Moto X Play: Good but nothing very special

The phone doesn't have any cons but at the same time doesn't bring anything new to the table

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Motorola's newest offering, the Moto X Play, looked promising when I unboxed it. I was especially excited about its 21-megapixel (MP) camera and the massive 3,630 mAh battery. However, the revelation proved to be something far from extraordinary.

I found the phone to be sleek and the grooved back cover was appealing. The back cover goes against the traditional smooth finish and it works in favour of clumsy people who are prone to dropping their phones, as the grooves prevent the Moto X Play from skidding off a surface.

The X Play is a dual-SIM phone and also supports 4G. The phone comes with a SIM plus microSD tray. The back cover is removable but the battery isn't.

Another interesting feature of the phone is its "water-repellent coating". Luckily, I got a chance to test it out in the rain and I recommend not taking it out during heavy downpours. The Moto X Play has a 5.5-inch full HD display which is pretty sharp and works great even when it's sunny.

The specification that I was most excited about was the 3,630 mAh battery. However, heavy usage does take a toll on the phone and by the time the day's done, you're left with two to three per cent charge.

The 21MP primary camera is sure to interest photography enthusiasts. But, even with those specifications, the phone fails to take sharp pictures due to an underperforming sensor. Compared to the Asus Zenfone 2, the picture quality was far inferior. Our in-house photography connoisseur clicked a picture of some still life and found them to be too grainy for a 21MP camera. The secondary 5MP camera isn't noteworthy either. The "selfie" generation would find that the pictures lack clarity and that they are better off using the primary camera.

That said, the phone does have some useful features like the Moto Assist. This app is very helpful for people who want to check messages or take calls while driving. It announces the names of callers and "texters".

The phone runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop, and the octa-core processor provides for a smooth experience.

Priced at Rs 18,499, the Moto X Play is definitely not a bad phone, but in the era of cut-throat competition, it doesn't provide anything extraordinary.

SPECIFICATIONS
Display: 5.5-inch 1080 x 1920p at 403 ppi
OS: Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
Processor: 1.7 Ghz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615
Camera: 21MP primary; 5MP secondary
Battery: 3,630 mAh
RAM: 2 GB
Memory: 16/32 GB