Why can't I let go of my Moto?

[DrvLikHell]

Why can't I let go of my original Moto X? I have a 2013 XT1053 Dev Edition, which I love greatly. I finally went ahead and, after much debate, bought a 2014 XT1095 Pure Edition last year to replace the 1st gen because it felt like it was getting a little slow, it has a bit of screen burn, and a little chip in the glass. The XT1095 is a great phone, just like the 1st gen but faster, and bigger. I've had it for 11 months now, and I've gotten used to it's larger size... but...

Yesterday I pulled the XT1053 out to clean my crap off of it, format it, install a fresh rom, and set it up as a backup. I was working with the phone for a couple hours getting everything sorted in my anal-retentive sort of way, and when I picked up the XT1095 afterward, it felt huge again! 11 months of getting used it it was undone in 2 hours!

Why does the original Moto X fit so perfectly in your hand? Why does it feel just right? Why does the screen look so smooth and deep? Why is the harmony of that phone so strong that I seriously considered pulling my sim card out of the XT1095 and going back to the XT1053?

It's not just the size or proportions either. I have a Nokia which is the same height, 5mm wider, and exactly the same depth. The extra width is barely perceptible. But it doesn't feel the same. Even though it too has a slightly rounded back... the edges, the corners... it's just not right. Especially the corners, they're half square.

And about that screen... I know both the 1st and 2nd gen Motos are AMOLED, the XT1053 being 720x1280 @ 312 ppi and the XT1095 being 1080x1920 @ 424 ppi, but the XT1053 looks smoother and has deeper colors, even though it has a lower resolution with fewer pixels per inch... and has some screen burn.

And on top of that, why, oh WHY am I looking at another 1st Gen Moto X on eBay?? To have as a backup for the backup that I don't even use as it is? Nevermind the three other non-Motorola "backup" phones.

Is it just me? It must be. Otherwise there would be something on the market to fill this void of design language harmony that seemingly only I perceive. But no, we have these giant phablets that took over the market, except for the Xperia Compact series, which are shaped like thick subway tiles. (Don't you dare even mention The A Word!)

So I suppose this is my re-appreciation post for my original Moto X. May it, and its siblings, live forever.

 

[stefanowall]

Why can't I let go of my original Moto X? I have a 2013 XT1053 Dev Edition, which I love greatly. I finally went ahead and, after much debate, bought a 2014 XT1095 Pure Edition last year to replace the 1st gen because it felt like it was getting a little slow, it has a bit of screen burn, and a little chip in the glass. The XT1095 is a great phone, just like the 1st gen but faster, and bigger. I've had it for 11 months now, and I've gotten used to it's larger size... but...

Yesterday I pulled the XT1053 out to clean my crap off of it, format it, install a fresh rom, and set it up as a backup. I was working with the phone for a couple hours getting everything sorted in my anal-retentive sort of way, and when I picked up the XT1095 afterward, it felt huge again! 11 months of getting used it it was undone in 2 hours!

Why does the original Moto X fit so perfectly in your hand? Why does it feel just right? Why does the screen look so smooth and deep? Why is the harmony of that phone so strong that I seriously considered pulling my sim card out of the XT1095 and going back to the XT1053?

It's not just the size or proportions either. I have a Nokia which is the same height, 5mm wider, and exactly the same depth. The extra width is barely perceptible. But it doesn't feel the same. Even though it too has a slightly rounded back... the edges, the corners... it's just not right. Especially the corners, they're half square.

And about that screen... I know both the 1st and 2nd gen Motos are AMOLED, the XT1053 being 720x1280 @ 312 ppi and the XT1095 being 1080x1920 @ 424 ppi, but the XT1053 looks smoother and has deeper colors, even though it has a lower resolution with fewer pixels per inch... and has some screen burn.

And on top of that, why, oh WHY am I looking at another 1st Gen Moto X on eBay?? To have as a backup for the backup that I don't even use as it is? Nevermind the three other non-Motorola "backup" phones.

