This is my favorite phone that I've owned or used (I will be sure to edit this review if I ever have reason to feel otherwise due to reliability and such). For reference, I am coming from an LG G2. I really loved many features of the G2, such as the double tap to wake feature and the buttons on the back, and I was afraid to lose those features. However, the G2 was just a nightmare phone from the beginning (and to make things worse, LG is a terrible company to work with and they have serious quality control issues). I wish I could say it was an isolated issue, but my wife also has the G2 and has had similar persistent issues. Anyway, it was time to move on, and I am so glad I did!
What I love about this phone:
• The Moto enhancements. It’s crazy that just a few simple additions to Android could take the OS from good to great, but that’s exactly what Motorola has done! I almost never have to push the power button to wake my phone because it just knows when I want to turn it on. Good bye tap to wake – I don’t miss that feature at all because this is even better! And how many times have you pushed the power button just to check the time on your phone? All you have to do is look at the MXP and it’ll show you the time. Very cool! And then there’s the twist motion that pulls up the camera – genius and awesome! It’s very fast and has made my phone that much more convenient to use as a camera. I also love being able to turn on the flashlight with a chopping motion (though it’s not as reliable as the camera motion, but I may just need to re-calibrate the gyro sensors). I never want to be without these features again!
• If you read reviews about the MXP’s camera, you’ll see many comments about how it’s not as good as Samsung or iPhone cameras and many will downplay the camera app on the MXP. It may not be the very best camera out there, but it’s very good and I am happy with it! I like it much better than the camera on my G2 (which was a camera that received a lot of good reviews and praise) – I got so many bad/pixelated photos with the G2’s native camera app that I never used it and downloaded a third party camera app. With the MXP, I’m very happy with the camera app and have little use for a third party app now. The MXP's camera loads very fast as well. And, again, I love being able to twist to open the camera, which makes it possible to pull the phone out of your pocket, twist on your way up to position, and have the camera ready almost as soon as you are physically able to take a picture. This is far superior to having to unlock your phone and tap on the camera icon, or even swipe the camera icon on the lock screen. The most important thing with any camera is the ability to take great pictures, and as far as I'm concerned, this camera does just that. Even in lower light situations, which many say this camera does poorly with, I find the pictures to be as good as most phone cameras.
• I’ve seen complaints that Moto Voice isn’t as fast or reliable as Google Now, but this has not been my experience. The only issue I’ve had so far is that Moto Voice doesn’t work for very many things if I don’t have WiFi on (I don’t have data with my plan, so this issue really won't apply to very many people as most have a data plan), but I’m pretty sure I just don’t have something set up right on my phone because I think it’s supposed to be able to make calls with or without a data connection, and that’s the main thing that I haven’t been able to do. Regardless, I like Moto Voice – I love being able to have a custom phrase; it’s fun and I was able to pick something easier to say than “OK Google” (there’s something about saying that phrase that just doesn’t roll off the tongue very easily). Also, Moto Voice works whether your phone is awake or not.
• The customization is fun. I never really cared before what the back of a phone looked like and never understood why everyone made such a big deal about how “premium” the back of a phone was. You’re going to cover it up with a case anyway, so why does it matter? Well, when you can make your phone match your style as you can with the MXP, it suddenly actually does matter. For once in my life, the back of the phone is a big deal to me and I found myself immediately seeking out a clear case that will show it off.
• This is a “minor” thing, but a detail that I really appreciate and didn’t know about until I got the phone – the camera lens is recessed a little below the surface of the phone. Every other phone I’ve owned had it flush with the back of the phone and it got finger print smudges on it and was more prone to getting scratched. With the MXP, I don’t get finger print smudges and I worry less about scratches because it’s recessed, and that holds value to me.
• I love the screen size (I think I would actually like to go to a 6” screen with my next phone).
• Front facing speakers are something I’ve wanted for a long time, and I can now say that it truly is the way to go and I’m thrilled to finally have them. And these speakers are good, to boot!
• The turbo charger is fast.
• Water repellent – for a little peace of mind.
• Pure Android – nothing added to bloat the system.
• Expandable memory. With Marshmallow, this feature has reached new heights as you can add an SD card and have the phone adopt it as internal memory. That means you can go with the base 16GB model and just buy an SD card to get however much memory you want for less than the cost to go up to a 32GB or 64GB model.
