Motorola Moto X Pure Edition Review: Straight-Up Premium Android
User Experience and Software
Let's just get this out of the way: the software on the Moto X Pure Edition is as good as it gets on an Android device. In prior years, we would've suggested a Nexus device in order to get an all-Google, unmolested version of the operating system, but Moto's gently tweaked variant of Lollipop is even better. By ditching carrier distribution altogether, Moto has ensured that no carrier bloatware will ever find its way onto the Moto X Pure Edition. Plus, no carrier will stand in the way of a software update being pushed to the device.
By and large, Android 5.1.1 (which shipped on this review unit) is exactly as Google intended. The only extras added on by Moto are additive ones, which truly enhance the phone's usability without serving as gimmicks. Moto Display and Voice enable the phone's screen to be lit up by waving your hand over the device, and it will flash a symbol for any new notification type on the screen in order to give you just a peek at what's behind. The shake-to-enable-camera function is here as well, and it works beautifully to quickly call up the camera when action is ongoing. Moto Connect will pass standard text messages through to a Chrome extension for those who'd prefer to see and respond to those messages on a desktop or laptop. Chek out the video embedded on the first page to see all of this in action.
Moreover, there's a 64-bit version of Android here, which takes full advantage of the Snapdragon 808 and the 64-bit architecture within. Overall, it's an exceptionally clean build, which reacts quickly to commands and is clearly unburdened by background programs that typically slow other Android phones down.
By and large, Android 5.1.1 (which shipped on this review unit) is exactly as Google intended. The only extras added on by Moto are additive ones, which truly enhance the phone's usability without serving as gimmicks. Moto Display and Voice enable the phone's screen to be lit up by waving your hand over the device, and it will flash a symbol for any new notification type on the screen in order to give you just a peek at what's behind. The shake-to-enable-camera function is here as well, and it works beautifully to quickly call up the camera when action is ongoing. Moto Connect will pass standard text messages through to a Chrome extension for those who'd prefer to see and respond to those messages on a desktop or laptop. Chek out the video embedded on the first page to see all of this in action.
Moreover, there's a 64-bit version of Android here, which takes full advantage of the Snapdragon 808 and the 64-bit architecture within. Overall, it's an exceptionally clean build, which reacts quickly to commands and is clearly unburdened by background programs that typically slow other Android phones down.
We've praised Moto's software before, and this time around the result is no different.
