Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Motorola Moto X Play review

Step away from the charger! The Moto X Play literally has battery for days

motorola moto x play review dsc 0847
Motorola Moto X Play
MSRP $569.00
“With best-in-show battery life around and solid features, the X Play is the workhorse phone you’ll want.”
Pros
  • Fantastic battery life
  • Moto Voice is better
  • Solid build
  • Improved camera performance
  • Dual Nano SIM and MicroSD slot
Cons
  • Screen isn’t AMOLED
  • Camera sluggish in darker settings
  • Processor not fast enough for gamers

Buy it now from:

Amazon

Give Motorola credit. The company had the humility to bow out of the flagship battle and take aim at the underserved mid-range and affordable markets when it launched the original Moto X in 2013. The device that followed last year once again proved that a phone didn’t have to be remarkable to be good. The weak link in both cases was the rear camera.

The Moto X Play is the middle sibling in the company’s triple rollout this year, with the premium (known as the X Style outside the U.S.) at the higher end and the new Moto G at the lower end. While Motorola hasn’t sold the X Play in the U.S., rumor has it that Verizon will take it under its Droid Maxx brand. With a huge battery, better camera, and low price, how much game does the X Play have?

Moto is going big

Though it doesn’t have the breadth of the Moto X Pure Edition, Motorola crammed whatever it could into the X Play to help it stand out, like a middle child at the dinner table. It runs on a 1.7GHz Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB or 32GB of internal storage, and a 21-megapixel rear camera (plus a 5-megapixel front-facer). There’s also a 5.5-inch 1080p LCD screen, with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop.

It’s interesting that the phone has two Nano SIM slots — the spare can double as a MicroSD slot for extra storage. The battery is one of the pillars this phone stands on, at a whopping 3,630mAh, which is considerably larger than most flagship handsets. The tighter build and larger battery contributes to the device’s added heft. It may not be much heavier than the competition, but it feels like it is.

Motorola opted not to outfit the X Play with an AMOLED screen, taking away some of the great contrast that characterized its two predecessors. The colors and black levels are still good, though users migrating from one of the previous models will surely notice a difference.

The curved back is contoured in much the same way as before, but this time Motorola used a textured rubberized coat for better grip. At first glance, the recessed Motorola logo in the middle gives the impression that the company is going the LG route and adding actual hard buttons on the back of the phone, but it’s merely aesthetic. The back plate does come off, and that too is for aesthetic reasons, given that other colors can be swapped in. The sides are made of plastic that looks like metal.

The front has identical slits along the top and front, giving the device a bit of a symmetrical feel. Often times, I found myself picking up the phone in the wrong orientation. The headphone jack is at the top, Micro USB port at the bottom, and power and volume rocker on the right side.

Mostly stock Android, with a few extras

The X Play hews as close to a stock version of Android as you will find outside of Google’s Nexus line. There are virtually no overlay or software add-ons to speak of, and the few apps Motorola included are those that have proven useful. Gone, however, is Assist, having now been integrated into the wider Moto app that also controls the built-in voice activation platform.

The old features from Moto Assist are now baked into Moto Voice.

Since the first Moto X, it has always been possible to awaken the phone by saying the magic words it needs to hear through what it calls Touchless Control. The phrase is customizable, and the X Play proved adept at recognizing mine (“Go, go gadget!” of course), including over some background noise (it’s even better via a Bluetooth headset). Moto Voice was always baked into the phone, but with more commands comes the inclusion of the cloud. It now integrates with Google Now and general searches, so when it needs to, Moto Voice defers to Google to complete a request.

Not all requests need Net access at all. Check voicemail, send text to…, remind me to…, take a photo, open calendar, and take a selfie are a few examples of offline voice searches you can perform. Saying “get a list of commands” will list them all. The cloud comes in for fancier requests, like sending a WhatsApp message, posting to Facebook, or initiating a search query.

The old features from Assist are now baked into Moto Voice, meaning it’s possible to enable driving, sleeping, and meeting modes, activating the voice assistant to chime in under specific circumstances. It is also possible to tell Moto Voice to navigate back to your home, which requires that you set your home address and that you use Google Maps. For locations and activities to work, location settings must be set at “high accuracy.” Worrying about privacy might deter some from diving further into this because it could impact other apps, but it’s there if you want it.

