Is MotoX Pure 2015 the best phone ever made?

[GoodEnough]

Is it?

 

[Deeko]

no.

 

[GoodEnough]

2nd best?

 

[tdawg]

The MotoX Pure 2015 is the best MotoX Pure 2015 available today

 

[Zivic]

Is it?

not a chance

biggest flaws
form factor is much too large
LCD screen is supbar.

I do enjoy the fast charging though.

 

[Commodus]

Nope. The notion of a "best phone" is always something of a misnomer to start with, since it implies that there's one phone that will easily meet the demands of most people. Even widely praised devices like the Nexus 6P and iPhone 6s have significant flaws that will turn some people off.

The Moto X Pure is a good phone, to be sure, but it has issues: its camera isn't as good as on rivals, some find the battery life to be too short, and others find it too big. I'm not sure if I'd put it in the top three.

 

[tsupersonic]

Nope. The notion of a "best phone" is always something of a misnomer to start with, since it implies that there's one phone that will easily meet the demands of most people. Even widely praised devices like the Nexus 6P and iPhone 6s have significant flaws that will turn some people off.

The Moto X Pure is a good phone, to be sure, but it has issues: its camera isn't as good as on rivals, some find the battery life to be too short, and others find it too big. I'm not sure if I'd put it in the top three.

Nailed it. Everyone has different needs from a smartphone. While the X Pure 2015 is a great phone, it doesn't tick all the boxes I wanted. Sadly, Motorola has changed after they got acquired by Lenovo (for the worse).

 

[GoodEnough]

Ok, in your opinion, what is the best phone for Android, based on your needs?
Or top 3 Android phones ever.

 

[tsupersonic]

Ok, in your opinion, what is the best phone for Android, based on your needs?
Or top 3 Android phones ever.

For me, priorities in order:

1) Battery life - the trend towards thinner phones needs to stop (thanks Apple). I need 3 hours of SoT in my usage.

2) Stock Android + fast updates - New Nexus phones are the best for this. Motorola gets an A for effort since they tend to be minimal bloat and quickish updates. Bonus if the phone has a huge developer community - ROM's, etc. It's not for me today, but if I ever need to keep a phone more than 2-3 years, this will come in handy.

3) Misc. features - ranges from anything from a good camera, to a fingerprint sensor, to USB type C, quick charging, wireless charging, a nice build quality, etc. These are the features that make the phone more pleasurable/easier to use on a daily basis.

Performance is important, but I'm ok with mid-range performance/;
CPU - Snapdragon 410 or higher.
RAM - 2 GB of RAM or higher.
Storage - 16 GB of internal storage, IF it has expandable storage. If there's no expandable storage, I want 64 GB internal storage as a minimum.
Displays are also important to me - I just prefer AMOLED displays.
Resolution - 720p or higher.

For technology, you can't say something is top 3 ever. Technology constantly evolves, so you can only rate what's available to consumers today. For my top 3 Android phones today, it would be:
1) Nexus 6P - well rounded. Only negative is the phone doesn't have expandable storage, and the phone is on the larger side.
2) Note 5 - outside of Touchwiz/updates, and no expandable storage, it's a nice phone.
3) Tie between: Moto G 2015 (2GB RAM/16 GB storage), Z5 Compact, Oneplus X (major negative points for the stupid invite system).

 

[RossMAN]

3) Misc. features - ranges from anything from a good camera, to a fingerprint sensor, to USB type C, quick charging, wireless charging, a nice build quality, etc. These are the features that make the phone more pleasurable/easier to use on a daily basis.

I love wireless charging, glad my Nexus 6 offers it.

What are your preferences/thoughts about LCD vs AMOLED?

 

[gdansk]

I have one and no, it's not. It's good enough for me though. Moto X Force is more ideal except the gigantic lower bezel.

 

[tsupersonic]

I love wireless charging, glad my Nexus 6 offers it.

What are your preferences/thoughts about LCD vs AMOLED?

I do miss wireless charging. I had it on a couple of older phones, and it was just very convenient.

AMOLED all the way! Darker UI's are visually more appealing to me (kudos to app. devs that have dark/black modes), and this is where AMOLED's shine (heh). Plus, I like the contrast/colors of AMOLED displays. The only downside is daylight readability, but I live in a very gloomy part of upstate NY! How about you?

 

[RossMAN]

I do miss wireless charging. I had it on a couple of older phones, and it was just very convenient.

AMOLED all the way! Darker UI's are visually more appealing to me (kudos to app. devs that have dark/black modes), and this is where AMOLED's shine (heh). Plus, I like the contrast/colors of AMOLED displays. The only downside is daylight readability, but I live in a very gloomy part of upstate NY! How about you?

I have no preference but am indoors/gloomy weather most of the time so it probably won't affect me.

