I've owned nearly all of the high-end smartphones, here are my thoughts. (Hint: Moto X is best)

[mojofusion]

bd1212 you are an awesome reviewer. Most people dont have time to check out the phones they are interested in personally. Keep up the good work!

 

[dakid2k6]

That review alone is the icing on the cake for me to buy a moto x and now sell either my note 2 or nexus 4. Great review and even better that you have it compared to other devices you have used.

 

[Rocketsaucev2]

Before KK update, I could go 7am to 11pm with my usage and have 20% left. After KK, I was getting battery warnings at 3pm. Nothing else changed. I could get a bit better if I started turning off everything I want to phone to do, but even then, it was only making it to 6pm. And with KK, I couldn't run Wakelock Detector or GSAM battery to find out what was going on. Spoke to Moto and did their suggestions. Did a factory reset. Did all the tips I could find. Nothing improved. Hit day 13, so I returned it before I was stuck with it.

I don't think this is accurate of most people's experience, such as myself

https://plus.google.com/104176049419595365827/posts/AtQgjQcytm1

-Moto X-

 

[drvier8]

I don't think this is accurate of most people's experience, such as myself

https://plus.google.com/104176049419595365827/posts/AtQgjQcytm1

-Moto X-

That was what was frustrating. There a more than a few bad battery threads around, but there are also lots of folks deleting good battery performance. My previous phone was (is again at the moment) an original razr maxx. I knew the X wouldn't compete.with that, but I expected.to make it through the work day and dinner out after work.

I'm glad folks are happy with their Xs. I really wanted mine to work for me. I waited impatiently for verizon to get on motomaker and ordered on the first day. I was disappointed to have to return it.

 

[bd1212]

Broseph you realize you don't pay restocking fee if it's defective right? So like light bleed, dead pixels, screwed up GPS... all reasons vzw should take a phone back with no restocking fee.

Sent from my XT1053

Tell that to Verizon. :/

I tried telling them that and they just said to do a factory reset (which I had done numerous times, and flashed other ROM's to confirm it was a hardware defect) and refused to give me a refund unless I paid the restocking fee. Absolutely ridiculous, but whatever. Someone's supposed to be buying it tomorrow and I'll be making about $10 in profit from the sale, so no matter. Verizon just sucks and I hate even going anywhere near their stores, they're just so unhelpful.

Great post. I'm surprised you haven't tried the n5 b.c it sounds like it would be perfect for you.

Edit: Verizon

I've played with my cousins and it seems like a kick *** device, just needs a few tweaks to optimize the battery and the camera is fine after the 4.4.1 update. Really an awesome device, especially for the price.

bd1212 you are an awesome reviewer. Most people dont have time to check out the phones they are interested in personally. Keep up the good work!

Thanks man! I honestly thought I was going to get flamed for this so hard and be told that this post is pointless/that I suck at writing lol, so it's good to see that you (and others) really like it. I love reading user reviews as opposed to tech blog reviews, they just seem so much more real, if that makes sense. Real users actually use the device and put it through its paces and use it normally; tech reviewers, on the other hand, usually use it in weird ways... taking pictures non-stop all day, running website tests till it dies, leaving videos running for hours on end till it dies, etc. That's not real world use and doesn't accurately depict the different situations/scenarios that an average user would put their phone through. Not to mention the bias that a lot of reviewers seem to have. I like doing write-ups/reviews like this because it allows you to easily look at all the positives and negatives of different devices in real world use, and then see how they compare to other high-end, popular devices.

Plus, it's fun.

 

[UJ95x]

But I had to plug my X in 3 times a day. Returned it to see if any updates improve the battery life to pre-kit kat levels.

Most people report getting 5+ hours of screen time and some even get more than 6. I don't know what you're doing with the phone or if you charge it when it gets to around 20% but there is no way you completely drain the battery 3 times a day.
15+ hours of screen time in a day? Doubt it

 

[CehowardNote7]

Nice post and very, very informative.

A couple points I'd like to mention.

First, you are in a Moto X area.(praise expected, and rightfully so)

Second, I like to see the kind of response you would get if you post the EXACT SAME post, but in EACH of the phones that you say the Moto X bested, their forum.

Third, while the Moto X is an excellent phone, it doesn't have sd card support or removable battery.. BTW the Samsung S4 has better battery performance than the Moto X.