The Moto Display lock screen with plain white text is also back, and works much the same as before. The phone’s sensors do need to register some movement to show the latest notifications (unless you have checked off the box that pops them up automatically as they come in). Waving your hand above the phone doesn’t work because it needs to feel movement or a vibration to turn on. I found this annoying at times, though not enough to consider it a major problem.

Strong performance, but not for hardcore gamers

The lightweight Android treatment, coupled with the massive battery, means the X Play will last more than a day, even with heavier usage. It might be a stretch to call it a beast, but it earns its stripes as a serious workhorse.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor isn’t the fleetest of chips, but it doesn’t really have to be for the type of person who will benefit most from this device. Getting around and navigating across the phone’s features and functions never feels like a slog. The camera launches fairly quickly and Moto Voice reacts with little lag. Streaming music is fine, as is video from Netflix or other apps. Plex worked fine, and so did casting to a TV via Chromecast.

The hefty battery packed into the X Play kept it running for close to 48 hours.

Games also work okay, albeit with some variations that coincide with how demanding the title is on a phone’s processor. Playing casual games is a breeze, but others with high-end graphics might not perform as smoothly. The limitations of the processor are most evident here, though users looking for the best of the best on the gaming side will probably move on to the X Pure Edition, or something more robust.

The X Play is more of a phone for your routines. If you’re the type who messages, browses, listens to music, streams a little, makes a few calls — on any given day — then this device handles all that without a problem. The 16GB of internal storage, which is more like 11GB to start, isn’t enough for me personally, but at least there’s MicroSD expansion and a 32GB version. I highly recommend the 32GB version if you take a lot of photos, download anything, or use more than a dozen apps.

An improved camera

Being the bugaboo of the Moto X line in the past, it comes as no surprise that Motorola went with a 21-megapixel image sensor for the rear camera. Color correcting temperature is also supposed to improve saturation and color balance, setting up a combination that should lead to better images.

The improvement is obvious when shooting conditions are the most optimal. Like many mid-range phones that have drastically improved camera performance, quality depends on how much light passes through the lens. In daylight and indoor settings, the X Play clearly outperforms its predecessors, turning out excellent images.

The hand-twisting motion to automatically launch the camera is back, though you need only twist your wrist once in both directions to feel the vibration indicating the camera is turning on. Motorola is confident that its auto-focusing is smart and fast enough, but I had some trouble. Having tap-to-focus and exposure control in one place was convenient; except the software takes longer than it should to lock on to a subject. This is most evident in macro and low-light shooting.

Like the previous models, night and low light are tough challenges that the X Play’s camera struggles to overcome. Overall, image quality is better than it was in the past, but it’s undoubtedly a step down from the crisp daytime images. As there are no full manual controls, the software seems to ramp up the ISO to a point where unnecessary noise seeps into a photo. To make matters worse, shutter speeds are very slow, all but ensuring that the shake of your hand will blur the result. The night mode is no substitute, either; it essentially does the same thing.

Battery life

The hefty 3,630mAh battery packed in the X Play kept it running for close to 48 hours on one charge — and this is with pretty routine usage. It’s hard enough to find phones that can go 24 hours on regular usage without needing a top-up, but the X Play delivers that in spades.

Even with games, streaming music, streaming video, social media, and photography, the X Play kept on going. A heavy test that included all of the above plus phone calls on speaker, YouTube loops, streaming from network attached storage, and uploading images still saw the device at 35 percent after close to 18 hours. Impressive results, and one of the best battery performances I’ve seen in some time.

Conclusion

The DT Accessory Pack

Up your game and the get the most out of your gear with the following extras, hand-picked by our editors:

Motorola Moto 360 ($149)

Moto Hint Mono Bluetooth Headset ($100)

Since the Moto X Play would likely be labeled the Droid Maxx 2 under Verizon, the name is nothing more than a marketing angle. Canada and Europe already have the X Play. In turn, the Moto X Pure Edition has already hit the U.S. as Motorola’s flagship of 2015.

The guts of the device are what counts, and the large battery is clearly aimed at anyone who feels some form of battery anxiety on a daily basis with their handsets. The X Play won’t win accolades for being pretty or even super exciting, but it has the right stuff to win over skeptics, particularly because of the large 5.5-inch display, solid performance, and huge battery.

