I agree. This is far from a Moto X. Yet, that is actually the strategy of smartphone companies by using the flagship and create its smaller brother. Samsung and Sony has mini, while LG has the "s". It's quite misleading to most consumers.
lol I was mildly interested despite the size, mainly because of that beefy battery, then I read that, dunno why they wouldn't bring this stateside... How is there NOT room for a midrange model between $200 & $400? Are the margins that slim on this model?
A rumor, and I must stress this is purely a rumor, I keep seeing is that in order to get compatibility with all the different carriers, Motorola had to negotiate with all of them. It's speculated that Verizon wanted to maintain their Android battery dominance with the Droid Turbo. So the Play can't come to the US, unless it gets rebranded as the Droid Play or some other nonsense and is made a Verizon exclusive. Now I repeat that this is all rumor and no intel on the decision has been given by Motorola themselves.
What is the price difference between an 808 and a 615? I'm expecting a substantial performance difference, and I feel like the cost difference between mobile SoCs is minuscule.
With 8 A53s, the 615 is more like a 410 with more cores thrown into the mix (and a bit higher clocks). Usually the last four cores are very bandwidth starved too, so it doesn't do much better than the 410.
I'm not as sure how the Adreno 405 and 306 compare though, interested in an answer to that.
The difference between 4 and 8 cores in a phone workload is negligible. The fast clocks help of course, but I don't think I'd be happy with a A53 as the strongest core in my phone.
Yeah, big.LITTLE made sense when it was actual big cores and little cores, like the name itself implies. Having two clusters of the same core types is a bit silly, and I think to do with "8" marketing in China more than anything.
I completely concur with this statement. I consider the original Moto X to have the best ergonomics in terms of size and shape of any smart phone I've owned. For day to day use as an actual phone it is top notch.
I forgot all about the S618/620. That would have been wicked indeed. I see the 615 as very much mid-range while the 618/620 would have been more befitting of an "entry flagship " that the play seems to be, especially in markets without the style.
I am curious about why you think so? Other than the processor it seems to be an upgrade in every other aspect. I have no idea about the processor. How does the S615 fare against the S800?
The Cortex A53 is significantly slower than Krait 400, and the Adreno 405 is slower than the 330. Don't really consider the larger display an upgrade. Why do you think this is a performance upgrade over the Nexus 5?
Everyone needs to contact Motorola and let them know that they need to bring the Play to the US. I don't want a 5.7 inch phone. I was so excited this morning when I saw this phone on the announcement, only to later have my excitement killed when I saw it's not coming to the US. Don't want a Galaxy or iPhone, this was one of my last hopes for a new phone.
All of three of them seem to miss their marks by a bit. They forget that they are also competing with the likes of Xiaomi and OnePlus, especially in Asian markets which is their focus.
The moto g3 need the S615, all else is good enough. Maybe a more compact body too.
The moto x play need the S618/S620 and maybe a 5.2in screen and 3 gb ram.
And with a body as large as the moto x style they should have gone for a slight underclocked, 1.8GHz S810 v2.1 like OnePlus2 with 4gb ram.
The moto x play will be directly competing with the higher variant of OnePlus2. The specs of the moto g 3 are already available in Xiaomi and Lenovo phones for a much lower price.
To the author: Please do a moto g 3 review and include other phones in this price range like Xiaomi and Lenovo.
Weirdly enough, believe it or not, i just ordered 2 of these phones for my mom and brother. Despite similar specs at a lower price point available in the form of Xiaomi and Lenovo phones, I can't seem to bring myself to even consider those phones. And to think that Lenovo actually owns Motorola.
Maybe a review, or even a subjective comparison againt those phones in the moto g 3 review might change my mind.
When I saw "Moto X Play" I thought, excellent, does that mean it's running stock Android? (ala Google Play Editions) So it was disappointing to find it's just a weird mishmash of specs part way between the Moto G 2015 and the Moto X Style.
A dual band wifi radio, but no 802.11ac? 1080p in 5.5in? 2GB ram? With Motorola's awful memory 'optimisations' they should be putting 3GB ram in all of their phones, and 1080p would have been an awesome upgrade to the Moto G 2015 at 5".
The Moto X Play is quite disappointing. Other devices such as Xiaomi Mi4i have the Snapdragon 615 and are known to have overheating issues. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 is worse than the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 in almost every single metric - worse performance/watt, worse CPU, worse GPU etc. Wouldn't it have been better for Motorola to reuse the Snapdragon 801 from the Moto X 2015. The only upgrade from the X Play and the Moto X is the battery capacity and the camera.
In my opinion splitting the X line into 2 phablets with a confusing naming scheme was a bad idea. If they were going to split the X line they could have spilt it into a phablet (5.5 inch +) and smartphone (4.7-5.2 inch) line.
What about wireless charging. I'd love to update Nexus 5 with something with better camera, but also love the AirDock mount in the car. You get in, place the phone on charger and voila. In Lolipop it can unlock when connected to car Bluetooth and works great. Only the camera...
Well, comparison of Moto X Play to OnePlus 2 16GB is inevitable, due to simultaneous launches, similar price points and (probably) the same targeted markets.