Is it just me? It must be. Otherwise there would be something on the market to fill this void of design language harmony that seemingly only I perceive. But no, we have these giant phablets that took over the market, except for the Xperia Compact series, which are shaped like thick subway tiles. (Don't you dare even mention The A Word!)

So I suppose this is my re-appreciation post for my original Moto X. May it, and its siblings, live forever.

I feel the same feelings, more or less, and I'm still using old ghost as my daily driver. Long life to this super special phone :fingers-crossed:

 

[Polishpolisher]

Same here. Love the device. Hope we gonna see a revived version of moto x 2013
About 80%+ screen to body ratio would be great. See the galaxy s 8 ...
Who actually cares about the thickness of a device?
Thick & small or big & thin?

 

[WOrld1]

This is a great love letter to this (in part) forgotten device nowadays, like Stefano I use aa daily driver as today.
It's fell right because for me it's a win project with many thing got rights, sure have defect at time and more compared to today too spec but for me it's a special phone (also the first Android phone for me).
Probably I will use as secondary phone when (TBA xD) I have new one, sure I don't sell this little gems

 

[Warren_Orange]

Size to screen ratio was great for 2013.

The phone is special indeed and if it had a sdcard I would still be using it.

 

[DrvLikHell]

In my opinion, a thin device is actually harder to hold and pick up. On top of that, a large number of people are going to put these super thin devices in a super thick and bulky case, totally negating the developers' efforts to slim down the device. Forget thick vs thin, ergonomics is where it's at.

I'll give a good example. Just today I had a Galaxy S7 handed to me. It's unlocked and I could likely buy it for a cheap price. But I don't want it. Sure, the screen looks snazzy and "Oooh, it's an S7". But I keep pushing the buttons when I pick it up, and I can't seem to set it down without it going "thunk." I never noticed how the Motos curved back makes it so much nicer to simply pick it up and set it down, something I do 50+ times a day. At least Samsung is starting to get the idea with its "always on display." Except you can't do anything with it. No interactions are possible like with Moto Display.

Previously Motorola might have heard our cries of love and cherish for the wonderfully designed original Moto X and actually done something about it. Now that they're owned by the Chinese, they're just like every other phone company, competing for specs and speed. I notice that the Moto Z lost its curved back in favor of overpriced gimmicks that most people won't use.

When my 2nd gen Moto is too old to continue, I have no idea what I'll do. Maybe I'll just strap a Microsoft Surface Pro to my head and call it a year.

 

[Warren_Orange]

What os version are you running? I think kitkat, although old, runs best on the device and everything works, although battery is bad on kitkat.

Moto x was made for kitkat.

 

[DrvLikHell]

I just switched from 4.4.4 to 5.1. To me, 5.1 feels smoother and more responsive. However, it could just feel that way because it's a fresh install. 5.1 removed the wave to wake feature/bug, but other than that I'm not disappointed with it. I don't use it as a daily driver anymore though. Perhaps if I did I would change my mind.

If only there was a custom ROM that implemented the Moto Display features like the stock ROMs, I'd give that a try. I've tried Cyanogen and NX ROM on it, but I miss the Moto Display too much and I always go back to factory. That includes my 2nd gen X. After doing a little research, it looks like Moto Display uses the Motorola framework, which isn't present on any custom ROM that I know of. I guess that means Moto Display is forever a factory Motorola-only feature.

 

[WOrld1]

I just switched from 4.4.4 to 5.1. To me, 5.1 feels smoother and more responsive. However, it could just feel that way because it's a fresh install. 5.1 removed the wave to wake feature/bug, but other than that I'm not disappointed with it. I don't use it as a daily driver anymore though. Perhaps if I did I would change my mind.

If only there was a custom ROM that implemented the Moto Display features like the stock ROMs, I'd give that a try. I've tried Cyanogen and NX ROM on it, but I miss the Moto Display too much and I always go back to factory. That includes my 2nd gen X. After doing a little research, it looks like Moto Display uses the Motorola framework, which isn't present on any custom ROM that I know of. I guess that means Moto Display is forever a factory Motorola-only feature.