 

[jennywatson655]

Sorry to Say, I don't like MotoX Pure at all.

 

[notposting]

Screen tech is to the point that a well made LCD or AMOLED shouldn't matter. Properly calibrated they will be spot on (though many don't bother, or pump the saturation anyway). Outdoor readability is pretty easily achieved with peak brightness/contrast based on sensors, polarizing panels (ala Nokia Clear Black Display) - any of the Nokia's I have just shrug off the noon sun.

As for other checklist items, agreed - too many people with different wants to satisfy everyone. Some want the thinnest but others want a little more battery a d expandability. Some want the fastest processor, others are fine with "good enough". Size *does* matter, and manufacturers really need to just offer identical phones with different screen sizes.

I want it all, personally. Qi, expandable storage, removable battery, camera with OIS and LED/xenon combo, IR unit for receive and transmit (oh and these should be generic items, not anything doofy and proprietary), unlocked including bands for VZW,etc etc etc. I'm still waiting.

 

[TheAdvocate]

I had one for 2 weeks before I returned it in favor of a 64GB Nexus 6 ($259 black Friday Sale - incredible deal).

I can say that in the short time I had it, I really loved that phone. Everything about it was well thought out.

In regards to size - it was nearly as large as my Nexus 6, but I can say definitively that it was much more comfortable to hold. Though the screen sizes are similar, the dimensions arent. The X Pure is longer and slimmer which made it much easier to hold.

Also, I have Qi charging on the 6. Meh. The ideal would be that I could just slap it down on the charging base just before I go to sleep. That doesn't happen - you have to get the phone just so on the sweet spot to get it to work, which kinda defeats the purpose.

The turbocharger worked really well on the Pure, so battery life was never an issue. I also liked the Moto "gimmicks" - the chop and twist actions for the flashlight and camera. And I really liked the Moto apps, especially Assist (loved the setting to read my texts out loud by voice command when I was driving). I understand that was going away though in Android 6.0. I havent figued out how to do that on the Nexus 6 (which is running 6.01).

tl;dr - It is a great phone, and a pretty decent value at current sale prices.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Ok, in your opinion, what is the best phone for Android, based on your needs?

The Nexus 5P 2016 that hopefully Google will give us next year.

Or top 3 Android phones ever.

Ok, that sounds like fun, as long as we can judge them within their time. If we have to judge them by today's standards that is much less fun. How about a top 5? Top 3 is hard:

1. Note 4 - Everything that is/was great about the Note series (and Samsung phones in general) at their peak back when the devices would let you replace a battery or add a SD card. Great screen, great camera, great device even today. Also had the first VR helmet and an amazing screen with a metal rim. The Note 5 really felt like a step backwards after this device (especially because its design was flawed).

2. Moto X 2014 - This was THE phone that blew away our expectations about what Android could do. Created and sold while Moto was part of Google, this was very obviously Google's dream of what non-Nexus Android should be. This is the closest Android phone we ever got to an iPhone, even if people bashed its midrange specs back in the day. Any Moto since (after Google sold Moto) has been a letdown in comparison (unless you need a budget device).

3. Nexus 5 - the first Nexus that hit all the right notes at a price that was competitive before the OnePlus One changed the value proposition for good. Easily the best Nexus phone ever, it was a very big hit in its day.

4. Galaxy S3 USA Edition- The first real "modern" Android phone, as in someone could still have one and not be hurting to upgrade. The huge 720p screen and 2GB of RAM set a baseline standard of specs that we still haven't moved away from on the midrange. The Galaxy S4 might have been a better phone, but by then it had better competition (M7) and way more Touchwiz bloat. The S3 stood as the best Android phone in 2012 by far.

5. Tie Nexus 6P/HTC M7 - Both of these phones have amazing designs that has been or will be copied by others. The M7 was probably HTCs best phone ever, with an OIS camera, front facing speakers and metal body before anyone else had it. Meanwhile the 6P is a great start to the future Chinese invasion of smartphones, with a sleek design and a best-in-class fingerprint reader. Only design flaws (the M7 camera had many flaws outside of OIS, the 6P can't magically make it's garbage SoC better and it lacks OIS) keep either from being higher up on the list.

Worst All-Time Major Android Device: HTC M9. Terrible SoC, terrible camera, exact same design as M8 with a worse screen than the M8. So bad it almost killed HTC as a company.

Top 5 iPhones would be:

1. iPhone 5 - bigger, faster, LTE, a better connector, with more effective RAM than 2014 iPhones? yes please. Easily the crown jewel of the iPhone series, the first non-S phone that was a must buy even if you had the previous model (and the last in my opinion).

2. iPhone 3GS - A champ in its day with a monster SoC, it perfected the original iPhone design. The iPhone 4 was a MAJOR jump backwards in power-per-pixel.