The latter has a much better processor (S810 vs S615), more RAM ( 3GB vs 2GB), fingerprint scan, newer gorilla glass (4 vs 3) and probably a better camera (at lower resolution). The advantages of Moto X Play are - a card slot, a bigger battery and pure android (which means faster update to Android M).
Overall, I think S615 is a bad choice - if this phone is priced equal to the OnePlus 2 it should have a S808. But since it doesnt, hopefully there will be a price differential to balance it.
Moto Play - 300$ Moto Style - 400$ One Plus 2 - 389$
Why are you comparing Play to the OP2 , when Style is much closer to the price , or is it because the Style is just better that you don't want to compare ?
Hi, Please help me. I am very confused. Which phone should I buy - OnePlus 2 or Moto X Play. Please suggest me the perfect phone. I also will root it and want a phone with less restrictions as per my usage. It is very difficult to choose between the two. Suggest the best one IRRESPECTIVE OF PRICE...i just want better one...price does not matter....pls help..
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46 Comments
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Shadow7037932 - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
>The Moto X Play will go on sale in August, but it doesn’t seem like there are plans to bring this device to the US.Nooooooooooooooo :(
WorldWithoutMadness - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
They should've named it Moto P instead. It is the middle letter from G to X.junky77 - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
lolzodiacfml - Wednesday, July 29, 2015 - link
I agree. This is far from a Moto X. Yet, that is actually the strategy of smartphone companies by using the flagship and create its smaller brother. Samsung and Sony has mini, while LG has the "s". It's quite misleading to most consumers.tipoo - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
Holy crap, we (Canada) get something you don't for once!junky77 - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
tipoo, you still got Canada..meacupla - Wednesday, July 29, 2015 - link
don't worry, that just means canada won't get something else.Impulses - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
lol I was mildly interested despite the size, mainly because of that beefy battery, then I read that, dunno why they wouldn't bring this stateside... How is there NOT room for a midrange model between $200 & $400? Are the margins that slim on this model?NGC5189 - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
A rumor, and I must stress this is purely a rumor, I keep seeing is that in order to get compatibility with all the different carriers, Motorola had to negotiate with all of them. It's speculated that Verizon wanted to maintain their Android battery dominance with the Droid Turbo. So the Play can't come to the US, unless it gets rebranded as the Droid Play or some other nonsense and is made a Verizon exclusive. Now I repeat that this is all rumor and no intel on the decision has been given by Motorola themselves.tipoo - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
How much better is the Adreno 405 than the Adreno 306 in the Moto G?hans_ober - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
1.5 to 3 times faster.On average, 2x faster.
icrf - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
What is the price difference between an 808 and a 615? I'm expecting a substantial performance difference, and I feel like the cost difference between mobile SoCs is minuscule.tipoo - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
With 8 A53s, the 615 is more like a 410 with more cores thrown into the mix (and a bit higher clocks). Usually the last four cores are very bandwidth starved too, so it doesn't do much better than the 410.I'm not as sure how the Adreno 405 and 306 compare though, interested in an answer to that.
FwFred - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
The difference between 4 and 8 cores in a phone workload is negligible. The fast clocks help of course, but I don't think I'd be happy with a A53 as the strongest core in my phone.tipoo - Wednesday, July 29, 2015 - link
Yeah, big.LITTLE made sense when it was actual big cores and little cores, like the name itself implies. Having two clusters of the same core types is a bit silly, and I think to do with "8" marketing in China more than anything.hans_ober - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
Even S618 would have been fine.phoenix_rizzen - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
"As one can see, the Moto X Play seems to fit somewhat squarely between the Moto G and Moto X Play. "That last Play should be Style.
hans_ober - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
They need to release a refresh of the original Moto X (2013).Same form factor, upgraded internals, bigger battery.
To many big phones coming out.
Impulses - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
+1000nekoken - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
I completely concur with this statement. I consider the original Moto X to have the best ergonomics in terms of size and shape of any smart phone I've owned. For day to day use as an actual phone it is top notch.Laxaa - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
The original Moto X was great. They should have released a compact version this time around.hans_ober - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
Would have been nice to see S618 (dual A72 + quad a53) instead of S615.Device looks amazing, would have bought for sure if it was 5"
Gogogoran - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
I forgot all about the S618/620. That would have been wicked indeed. I see the 615 as very much mid-range while the 618/620 would have been more befitting of an "entry flagship " that the play seems to be, especially in markets without the style.madwolfa - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
No release in US?? Are they for real? Nothing to replace wife's Nexus 5 with. :(dragonsqrrl - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
This wouldn't be much of a replacement for a Nexus 5, at least performance wise.adityarjun - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
I am curious about why you think so? Other than the processor it seems to be an upgrade in every other aspect.I have no idea about the processor. How does the S615 fare against the S800?