Actually marshamallow ROM imitate well Moto display for me, I use Lineage 13 and ambient display is very similar to stock one.
Also with Tasker in stock 5.1 I remember using it to have wave to wake again (present in the rom)
For me 4.4.4 was the best stock, 5.1 have lot of but because lollipop is a bad Android version.
The only advantage is the stock is the most stable ROM obliviously but MM ROMs works well for daily use imho

 

[theundead101]

Why can't I let go of my original Moto X? I have a 2013 XT1053 Dev Edition....

I have the same 2013 32GB Dev Edition that has been my daily driver until now, working almost perfectly on LineageOS, and I get where you're coming from. I am trading it in for a galaxy S8, and even though I have switched to the S8, I just dont want to send in my Moto X. Just unrooted and returned to stock, and feels like end of an era.

When your 4 year old device has a better screen to body ratio than the latest iphone, you know your device was well designed.

 

[DrvLikHell]

I have the same 2013 32GB Dev Edition that has been my daily driver until now, working almost perfectly on LineageOS, and I get where you're coming from. I am trading it in for a galaxy S8, and even though I have switched to the S8, I just dont want to send in my Moto X. Just unrooted and returned to stock, and feels like end of an era..

Nooo! Don't send it in for a trade-in! They're gonna... r... r... recycle it! (GASP!) Get some old POS phone for 20 bucks on eBay to give them as a trade (currently there's a dead Sprint Moto X for $23 shipped). Keep your Moto for a backup, or pass it on to someone else who's enamored with the great little Moto. Especially since it's a Dev Edition! I'd offer to buy it from you if I didn't already have five and a half "backup" phones.

 

[theundead101]

I know, it's not an easy choice. The 200$ discount for a working phone is just too hard to pass on, and I've already committed to sending it in.
It was a great phone, its time has passed.

The king is dead, long live the King

 

[themagpieswarble]

Moto X Fan Club

No, I have no idea what you're talking about

When I first bought my Moto X 2013 , I had no idea how badly I would be screwing myself in the smartphone expectations department for years to come. You nailed it all on the head, so I won't go into it too much.... but...

It's the best feeling phone in the hand all of time. Period. No other phone melts into the palm of your hand like that phone (Motorola even bragged about this in their original marketing for the OG Moto X.) No jagged corners/edges that are uncomfortable to hold. Beautiful plastic material that did not feel cheap and could stand up to drops and scratches with ease. Motomaker options for Wood (Leather for 2014 later) and customizing the colors and buttons were all great touches to making the phone feel personal.

Then the thing that really ruined phones for me is the Moto software. Especially on the Moto X 2014 and 2015. The Wave to Wake on those phones is insane and makes you feel like a damn Jedi to use it. Years after their release, I'm still impressing people by talking to my phone while it's off or waving over it quickly to see what time it is (while it takes everyone else several seconds to pick up their phone and press a button.) How is that a 3+ year old phone makes other phones look archaic and dated? Active Display (like you touched on) is so much better than any other iteration (Always On or Ambient Display.)

With Active Display you can click and hold on a notification icon to interact with it without waking up the display. While holding on to the notification bubble, you can go to the notification (Swipe UP) or dismiss the notification (Swipe Left or Right) or just unlock the phone and go to the home screen (lock screen if you have security settings) by Swiping DOWN... all right from the Active Display without waking up the phone.

With Ambient Display, as soon as you touch any part of the screen when a notification wakes the Ambient Display, you wake up the whole phone to the lock screen. That means a lot of accidental wake ups in your pocket which always drove me nuts. So it's got the advantage of only the Notification Bubble being an active part of the screen and the ability to make actions on the notification right from Active Display without even waking the phone. It's simple and genius and it's really annoying that no other OEMs have picked up on this and replicated it.

And then you have your gestures with chop for flashlight and twist for camera (I actually could take Double Press Power Button shortcut over this.) All these damn amazing features are getting diluted in Motonovo's hands with the reduction of IR sensors on the front (From 2014-2015 Moto X's 4 front facing IR sensors to now a max of 2 IR sensors on the Moto Z I believe.)

