Looking to buy Moto X, need some clarifications.

JoeSchmoe007 · Feb 12, 2014

[Tried posting this in Q&A forum but received no answers]

I am coming from Droid Incredible running CM 7.1 on PagePlus for 3 years (Verizon MVNO for those who don't know). So I am familiar with Android ecosystem and rooting.

I am looking to buy Moto X to be used in USA on H2O (AT&T MVNO) because on Pageplus the speed are limited to 3G and most new phones cannot be activated without flashing which I don't want to do.

1) Is there any reason NOT to buy Developer Edition (GSM Networks)? Current price is now the same as AT&T branded version and I am OK with just one color being available.

2) Am I correct in understanding that this version of the phone supports all LTE and HSPA frequencies both for AT&T and TMobile? Quote from the spec:

Networks
GSM/GPRS/EDGE - UMTS/HSPA + up to 42 Mbps - 4G LTE

2G/2.5G GSM/GPRS/EDGE bands
850/900/1800/1900 MHz

3G UMTS bands
850/900/ AWS/1900/2100 MHz with HSPA+ up to 42 Mbps (B5/B8/B4/B2/B1)

4G LTE bands
700/AWS/1900MHz (B17/B4/B2)

3) Are there any known issues with Moto X that has not been fixed with software updates yet? I am also considering Moto G which would be good enough for me but it has battery issues ("instant" drops from full charge to 1%) that are now investigated by Motorola but no solution yet. For Moto X so far I only found that some people have small cracks on their cases that are fixed by mailing it for warranty work.

Konno_Yuuki · Feb 12, 2014

1) I too considered the GSM Dev Edition of the Moto X but decided not to get it based on looks. I don't like white phones. The Dev Moto X has a woven white back and I didn't like that. I also have not use for 32GB of internal storage. I didn't even fill the 8GB that was on my RAZR M (previous phone). This was my reasoning, so I went with the MotoMaker GSM unlocked retail Moto X (also referred to as the T-Mobile version).

2)I don't know about the Dev version but if I had to guess I'd say it's like my phone, so yes. I have an AT&T SIM in my Moto X and I get 4G LTE when I'm in town.

3)The only issues I know of are the cracks as you mentioned and the some of the wood backs having a poor finish applied. There may be another that I've yet to read here but I've not had any problem with the phone.

JoeSchmoe007 · Feb 12, 2014

Hikikomori-Otaku said:
1) I too considered the GSM Dev Edition of the Moto X but decided not to get it based on looks. I don't like white phones. The Dev Moto X has a woven white back and I didn't like that. I also have not use for 32GB of internal storage. I didn't even fill the 8GB that was on my RAZR M (previous phone). This was my reasoning, so I went with the MotoMaker GSM unlocked retail Moto X (also referred to as the T-Mobile version).

2)I don't know about the Dev version but if I had to guess I'd say it's like my phone, so yes. I have an AT&T SIM in my Moto X and I get 4G LTE when I'm in town.

3)The only issues I know of are the cracks as you mentioned and the some of the wood backs having a poor finish applied. There may be another that I've yet to read here but I've not had any problem with the phone.

I don't like white phones either but I want to be able to root. Is what you went with (MotoMaker GSM unlocked retail Moto X) essentially the same as Dev Edition other than color? Or is it only carrier unlocked but not bootloader unlocked?

Konno_Yuuki · Feb 12, 2014

JoeSchmoe007 said:
I don't like white phones either but I want to be able to root. Is what you went with (MotoMaker GSM unlocked retail Moto X) essentially the same as Dev Edition other than color? Or is it only carrier unlocked but not bootloader unlocked?

The main differences between the two would be the retail version can be customs made in MotoMaker and when the bootloader is unlocked you loose your warranty. The Dev version only comes in one style but your warranty will still be intact after unlocking the bootloader.

JoeSchmoe007 · Feb 12, 2014

Hikikomori-Otaku said:
The main differences between the two would be the retail version can be customs made in MotoMaker and when the bootloader is unlocked you loose your warranty. The Dev version only comes in one style but your warranty will still be intact after unlocking the bootloader.

Thank you for responding. So the warranty will be void completely, even for the hardware issues completely unrelated to unlocking bootloader?

Can bootloader on retail version be re-locked to send it in for warranty?

I think I read that each time OS updates are released for Moto X new exploit may need to be found to root/unlock bootloader. Did I get it right or am I confusing something?

Can root be achieved without unlocking bootloader? If I understand correctly unlocking bootloader is really only needed if one wants to try different ROM-s and root can sometimes be achieved without unlocking bootloader. But Moto X is almost stock Android, so I see no point in trying other ROM-s but I do want to have root.

Konno_Yuuki · Feb 12, 2014

JoeSchmoe007 said:
Thank you for responding. So the warranty will be void completely, even for the hardware issues completely unrelated to unlocking bootloader?

Can bootloader on retail version be re-locked to send it in for warranty?

I think I read that each time OS updates are released for Moto X new exploit may need to be found to root/unlock bootloader. Did I get it right or am I confusing something?