Nitpicks:
• I wish the battery had a larger capacity, but it’s sufficient for a day’s use (at least for now as a brand new phone – it could become an issue a year or two down the road as the battery loses capacity…). If the battery was user replaceable, that would be an ok solution (not that I would actually carry around an extra battery, but I would like to be able to replace it when it starts losing capacity to go all day).
• I wish Moto Voice had more functionality without a data connection, or that I could figure out what I have wrong in my settings if that’s the issue. I see no reason why I shouldn’t be able to get Moto Voice to make a call for me without a data connection. But, this may just be a problem on my end and not actually a problem with Moto Voice.
• I didn’t like how big the icons were, but that was an easy fix by installing Nova Launcher.
• I can't tell the difference between QHD screens and 1080p. From the research I’ve done, QHD apparently isn’t much more of a drain on the battery than a 1080p screen (contrary to popular belief and what I believed), but it does tax the battery a little more and I don’t see the value in it. Also, from what I've read, while it doesn't make a very big difference in battery life, it does make a significant difference in all around performance of the device. Whatever the case, I would rather they put a standard screen on there and put the investment toward a bigger battery capacity. But, alas, QHD seems to be the new norm.
• I don’t get the dimple on the back - it does nothing for me. I just keep thinking I’m touching the camera lens (you’d think coming from a G2 that wouldn’t be the case, but that was a different kind of feel than the dimple…). But I know many people love the dimple and find it useful. *Edit: As I have continued using the phone and have gotten used to the dimple, I am finding that it does help a little, so it's not as useless as I originally thought.
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From the manufacturer
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What is an unlocked phone?An unlocked phone is a device that is not bound to any carrier or plan. It allows you to choose your phone first and your carrier second. Upon selecting a plan, simply insert the carrier's SIM card into the phone and you're ready to go. If you decide you want to change carriers down the road or want to take an international trip, it's as simple as replacing your existing SIM card with a new SIM and activating your new plan. |
What are the benefits of an unlocked phone?Freedom: Choose the carrier with the best service or price. If you find a better deal later, you have the ability to change to a different carrier. Travel: Take your phone internationally and use the carrier of your choice. It's as easy as inserting an active SIM card. Selection: Choose the phone with the features you want, whether or not your carrier sells it, and get more service options without a contract. |
How do I set up my unlocked phone?The first thing you’ll need is a SIM card for your desired carrier. When activated, the SIM card will let your phone connect to your carrier’s network. If you decide to upgrade to a newer unlocked phone in the future, you can easily remove the SIM card from your old phone and put it in your new phone—just make sure you get the right size of SIM card (nano, micro, or standard) for your phone. If you want to use your phone while traveling internationally, you can easily buy a SIM card for a carrier that operates where you’re traveling. As long as it’s activated, you can just swap SIM cards when you arrive at your destination. |
Compare with similar items
This Item  Moto X Pure Edition Unlocked Smartphone, 64 GB Black XT1575, 5.7" Quad HD display, 21 MP Camera, Quad-core 1.8GHz |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | — | $57.29 | -9% $144.99 Typical: $159.99 | -9% $144.99 Typical: $159.99 | $69.95 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Thursday, Apr 25 | Get it as soon as Saturday, Apr 27 | Get it as soon as Thursday, Apr 25 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Apr 24 |
| Customer Ratings | |||||
| Fingerprint reader | |||||
| Battery life | |||||
| Sold By | — | Bindpon | HonZin Smartphone - US | HonZin Smartphone - US | Detroit Packing Co. |
| display size | 5.7 inches | 2.5 inches | 6.52 inches | 6.52 inches | 6.5 inches |
| memory capacity | 64 GB | 8 GB | 512 GB | 512 GB | 2 GB |
| model name | Motorola | XS11 3G | Note 16 Pro (16+512GB) Black | Note 16 Pro (16+512GB) Blue | Moto G Go |
| operating system | Android | Android 6.0 | Android 13.0 | Android 13.0 | Android 11.0 |
| connectivity tech | Wi-Fi | USB | Bluetooth, USB, Wi-Fi | Bluetooth, USB, Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi |
| display type | LCD | — | LCD | LCD | LCD |
| water resistance | water resistant | not water resistant | not water resistant | not water resistant | water resistant |
| cellular technology | 4G | 3G | 4G | 4G | 5G |
| weight | 0.99 pounds | 141 grams | — | — | 0.07 ounces |