3. iPhone 6s - Finally a large iPhone with specs to match the size. Would be at the top of the list if it had a better screen (higher resolution) and OIS on the camera. And yes I know the 6+s has those, but it also has a terrible screen size to phone size ratio for a phablet phone.

4. iPhone 4S - The first phone we will ever see that will last five years while being on a current OS the entire time. Also Siri changed the world, but it started right here. If the 5S had more RAM it would be in this spot, but I can't stand the fact it had less effective RAM than the iPhone 5.

5. iPhone OG - it didn't have 3G, apps, copy and paste, or many other things we take for granted with modern smartphones. With that said it changed the world and the computer industry forever. Those of us who had one can remember the reactions of those who first saw it, as if a new form of magic never seen before was cast for the first time.

All Time worst iPhone: iPhone 6+ non-S. The normals of the world demanded a Note-sized iPhone, and the first version given to them had a planned obsolescence built in that would make old GM/Ford executives pee their pants with joy. Despite being a phablet it had less effective ram than the 2012 iPhone 5, and less power-per-pixel than the 2013 iPhone 5S. Anyone who has used both this and the iPhone 6+s knows how much they held back the first phablet, which is great for iPhone 7+ sales I guess. What really upsets me about this phone is the cheaper iPad Air 2 sold in the same store at the same time DEMOLISHED it.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Bonus Round: Tablets

Best Android Tablet Ever: Nexus 7 2013. It set the standard for Android tablet value and performance. Hell this thing runs 6.0 better than my M8 does! We are still waiting for a real replacement.

Worst Android Tablet Ever: Transformer Prime. What was supposed to be the first real iPad competitor had a terrible design flaw that led to a class action suit. The worst money I ever spent.

Best iPad Ever: iPad 2. This is maybe the best mobile device ever, still running a current OS despite being released in 2011. Outlasted the iPad 3, and was a hit in its shrunken forum (iPad Mini 1). The best money I have ever spent on technology (the iPad Air 2 is a close second).

Worst iPad Ever: iPad 3. THE example of why you shouldn't blindly buy iDevices always expecting the newest model to be better. Fat, heavy, and half the power-per-pixel than the iPad 2, there is a reason it was sold for less than a year.

 

[GoodEnough]

If Note 4 is so good, why aren't you using it today?
How can MotoX 2014 be better than 2015 Pure??
How is Nexus 5 better than the Nexus 6 ??

 

[looper]

For technology, you can't say something is top 3 ever. Technology constantly evolves, so you can only rate what's available to consumers today. For my top 3 Android phones today, it would be:
1) Nexus 6P - well rounded. Only negative is the phone doesn't have expandable storage, and the phone is on the larger side.
2) Note 5 - outside of Touchwiz/updates, and no expandable storage, it's a nice phone.
3) Tie between: Moto G 2015 (2GB RAM/16 GB storage), Z5 Compact, Oneplus X (major negative points for the stupid invite system).

Because of music considerations, a 'top 3' phone for me would be the LG V10....

BUT... I'm now reconsidering if I really want a phone as big as the N6P or the LG V10. I'm a retired guy with a part-time job (to get out of the condo and away from the boss) moving cars to various locations for Hertz. I'm constantly in/out of cars, and the big phones don't fit well/if at all, in my pants or shirt pockets.... How to deal w/ that?

 

[tsupersonic]

Because of music considerations, a 'top 3' phone for me would be the LG V10....

BUT... I'm now reconsidering if I really want a phone as big as the N6P or the LG V10. I'm a retired guy with a part-time job (to get out of the condo and away from the boss) moving cars to various locations for Hertz. I'm constantly in/out of cars, and the big phones don't fit well/if at all, in my pants or shirt pockets.... How to deal w/ that?

Cell phone belt holster? I'm finding that I'm carrying my 6P around, compared to my smaller phones where I wouldn't typically worry about them in a pocket.

 

[looper]

Cell phone belt holster?

The movement of getting in/out of the various cars and one's driving position makes a phone holster problematic.

 

[s44]

The Galaxy S4 might have been a better phone, but by then it had better competition (M7) and way more Touchwiz bloat.

So, you mean the Galaxy S4 GPE.

 

[Mercennarius]

How is Nexus 5 better than the Nexus 6 ??

Purely from a performance stand point today it's not. But given the time frame each was launched and what they offered in respect to the competition, N5 > N6. The Nexus 5 was the most popular Nexus phone to date, many people are still using them years later since the phone still performs great. The new Nexus 6P is really nice as well, but being a little bigger than what many people would like and losing wireless charging are a downside. The 6P is also more expensive than the N5 was when it launched.

 

[thilanliyan]

The only downside is daylight readability, but I live in a very gloomy part of upstate NY!

Funny thing is though, it's the AMOLED screened phones that usually do well in sunlight readability tests like GSMARENA's.