I am so spoiled for every other phone coming out today. Bezels are friggin huge even on 5.2" phones now. When I owned the Pixel for a short while, I had to swallow my pride and accept that my Moto X 2014 had a 5.2" screen in a smaller body size than the 5" Pixel. Don't get me wrong, the speed/camera/battery life of the Pixel is amazing. I just wish I could have all those things in the 2013/2014 Moto X body with Moto X software.

I'm at a loss for what phone to buy next. I was hoping the new Moto X could be good but it's looking like just another boring ass Motonovo phone that has nothing to do with the original Moto Xs. I was hoping maybe the new Pixel 2 would be comfortable but it sounds like they're just keeping the same exact body size/screen size as the original Pixel and only decreasing the Bezels on the Pixel 2 XL.

There's just no phone manufacturer anymore that really cares about the user experience (except maybe Apple, but you have to live in Apple's walled garden which is something I'm not really willing to do.) But even Apple tends to favor a PREMIUM experience rather than comfortable experience I'd say. Everyone else is just making thinner phones that aren't comfortable whose battery life sucks and bezels are too big and uncomfortable to hold and they're fragile as **** made out of premium materials with absolutely NO personality.

When Rick Osterloh (head of Motorola Design at the time of the original Moto Xs) moved to oversee Google Hardware division, I had great hope that he would influence the design direction of the Pixel. But it seems that they're still just hiring HTC/LG to copy and paste their uninspired designs over and then let Google do their hardware/software magic on the inside. The Pixel is a fantastic phone but it's huge downside is the design. It's a pretty phone but it's not comfortable to hold and it's too expensive/fragile to feel comfortable using case-less. I want a phone I can use without a damn case to bulk it up and make it look ugly.

I was actually excited by this failed indiegogo project just because they gave me original Moto X feels. Their mission statement and design philosophy hit a lot of the right Moto X notes to me: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/nuans-neo-reloaded-smartphone-design#/

The problem @DrvLikHell is that you and I are a complete minority. There's no market for compact phones like there used to be. There's no reason to stop and consider the user experience and ergonomics and product design like they used to. The market is telling them to make thinner/sexier/bigger/more premium looking phones and they're making a TON of money doing so. Why is there any reason to stop?

Part of me wants to try and research who really worked on the Moto X design and interview them. Where are they working now? Why can't they make another Moto X like phone that feels really special and custom tailored to the user? Where the experience of using the phone is a simple joy? The phone should feel as personal as it is to our daily lives. Instead, phones expect us to adapt to THEM.

"Oh, it's a little uncomfortable to hold for long periods of time. But it's okay."

"Such a beautiful phone but I have to buy a case to protect it so I can sell it in a year when I upgrade. If I drop it, it will shatter."

"It's kind of heavy and hurts my wrist after awhile."

"The sides kind of dig into my hands a bit but it's such a fast phone."

"The battery life isn't that great but the 2K display is amazing to look at."

"It doesn't have a headphone jack, but they make a dongle for it."

The Moto X felt like it was custom made for the user and you didn't have to accomodate for anything. Well, that is until 2-3 years down the road when the age set in and the camera didn't look so good compared to the new cameras coming out and the batteries started to die and the phone became sluggish...

My perfect dream phone is:

1. The body of the 2013 or 2014 Moto X
2. Pixel 2 hardware inside (assuming it will improve on Pixel)
3. Waterproof
4. Headphone jack
5. Moto X Software
6. Fingerprint Scanner inside Moto X dimple on the back
7. Motomaker Customization
8. Reliable software updates for 2-3 years.

It's crazy that this is asking too much. Isn't it?

Well, I could really ramble on about this phone forever. I just wanted you to know that you're not alone and crazy in this Moto X universe.

I'd like to ask you.. is there any phone on the horizon that you're hopeful for?

 

[DrvLikHell]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only Moto zealot. Everything you said could have come straight from my keyboard.

I'd like to ask you.. is there any phone on the horizon that you're hopeful for?