Can root be achieved without unlocking bootloader? If I understand correctly unlocking bootloader is really only needed if one wants to try different ROM-s and root can sometimes be achieved without unlocking bootloader. But Moto X is almost stock Android, so I see no point in trying other ROM-s but I do want to have root.

Yes, your warranty will be completly void if you unlock the bootloader on any Moto X except the Dev version.

You can relock (and reunlock) the bootloader but because you have to get the unlock key from Motorola, they will know even if you relock it. I believe there is also a line in fastboot that will will indicate if the warrently is void (as a result of the first unlock).

This is true. With any update there is the potential for an exploit being 'removed'. The same is true for most bootloaders but not necessarily for this phone. Even if the bootloader is updated, the unlock code for your phone will still work.

Yes, root can be achieved without unlocking the bootloader but it's a complex method for this phone. It's much easier to unlock the bootloader, flash a custom recovery, and flash the SU binary. This is also the preferred method if it's avalible for your Moto X.

Unlocking your bootloader let's you do a few things. The most common it to flash another recovery image and thus a new ROM. You can also flash kernals, binaries, apps, and a few other things with the bootloader unlocked.

JoeSchmoe007 · Feb 12, 2014

Hikikomori-Otaku said:
....
This is true. With any update there is the potential for an exploit being 'removed'. The same is true for most bootloaders but not necessarily for this phone. Even if the bootloader is updated, the unlock code for your phone will still work.

Yes, root can be achieved without unlocking the bootloader but it's a complex method for this phone. It's much easier to unlock the bootloader, flash a custom recovery, and flash the SU binary. This is also the preferred method if it's avalible for your Moto X.

Unlocking your bootloader let's you do a few things. The most common it to flash another recovery image and thus a new ROM. You can also flash kernals, binaries, apps, and a few other things with the bootloader unlocked.

So what specific exploit can be removed? For rooting? Or for unlocking bootloader? The way I understand one can always unlock bootloader using code from Motorola no matter if your phone is retail or Dev. Edition, however then root may or may not work? But this contradicts with what you said about if bootloader is unlocked then you can flash custom recovery and SU, so you can still always achieve root. Is there an FAQ or thread on this forum where this is described in details?

Konno_Yuuki · Feb 12, 2014

JoeSchmoe007 said:
So what specific exploit can be removed? For rooting? Or for unlocking bootloader? The way I understand one can always unlock bootloader using code from Motorola no matter if your phone is retail or Dev. Edition, however then root may or may not work? But this contradicts with what you said about if bootloader is unlocked then you can flash custom recovery and SU, so you can still always achieve root. Is there an FAQ or thread on this forum where this is described in details?

Any exploit can be removed, so long as they're found and will not inhibit the use of the device. I guess I should clarify a bit. Your bootloader and root access have different ways to get them. The bootloader basically protects the partitions of the phone. The only way to unlock the bootloader of the Moto X is to go to Motorola and get the unique unlock code for your Moto X. The Verizon retail and AT&T retail versions are the only two models of my knowledge that can't be unlocked by Motorola and no exploit has been found for them. How root is achieved by having an unlocked bootloader is as followed; The bootloader is unlocked giving the user access to the partitions of the phone > a custom recovery is flashed > using the new recovery SU binary is added (flashed) to the dormant Android OS. Without an unlocked bootloader, this method is impossible as you can't complete the first step. This is when an exploit in the Android OS is needed. The current SlapMyMoto exploit takes advantage that Motorola lets Moto X users downgrade. Once on a lower version of Android, we can root that and basically 'tunnel' up a path to give ourselves root in they newer version of Android. The unlocked bootloader method is preferred because it's easier and will almost always work (unless Android is given a huge remake). While in recovery, the Android OS is not loaded and thus can't protect itself. This makes adding stuff to it much simpler. When the Android OS is booted though, there are security measures in place that we unrooted can't get past without an exploit.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2603358
This thread has a lot of good info from rooting on both locked and unlocked bootloaders, downgrading, and much more.

Mr. Orange 645 · Feb 12, 2014

Honestly I think you answered your own question. If rooting is your number one priority and you don't mind the white back (which I like actually), then I think the Developer Edition is a no brainer for you.

If you want a custom phone and rooting isn't that important, or you don't care about the warranty, then I'd say get the MotoMaker version.

As far as bugs, the only bug I know of is an exchange bug (which I don't use exchange so I don't even know what the bug is/was), but it was fixed in 4.4.2.

hovax615@hotmail.com · Feb 12, 2014

You can root the carrier version ie motomaker. That's all you really need is root along with greenify, xposed, gravity box, and viper4android.

MOTO X Slapped

Mr. Orange 645 · Feb 16, 2014

hovax615@hotmail.com said:
You can root the carrier version ie motomaker. That's all you really need is root along with greenify, xposed, gravity box, and viper4android.

MOTO X Slapped

Currently there is NO root method for 4.4.2 without unlocking the bootloader.

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Looking to buy Moto X, need some clarifications.

JoeSchmoe007

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Konno_Yuuki

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JoeSchmoe007

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Konno_Yuuki

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JoeSchmoe007

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Konno_Yuuki

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JoeSchmoe007

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Konno_Yuuki

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Mr. Orange 645

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hovax615@hotmail.com

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Mr. Orange 645

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