Reviews with images
Moto X Pure vs. Nexus 6
Ever since December of 2014, I have been using a Cloud White 64GB Nexus 6. I am going to list the pros and cons of the Moto X Pure in general, and also compare the phone to the Nexus 6. I have included a Winner to each section, which sums up my points. Just in case you don’t want to read my entire review. Hopefully this will help many others who are thinking of making the same switch that I did. That being said, let's get this review started!Moto X Pure vs. Nexus 6:Display: LCD vs AMOLEDI originally was scared to go back to an LCD, I loved the deep blacks of the AMOLED and got used to the saturated colors. After using the MXP for a bit, I genuinely prefer the more natural colors of the LCD. The LCD is also capable of getting much brighter than the Nexus AMOLED, while also getting darker. The Nexus 6 can get almost as dark, but at the lowest setting the colors turn red. Some people may prefer the over-saturated colors and deep blacks of the AMOLED, but I find the LCD blacks are extremely good, and it gets much brighter. The LCD seems to be sharper to my eyes. Keep in mind, the Nexus wins for viewing angles. The MXP viewing angles aren't as bad as people make it seem, but they are not the best.Winner (in my opinion): MXP. I prefer the brighter LCD, sharper picture and more natural colors.Size:If you are not used to a bigger phone, it will take some getting used to. Both the Nexus and MXP will be big if you are coming from a sub 5.5" display phone. That being said, the MXP is much easier to use. I personally have extremely large hands (all of my friends and family say the Nexus looks like a normal phone in my hands), I did not find the Nexus hard to use. Without a case, the Nexus gave me no issues. Once I put a case on it, I had issues comfortably using it one-handed, mainly because of the width of the phone. The MXP is significantly narrower, and is also not as tall as the Nexus. The MXP being narrower makes it much easier for one-handed use, and I honestly find it quite small now, because I got so used to the huge Nexus.Winner: MXP. I prefer the bigger screen of the Nexus, but once it is in a case, the width became an issue for me. I have no issues with the size of the MXP.Camera (MXP has 21MP Back and 5MP Front, Nexus 6 has 13MP Back and 2MP Front):The Nexus camera was a huge improvement over my Galaxy S4, at least in the picture department. Anyone with the Nexus 6 knows how poor the video quality is. The OIS does not work reliably, and it has trouble focusing during video. The picture quality was better than my S4, but the OIS and focus made it worse than my S4. The MXP does not have OIS, but it has software stabilization. This works much better and more reliably than on the Nexus 6. I made a video of me walking with the MXP, and it barely moved compared to the Nexus 6. The MXP has more accurate colors in both picture and video, and it is a much improved camera overall. The MXP takes much more detailed pictures, and it captures images in HDR faster than the Nexus in non-HDR mode. The wide angle front camera of the MXP is amazing. It has significantly more detail (double the megapixels), more accurate colors, lets in more light, and captures much more in a shot. I used the front flash once, and it's a flash. Not much else to be said. I have no use for it, but for people that want to take selfies in the darkness of them doing weird stuff, you can do that now.Winner: MXP. The back camera is more accurate, more detailed, and higher quality in general. This goes for both pictures and videos. The software stabilizes videos better than the Nexus 6 OIS. The front camera has a flash (useless to me but could be useful to you), more detail, more accurate colors, and is extremely wide.Hardware Design:Both the MXP and Nexus 6 have a very similar design. The aluminum band and button layout are basically identical, except the micro USB charging port is upside down in the MXP compared to the Nexus 6. The back of the phone shows the main differences. I prefer the ring flash of the Nexus, as it gives off a softer flash with a nice oval shape. However, the MXP flash gives off a much more natural color. The dimple placement on the MXP is not as bad as I thought it would be. I thought it was going to be too low compared to the Nexus, but I am used to it already. I personally prefer the bigger dimple of the Nexus, but I still enjoy the MXP dimple. The front of the MXP is different, as it has multiple more sensors compared to the Nexus. These are for Motorola’s software features, which I will get to soon. Both phones have front facing stereo speakers.Winner: Tie. I prefer the white front of the Moto X, while I also prefer the ring flash and bigger dimple on the Nexus 6.Software:The software on both phones is virtually the same, except a few things. The Nexus is the only device that uses Google's Dialer, which lets you search for businesses within the dialer. Also, if you have your data on and receive a call or place a call to