Motorola Moto X4 review

If you’re not a fan of the Motorola design, then it’s likely you won’t find the X4 attractive. It features the same smooth curves on the top and bottom, somewhat large bezels, and large rear camera bump on the back.

It comes with a glass back and metal frame—though reviewers aren’t sure about the build quality. Many suggested a case as they felt the glass was too fragile. That glass/metal combo, however, also gives the phone its IP68 rating. The Moto X4 can survive a 30-minute dunk in a pool with no problems.

The 5.2-inch display impressed critics thanks to its vibrant, accurate color representation and good sunlight legibility. With that said, they noted blacks were not as dark as they’d prefer due to Motorola choosing an LCD panel over AMOLED. Still, most found it serviceable for the price.

While it isn’t powered by the newest or fastest CPU, including an octa-core processor and 3GB of RAM made it snappy enough that critics had little room to complain. They didn’t run into any major performance issues during basic tasks.

Unfortunately, they experienced some slow down when attempting to multi-task. Apps also took a few seconds to launch. They also noticed significant slowdowns and dropped frames for gaming.

The 3,000mAh battery provided reviewers with a full day of fairly heavy usage. With more moderate use, they could extend battery life to two days. Like other Motorola phones, it also comes with Turbo Charge in case you need to top it off in a hurry.

The Moto X4 follows the dual-lens camera trend, with a 12MP telephoto and 8MP wide-angle lens. But more isn’t always better. While reviewers captured some good images, it highly depended on the lighting situation.

In good light, images were crisp, detailed with excellent dynamic range. However, they noticed a significant drop off in quality in low lighting. Complaints included grain, digital artifacts and motion blur.

While they appreciated the wide angle lens to capture more of a scene, there was significant corner distortion to where images looked like they were taken with a fisheye lens.

Reviewers have a difficult time recommending the Moto X4 over somewhat more expensive, and better, phones like the OnePlus 5.

Still, they add that it is one of the better phones at the price point. Digital Trends states, “The Moto X4 offers solid performance, a promising but frustrating camera, daylong battery life... in an attractive, water-resistant body... it’s a good option over most of the budget options below it.” Phone Arena adds, “... [the] phone won’t break any performance benchmark records, yet stands out with its... cool appearance, decent camera and water-resistant construction.”