I keep looking for the elusive "next phone," especially since my 2014 Moto X is starting to have a couple issues like the beginning of a loose charge port and battery bizarreness once in a while. But every time I search, I come up empty handed. There will not, in the foreseeable future, be a phone with outstanding ergonomics like the Moto X. I've come to accept that finally. What I'd really love to have is something similar to Moto Display. (I refer to it as Moto Display because I always get Active Display and Ambient Display mixed up.) But I might have to accept 3rd party suckyness because I just don't see anything on the horizon. What I can't accept is carrying around a giant plank of marketing cheapness.

I say marketing cheapness because generally, stupid consumers (well over half of America) buy what is being sold to them. One big reason manufacturers are marketing larger phones to people because they're cheaper to engineer. Everybody knows it's harder and more expensive to fit more tech into a smaller package. So by making the phone bigger, they can save money on engineering and use the "bigger is better" philosophy as a scapegoat. In reality, half the blame falls on the manufacturers for doing this, and half falls on the consumer for accepting it. For the rest of us, we're screwed.

Let us have a look at your list:

1. The body of the 2013 or 2014 Moto X
2. Pixel 2 hardware inside (assuming it will improve on Pixel)
3. Waterproof
4. Headphone jack
5. Moto X Software
6. Fingerprint Scanner inside Moto X dimple on the back
7. Motomaker Customization
8. Reliable software updates for 2-3 years.

We can strike number one off the list because it's just never going to happen. The best we can hope for is a small form factor phone with top tier gear inside. Number two is entirely possible, perhaps not specifically Pixel 2 hardware, but a high end at least. Waterproof, possible. Headphone jack, sure. Moto X Software... <sigh> never going to happen. Moto features are run by specific Moto hardware. If I remember correctly, there's a special low power chip that runs the Moto Display and Moto Voice features and that's why you can't even port the code to another phone or get it in a custom ROM. Fingerprint scanner in the Moto X dimple... since the dimple is gone from the new Motos, not gonna happen either. They've also severely toned down the Motomaker customization for the Moto Z, and no one else offers it so that's pretty much out as well. Reliable updates, maybe, if you get the phone when it first comes out, and if comes out at the same time latest version of Android is released, and/or if it's very popular and has good aftermarket ROM development.

This is what your wish list looks like after it's been run through the reality machine:

1. Not giant, preferably small with high screen/body ratio
2. High power CPU
3. Waterproof
4. Headphone jack
5. Fingerprint scanner
6. Reliable updates for 2, maybe 3 years.

Pretty sucky. And even with this redacted list, there's only one phone that I know of which used to meet all of these requirements. The Sony Xperia Z5 Compact. I almost bought one instead of my 2014 Moto X, but I decided that I couldn't live without the Moto Display, so I traded small for Moto Display awesomeness. If you're looking for brand new hardware, the Z5 is two generations behind now.

There was a rumored Galaxy S7 Mini, similar to the S5 mini of old. It would have fit the redacted list, but it never came to be.

The regular Galaxy S7 is close to the size of the 2014 Moto X. I had one for a few days, but as I said before, the ergonomics just wasn't there, and the always on display was a poor replacement, neigh, not a replacement at all for Moto Display. Samsung may get around to it though. After I updated the S7 I was able to tap the notifications to open them. I couldn't interact with them like with Moto Display, but at least Samsung made it DO something besides act like a notification light. I kinda wish I had hung on to it, but I'm sure I would have gone back to my Moto after a short while.

The verdict for people like us? Start our own company and make our dream phone ourselves, or hang onto our aging phones until they're no longer viable for everyday use, and then settle for the least bad of the lot that the manufacturers are pushing on the public.

For me, I prefer a phone that's at least a year old so it's cheaper and at least some of the bugs have been worked out. I also usually prefer a phone that's more than one generation newer than what I have. The 2014 Moto X was an exception because it was the last "real" Motorola. Currently, there is no phone on the market that fits. If my 2014 Moto X got crushed tomorrow, I'd go back to my 2013 Moto X and continue waiting for the "next phone" to turn up. I'd possibly scour Swappa for another 2014 Moto X, or maaaaybe a Moto G4 from Europe while I continue the wait. If I got a job where they demanded that I have a more modern phone (almost happened once), I'd begrudgingly get an S7 or Pixel. Sad state of affairs man, sad state.