Fourth, not here to bust bubbles, just happened glance through and saw the super praise for this phone. Shucks, if the OP says it is better than the Note 3, I want to know about and make preparations to get one..

However, after investigating, not the case..The Note 3 is an S4 on steriods..

BTW, I saw this on youtube..

Moto X vs Galaxy S 4 - YouTube

 

[UJ95x]

Nice post and very, very informative.

A couple points I'd like to mention.

First, you are in a Moto X area.(praise expected, and rightfully so)

Second, I like to see the kind of response you would get if you post the EXACT SAME post, but in EACH of the phones that you say the Moto X bested, their forum.

Third, while the Moto X is an excellent phone, it doesn't have sd card support or removable battery.. BTW the Samsung S4 has better battery performance than the Moto X.

Fourth, not here to bust bubbles, just happened glance through and saw the super praise for this phone. Shucks, if the OP says it is better than the Note 3, I want to know about and make preparations to get one..

However, after investigating, not the case..The Note 3 is an S4 on steriods..

BTW, I saw this on youtube..

Moto X vs Galaxy S 4 - YouTube

Not OP but some guy in another thread posted about the Moto X on iMore, not even AC and while it didn't get as much praise, there wasn't much hate on it

Posted via Android Central App

 

[cwbcpa]

Nice post and very, very informative.

A couple points I'd like to mention.

First, you are in a Moto X area.(praise expected, and rightfully so)

Second, I like to see the kind of response you would get if you post the EXACT SAME post, but in EACH of the phones that you say the Moto X bested, their forum.

Third, while the Moto X is an excellent phone, it doesn't have sd card support or removable battery.. BTW the Samsung S4 has better battery performance than the Moto X.

Fourth, not here to bust bubbles, just happened glance through and saw the super praise for this phone. Shucks, if the OP says it is better than the Note 3, I want to know about and make preparations to get one..

However, after investigating, not the case..The Note 3 is an S4 on steriods..

BTW, I saw this on youtube..

Moto X vs Galaxy S 4 - YouTube

That's the beauty of Android. Choices are great. I loved my Note 2 and also had the S4 for about 3 months. I will take the Moto X over the S4 every time. There are no features on the S4 that I want over the features on the Moto X. Again that is my preference. I have only had the Moto X for two days, but if those two days are any indication of the battery life/usage then it is at least on par with, if not better than, the S4 that I had. Both are very good. As far as the Note 3, I agree with you. It is on a whole different level. If you need the features of the Note 3, then it is a better choice. If you don't then I think the Moto X is one of the best devices on the market. I chose the Moto X over the Note 3 right now. We will see how I feel in a month, but I felt the Moto X deserved a shot and I am very glad I made this choice. It just does so many things that are useful really well. Choices are awesome.

 

[LegalAmerican]

My mom bought a Moto X last week and I went over to her house to help her set it up. I absolutely fell in love with it, but I already had my Nexus 5 on the way and I purchased that just before the Cyber Monday deal was announced on the Moto X. Anyway, I absolutely love my Nexus but when my mom has questions and I help her with something on the X, i'm still very impressed. I think the Moto X is the best and the N5 is RIGHT behind it tied with the Note 3.

 

[CehowardNote7]

That's the beauty of Android. Choices are great. I loved my Note 2 and also had the S4 for about 3 months. I will take the Moto X over the S4 every time. There are no features on the S4 that I want over the features on the Moto X. Again that is my preference. I have only had the Moto X for two days, but if those two days are any indication of the battery life/usage then it is at least on par with, if not better than, the S4 that I had. Both are very good. As far as the Note 3, I agree with you. It is on a whole different level. If you need the features of the Note 3, then it is a better choice. If you don't then I think the Moto X is one of the best devices on the market. I chose the Moto X over the Note 3 right now. We will see how I feel in a month, but I felt the Moto X deserved a shot and I am very glad I made this choice. It just does so many things that are useful really well. Choices are awesome.

Thanks for that reply. Wasn't trying to bust bubbles, but the OP had mentioned the Note 3.., so I felt that a respectful reply was okay. Mind you, the Moto X is some phone. In fact, the smartphones now are making quantum leaps in the period of just months...I had a S4, and returned it because I wanted more internal memory, and wanted to stay with Tmobile.. The S4 is awesome. If the Moto X can be even compared with the S4 it is has got to be good. The Note 3 does everything the S4 and better..

