the same as osprey. The main weakness of victara is battery life. It gives me around 4 hours of screen time.

squid2 said:
I have both devices (and develop CM and my kernel for both) and happen to be on Wind Mobile too. Since they've added some extra to your tab, I suppose your decision has become easier.
If you care about the camera at all, the lux camera is certainly a major improvement over osprey (though osprey is not bad by any means). While the image processing with both the Motorola stock camera app and the CM camera are not up to iPhone standards (colours and dynamic range), detail on lux is amazing in good lighting.
Performance wise, lux (the X Play) will certainly be better, due to the RAM, and also the more powerful processor. Single core performance is a better on lux (more than the difference in clock speeds would indicate, since lux is using faster memory and higher clocked internal busses). The GPU on lux is also much more powerful than that on osprey. I don't know if you care about gaming performance, but lux would certainly be much better than osprey (triple the frame rate for heavy things). One area where you won't notice much difference is UI fluidity. Both run android smoothly without much lag or stutter. Marshmallow is better than Lollipop 5.1 which is better than Lollipop 5.0.
Lux also has a huge battery (but a more power hungry display and processor) - I get around 5-6 hours screen time on osprey, and 7-8 hours on lux.
One area where osprey has an edge is waterproofing (and perhaps overall durability). I've thrown my osprey into the water at a beach when showing off to family and left it in the water for a few minutes. No issues when I did that (though it's not something I recommend obviously). I would not do the same for lux, since it is not waterproof. If you have a habit of dropping your phone, osprey may also be more likely to survive because of its smaller screen.
In terms of in hand quality feel, lux is better than osprey. The body feels more solid, and the dimple at the back of the phone feels nicer. The back cover of my osprey creaks a bit when pressing the edge in some places, and that irks me somewhat. However, neither can match the quality feel of the 2nd gen Moto X (victara).
Size wise, lux is obviously bigger than osprey. Whether or not that's a good thing is down to personal preference. I found lux huge when I bought it (I came from a first gen Moto X). However, I got used to it and now find its size to be normal. However, I still like the in hand feeling of going back to a smaller phone sometimes.
Development wise, I'd consider them about the same. I'm one of the main developers for both devices, though lux is my daily driver right now. The osprey port of CM13 matured a bit sooner than my lux port, but they are both built from a common code base we are using for the entire MSM8916 family.
If there is leftover stock of the previous (2nd gen, victara) Moto X, I would also strongly consider that. Victara has better build quality than either of these, and is significantly faster than either of these. The victara camera is about the same as osprey. The main weakness of victara is battery life. It gives me around 4 hours of screen time.
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Squid,
Thanks very much for the very thorough and detailed review! My two concerns with the X Play are the durability and size but I don't think that these outweigh the other benefits vis a vis osprey. Do you think the size would be a significant factor coming from the 2nd gen Moto G?
Thanks also for the feedback on the 2nd gen Moto X. Their website no longer includes last year's model but I can drop by my local store to see if they have it in stock. Only thing is, they may not apply the additional tab as that was only available if I ordered through the loyalty department over the phone ...
There are several Victaras available used on Kijiji but do you think it's worth paying $250 for a used victara over $50 for a new lux?
Also, the victara lacked a microsd card which is something that I'd like to have ...

nird12 said:
Squid,
Thanks very much for the very thorough and detailed review! My two concerns with the X Play are the durability and size but I don't think that these outweigh the other benefits vis a vis osprey. Do you think the size would be a significant factor coming from the 2nd gen Moto G?
Thanks also for the feedback on the 2nd gen Moto X. Their website no longer includes last year's model but I can drop by my local store to see if they have it in stock. Only thing is, they may not apply the additional tab as that was only available if I ordered through the loyalty department over the phone ...
There are several Victaras available used on Kijiji but do you think it's worth paying $250 for a used victara over $50 for a new lux?
Also, the victara lacked a microsd card which is something that I'd like to have ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For $250 used victara vs. $50 new lux, I'd say definitely get the new lux. If you can convince them to apply the same tab to a new lux or a new-old-stock victara, that's a tougher decision.
If you want a big battery and great camera (and MicroSD), go for lux. If you want faster performance and like the sleek metal frame of the victara, go for it. If you are concerned about water damage and want a device you can abuse without feeling too bad, go for osprey.
And if you are insane like me and money is no concern, buy all three. And heck, why not throw in a surnia too

squid2 said:
For $250 used victara vs. $50 new lux, I'd say definitely get the new lux. If you can convince them to apply the same tab to a new lux or a new-old-stock victara, that's a tougher decision.
If you want a big battery and great camera (and MicroSD), go for lux. If you want faster performance and like the sleek metal frame of the victara, go for it. If you are concerned about water damage and want a device you can abuse without feeling too bad, go for osprey.
And if you are insane like me and money is no concern, buy all three. And heck, why not throw in a surnia too
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Damn that are a lot of Moto's

or just get the X Force. I believe it has all the features the lux, victara and osprey combined.

My missus has a 2GB 3rd gen Moto G and i would rather have my MXP, better screen, better battery, better camera, better audio.

