What might be notable is the lack of carrier aggregation on the new Moto X, which suggests that there is only a WTR1625L transceiver inside, with no WFR1620 companion chip to go with it. I’ve attached a table below with a full list of supported bands. While antennas are still an area I’ve been working on learning more about, we can talk about band support on the Moto X. So let’s talk about what’s in the new Moto X. We have antennas, antenna switches and duplexers, band filters, power amplifiers, a transceiver (which is made of multiple parts but that’s for another day), and the modem. For those that are unfamiliar with the basics of how current RF architecture is set up, there are a few major components to talk about. Instead, given the amount of information disclosed by Motorola, I wanted to start this review with a discussion about cellular architecture, as it’s one of the few areas where we still seem to be working with black boxes. While I haven’t been able to get around to writing my experience with Motorola’s tour, Motorola and their PR team have done an incredible job of introducing the product and allowing for plenty of time to get first impressions, photos, and ask all kinds of questions. However, I’d like to cut this short as I’ve already given most of my initial impressions in the launch piece. While the size is approaching an uncomfortable level, it manages to stay just short of it because the phone is so thin. Overall, I really think the feel of the phone is great. As a result, the phone is secure in the hand and I never really felt like I would drop it. Fortunately, the center is much thicker to provide for better grip. The metal frame can be as thin as 3.3mm in the corners, which really feels razor thin. At any rate, it really feels great in the hand, especially because of the varying thickness. The metal frame is something that Motorola is especially proud of, as they've managed to enable an external antenna design without causing some of the infamous deathgrip issues. In terms of look and feel, the new Moto X starts off incredibly well. Of course, I’m not going to spend too much time covering the basic specifications when a table will suffice.ĢG / 3G / 4G LTE (Qualcomm MDM9x15 IP block UE Category 3 LTE)ĢG / 3G / 4G LTE (Qualcomm MDM9x25 IP block UE Category 4 LTE)ġ0MP Rear Facing, 1/2.6" CMOS size (OV10820), 2.1MP FFCġ3MP Rear Facing, 1/3.06" CMOS size (Sony IMX135), 2.1MP FFCĨ02.11a/b/g/n/ac + BT 4.0, USB2.0, GPS/GNSS, MHL, DLNA, NFCĨ02.11a/b/g/n/ac + BT 4.1, USB2.0, GPS/GNSS, MHL, DLNA, NFCĪs with most reviews, physical impressions are always a good place to start. The new Moto X brings an SoC that is up to par with its competition, a new camera with a Sony sensor, and an improved AMOLED panel. On the surface, this phone corrects a lot of issues that were present in the original Moto X. For better or worse, the Moto X was a phone with the right size and shape, but a lot of hardware choices that aged poorly. The camera was also rather unfortunate at launch. The display was good for the time, but AMOLED wasn’t quite the imminent LCD replacement that it is today. The Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset was decidedly mid-range by the time it launched. Unfortunately, the device that launched didn’t quite fit with the hype. The amount of hype that I saw online before the announcement of the Moto X was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. After Google acquired it in 2012, we saw the launch of the Moto X in 2013. If anything, there was a point where Motorola had become an ODM for network operators in the US, with no real international presence. It wasn’t unusual to see one phone launch after the other, with no real regard for strategy, and no real cohesive message to tie all of their devices together. Once the iconic symbol of Android with their Droid smartphones, Motorola had lost its way. Motorola has been through a lot these past few years. While I talked about Motorola’s issues in the launch article for the new Moto X, it’s well worth repeating.
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