Getting back to the Moto X, a great phone, a real great phone, but to say it is busting down all those big names, IMO a little over the top..

Also, I understand, that people can rate something entirely different and they all be CORRECT. That seems like the case here. The Moto X has pushed all the right buttons for the OP, and that is great.. But, it is not kicking everybody's ****.. It is a winner for the OP.. Great, great phone.... One thing for sure, with this sort of heat competition, Apple better watch out.. Look at what is happening to Blackberry!!

We are lucky to have such great choices...

 

[ab304945]

Moto X it's way over hyped. To you it is the best. It doesn't make it the best

Posted via Android Central App

 

[JungleLarry]

Moto X vs Galaxy S 4 - YouTube

*opens video*
*sees it's from August*
*closes YouTube*

 

[UJ95x]

Moto X it's way over hyped. To you it is the best. It doesn't make it the best

Posted via Android Central App

It's underrated if you ask me. The other phones the OP mentioned are over hyped

Posted via Android Central App

 

[anon(6085464)]

Lots of money you got there sir.

Sent from my XT1053 using Tapatalk

 

[bd1212]

Lots of money you got there sir.

Sent from my XT1053 using Tapatalk

Nope, just buy and re-sell on Swappa or Craiglist.

Nice post and very, very informative.

A couple points I'd like to mention.

First, you are in a Moto X area.(praise expected, and rightfully so)

Second, I like to see the kind of response you would get if you post the EXACT SAME post, but in EACH of the phones that you say the Moto X bested, their forum.

Third, while the Moto X is an excellent phone, it doesn't have sd card support or removable battery.. BTW the Samsung S4 has better battery performance than the Moto X.

Fourth, not here to bust bubbles, just happened glance through and saw the super praise for this phone. Shucks, if the OP says it is better than the Note 3, I want to know about and make preparations to get one..

However, after investigating, not the case..The Note 3 is an S4 on steriods..

BTW, I saw this on youtube..

Moto X vs Galaxy S 4 - YouTube

Thanks man, I try to just accurately sum up what it was like using each device and which one was the best for me. In the end, these are all just my opinions and findings. The Moto X was the best device for me, but it may be different for you or for someone else.

Now, to answer your questions:

I posted this here because those other phones are overhyped and get more than enough praise, while the Moto X get's far less. For this reason, more people seem to be weary on buying a Moto X and often wonder how it compares to the other high-end phones. This wasn't a post to bash the other phones, this was just my experience using each of those phones. Speaking of the S4, though, I owned that for about 4 months and was constantly flashing ROMs and kernels to try and get the best battery life out of it. In the end, the best I could manage was 4 hours of screen-on time with 14-16 hours unplugged. That's good and all, but on the first day of owning my Moto X I was able to get 5.5 hours of screen-on time with 16 hours of usage. That's quite a bit better than my S4 and it also was much better of an experience solely because it didn't lag all the time.

I didn't say anything about the SD card slot and removable battery because they are aren't important to me. The Note 3, as you said, is just a blown up S4. It was way too big for me, I didn't have an use for the S-Pen, battery life was not what I was expecting after being told it was amazing, and the camera was a downgrade from the S4. Honestly, though, the Note 3 and the Moto X are two phones that were built for two very different people. It's definitely the best phablet out there, but it's not the best phone, in my opinion.

 

[thebignewt]

Good helpful review of good phones. My wife loves her Note 3 (she had the 4s) but it's too big for my pocket. I was leaning HTC One but it's old. The MotoX has the same lower keys as my Galaxy Nexus, which I like. I assume the screen of the MotoX is a little bigger. I also don't like my tinny speaker. I'll be checking this phone out next month when I upgrade. We all had the original Droid (with the optional keyboard to wean us from the BB) right?

 

[ultravisitor]

The Note 3 is an S4 on steriods..

And steroids cause testicles to shrink.

 

[Wildo6882]

My main issue is the camera on this thing. Other than that it is a great phone. Coming from an iPhone and an S4, the camera just leaves a lot to be desired. I like the interface and the quick ability to take pictures, those features are phenomenal. But the pictures that are produced are lacking to me.

Thanks for your opinion and write-up. I always appreciate the "common man's" review. Especially from another habitual trader like myself.

 

[anon(464338)]

And steroids cause testicles to shrink.

But they return to size when you get rid of them

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