We take a quick look at the Motorola Moto X4!
Motorola took the wraps off of their new mid-range, dual-camera smartphone here in IFA, Berlin yesterday. The Moto X4 is the second dual-camera offering of the brand, with the first being the high-end Moto Z2 Force announced in the US a few months ago. Despite Motorola’s focus on their MotoMod system of modular accessories, the Moto X4 doesn’t utilize that particular eco-system, which meant the company had a free hand in making the device look quite different compared to its older brothers.
Motorola Moto X4 specs:
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 2.2GHz octa-core processor
- Adreno 508 GPU
- 3GB/4GB of RAM
- 5.2-inch AMOLED full HD display with Gorilla Glass 3 panels (front and back), 1920 × 1080 resolution display
- Gorilla Glass 3 (Front and Back)
- 32GB/64GB of expandable storage, up to 2TB
- 12-megapixel primary camera with 8-megapixel secondary rear camera, dual tone LED flash, AF, PDAF
- 16-megapixel front-facing camera
- WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, fingerprint scanner, USB Type-C, IP68 water and dust resistance
- Turbo Power Charging, Quick Charge tech
- IP68 Dust and Water Resistance
- 3,000mAh Li-Po battery
- Android 7.1.2 Nougat
Initial impressions: very shiny, slippery water-resistant phone
Like we mentioned earlier, the Moto X4 doesn’t utilize MotoMods, the company’s modular accessory system that’s present on two devices announced by the company prior. That means Motorola had a free hand in making the device look different from its other siblings. While the Moto X4 still has that unique-looking circular camera module that’s become the brand’s trademark, it now sits almost flush at the back of the device.
Motorola also ditched the full metal build that’s present on the Moto Z2 Play and Z2 Force and has instead gone with a metal chassis that’s sandwiched in between two panes of Gorilla Glass 3. Motorola’s also taken pointers from HTC’s playbook, and used a very shiny finish on the rear of the phone that subtly changes depending on the lighting.
The result is a gorgeous looking mid-range phone, though from experience it is a little slippery. So slippery in fact that we accidentally dropped it on the show floor while shooting it, though it seemed to have survived that little drop without too much issues.
The phone uses a 5.2-inch LTPS IPS LCD, replacing the traditionally AMOLED panels that power its brethren. The phone feels nicer and more pocketable than say the Moto Z2 Play, though at the expense of not being able to use MotoMods.
The Moto X4 is the first device in Motorola’s lineup to carry an IP rating, since the Moto Z2 Force only had a water-repellent nano-coating which is quite different from an actual IP68 rating that the Moto X4 enjoys.
Let’s talk about that dual-camera for a minute: the two cameras are comprised of an 12-megapixel primary camera with an 8-megapixel secondary camera accompanied by a dual tone LED flash, AF and PDAF. Just like other phones before it, the phone can shoot regular photos with the 12-megpixel sensor and wide-angle shots with the 8-megapixel snapper. It’s also able to add bokeh after the fact since the secondary sensor pulls double duty as the depth sensor.
Inside the phone beats Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 630 2.2GHz octa-core processor, and depending on the market, comes with 3GB/4GB of RAM and 32GB/64GB of expandable storage. Not flagship specs for sure, but it’s more than enough to keep your apps running smoothly without any problems.
The Moto X4 is expected to retail with a price of €399 (around 24K) in European markets, though there’s no word yet on local pricing.
