The variety in the smartphone market has democratized the once premium device. Now, the choice rests upon the customers. With so many interesting handsets up for grabs, phone manufacturers are stepping up their game to claim a spot in each price points. Moto, which is not relatively new to the game, has released its best bet into the midrange market, here’s what we think of it.
Design: 4.5/5
As someone who has been in the industry of reviewing gadgets for over three years now, I’ve grown so accustomed to smartphones that I’m no longer easily impressed by even elaborate formfactors. But when I got my hands on the Moto M, I’d have to say I wanted to take one home right off the bat.
The Moto M strikes the perfect balance between power and style. It has a unibody, all-metal design with nano-coating that’s just right up my alley. What’s more, it has a slim, curved body that perfectly fits the hand. Considering its worth, its form factor has the characteristics of a premium device and will make other phones within its price point shake in their boots.
Taking spotlight up front is the Moto M’s 5.5-inch full HD display. Also located on the device’s front are its 8 MP front camera and a subtle Moto logo below the display. The right side of the device is populated by the volume-rocker and power/lock button. The left side is designated for the pop-up slot for Nano-SIMs and a micro-SD card. Speaker grilles, USB type-C port, and a port for audio jack are placed at the bottom and atop the device respectively. On its rear are a beautifully crafted 16 MP camera and LED flash combo flanked with its finger print scanner.
Hardware: 4/5
The Moto M’s hardware is the beast to its beauty. Beneath its appealing aesthetics are powerful features on the inside. It is driven by a 2.2 GHz Helio P10 octa-core processor mated to 4 GB of RAM; a powerful combination that allows the phone to breeze through tasks. I’ve been using the Moto M as my primary phone for weeks as of this writing and I’m quite fascinated with what it is capable of. It’s not flagship–powerful, but it definitely doesn’t fall far behind.
For taking awe-inspiring landscape shots, this handsets’ 16 MP PDAF rear camera has you covered. It is able to capture fine-detailed shots in well-lit conditions and does a decent job in underlit situations. What I’m very happy with about its snapper is its ability to focus without delay on subjects—a function that would come in handy when taking quick shots. Taking selfies using its 8 MP front camera was also quite pleasant, albeit not as sharp as you would expect from its megapixel count, it still does great.
If I had to nit-pick about one feature of this phone, it would have to be the rather poor quality produced by its rear camera when zoomed in. I tried using it on two occasions: one, during an indoor concert; and two, on a garden wedding. The former was poorly lit so I was kind of thinking that it had something to do with the pixilation, but using it during my friend’s garden wedding— on a bright and sunny day—made me realize that one can’t really have it all.
Images captured with Moto M:
On the one hand, sound produced by this handset is amplified by Dolby Atmos technology, immersing you in complete auditory entertainment experience. I actually found myself listening through its organic speakers than using my pair of cans.
User Experience: 4.5/5
The Moto M runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow and has a stock Android user interface which in my opinion adds to its appeal. Navigating and getting used to it was no hard task.
I’ll throw caution to the wind, I’m not a fan of finger print scanners. Whenever I review a phone with this utility, I dread the deed of having to register my finger print. I guess I prefer physical buttons more than new innovations. But just to get it out of the way, I didn’t skip that part upon startup. Registration was very quick—probably the fastest out of all finger print processes I’ve made. And, recognition is sharp and I feel that my data’s really secured.
Additional icing on the cake is a 3050 mAh rapid charging battery that lasts up to a whole day even with data and location enabled.
Value: 4.5/5
For only PHP 14,999, the Moto M is a midrange phone well its worth. It fits the bill as a stylish and sleek phone that powers through everyday tasks. Its beautifully crafted body along with other useful knickknacks makes it a phone worthy of checking out.
Bottomline:
If your budget permits, get the Moto M now. There’s no question about it.