Related

Will This Be Your New Device

Looks like the Moto X may be a keeper with a 5.2" screen.
Looks very pleasant. Concerned a little bit about the battery size though
Same about the battery, big concern if this thing cant last a whole day. Should be at least a 2700mAh battery with a screen over 5 inches. Unless moto made some big changes to background software for the battery (and the L preview's project volte being a battery saver), I might just wait and see.
No . I currently own the LG G2 (having had a Moto X 2013 before). I liked how compact the old moto x was and have been disappointed with this year's flagships (HTC, LG, Samsung) for going larger but not superpowered relative to the LG G2 and Nexus 5.
The X2 is bigger in every dimension compared to the G2 (and I found that 2.8" width was my breaking point where I no longer like holding phones... why I downgraded from the LG G3 to LG G2) with a smaller battery and similiar power. The AMOLED screen will be great for battery life with notifications. The software updates seem really good and leave me more confident that post-Google Motorola won't fall off a cliff. The speakers aren't my thing. The additional mics aren't either (as I never leave my phone far from me in a crowded room. The camera looks very good as it seems like they fixed a weak area of
I think I'll be targeting slightly smaller phones for now (in the pre-SD805 days). On my fall list are the Galaxy Alpha, Sony's Z3 Compact and the Xioami Mi4.
i'm very interested in seeing the actual performance of this phone. i have high hopes for the camera and additional functionality they're claiming. all-in-all i'll have to hold it before i make my decision.
Currently a Note 2 user, I was pleased to see the size increase on the Moto X. I'm concerned abotu the battery, though. Right now I'm torn between the Note 4, LG G3, Moto X, and Nexus 6/X.
rp3 said:
No . I currently own the LG G2 (having had a Moto X 2013 before). I liked how compact the old moto x was and have been disappointed with this year's flagships (HTC, LG, Samsung) for going larger but not superpowered relative to the LG G2 and Nexus 5.
The X2 is bigger in every dimension compared to the G2 (and I found that 2.8" width was my breaking point where I no longer like holding phones... why I downgraded from the LG G3 to LG G2) with a smaller battery and similiar power. The AMOLED screen will be great for battery life with notifications. The software updates seem really good and leave me more confident that post-Google Motorola won't fall off a cliff. The speakers aren't my thing. The additional mics aren't either (as I never leave my phone far from me in a crowded room. The camera looks very good as it seems like they fixed a weak area of
I think I'll be targeting slightly smaller phones for now (in the pre-SD805 days). On my fall list are the Galaxy Alpha, Sony's Z3 Compact and the Xioami Mi4.
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Click to collapse
According to Joshua from Anandtech even though the Moto X is the same in dimensions to the S5, the Moto X is still much easier to use with one hand because of its design and is similar to use with one hand to LG G2. So you should give it a try, maybe you'll like the size.
Maybe?
Very disappointed to see the increased size, though it was inevitable.. I have been looking forward to this phone for months because of the innovation and engineering that went into the original moto x. Using separate processing elements for different parts of the phone is, I think, the absolute key to the battery life/functionality equation. I've been waiting for a company to split the UI and external features (screen, mics, cameras, etc..) off from the core phone functionality to save juice for a long time. When the screen is off, there should be little need to run the main processor, and therefore it should be kinder to its battery. I do need to know if this unit will have a replaceable battery, unfortunately its a complete no-go for me if it doesn't..
Hoping for the best!:good:
darkgoon3r96 said:
According to Joshua from Anandtech even though the Moto X is the same in dimensions to the S5, the Moto X is still much easier to use with one hand because of its design and is similar to use with one hand to LG G2. So you should give it a try, maybe you'll like the size.
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Thanks that's useful to hear as that's quite a key requirement for me with a phone.
I was thinking about replacing my rooted GS4 with this one but I wonder whats coming down the pipe from the Nexus and LG
If it comes to Sprint, I will most likely get it.
Sent from my XT1056 using Tapatalk
If there is a Dev edition then I'll buy immediately.
MichaelMcEntire said:
If it comes to Sprint, I will most likely get it.
Sent from my XT1056 using Tapatalk
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http://www.androidcentral.com/moto-x-specs-2014 XT1092 unlocked version, including sprint
I like the size increase. I would rather it stayed at 5 inch screen instead of 5.2 but the battery size should have been bumped to 2600. Even if they are going to release a Moto Maxx version with a 3000 battery. Not sure if I will get this now or wait until the Nexus X before I ditch my VZW unlimited for greener pastures.
let us not forget about this filing:
http://www.droid-life.com/2014/07/30/moto-maxx-trademarked-by-motorola-for-new-phone/
seems like the new X might be worth the additional wait. what was the turnaround on features for the X? AT&T had exclusivity until summer '12? Then other carriers got the "plain" variants, followed by MotoMaker almost two months later. Wood backs didn't arrive for... another two months?
if there were a bigger (read: thicker) battery option for the X in the works, are we looking at Jan release?
640k said:
let us not forget about this filing:
http://www.droid-life.com/2014/07/30/moto-maxx-trademarked-by-motorola-for-new-phone/
seems like the new X might be worth the additional wait. what was the turnaround on features for the X? AT&T had exclusivity until summer '12? Then other carriers got the "plain" variants, followed by MotoMaker almost two months later. Wood backs didn't arrive for... another two months?
if there were a bigger (read: thicker) battery option for the X in the works, are we looking at Jan release?
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I'll probably wait to see what the next nexus phone is and then make a decision. Hopefully by then, there will be more clarification on what the Moto maXx is . I'd really like a 2014 Moto X with a larger capacity battery. For me that's the only thing it's really missing.
I don't get the battery size concern. I've never once worried about my moto x's battery running out by the end of the day. Motorola knows what they are doing.
the new X is a good 1-2mm thinner than the old one at the edges. i'd say there's room for a 4000mAh battery.
Mayze23 said:
I don't get the battery size concern. I've never once worried about my moto x's battery running out by the end of the day. Motorola knows what they are doing.
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That's great news for you then.
Way too big for my taste, and I've become a big Moto fan since owning the X. What ever happened to all that research done to come up with the original X being the perfect size? Hope they do a blow out sale on the original X and I'll pick up a spare if the price is good. I understand the trend towards bigger phones, but all the Android manufacturers leaving behind high spec more compact models is VERY disappointing.