a business, Google will show the contact name for that business when you call. Motorola has its own software that many people have already talked about. You can use Moto Voice to do voice actions with your phone, and you are able to set a custom command. I don't want to waste your time reviewing the software as they are similar except for the Motorola software.Winner: MXP as it adds many useful Motorola features. The Google Dialer is the best dialer to me, but the useful Motorola software is even better. The Nexus will get updates first, which is the biggest reason I got the Nexus in the first place.Customization:The Nexus has two options: Midnight Blue and Cloud White. The Moto X lets you choose different textured backs, including leather and bamboo. I always loved the look of the White Front and Bamboo Back Moto X, so that is what I got this time. I love it. The bamboo looks great, and is extremely soft and grippy.Winner: MXP. The Nexus doesn’t really offer customization.Speakers:Both phones have front stereo speakers. The Nexus 6 speakers get louder, but they sound quite similar overall. The MXP speakers can crackle at very loud volume on certain notification ringtones. I have not heard cracking during video though. I am not sure if this is hardware or software related, but it has not made me want to return the phone.Winner: Nexus 6. The speakers are louder and do not crackle.Battery:The Nexus 6 has quite poor battery life overall for me. I mainly use LTE, and I get good signal on Verizon. The Nexus can last me a day, but not much longer than that. So far, the MXP gets better battery life for me. I will have to test this more, but it seems that the battery is significantly better. Yesterday, I used data for quite a while, texted, called, listened to music while studying for 10 hours. The phone was on for a total of 21 hours, and I had 2 and a half hours of screen time, with 30% battery left. I could have easily gotten 3 hours of screen time, and this was with heavy usage for me. The Nexus would have 100% been dead in a similar time frame for me.Winner: MXP.Overall, I prefer the MXP. The customization was a huge selling feature for me, as I really loved the White Front and Bamboo Back. The battery, camera, and display are all improvements compared to the Nexus (at least in my opinion). The screen size is still quite good, while being a lot narrower than the Nexus, making one hand usage much more manageable for many of you. My personal recommendation is that the MXP is a superior phone to the Nexus 6. Granted, it is guaranteed not to receive updates as fast as the Nexus, but I am confident it will be a close second. Only time will tell. I plan to update this review if anything in my opinion changes. I also will update the review once my phone receives the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update.10/06/2015: I have added some photos that I took here. Amazon most likely will lower the resolution. The colors of the photos are very accurate, and each photo has a very large amount of detail.10/31/2015: I've taken a lot of front camera photos now. I never really used the front camera on my previous phones, but the higher megapixels and wide angle lens really makes me want to use it. The photos always come out great, and I actually have used the front flash multiple times. It does not blind me, which was my biggest concern with a front flash. I have done some 4K video footage now, and it stabilizes just as well in 4K as it does in 1080p. The stabilization is not the absolute best when compared to other phones, but I find that it works great. I still stand by everything in my review. I currently am using the Incipio Octane Clear/Frost Case, and I highly recommend it. I'll be sure to keep this updated if anything changes.01/27/2016: I have been trying to edit this review for months now, but it would not work. I have contacted Amazon many times, and it seems they have finally fixed my issue. Anyway, I have taken a large amount of photos with this phone now, and I really enjoy the camera. I will try to post more pictures soon, because I only included two photos in my initial review. I updated my phone to Marshmallow about a month ago, and it's been great so far. My apps stay open in the background even when I open 5 or more apps. I had trouble on Lollipop where after opening about 3 apps, my other apps would close. Marshmallow seemed to have fixed this for me, which is extremely helpful. My battery life does not seemed to have changed with Marshmallow. I was hoping that the Doze feature would improve my standby battery life, but it has not. The battery is not bad, it has always lasted me an entire day of full usage in the few months I have owned the phone. I am now using a Case-Mate bumper case, as I wanted some protection but wanted to feel my Bamboo back. Otherwise, everything in my review still stands. I have dropped the phone twice with no damage at all, which is great. It seems durable so far. If anything changes I will be sure to update my review again.