If you, or anyone else, find a more qualified replacement, I'd love to hear about it. I'm consciously ignoring the small issues my Moto X is starting to develop, hoping they'll just go away because there's nothing acceptable to replace it with.

Edit: There seems to be a Moto X4 on the horizon, as well as a new Xperia and a new flagship Nokia 8 and/or 9 running Android. We'll see if any of them can tick enough boxes to be a contender.

 

[Polishpolisher]

Guys, maybe we don't have to wait any longer.
LG is going to present the LG 6Q on the 11 of July.
Hope this device is gonna be real mini.
LG 6 has got a 78,6% body to screen ratio.

http://m.gsmarena.com/lg_q6_will_be_unveiled_on_july_11-news-26024.php

 

[themagpieswarble]

Edit: There seems to be a Moto X4 on the horizon, as well as a new Xperia and a new flagship Nokia 8 and/or 9 running Android. We'll see if any of them can tick enough boxes to be a contender.

Yeah, the latest Moto X4 leaks have me pretty bummed. Just looks like another Motonovo phone with nothing really different or OG Moto X'ish about it. Nokia 8 or 9 or whatever could be good but then I read that the bands available on it aren't going to be full-fledged US ready?

Guys, maybe we don't have to wait any longer.
LG is going to present the LG 6Q on the 11 of July.
Hope this device is gonna be real mini.
LG 6 has got a 78,6% body to screen ratio.

http://m.gsmarena.com/lg_q6_will_be_unveiled_on_july_11-news-26024.php

Huh, interesting. I'm going to keep my eyes on this announcement. So rare that we get a "Mini" announcement of a flagship these days. There's not really much wrong from what I hear about the LG G6. Mini version could be solid. What do you think of it @DrvLikHell?

 

[themagpieswarble]

@DrvlikeHell

Man, I haven't really seen what Moto Display looks like on the newest Motorola phones. Check this out:

https://youtu.be/5OE_C3g6LeU?t=157

2:37 into the video.

Now you can actually respond to texts from within Moto Display. Soo hot.

Ugh, why can't Motonovo figure out camera quality and smaller bezels? That's all I need to convince me to get a new Moto phone.

Looks like we're getting Moto Z and X announcements at the end of the month:

https://www.theverge.com/platform/a...6/motorola-nyc-event-july-25-moto-x-time-date

 

[Colfax.miller]

The simple joy of spinning a Moto x while it lays face up. Checking the display in a pitch black room and seeing nothing but the lit pixels.

I'm typing this on my 1st Gen Moto X Dev edition. I recently replaced the battery, the screen, and the back cover (went with the Walnut wood back and an all black body)

I've broken two Moto X phones in the last couple years. Eventually I taught myself to repair them. I wish they would unlock the bootloader across all carrier models, but in the meantime, apps like the Google Now launcher help to keep the device feeling fresh on 5.1

The only other phone I loved like I love my Moto X was the palm pre, which had a slide up physical keyboard and it's own operating system with the absolute best multitasking interface yet devised for phones (IMHO of course). It was marketed horribly. Just hideous advertising. And when palm went out of business and bought by HP, and HP replaced it's CEO twice and then gave up on the investment, I thought I wouldn't love another phone until I got handed a Moto X.

I've owned a few Samsung Phones, and my wife has an iPhone. These days I carry two phones, the Moto X and an LG V20 for it's video and audio recording capabilities. In my line of work as a manager, having a business and personal phone number makes sense for multiple reasons.

I recently sold one of my repaired Moto X to an employee who keeps buying and breaking inexpensive phones. It was hard to let go of it at any price, but I slapped a clear case and a screen protector on it and handed it over. So far he's loving it. I showed him some of the Moto specific features and his level of awe was really gratifying.