Why two? A Play and Style device

Hi all
Does anybody have any idea why they have launched two high end phones? Whats the difference between the two?
which one will you go for?
Im a oneplus user but have a contract upgrade for my office phone so i need to pick a second android.. I like the fact that these have such great battery life but they seem quite similar to me
Let's see ...
The Play is somewhat of a mid-range phone with the Snapdragon 615 and "only" 2GB of RAM.
The Style with its Snapdragon 808 and 3GB of RAM is Motorola's high-end phone this year.
So you have the G 2015 on the low end, Play in the middle and Style at the top - seems logical to me..
moto x style is high end phone in one sim card edition and moto x play is high end phone in two sim card editionand it's not in one sim card
interested in getting the play edition
Don't forget the play's big 3630maH battery (the style is 3000) - it looks like an very well priced phablet sized workhorse and appears to be just what I need to replace my ageing 7 inch budget tablet and my 2013 Moto G. Looking forward to release and some hands on reports.
I think Motorola missed the mark by not releasing the X Play in US, because it's a perfect phone for the working class in US. But I guess there will be an exclusive Verizon version which I will not buy.
Most of my coworkers either have or want a phone like this. They can't afford a $600-700 phone, they have family and take lots of pictures, they want a big screen to share their photos/videos, they need battery life to last the whole day, they don't need some super high end specs or play games on it. Even though I'm in the minority who prefer small screen sizes, I think these affordable, midrange, large screen, big battery phones are a big hit today,
For me this device interest me because of the battery life and CPU, which isn't a power hog, so it will last even longer. 1080p is good, it will make games less demanding to run and still look good on a 5.5" screen. If I have to import this phone, assuming it's $299, it's going to end up costing $350+ after VAT, I might as well get a OnePlus Two for not much more.
I'm partly happy with the Moto X Style specs, since it's the first Moto X that probably won't have crap battery or crap camera, but Motorola decided to make it unpocketable. I guess it makes sense for them to go with the trend, since it will have a better recognition inside carrier stores.
This is a bit of a rant, but I personally am weary of buying a OnePlus again because I have many issues with the previous ones, mostly on the software side that ruin the experience for me. Such as:
All AOSP based OnePus One firmwares (AOSP, CM, Oxygen, etc) lack proper proprietary camera driver in order to have "proper" working continuous autofocus video recording. Only ColorOS roms have proper camera driver, except for some reason I can not install official ColorOS beta on my phone since it won't boot no matter what. You need the official version to get OTA. The latest ColorOS version is hosted on baidu website which required a mainland chinese phone number to sign up to download. Furthermore, ColorOS, while have good features, have bugs of its own and always a version behind. I don't want to end up with the same situation again.
This leave my only other hope with the upcoming Nexus. When I think Nexus, I think poor build quality, weak battery and intentional missing hardware features, unfortunately LG made it seem that way twice already.
eksasol said:
I think Motorola missed the mark by not releasing the X Play in US, because it's a perfect phone for the working class in US. But I guess there will be an exclusive Verizon version which I will not buy.
Most of my coworkers either have or want a phone like this. They can't afford a $600-700 phone, they have family and take lots of pictures, they want a big screen to share their photos/videos, they need battery life to last the whole day, they don't need some super high end specs or play games on it. Even though I'm in the minority who prefer small screen sizes, I think these affordable, midrange, large screen, big battery phones are a big hit today,
For me this device interest me because of the battery life and CPU, which isn't a power hog, so it will last even longer. 1080p is good, it will make games less demanding to run and still look good on a 5.5" screen. If I have to import this phone, assuming it's $299, it's going to end up costing $350+ after VAT, I might as well get a OnePlus Two for not much more.
I'm partly happy with the Moto X Style specs, since it's the first Moto X that probably won't have crap battery or crap camera, but Motorola decided to make it unpocketable. I guess it makes sense for them to go with the trend, since it will have a better recognition inside carrier stores.
This is a bit of a rant, but I personally am weary of buying a OnePlus again because I have many issues with the previous ones, mostly on the software side that ruin the experience for me. Such as:
All AOSP based OnePus One firmwares (AOSP, CM, Oxygen, etc) lack proper proprietary camera driver in order to have "proper" working continuous autofocus video recording. Only ColorOS roms have proper camera driver, except for some reason I can not install official ColorOS beta on my phone since it won't boot no matter what. You need the official version to get OTA. The latest ColorOS version is hosted on baidu website which required a mainland chinese phone number to sign up to download. Furthermore, ColorOS, while have good features, have bugs of its own and always a version behind. I don't want to end up with the same situation again.
This leave my only other hope with the upcoming Nexus. When I think Nexus, I think poor build quality, weak battery and intentional missing hardware features, unfortunately LG made it seem that way twice already.
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The US got the droid turbo didn't they? I don't know how cheap it is or whether its locked to a certain provider or what but the specs on it are a beast in comparison to the play - could potentially be the reason why they didn't release the play in the US.
Also, curious - how small are your pockets for the moto x style being too small to pocket? I remember fitting cd players into my jean pockets at one point so either I get gargantuan pockets on my jeans or idk :3
Got to agree with you on the nexus - I had the 4 and 5 and I loved them - but bad build quality and battery are what finally made me snap and look at the moto x this year.
Skyerin said:
Also, curious - how small are your pockets for the moto x style being too small to pocket? I remember fitting cd players into my jean pockets at one point so either I get gargantuan pockets on my jeans or idk :3
