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Motorola Moto X Style / Pure Edition camera review

Lars Rehm | Published: Oct 1, 2015 at 17:32 UTC

Connect smartphone reviews are written with the needs of photographers in mind. We focus on camera features, performance and image quality.

The Moto X Style (known as the Moto X Pure Edition in the US) replaces the 2014 Moto X as Motorola's flagship smartphone and the new model has received a complete overhaul in the camera department. It comes with a Sony IMX 230 1/2.4-inch 21MP BSI CMOS sensor and a dual-LED flash. F2.0 aperture and 4K video recording remain unchanged from the predecessor. The 5MP wide-angle front camera is now assisted by a dedicated flash to improve self-portraits in dark conditions. On the software side of things there is a new user-activated night mode, which raises sensitivity to better expose for very dark scenes, freeze motion and reduce the risk of image blur in low light. It reduces image size to 5MP to average out noise and other artifacts.

The camera module, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor and the 5.7-inch Quad-HD display are all wrapped up in a shell with comprises a metal frame and a back that can be optionally customized via Motorola's Moto Maker website. In addition, 'nano-coating' technology is used to make the device water repellent.

As with previous Motorola high-end smartphones, one of the Moto X Style's main draws is its price point which makes it $200-$300 less than the latest top-end devices from brands like Apple and Samsung. We shot samples with and previewed the Moto X Style at launch, and now we've had a chance to spend more time with the handset. Read our full review to find out if the Moto X Style can beat the pricier competition as a mobile photography device.

Key Photographic / Video Specifications

Sony IMX 230 1/2.4-inch 21MP BSI CMOS sensor
F2.0 aperture
Dual-LED flash
4K-video
720p slow motion video
5MP front camera with flash

Other Specifications

5.7-inch Quad-HD display (1440p)
Android 5.1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor with 1.8 GHz hexa-core CPUs
3GB RAM
16/32/64GB storage version
MicroSD support up to 128GB
Water protection
3000 mAh battery
Quick charging mode

Our 9-page review

We've considered every aspect of the Motorola Moto X Style with the photographer in mind. We examined the user interface of the native camera app and its special features. We experimented with the camera's performance when taking stills and video, and had a play with the device's many special feature modes. Click any of the links below for more information of specific functions and continue to our conclusion for a final summary of our findings.

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Next page: Design & Hardware

Comments

Total comments: 31

How does the field of view change in the different video modes vs. the photo mode?

0 upvotes

Your review is great, Lars! Thanks a lot!

0 upvotes

Also do you think it makes more sense for the average user to leave the Moto camera setting to the default 16MP Widescreen or change it to the 21MP, as far as overall picture quality goes?

0 upvotes

this is entirely up to you if you prefer the 16:9 or the 4:3 format. Personally, I don't like 16:9 too much because it is not a traditional photo but a video format. Also, it usually just doesn't work in portrait orientation and if you shoot 4:3 you can always crop the image to 16:9 if you feel like it but not the other way around :)

0 upvotes

Thanks Lars.

0 upvotes

I don't know if my question is naive or not, but do you think using the google camera app, or other 3rd party apps, instead of the Moto stock camera app would have a negative effect on the quality of the pictures? This is a general question regarding other OEM camera apps as well. Do you recommend sticking to the default OEM camera apps as far as picture quality goes, or you think people should feel free to use other Camera apps available in app store?

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 11 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

in the vast majority of cases using another camera app won't have an impact on image quality as all apps use the same camera API. Using a third-party app is mainly about user interface and features.

0 upvotes

Good to see that more and more manufacturers put decent effort in their camera units.

0 upvotes

LG G4 is still ahead of the pack on camera features. Lazer AF and raw images are just awesome.

0 upvotes

Too much pixels and no OIS make low-light and indoor shots muddy. You got what you paid for for $400-500

0 upvotes

If you want to take indoor scenery, I guess. Most people want pics of people indoors and in that case OIS is actually a handicap. The camera will often choose ridiculous shutter speeds like 1/4, think it can rely on OIS. But OIS can't keep your subject still. You get motion blur.

0 upvotes

I wonder why (for all these phones) maximum storage card sizes are always given as 64GB or 128GB when there's a 200GB microsdxc card out there. The 200GB card usually does work, but it's never in the official specs.

0 upvotes

The limit is 2TB actually, if you can get that card.

0 upvotes

Doesn't any company get the message for an affordable small camera unit without phone? I would like to buy such a device with good photo qualifications and not games, phone, etc.

0 upvotes

there are probably thousands of affordable compact cameras out there...what's wrong with those?

2 upvotes

Good to see that more and more manufacturers put decent effort in their camera units.
But looking at higher ISO photos I'd say OIS is missing badly. Maybe the sensor is too large? On the good, by now "old" Nexus 5 it worked really well and should be in every good camera phone 2 years on.

1 upvote

well, the Moto X Style has a 21Mp sensor which means 9f you size it down to the 16 or 13Mp of most competitors, any difference in detail or noise wil be less obvious when viewed at pixel-level. Motorola are following the same philosophy as Sony in this respect.

0 upvotes

Well I don't dare contradict you but are you certain that makes a lot of difference? 36MP to 5 like on the Nokia 808 did, but 21 to 16?

0 upvotes

I was all set to buy this and the Nexus 5x came out. Seems like the camera is as good or better in that one and it can actually be used with one hand.

0 upvotes

The Nexus 5X is smaller, there is no doubt about that. That said, I am using the Moto X Style with one hand pretty often, I've got large hands though.

0 upvotes

If the camera is your primary concern over this phone, $600 (unlocked phone price) will buy you a HECK of a lot more if you just buy a real "stand-alone" camera.

1 upvote

But will it fit inside a phone? I'm already planning to carry a phone 95% of the time.

(P.S. this starts at $399)

4 upvotes

it's really not rocket science that spending $600 on a camera will get you a better camera than the one you find in a $600 smartphone. It's because the camera doesn't do most things the smartphone is capable of.

2 upvotes

Well, there's always the Panasonic phone with the larger sensor I guess.

0 upvotes

Any news on Marshmallow for this?

0 upvotes

December is the rumor

0 upvotes

Motorola are usually pretty quick in updating their OS, that's one advantage of the almost pure Android version I guess...

1 upvote

Great review of an excellent phone. It's good to see some competition to the iPhone in Android land.
How did you like Madrid, Lars? :)

2 upvotes

Thanks! And yes, I do like Madrid :)