Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

There is no such thing as "the" perfect smartphone since each individual uses them differently and will have different requirements or preferences. So before I get to the details, I'll let you know my own. I've used iPhones for most of my life, but recently got bored with iOS and went on a long, expensive, chronically and unreasonably dissatisfied hunt for more interesting phones in the Android world. I value a well-balanced phone with: 1) Clean, quick, uncluttered software with a pleasing user interface 2) A camera that can stand-alone as my one-and-only camera (low grain, great exposure, decent color reproduction, decent HD video) 3) Premium build quality that can please an Apple-seduced ex-iPhoner (feel-in-hand is especially important to me) 4) A bright, colorful, and sharp screen 5) Full day battery life I also care about durability, prompt software updating, and accessory availability. I use the Sony Xperia Z3 as my go-to phone, and have also recently owned the iPhone 5s, LG G2, Google Nexus 5, HTC One M8, and Sony Xperia Z2. My wife uses the Samsung S5. I bought the Motorola Moto X pure, unlocked version through the Motorola moto-builder site. As a disclaimer got a Bamboo back and Blue trim, so be warned that while I've felt the leather in stores I had a very slightly different experience. I've used the phone for two weeks. Okay, on to the review! 1) Software: 100/100. I've never awarded a 100% to any phone for any feature. Until now. Motorola and Google absolutely nailed it. First, you'll get the phone at Android 4.4 KitKat, but 5.0 Lollipop is already out for the Moto X and the phone can (and should) be updated immediately. Stock Android Lollipop is gorgeous, colorful, and adds many small changes that, when they come together, makes the software almost perfect. Props to Motorola for keeping the phone stock. The few features that Motorola has added (all found in one app) are genuinely useful. The Moto X has excellent voice-activated commands with a customizable command phrase that actually works consistently. It also knows where you are and adapts accordingly; whether you're driving, sleeping, in a meeting, or having family time, you can customize how the phone notifies you and interacts with you given your current activity. You get nice and customizable lock-screen notifications as well. This is the smartest smartphone I've ever used, by far. Also, Google Now is omnipresent and is a decently useful (if creepily predictive) feature. If you care about software above all, look no further. The Moto X is the phone for you. 2) Camera: 83/100. Like the rest of the phone's software, the camera app is smart, pretty, and quick. You can flick your wrist twice to open the app, an experience that is quick, pleasing, and works consistently if you can remember that it exists. Though not actually Google's camera app, the camera software resembles it in its minimalism and de-cluttered UI, which I really like. Also, shutter speed is one of the fastest I've seen, rivaling the iPhone. So it's not all bad. And while I'd read poor reviews about the camera, I was willing to give it a chance. And note that my standards are very high. Unfortunately, though, the images I got were just not consistently solid. In bright outdoor light you'll get nice, colorful, decently sharp images. In any other light, however, images are often blurred, sort of grainy, and discolored. The phone lacks Optical Image Stabilization, and it shows. Though the camera is 13 MP, the images were much less sharp than on the 4 MP HTC One or 8 MP iPhones. If you compose the photo, you'll get a decent image half the time. If you don't, it's more like 1 in 4. And try as you might, you'll have to fight hard to get a really, really good image that you'll want to print. The flash (which, by the way, is not a ring but is just two LEDs) is bright but doesn't solve the camera's low light issues, producing red-eye and off-tone colors. Video is better, but not amazing. I'm honestly sad about this, but it was a dealbreaker for me personally. If you're no shutterfly and just need the occasional quick snap of pets or kids, the camera will do the job. If you're at all picky about images though, you'll be chronically dissatisfied. Sad, but it's the one-and-only true weak point on the phone. 3) Build Quality: 96/100. This is a gorgeous phone. And the range of customization options (Soft leather? Warm wood? Either, please.) is nothing short of brilliant and will turn more heads more than any iPhone. The curved back feels great in the hand. The Gorilla Glass is smoothly rounded around the edges. The metal rim is eye candy and feels awesome, if a tad slick. The aluminum speaker and camera trim is nice, whether stock or colorfully customized on Motorola's site. Look, it's just a stunner of a phone, at least on par with the HTC One and Sony Xperia line with much more personality. 4) Screen: 90/100. OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) screens are interesting. Instead of a backlight, each pixel produces it's own light, giving the screen a unique, warm, saturated feel. Coming from the ultra-bright Sony Z3's LCD panel, the Moto X was quite a change. Colors are bolder and more saturated, and much warmer. Browns and colors look great. And since OLED screens produce black by simple turning the pixels off, blacks are inky-dark and contrasting colors just pop beautifully. It's a nice screen, and the resolution at 1080p is as sharp as I could ever care about. My only real complaint is that the screen is dim, at about half the brightness of its competitors in nits produced (whatever a "nit" is, don't ask me). You get used to it fast and it saves battery, but coming from the brightest phone on the market it was a little underwhelming. I could get used to the rich OLED colors very fast though, and the deep black will certainly be missed. 5) Battery life: 85/100. It's fine, but nothing to write home about. Android Lollipop saves battery well, as does the dimmer screen and well-done notifications. I'm a heavy smartphone user (ahem...addict), so I never get more than one day with any phone. This phone will get you through a workday, but if you're like me then you'll need a quick charge in the evening to get you through bedtime. Note: Invest in a Qualcomm Quick-Charge 2.0 charger, supported by the Moto X. Just do it. It blew me away! You get 35% battery added in just 15 minutes. Plug it in during your after-work shower and you'll have juice to make it through Friday night, no problem. Summary: If you're somehow still reading this, here's the final verdict. If you don't care too much about camera performance, or prefer a stand-alone camera, just stop and buy this phone. It's fantastic in every single other way and costs less than rivals. Personally, I'd go through the Moto Maker website for free customization if you can stand to wait a week for delivery. If software and UI matter most to you, you'll be smitten by the scrappy Moto X. And if Motorola can come up with a better camera, I'll buy future versions of this phone in a heartbeat.