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Click to collapse
I have a OnePlus, it does fit in my pocket, but it's very uncomfortable if you walk around with it all day, and it's harder to bend and stretch while it's in there. It's better if it fit in the pocket and not feel like a brick at the sametime.
I thought the moto play and style were the same except the style is the European model
smalltownbird said:
I thought the moto play and style were the same except the style is the European model
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Click to collapse
Nope - the play is a bit smaller, (5.5 vs 5.7 inch screen) has a much bigger battery (3630maH vs 3000maH), lower screen resolution (HD vs Quad HD), less RAM (2GB vs 3GB), lower spec processor (Snapdragon 615 vs 808), has fewer customisation options and is significantly cheaper.
http://www.xda-developers.com/two-new-moto-x-and-new-moto-g-announced-details-inside/
I don't seem to see the X Play as a mid ranged phone at all. It would've been the perfect phone if it was a bit more close to the overall phone size of the X (2014), but it is what it is.
I had several hands-on with the Moto X (2014) and I easily started loving it even if it has 5.2'' and that's relatively big for a phone in my opinion. The only things that keep stopping me to buy it are the 2300mah battery and the not so great camera.
I'm waiting here with my Z1C hoping that the X Play will feel in hand as good as the X (2014) and I can finally upgrade to a Moto.
The other option for me is the Nexus 5 (2015) but I really don't think they'll sport anything close to the Play's battery, as well as no micro-sd slot nor a 21mp camera. Last but not least, build quality.
I'm anxiously waiting for more in-depth reviews on youtube for the X Play.
Exactly my thoughts. Waiting for some more reviews and give them some time to iron out early production defects.
While I do love my Nexus 5, the battery has become a very important factor for me. I can't stand the fact to charge my phone every day.
They should just call it the Moto P (or something), having 2 completely different phones under the same "root" letter and than add some meaningless word at the end really ruins the beautiful simplicity of Moto branding.
I would really love to ask an Moto exec what were they thinking, it really makes no sense.
inkmars said:
I don't seem to see the X Play as a mid ranged phone at all. It would've been the perfect phone if it was a bit more close to the overall phone size of the X (2014), but it is what it is.
I had several hands-on with the Moto X (2014) and I easily started loving it even if it has 5.2'' and that's relatively big for a phone in my opinion. The only things that keep stopping me to buy it are the 2300mah battery and the not so great camera.
I'm waiting here with my Z1C hoping that the X Play will feel in hand as good as the X (2014) and I can finally upgrade to a Moto.
The other option for me is the Nexus 5 (2015) but I really don't think they'll sport anything close to the Play's battery, as well as no micro-sd slot nor a 21mp camera. Last but not least, build quality.
I'm anxiously waiting for more in-depth reviews on youtube for the X Play.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is midranged - but these days "midrange" is more than sufficient for nearly anyone, and more importantly, the "top end" devices this year are all Cortex-A57 based and that has some serious power efficiency issues.
Skyerin said:
The US got the droid turbo didn't they? I don't know how cheap it is or whether its locked to a certain provider or what but the specs on it are a beast in comparison to the play - could potentially be the reason why they didn't release the play in the US.
Also, curious - how small are your pockets for the moto x style being too small to pocket? I remember fitting cd players into my jean pockets at one point so either I get gargantuan pockets on my jeans or idk :3
Got to agree with you on the nexus - I had the 4 and 5 and I loved them - but bad build quality and battery are what finally made me snap and look at the moto x this year.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Droid Turbo = crippled by Verizon
I really am not keen on anything this year that has a Cortex-A57 core (at least not any handsets) so the X Play was really attractive to me.
My only disadvantages in X Play are:
- no stereo speakers (x style have it)
- no ir (hand movement) sensors (x style have it)
- hd video not 60 fps and no hdr video (x style have it)
- no software video (and photo?) stabilisation (x style have it)
- 2 gb RAM, my 2yr old s4 active has it too (x style have 3gb)
But it has FM Radio, costs little less, swapable back covers in lots of colors, bigger battery and it's little more compact in size and weight. I'm torn between Style and Play
Wysłane z mojego GT-I9295 przy użyciu Tapatalka
forgeek said:
Hi all
Does anybody have any idea why they have launched two high end phones? Whats the difference between the two?
which one will you go for?
Im a oneplus user but have a contract upgrade for my office phone so i need to pick a second android.. I like the fact that these have such great battery life but they seem quite similar to me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They didnt launch 2 high end phones they launched one high end device in the US and we got stuck with a midrange device here in Canada.
And they somehow mixed up the batteries lol. Smaller battery in the device with the bigger higher res screen lol. Its very confusing.
Sent from my Nexus 6 or Note 4
---------- Post added at 05:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:36 PM ----------
ewa12321 said:
My only disadvantages in X Play are:
- no stereo speakers (x style have it)
- no ir (hand movement) sensors (x style have it)
- hd video not 60 fps and no hdr video (x style have it)
- no software video (and photo?) stabilisation (x style have it)
- 2 gb RAM, my 2yr old s4 active has it too (x style have 3gb)
But it has FM Radio, costs little less, swapable back covers in lots of colors, bigger battery and it's little more compact in size and weight. I'm torn between Style and Play
Wysłane z mojego GT-I9295 przy użyciu Tapatalka
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dont forget only snapdragon 615 and smaller screen also
Sent from my Nexus 6 or Note 4
Maybe that's for testing which type of phone is more needed: long lasting mid range or less lasting but higher end stylish with more features and selfies oriented? Maybe they're testing us
Sent from my GT-I9295 using Tapatalk

