The number one thing you want to feel when you buy a smartphone is confidence – especially when it comes to Android devices. When it comes to the biggest smartphone OS in the world, there are so many players in the space that it sometimes feels like there are too many to keep track of. There are plenty of great handsets out there – but there are also a lot of mediocore ones. Even for someone entrenched in the tech world, it’s easy to become overwhelmed.In those circumstances, Motorola’s new mid-range Moto X Force
inspires more than confidence. It inspires staying power. It excels as a
solid and user-friendly handset that’s well-priced, well-specced and
well-positioned to deliver a great mid-tier Android experience.
Pitched as a phone that’s “tough enough to love you back,” the Moto X
Force’s 5.4-inch Quad HD AMOLED display features Motorola’s own
ShatterScreen tech which they assert will deliver both maximum
protection and heightened clarity. While we admittedly didn’t go around
trying to break the screen, the Moto X Force performed admirably the
That level of durability even extends to the other side of that
display, where the Moto X Force is coated by a layer of obsidian-colored
ballistic nylon. This nylon provides good grip when holding the device
and also helps obscure and absorb any markings the phone would pick up
on the reverse side. It’s an interesting choice of material – but one
that pans out well for the handset.
Beneath all that protection, it’s touting a Snapdragon 810 processor,
3GBs of RAM, 32GBs internal storage and a massive 21-megapixel rear
camera. In practice, the Moto X Force isn’t the fastest nor cleanest
Android experience out there – but it’s feels fast enough for most
purposes and it certainly feels fast enough for the pricetag.
The camera fares a little better. The camera app uses touch-based
controls to allow for simpler control using just one finger. You can
swipe left to unlock a tab of customization options, right to open your
gallery, pinch to zoom and tap to capture an image.
A image taken using the Moto X Force’s camera at night with HDR-enabled |
It’s a neat control scheme that makes for a good experience once
you’ve gotten your mind around how it operates. It certainly helps that
the results are as good as they are. While megapixels aren’t everything –
it feels like they’re well deployed here.
 Click to enlarge |
A image taken using the Moto X Force’s camera during the day with HDR-enabled
Motorola claim the phone will go the distance and deliver on the
battery life of up to 48 hours – and for what it’s worth, we found it
does come somewhat close to that number. With medium-to-heavy use, we
managed to wring between 20 and 25 hours out of the Moto X Force. That
said, the handset lacks the fast-charge feature that a lot of its
competitors are shipping with – which is a notable downside to the
phone.
Conclusion
All told, the Moto X Force is easy to recommend. On the software
side, it’s an above average Android experience at a great price and when
it comes to the hardware it’s packed with value. The camera, battery
life and even ultra-durable form-factor deliver. Motorola should feel
confident in what they’ve brought to market. This is a handset with more
than just confidence on its side. They’ve got a mid-tier winner on
their hands.
Score: 4.5/5.0
The Moto X Force is available Harvey Norman outlets or via www.motorola.com.au for $599.
