Motorola just launched the X4 at IFA in Berlin today. The X series were started in a historic manner back in 2013. The first of their kind was a project by Motorola and their then owner, Google, which aimed to show that minimal specifications would run android fluidly if the software was well optimized. In fact, the original Moto X run on a dual core processor and it was considerably faster than its main rival, the Samsung Galaxy S4 that had a whopping 8 core processor. In addition, a Moto Maker website was also in place to let users customize every single physical part of the phone.
Fast forward several years later, the X4 is launched and no, you cannot customize it via Moto Maker since that website was closed off. You might be thinking you could just snap on a Moto Mod, but those are only reserved for the Moto Z series. Fortunately, the great software optimization done by Motorola is still going on and expect to have a breeze when operating the Android Nougat preinstalled with the help of the Amazon Alexa Assistant and the genius Moto Apps that we encountered in our review of the Moto Z. As for aesthetics, the phone is now made of glass on the front and rear with a metallic frame holding it together, I personally like this design over that of the original Moto X, especially now that it is IP68 rated for water and dust resistant.
The Moto X4 is a great phone despite these deductions, it comes with 5.2inch full HD display and a dual camera that combines a regular 12MP f/2.0 sensor with a 8MP 120 degrees wide angle sensor with a f/2.2 aperture. A dual tone dual LED flash is present to produce night shots with balanced colors. 4K recording and the trendy new bokeh effect (blurry background) are all supported as well. On to the front, we have a whopping 16MP selfie camera. It comes with a 4MP adaptive low-light mode that combines the pixels to bring in more light when taking selfies in dark areas.
Making these features possible is a Snapdragon 630 that is popular for its energy efficiency so expect long battery life from the 3,000mAh pack. Refills will be pretty fast too thanks to the 15W fast charging technology built in. Storage has been capped at 32GB but is expandable if the user desires. The optimized software we discussed early will be aided by 3GB RAM for multitasking. Some of the Moto features cooked into the software include Moto Key, a service that allows you to access password-secured websites by just a single-tap. Connectivity has been covered thanks to dual SIM functionality, the new Bluetooth 5.0 and 4G LTE. Lenovo has decided to maintain the 3.5mm audio jack next to the USB-C port, as a refresher, the Moto Z2 Force they recently launched omitted the jack.
For those wondering about pricing and availability, the Moto X4 will be available in Europe first then to other regions later. It will come in Super Black and Sterling Blue colors. The Europe region price will be €399, a reasonable offer considering its specifications.
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