Moto X Pure vs. Moto Z Play

My Moto X 2013 is coming up on 3 years old, and thinking about replacing it. Was considering the Moto Z Play Droid (I'm on Verizon) for $408, but then I saw that the Moto X Pure is available for $289 ($349 for 64GB).
So, how do these compare in your minds? Any opinions?
SD 625 vs. 808
Battery (Z play looks huge)
Micro-USB vs. USB-C
Screen
Moto Mods (Don't think I'd use any now, but...)
I have to say, for the price, The MXPE looks like a great value.
The regular Z and Z Force are more than I want to spend on a phone.
With some of the pricing you see out there right now the MPXE 2015 is about one of the greatest price/performance/deals going. You can easily pay another $200-$300 and not get much more.
Wait for the new Pixel phones to appear from Google and I'm sure you'll be able to bag a deal on a Nexus 5x, which has far greater support here on XDA than this Moto X Pure/Style,which is quite poor in comparison.
for moto mod, I might think abt z play
lmulli said:
Wait for the new Pixel phones to appear from Google and I'm sure you'll be able to bag a deal on a Nexus 5x, which has far greater support here on XDA than this Moto X Pure/Style,which is quite poor in comparison.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As a blanket statement that's kind of silly. The two devices are competitive but the Moto X has a larger and much higher resolution display, more RAM, a metal frame, and SD card expansion capability. The Nexus 5X maximum storage capacity is only 32 GB and non-expandible, and unfortunately that put it out of the running for me at first glance.
clark phone
if development is your desire, nexus line up is it, love my clark and finally have it where I like it, but support is limited, custom kernels other than frankenclark (stock or stock based roms only)
the external SD card, screen resolution and overall specs where what moved me to buy one.
I have a pile of other phones, my shamu (nexus 6) is my favorite after this one, I like big screens. I can tell you without ALOT of tweaking ALL CM and AOSP roms ran HOT on my clark, stock with frankenclark and script mods are running great. My nexus on the other hand seldom ever ran hot and I had a pile of custom kernels etc I could play with.
Would I buy a clark (moto x style pure) if I had it to do over again or wait on the pixel, honestly maybe not a clark but I would not do the pixel either.
development is huge if your a flashaholic if your not just get one that does what you want and does it well.
nocaps said:
As a blanket statement that's kind of silly. The two devices are competitive but the Moto X has a larger and much higher resolution display, more RAM, a metal frame, and SD card expansion capability. The Nexus 5X maximum storage capacity is only 32 GB and non-expandible, and unfortunately that put it out of the running for me at first glance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's all about being able to keep up to date and have up to date custom roms and kernels, which unfortunately, this device doesn't really have. Each to their own I guess. I have both devices and generally only use the N5x with the Moto X Style as a spare in the car.
nocaps said:
As a blanket statement that's kind of silly. The two devices are competitive but the Moto X has a larger and much higher resolution display, more RAM, a metal frame, and SD card expansion capability. The Nexus 5X maximum storage capacity is only 32 GB and non-expandible, and unfortunately that put it out of the running for me at first glance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah i agree. i have a 64 gig moto x with 64 mem card