More than just a series of specs on paper, the Moto X Play delivers reliable execution. It’s a workhorse for the user who simply wants a phone that works well.

Highs

  • Fantastic battery life
  • Moto Voice is better
  • Solid build
  • Improved camera performance
  • Dual Nano SIM and MicroSD slot

Lows

  • Screen isn’t AMOLED
  • Camera sluggish in darker settings
  • Processor not fast enough for gamers

Editors' Recommendations

The Google Pixel Fold may launch a lot sooner than you expected
Alleged dummy model of the Google Pixel Fold.

Google is apparently closer to launching its first foldable phone a lot earlier than leaks had predicted. WinFuture, citing information received from sellers, reports that the Pixel Fold is lined up for a market release in June. It appears that Google will at least give a brief teaser of the phone at its I/O developers conference in May, alongside the budget-centric Pixel 7a.

The report adds that Pixel Fold is the official marketing name of the foldable phone, and it will at least be up for grabs in the European markets in the second week of June. The eagerly awaited phone will be sold in a sole 256GB storage configuration, while color options on the table are Carbon and Porcelain.

Read more
Bixby vs. Google Assistant: Which AI is better for you?
google assistant mobile.

AI digital assistants and chatbots (like ChatGPT) are huge now, and there are more than a few to choose from. If you, like many Android phone owners, have a Samsung device, then you have the choice between two AI assistants: the Google-backed Google Assistant and Samsung's Bixby.
What are the differences between the two assistants, and which one is better for you? Is Bixby better than Google Assistant, or should you  go all-in with Google's AI? We compared Bixby and the Google Assistant to find out. 
Bixby vs. Google Assistant: device integration

Google Assistant is available on all Google Nest and Home products, including Android TVs, lights, security cams, speakers, and more. Google Assistant is also available on Android Auto, so you can use the virtual assistant to execute commands when you’re driving. Google Assistant is available on other brands' smart devices too, so you can use Google's voice assistant on Lenovo's Smart Home System. You'll also find it in all of the best Android phones, but did you know you can also download and use it on Apple iPhones as well?
Samsung’s Bixby, on the other hand, is limited to Samsung devices, like the Galaxy S23 Ultra. It's also limited to only being able to control other devices via the SmartThings app, rather than having native support. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it is more restricted. However, full functionality of Bixby is limited to newer devices, so unlike Google Assistant, which tends to be available to older devices, you'll need to keep upgrading to get the most out of Bixby.
This won’t matter much for users who’ve been using Samsung devices for years and want to continue investing in new Samsung products, but if you live with people using different Android devices, Google Assistant might be a better option for smoother integration across devices.
The winner is pretty clear here. Google Assistant is available on a lot more devices, including Apple iPhones, and helps you to create a comprehensive system for convenient use. 
Winner: Google Assistant
Bixby vs. Google Assistant: performance and accessibility

Read more
First Google Pixel 8 Pro renders reveal some surprising changes
Leaked render of the Google Pixel 8 Pro.

Once again, and in an unsurprising turn of events, Google has missed the leak train. Leakers @OnLeaks and SmartPrix have leaked rumored renders of the upcoming Pixel 8 Pro. Going by the Pixel 7's launch date, the next Pixel flagship has leaked a good six months ahead of its official introduction.
Google's terrible track record aside, let's discuss the leaked renders. It looks like the company's design team is favoring rounded edges again. The Pixel 7 duo was an improvement over the boxy looks of its predecessor, and the Pixel 8 Pro only appears to add more of that rounded corner profiling. It actually looks good, albeit a bit wider.

The overall design remains more or less the same. Google is sticking to the dual-tone approach with glass on both sides, and a metal frame that also extends over at the back to form the horizontal camera strip. Another change compared to the Pixel 7 Pro’s dual cut-out design is that the Pixel 8 Pro only has single elongated pill-shaped outline housing all three camera sensors.
This triple-lens setup likely includes a primary high-resolution snapper, an ultra-wide angle camera, and a periscope-style telephoto zoom shooter. There’s another round cutout right below the LED flash, but it’s unclear if it’s a macro or depth camera, or some kind of IR or a specialized photosensitive sensor. 

Read more