The Moto X4 just launched at IFA 2017 and we have all of the details you need to know.
A couple of years ago the Moto X range was Motorola’s flagship line, and while it suddenly stopped to make room for the Moto Z range it’s now back from the dead with the brand-new Moto X4.
Despite being the fourth Moto X, this is no longer the flagship line of phones — leave that to the previously launched Moto Z2 Force and sort of the Moto Z2 Play — but it’s still an interesting proposition.
Motorola has just announced the Moto X4 at IFA 2017 and below you can find everything you need to know about the new mid-range handset.
Read our hands on Moto X4 review or watch our video hands on below
Cut to the chase
What is it? The next entry in Motorola’s dormant X range
The next entry in Motorola’s dormant X range When is it out? Announced in August, released in September 2017
Announced in August, released in September 2017 What will it cost? We know it’ll start at €399 (about $475, £370, AU$600)
After an IFA 2017 press conference debut, the Moto X4 is set to go on sale around the world in September 2017.
An exact release date for the device is currently unclear, but we know for certain it’ll be coming to the US and UK by the end of September. Availability in Australia is currently a little less clear, but we’ll be sure to update this article when we know more.
Moto X4 design and display
A 5.2-inch screen
A 1080p resolution
Glass and metal combination, which comes in two colors
The Moto X4 packs a Full HD resolution 5.2-inch screen, which is a similar setup to other devices Motorola has offered in the past.
For the design, Motorola has followed suit of the Honor 9 and HTC U11 with a glass, reflective back that dazzles in bright light. It’s an interesting design choice and is a very different choice compared to the Moto Z2 Force or Moto G5.
There is no Motorola Mods compatibility here. To be able to get involved in the modular design you will have to buy one of the Moto Z range devices.
On the bottom edge of the phone, which is made of metal, there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack so you can use wired headsets, next to a USB-C port for charging or data transfer to the phone. Just below the screen you’ll find a fingerprint scanner.
The Moto X4 is also IP68 waterproof, which means you can run this phone under a tap and it won’t fry up the internals.
Moto X4 camera and battery
A dual-lens camera — 12MP lens with an 8MP wide-angle option too
16MP front-facing camera with panoramic selfie mode
All-day battery life with 3,000mAh cell
Motorola has managed to include a dual-lens camera in the X4. There’s a 12MP lens working in tandem with an 8MP wide-angle lens.
The 12MP lens has dual autofocus pixels, which Motorola says will allow you to take great photos, while there’s also an 8MP lens on the rear that you can use for your wide-angle shots.
The software also includes a few upgrades, like landmark recognition that should be able to pick up if you’re pointing your phone at Big Ben or the Eiffel Tower and give you more details about your location.
There’s also a scanning mode that means you can take photos of barcodes or business cards and be able to sort through them easily within the camera app.
On the front of the phone there’s a whopping 16MP selfie shooter, which should give you some great front-facing camera shots. Perhaps the most interesting feature on the front-camera is a panoramic selfie mode that means you can take in all of your mates on a night out or take self indulgent photos around great landmarks.
There’s a 3,000mAh cell in the phone that the company claims will offer all-day life. There’s also TurboPower fast charging which should be able to supply six hours of juice in only 15 minutes of charging.
Moto X4 OS and power
4GB of RAM, but other options available
Snapdragon 630 chipset
Running Android 7 software
Android 7 software will be running on the Moto X4 at launch and we can safely assume the company will be aiming to update it to the newly launched Android Oreo as soon as possible.
Motorola’s own extras will be included in the software so you can do a karate chop motion with your phone to turn the camera on, but apart from that it looks mostly like Google intended.
It’s running the mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 chipset, which should deliver similar performance to the impressive Snapdragon 626 that was included in the Moto Z2 Play.
We know Motorola will be including a 4GB of RAM version of the phone, but the press conference suggested there will also be a 3GB option in the works as well if you’re looking for a cheaper alternative.
There are both 32GB and 64GB options of the phone available, but right now we don’t know if there will be microSD support and if there is, what storage sizes it will support.
The phone will also be able to support Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant for those in the US and UK, and Motorola says you’ll be able to use it at the same time as Google Assistant.
You’ll likely just have to be very clear what voice assistant you’re trying to talk to if you want to use Alexa specifically.
Moto X4 price
We don’t know exact prices for the US, UK or Australia yet, but we do know the phone is set to cost €399 (about $475, £370, AU$600) for the 32GB option.
If you want 64GB of storage it’ll cost €439 (about $520, £410, AU$660) . Those translated prices will likely be around the right area, but it may cost a little bit more or less when official pricing is announced.
Be sure to read our hands on review of the Moto X4 too.