Moto X Style Very Poor SoT

I know there are a lot of threads about the poor battery life on the Moto X Style my case is a bit extreme, My SoT doesn't extend beyond 2 hours and I am considerably a heavy user but I have cut down on most apps and I use those on my Moto Z which is like my second phone, I use that at home but for college I use this Moto X Style and I have to charge it twice daily with apps like Facebook Instagram Messenger WhatsApp one or two arcade games that's it. What could I do to extend my SoT? i don't want to root my phone till I am receiving software updates. I bought this phone in January 16. There are no performance hickups either. I have disabled apps that i don't need too.
TonyStark410 said:
I know there are a lot of threads about the poor battery life on the Moto X Style my case is a bit extreme, My SoT doesn't extend beyond 2 hours and I am considerably a heavy user but I have cut down on most apps and I use those on my Moto Z which is like my second phone, I use that at home but for college I use this Moto X Style and I have to charge it twice daily with apps like Facebook Instagram Messenger WhatsApp one or two arcade games that's it. What could I do to extend my SoT? i don't want to root my phone till I am receiving software updates. I bought this phone in January 16. There are no performance hickups either. I have disabled apps that i don't need too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah... Battery life is bad... Stay on WiFi as much as possible. Social media, especially with less than excellent signal will kill the battery on this device. I get anywhere from 2-3.5 hours on a single charge with mixed WiFi and mobile data.
I don't know how but last two security updates made it worse. i used to get around 2.5-3.5 hours but recently it's hardly 2-2.5 hours with mixed 4g and wifi mostly wifi though
Uninstalling Facebook and Facebook messenger would be good for increasing battery life.
TonyStark410 said:
I don't know how but last two security updates made it worse. i used to get around 2.5-3.5 hours but recently it's hardly 2-2.5 hours with mixed 4g and wifi mostly wifi though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same issue, before updates it's was like 3,5h easily now I got around 2,5. I hope 7.0 will fix this ;\
iks8 said:
I have the same issue, before updates it's was like 3,5h easily now I got around 2,5. I hope 7.0 will fix this ;\
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope too till then using my moto z as my main driver but using 4g and VoLTE it's battery also pales out pretty much fast, I guess it's all moto phones which pale out fast. Either phone I need to charge twice to go through the day
Jessooca said:
Heya Ace, Question... You are always on here helping out people, I'm curious as to what you think of the someone going from the Moto X Pure to a G5 Plus. Personally I think it's either the same (in some ways) or a step backwards going to the new G5. Price wise you can get either phone for pretty much the same price; hence my question between the two phones. I actually thought they'd use a snappy 810 as the processor in the G5 Plus
Sent from my S8+ courtesy of Samsung
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Moto G5 Plus is a great device... as far as a downgrade, that's personal opinion of what matters to you. The screen is a downgrade from QHD to fullHD and NFC is lost, but you gain Fingerprint unlock, battery life is increased 50%-100% for SOT, and the SD625 will walk all over the SD808 in terms of performance, both computational and GPU performance. Other than the display itself and the loss of NFC, the G5+ is probably a superior device in my opinion.
Jessooca said:
I was talking to a reviewer friend of mine and he said he was fairly disappointed in the camera quality though.
Superior device? Perhaps you're being generous with the word Superior. Lol
Ok then what about the G4 Plus 64gb 4gb vs G5 Plus 64gb 4gb??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I said... All depends on what you want.
G4+ vs G5+ boils mostly down to screen size, build quality, and battery life. G5+ has a smaller screen, but is slimmer, it also has a more efficient processor thus uses less power, but they both use the same 3000mAh battery, this gives the G5+ about a 20% battery life improvement over the G4+. The G5+ also has a metal build and seems of better quality. Camera is a wash quality wise, but reviewers state the G5+ starts up and focuses faster. The G5+ also has a faster processor and GPU.
Winner in my book, the G5+, but realize to me screen size, once it gets over 5" or 1920x1080 resolution, means nothing to me.
I do find it odd on the G5+ Lenovo opted for a smaller display... But 5.2 to 5.5 is not really significant.
Jessooca said:
Well if you get a chance, put one in each hand and your mind will change, the skinnier G5 just feels odd and looks meh. It's like holding a Blu R1 HD.
Ok there is a debate going on about the best for under $299 with many saying the Moto G5 Plus is the best bang for your buck but how can that be when the Honor 8 is $260 on Amazon and if you've used it it's hands down a perfect device under $300
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, where do I start with this... I have touched all these devices and more. I like the metal feel, better than plastic, again this is just personal preference. The build quality seems noticably better. I thrown them in a case regardless.
I was only making a comparison between those 2 devices, not considering other options or manufacturer's. Personally, the Honor series has great hardware, but EMUI ruins the device completely, especially with how much under the hood crap Huawei has done to prevent you from changing the launcher, seriously, is it that bad to swap a launcher? But if you can deal with the bloat of EMUI or Asus's ZenUI, they are great options in that price range, personally I think the UX ruins the devices from these makers.
Personally, I like the Axon 7 Mini at the $200 price point (BestBuy and others frequently discount it to that price, my son has one, it's great). Plus there is the Blu Vivo 5R, with 3GB RAM, 32GB storage, dual SIM, and an unlocked bootloader with nearly pure Android is nice at $169 (MicroCenter current price, the website doesn't say 5R but that is what's in the store). Or even the $129 Blu Studio XR2 is a fantastic deal.
At the $300 price point, things get interesting... The Blu Pure XR is fantastic, plus they have a few more good devices in that $200-$300 range. Don't count out Blu, the last couple years, especially the last year, they have really stepped up there game.
Pushing that, I'm big fan of the OnePlus 3T but it's pushing a bit out of price range for even high-end budget device.
Yeah... I've been looking... A lot.