dragonsqrrl - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
The Cortex A53 is significantly slower than Krait 400, and the Adreno 405 is slower than the 330. Don't really consider the larger display an upgrade. Why do you think this is a performance upgrade over the Nexus 5?Nimer55 - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
Guessing: Battery, Battery, Battery.wffurr - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
WTB Moto X Style Minisonicmerlin - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
Ugh I was so excited when I saw the name, thinking it a successor to the Xperia Play. But it's just another stupid rectangular slab. Wth???rktman1969 - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
Everyone needs to contact Motorola and let them know that they need to bring the Play to the US. I don't want a 5.7 inch phone. I was so excited this morning when I saw this phone on the announcement, only to later have my excitement killed when I saw it's not coming to the US. Don't want a Galaxy or iPhone, this was one of my last hopes for a new phone.kspirit - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
The Style is a way better option for its price, how much more cheaper can this be?dragonsqrrl - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
Well... looks like I'm not going with Motorola this generation.adityarjun - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
All of three of them seem to miss their marks by a bit. They forget that they are also competing with the likes of Xiaomi and OnePlus, especially in Asian markets which is their focus.The moto g3 need the S615, all else is good enough. Maybe a more compact body too.
The moto x play need the S618/S620 and maybe a 5.2in screen and 3 gb ram.
And with a body as large as the moto x style they should have gone for a slight underclocked, 1.8GHz S810 v2.1 like OnePlus2 with 4gb ram.
The moto x play will be directly competing with the higher variant of OnePlus2. The specs of the moto g 3 are already available in Xiaomi and Lenovo phones for a much lower price.
To the author: Please do a moto g 3 review and include other phones in this price range like Xiaomi and Lenovo.
adityarjun - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
Weirdly enough, believe it or not, i just ordered 2 of these phones for my mom and brother. Despite similar specs at a lower price point available in the form of Xiaomi and Lenovo phones, I can't seem to bring myself to even consider those phones. And to think that Lenovo actually owns Motorola.Maybe a review, or even a subjective comparison againt those phones in the moto g 3 review might change my mind.
adityarjun - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
Umm, i meant the moto g 3..I am gonna post all this there. Excuse me.
markbanang - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
When I saw "Moto X Play" I thought, excellent, does that mean it's running stock Android? (ala Google Play Editions) So it was disappointing to find it's just a weird mishmash of specs part way between the Moto G 2015 and the Moto X Style.A dual band wifi radio, but no 802.11ac? 1080p in 5.5in? 2GB ram? With Motorola's awful memory 'optimisations' they should be putting 3GB ram in all of their phones, and 1080p would have been an awesome upgrade to the Moto G 2015 at 5".
SRPat - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
The Moto X Play is quite disappointing. Other devices such as Xiaomi Mi4i have the Snapdragon 615 and are known to have overheating issues. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 is worse than the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 in almost every single metric - worse performance/watt, worse CPU, worse GPU etc. Wouldn't it have been better for Motorola to reuse the Snapdragon 801 from the Moto X 2015. The only upgrade from the X Play and the Moto X is the battery capacity and the camera.In my opinion splitting the X line into 2 phablets with a confusing naming scheme was a bad idea. If they were going to split the X line they could have spilt it into a phablet (5.5 inch +) and smartphone (4.7-5.2 inch) line.
hans_ober - Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - link
Snapdragon 618 would have been the best :)exmachiner - Wednesday, July 29, 2015 - link
Its not shipping to the vendors yet, is it ?mszew - Wednesday, July 29, 2015 - link
What about wireless charging. I'd love to update Nexus 5 with something with better camera, but also love the AirDock mount in the car. You get in, place the phone on charger and voila. In Lolipop it can unlock when connected to car Bluetooth and works great. Only the camera...exmachiner - Wednesday, July 29, 2015 - link
Well, comparison of Moto X Play to OnePlus 2 16GB is inevitable, due to simultaneous launches, similar price points and (probably) the same targeted markets.The latter has a much better processor (S810 vs S615), more RAM ( 3GB vs 2GB), fingerprint scan, newer gorilla glass (4 vs 3) and probably a better camera (at lower resolution). The advantages of Moto X Play are - a card slot, a bigger battery and pure android (which means faster update to Android M).
Overall, I think S615 is a bad choice - if this phone is priced equal to the OnePlus 2 it should have a S808. But since it doesnt, hopefully there will be a price differential to balance it.
HuHey - Saturday, August 15, 2015 - link
Moto Play - 300$Moto Style - 400$
One Plus 2 - 389$
Why are you comparing Play to the OP2 , when Style is much closer to the price , or is it because the Style is just better that you don't want to compare ?
sicyo - Wednesday, July 29, 2015 - link
:(This is the one I want the most, and it's not coming to US apparently.
Guess I'll have to wait for the next Nexus or Project Ara.
Hrel - Thursday, July 30, 2015 - link
Eh, they're all 1440 screens, pass! I want 1080p damnit!KhushBohra - Sunday, March 27, 2016 - link
Hi, Please help me. I am very confused. Which phone should I buy - OnePlus 2 or Moto X Play. Please suggest me the perfect phone. I also will root it and want a phone with less restrictions as per my usage. It is very difficult to choose between the two. Suggest the best one IRRESPECTIVE OF PRICE...i just want better one...price does not matter....pls help..