Motorola Moto X Style: The Newest Flagship on the Block

Motorola has been one of the biggest surprises in the smartphone industry, at least from my point of view. You have Apple and Samsung dominating the space with everybody clamoring over the last few users who haven’t bought into the biggest corporations. Motorola has made some solid smartphones, including the first two generations of the Moto X which delivered solid value alongside exceptional performance. Then they came out with the single most recognizable Android Wear smartwatch, the Moto 360, and Motorola is doing quite well. Now there’s a new version of the Moto X called the Moto X Style and it’s shaping up to continue the excellent legacy of Motorola’s vision for smartphones. Let’s, you guessed it, dive in.

Looks

While I appreciate the thought Motorola has put into options for the customer when it comes to customization, I am starting to see a bit of complacency when it comes to actual design. The X Style looks incredibly similar to the Moto X, Moto G, Moto E, and Nexus 6 with the same front facing speakers and rounded corners with the headphone jack at the top, a softly founded rear, and the indentation on the rear where the Motorola logo is placed. It’s not that I don’t like the design, it’s just becoming repetitive.

The X Style really differs in build materials and specs. It’s made of heavier, more solid components and thus circumventing the cost cutting measures present in the Moto G and Moto E. To me, it seems most like the Nexus 6 but improved internally. Again, not a bad thing, just an observation. The rounded rear makes such a big phone easy to use and handle so props to Motorola for figuring out a unique and functional form factor.

What It Does

The X Style is an absolute beast, there’s no doubt about that. A top of the line processor, 3GB of RAM with options for 16, 32, and 64GB of storage plus a microSD card slot capable of reading cards of up to 128GB. A 21MP camera promises pretty good pictures but we’ll have to wait and see how it compares to Samsung’s offerings.

Then there’s the QHD display with 520 ppi and dual front facing speakers coupled with water resistance and the X Style is shaping up to be a rather competitive flagship device…until it’s priced at $399 and it becomes a seriously awesome deal. With these specs and Motorola’s awesome software, you’re getting a powerful device for a comfortable price.