Overall love

Yes, yes, it's possible to love a phone. Heck, you sleep next to it, don't you? Rate this thread to indicate your love for the Moto G5S Plus, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the Moto G5S Plus is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
XDA_RealLifeReview said:
Yes, yes, it's possible to love a phone. Heck, you sleep next to it, don't you? Rate this thread to indicate your love for the Moto G5S Plus, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the Moto G5S Plus is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well Said..!
I was a pixel user. After trying this phone. I totally moved to G5S. Specifically the battery backup....loving it overall....
Hoping to see ROM's soon...
smooth performance ,
good memory mgmt ,
good display ,
bit a small battery for a 5.5" FHD display !!!
but , SD 625 helps there
rasik107 said:
smooth performance ,
good memory mgmt ,
good display ,
bit a small battery for a 5.5" FHD display !!!
but , SD 625 helps there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So does that mean SD 820 / 825 is optimized for greater battery backup or its just the SD 625 that does the magic?
Just curious to know.
Premkrishna said:
So does that mean SD 820 / 825 is optimized for greater battery backup or its just the SD 625 that does the magic?
Just curious to know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
both chipsets are great and manufactured on 14nm FinFET Process...
both are battery friendly also due to 14nm process !
for great performance + power efficiency we can consider 820 and ,
for mid-range performance + power efficiency we can consider 625 (625 performs well , not doubt )
Really worth of money
In Love
I am in love with this baby. Only the thing I am upset with Moto team is of the disabled LED light near the front camera. What logic is that? If that is for rooted phones then why rooting should void warranty? Nonsense! They don't want customers to enjoy the features in legal way.
Moto Singh said:
I am in love with this baby. Only the thing I am upset with Moto team is of the disabled LED light near the front camera. What logic is that? If that is for rooted phones then why rooting should void warranty? Nonsense! They don't want customers to enjoy the features in legal way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why do you need LED light when you have Moto Display...?
Geogliff said:
Why do you need LED light when you have Moto Display...?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because moto display wakes up at the slightest hint of movement. If I place it on my bed and I sit on the other end of bed it will light up. That's going to waste a lot of battery
1 star less for the camera.
Premkrishna said:
Well Said..!
I was a pixel user. After trying this phone. I totally moved to G5S. Specifically the battery backup....loving it overall....
Hoping to see ROM's soon...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi I am new to xda I would like to ask u on a scale from 1 to 10 how much would u give to pixel and how much to g5s plus.
Aayush124 said:
Hi I am new to xda I would like to ask u on a scale from 1 to 10 how much would u give to pixel and how much to g5s plus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't speak for Pixel but can speak for Nexus 6P.
I loved my Nexus. Had been a Nexus user since the Nexus 4. The 6P, when it worked, was the capstone of the Nexus range. Gorgeous big screen, well built, excellent performance. I would still be using it now if the well known battery issues (check the forums) hadn't come and bit me. Replaced the battery twice and maybe eked another 6 months out of the phone but I realised recently I needed to get rid of the 6P now if it was to have any resale value.
Looking around there was nothing that real worked as a successor. Wasn't taken with either of the first gen Pixels, and the prices of comparable current phones to the 6P is just insane. Even if I could afford £800-odd I wouldn't pay it for a phone.
For a replacement my criteria was:
5.5 inch or better screen
Half decent ram and processor (so min 3Gb and a Snapdragon 625)
Decent battery life
Ideally no more than £300 - or £400 for a demonstrably premium device.
I had been looking at importing one of the Xiaomi devices, and had briefly looked at a few of the Motorola devices. The G5 series screens were too small, and while I considered the Z Play range they didn't really hit the killer piece/performance mark for me.
When I read the reviews of the G5S Plus I thought "hmmm" - £250 and fulfils my performance, screen size and price criteria. Battery seemed acceptable if not stellar. What sold me was a video where I saw the use of the fingerprint scanner for swipe navigation and the gestures for one handed mode. I'd used a custom rom on the 6P with a one handed mode (which is essential for a big screen) and knowing the G5S Plus had this as stock was the deal clincher.
Have been running it for a little under a week and I have to say I'm impressed.
The screen is very nice. The colours don't "pop" like on the 6P but otherwise it is excellent. Clear and bright, very visible in the day even under direct sunlight. The difference in resolution (1080p v 1400ish p) is not very visible (to my eyes).
Build quality is excellent and it feels just as premium as the 6P did.
The phone runs fluidly and in daily use for email, browsing and general comms needs the experience is pretty much indistinguishable from the 6P. I am also enjoying the swipe to navigate, which is very intuitive and gives me back some of the screen real estate I lost from the 6P.
I am not someone who is particularly bothered about cameras. The couple of pictures I have taken look like the objects I was taking a picture of. The rest I'll leave to someone who cares to give a judgement on!
Overall though, I am very pleased. You get a lot of phone for your money. It is perhaps not quite as good value as the some of the Xiaomi devices, but if you are in the UK I think you'll struggle to find something that's better value and works as well without importing (with all the complications that go with it).
How much would I give the Nexus 6P when the battery is fully charged and it isn't randomly powering off? 9 out of 10 - marvellous phone, the best I've ever had. I will miss it.
How much would I give the Moto G5s? A very close honourable second with 8 out of 10. Does virtually everything the Nexus does (for me) at a much more economical price.
Moto Singh said:
I am in love with this baby. Only the thing I am upset with Moto team is of the disabled LED light near the front camera. What logic is that? If that is for rooted phones then why rooting should void warranty? Nonsense! They don't want customers to enjoy the features in legal way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is my biggest gripe with this phone too. Disabling the led notification light makes no sense. I don't like the Moto notifications. Turning on the screen again and again at the smallest movement uses a lot of battery.
Otherwise, this is a great phone. I moved from the LG Stylo 2 plus. I really like the screen, more RAM, faster processor, and fingerprint scanner on the front.
The phone was good, very good in terms of performance. But I had one only for 11 days because my screen cracked after just a 3 feet drop (!). Sold it and bought a Mi A1, and the latter one is better.
Pretty solid phone. The stock ROM is very sufficient with a non-too-shabby camera and focus features, however I found using Open Camera yielded faster and crisper results. The battery life is quite expected to last a day and charge times are usually an hour and a half with fast charge. There's a much anticipated Oero update on its way which might improve a lot of the features. On custom ROMs, this instance being Oreo, it is very much faster and succintly utilises battery and RAM to apply a wide variety of tweaks. The dev environment is quite good for the XT1806 because of its prevalence in the US, however compatability of ROMs with other NFC-enabled variants (such as the XT1805) would be appreciated. Overall, very solid phone and worth it's price tag.
Just order my 32GB Sanders, Open box from Best Buy, for $212. Its basically new and comes with all accessories, so I couldn't pass up the price. Less than I paid for my G5 Plus! Excited to get it next Tuesday and will post my thoughts on whether it was worth the upgrade over Potter once I receive it.
I could only give this phone 4/5 stars.
I'm glad I pre-ordered the phone directly from Motorola because I paid $299 USD for the 64GB US version and received it as soon as available. It seems to be worth more, now.
I'm NOT glad I ordered the phone at all, because despite having very acceptable specs at a good price, the radios seem to work terribly. It's not my area, it's definitely the phone. Both my girlfriend on her Verizon iPhone and me on my previous Virgin Mobile Moto G3 had 4G LTE all the time at home, and most of the time driving around. Occasionally my girlfriend's VZW phone would have service in rural pockets where my VM/Sprint phone lost network, so for the G5S Plus I switched my carrier to Straight Talk with a ST/Verizon SIM.
Since day one, my G5S Plus has NEVER shown full bars, at any service level. Most of the time AT HOME, I have 1 or 2 bars of oldschool 4G (non-LTE) -- occasionally it drops to 2 bars of 3G and most of the time when I'm driving around it's either a low 3G signal or a low 1X signal - even in the middle of Albany, a city well covered by Verizon, there are spots where MY phone drops to 1X! Meanwhile my girlfriend still has 4G LTE on her iPhone.
This is getting to be a real dealbreaker for me. I found a thread someone else posted about having more or less the same problem. He was using Verzion as well, through a different MVNO. Is this phone known to have poor performance when used on Verizon's network? Lemme ask a different question, is this phone known to have GOOD service on ANY particular network? For anyone?? I would love to know what experience the majority of people are having. Maybe another poll...
I've noticed this problem exists regardless of the ROM (tried stock nougat ROM, lineage oreo, gzr validus oreo - all the same result). My guess is the all-metal body wasn't designed with the pre-existing G5 Plus hardware in mind, since the only things they changed are the screen size, cameras and the chassis, maybe they goofed and the radio inside the metal body sucks. Or it's not selecting the proper APN automatically. I suppose there is a small chance it's a software issue which may be addressed with a future radio update, but for now I'm miffed.
---------- Post added at 08:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:46 PM ----------
itslels said:
Just order my 32GB Sanders, Open box from Best Buy, for $212. Its basically new and comes with all accessories, so I couldn't pass up the price. Less than I paid for my G5 Plus! Excited to get it next Tuesday and will post my thoughts on whether it was worth the upgrade over Potter once I receive it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad you got such a good deal. Actually back in September, Amazon had the G5 Plus 64gb (W/OUT ads) for $229 so I bought it. The phone I received worked fine and I don't mind smaller screens, but there was a sort of banding effect in the screen. It was like a transparent layer between the LCD and the backlight where every 10 pixels down, or so, there was a faint line. No matter what was on the screen, I always noticed the banding. I figured it must be a dud so I asked Amazon to send me a replacement. Second G5 Plus looked exactly the same. I returned both. A month later I preordered the G5S Plus and while I know the graphics driver and pixel output are identical to its predecessor, it is a different display panel and this one is flawless.
So my G5s plus arrived today and I've had a little time with it. Here are my initial thoughts on this as a replacement to my G5 plus.
A lot of people might think it's silly to get the G5s plus if you already own the G5 plus, but I'm glad I did. This phone is what the G5 plus should of been originally. The build quality alone is a nice upgrade. It feels so much nicer and sturdier in the hand. And the buttons feel much nicer when pressed and not mushy at all. I actually love the buttons on this device lol.
The little extra screen space is nice and the panels used in this phone are clearly of better quality then the G5 plus. Battery life seems equal to the G5 plus and the camera, sadly, is about equal too. The camera should of been a bigger improvement and is probably my only complaint. It's still a serviceable camera though.
All this added to the fact that I got it cheaper than I paid for my G5 plus, and it has 1GB more ram, doesn't having me feeling any regrets. This is an amazing phone for $214.
one of the worst phones i have ever bought slow laggy near impossible to restore to stock if you unlock bootloader either keep a rom or throw in a bin avoid the phone and motorolla in general not a good phone
I realy like this phone . Good battery backup, cant get this much battery backup from any other 3000 mah battery phone i have used. Minimal heat from screen in brightness conditions, only camera is a bit disappointed, compared to my moto x play. Sound clarity is also good.

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