15-20K Moto X 2013, good deal at 18k?

[mitraark]

Looking for a new phone, primary purpose is browsing, Facebook Twitter Instagram Quora stuff mostly. Watching videos quite often. Initially had the Redmi 1S, Asus Zenfone 5, and Moto G 2 in mind, but Moto X with 2 GB RAM and Adreno 320 being offered at just 18k now made me change my mind. Heard it's being shipped wit Android L out of the box now. Is a year old model worth that price now?

1. Budget?
A: 15-20k

2. Preferred Form Factor(flip, bar, slider)?
A: Bar

3. Preferred display type?
A: Moto X has AMOLED, great for watching videos, right ? Had a LG L9 previously, IPS panel was really good, don't like the display on Xiaomi Mi3, its dull.

4. Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them.
A: Established brands preferred. Motorola After sales service, it's Ok , right?
Not keen on Xiaomi , even though it's great on paper, I didn't like the display quality on it, and it honestly doesn't feel like a Snapdragon 800 phone, there is visible lag in the UI occasionally. Asus, not so sure.

5. Preferred input method (Touchscreen, QWERTY, etc.)?
A: Touchscreen

6. Camera required or not? If required, please specify type like front camera/flash/etc.
A: Decent camera for quick photography would be nice Not a priority though.

7. Preferred operating system? (Android, Symbian, iOS, Windows Phone etc).
A: Android only. Love the pure Android offered by Moto X. Nexus 5 would have been better, but it's over my budget.

8. Preferred connectivity options? (3G, Wifi, Edge etc).
A: 3G

9. What is your intended use for this phone(internet, camera, multimedia, mails, etc)?
A: Internet, Multimedia, Mails, Camera. In that order.

10. Any other requirements?
A: Don't require dual sim. Moto X is a Nano SIM, will Vodafone Store provide a Nano SIM
for my current number ?

11. If you have already considered a phone then please mention the model.
A: Moto X. Looks good on paper. Any Moto X owners out here?

 

[ayanavish]

Check with @ashrr about Moto X. But don't think you will get X (2013) with L out of the box. Still you will get an update to Lollipop once the initial soak tests are over for G and X (2014). Coming to your video watching requirement, are you sure 4.7 inch would be good enough? You can consider other brands which have at least 5 inch screen size. For example Nexus 5, Lumia 1320, OnePlus One, Note 3 Neo, Desire 820, etc.

 

[ashrr]

The Moto X 2013 is a great everyday phone and would work very well for your requirements. The best part is how comfortably it sits in your hand. It also slips in and out of any pockets with ease, so you can quickly pull it out even in a crowded environment to take a quick photograph without wrestling with your jeans. Performance wise, it smokes the MI3 in everyday usage IMO. Like you said, I noticed visible lag in the UI as well. The Moto X doesn't have this issue. It does not come with Android Lollipop out of the box, but should get it anytime now, possibly within the next two weeks.

Okay now for the cons - Battery life isn't great. It's acceptable when you're connected to Wi-Fi but I've been disappointed by 3G performance. It's not Nexus levels of bad but it really isn't anything more than passable. The camera is even worse. Seriously, it's utter shit. I don't typically use my phones cameras for anything more than the occasional Facebook group photo but I've wanted to quickly take a picture of a receipt to share with someone and it has a lot of trouble focusing. Don't expect anything great from it.

As for after sales support, Moto Care are helpful, but they appear to be just a call center who direct you to local service centers who haven't given me the best response. I shattered my Moto X's screen and I'd like to get it replaced but it took more over a week just to get these guys on the phone. Finally, one lady picked up and informed me that it would cost Rs. 12,000 to repair it, at which point I gave up because a new one isn't much more expensive.

Don't let this deter you though. If you aren't a clumsy oaf like me, the 2013 X is still a great deal. It's quite possibly the perfect "buy it and forget all about it" phone you can get below 20k - A phone that works for you, not the other way round. Do note that Flipkart does not provide the wall charging adapter anymore though, only the USB cable.

 

[vyral_143]

@ashrr Can you provide little more details on battery life ? Like screen on time, approx % drop during non-operational time, etc.

 

[ivhere]

It's a great phone have bought a bamboo one recently for 16.5k during SBI cash-back offer. Battery is not that bad you could get 8 hrs screen on time with wifi. Sufficient charge for 24 hrs uses. Active display feature is very useful. I can't live without active display now.

 

[ashrr]

@ashrr Can you provide little more details on battery life ? Like screen on time, approx % drop during non-operational time, etc.

Hmm, I don't get anywhere near the 8 hours SOT that ivhere mentioned. I get about 4 to 4.5 hours on WiFI and 3 hours on 3G but I almost always have everything turned on including Location Reporting, Google Now, Facebook, Background sync, no 2G etc. I haven't paid much attention to standby time to be honest but my phone lasts me the day and I always charge it at night.

I read on reddit that Android Lollipop has drastically improved standby battery performance on the 2014 edition. I think the 2013 X will see similar improvements.