It's absolutely true that the best designed devices rarely become the most popular or widely accepted, but as sure as the Moto X replaced my Palm Pre, some company somewhere will make at least one generation of a near perfect phone. Until then, I'll be refurbing and evangelizing the 2013 Moto X. Now more affordable than ever.

 

[themagpieswarble]

The simple joy of spinning a Moto x while it lays face up. Checking the display in a pitch black room and seeing nothing but the lit pixels.

I'm typing this on my 1st Gen Moto X Dev edition. I recently replaced the battery, the screen, and the back cover (went with the Walnut wood back and an all black body)

I've broken two Moto X phones in the last couple years. Eventually I taught myself to repair them. I wish they would unlock the bootloader across all carrier models, but in the meantime, apps like the Google Now launcher help to keep the device feeling fresh on 5.1

The only other phone I loved like I love my Moto X was the palm pre, which had a slide up physical keyboard and it's own operating system with the absolute best multitasking interface yet devised for phones (IMHO of course). It was marketed horribly. Just hideous advertising. And when palm went out of business and bought by HP, and HP replaced it's CEO twice and then gave up on the investment, I thought I wouldn't love another phone until I got handed a Moto X.

I've owned a few Samsung Phones, and my wife has an iPhone. These days I carry two phones, the Moto X and an LG V20 for it's video and audio recording capabilities. In my line of work as a manager, having a business and personal phone number makes sense for multiple reasons.

I recently sold one of my repaired Moto X to an employee who keeps buying and breaking inexpensive phones. It was hard to let go of it at any price, but I slapped a clear case and a screen protector on it and handed it over. So far he's loving it. I showed him some of the Moto specific features and his level of awe was really gratifying.

It's absolutely true that the best designed devices rarely become the most popular or widely accepted, but as sure as the Moto X replaced my Palm Pre, some company somewhere will make at least one generation of a near perfect phone. Until then, I'll be refurbing and evangelizing the 2013 Moto X. Now more affordable than ever.

I take it that you're using stock 5.1 rom? It's so hard going back to the 2013 Moto X because of the performance. Otherwise, I'd use mine more often.

 

[DrvLikHell]

I take it that you're using stock 5.1 rom? It's so hard going back to the 2013 Moto X because of the performance. Otherwise, I'd use mine more often.

/|\ This, exactly. Over and over. I must have said to myself 100 times, "if only I could upgrade the processor like on my computer."

The LG 6Q could be interesting. I'm not sure about that funky screen resolution though, and I've never been a fan of LG. I want to see it's exact specs and dimensions. If it looks good I will still keep it in mind and I'll watch to see how it does in its first year. The articles I read said that it will have a 5.4" screen in the body of a phone that would normally fit a 5 or 5.1" screen and that it may have the same processor as the LG 6. Processor speed in a small package is a large part of the formula (for us), but it has to have some kind of magic aside from that. Things like root, an unlocked bootloader, and either a near AOSP stock rom, or good custom rom support are important too.

I actually went to BestBuy specifically to compare the new Moto Z to my 2014 Moto X. I wanted to make sure that the Moto Display still worked the same and see how much bigger the Z is. The added features of the new Moto Display are neat but didn't interest me all that much. I'm just glad that they didn't make it like the Ambient Display app. Even with my Moto X in its case, the naked Moto Z was still bigger. If they sold the dual sim version here in the US, I'd be tempted to buy one. But I know I'd be annoyed having an even larger plank in my pocket.

If Lenovo would only make one of them a little smaller, I just might be on board to buy a new one. There's hope because the new Moto G5 (non plus) comes with a 5" screen. Though it still has a bigger frame than the 2014 Moto X, it's a step away from 5.5" everything. I think they realized that you don't have to have the biggest screen to be competitive. The hugely successful Galaxy S6 and S7 with their 5.1" screens proved this. (Not to mention all of the non-plus iPhones with 4.7 inch screens, or smaller.)

I hope it will be like @Colfax.miller says, that someone will eventually make a phone that we're enamored with. However, the last phone that I was this taken with was another Motorola... the V70. I really don't want to wait that long.