Hands-on with Moto X4: Has Lenovo's years of effort finally paid off in shining through?

The commendable point about Moto X4 lies in its more polished design, exquisite dual cameras, capable of delivering particularly perfect images.

1. Hands-on with Moto X4: Has Lenovo's years of effort finally paid off in shining through?

The commendable point about Moto X4 lies in its more polished design, exquisite dual cameras, capable of delivering particularly perfect images.

Amidst the storm of smartphone launches for the year-end season, Lenovo has chosen to quietly introduce their next mid-range phone. Though not flashy, I was quite surprised to get my hands on a product with notable changes from this manufacturer.

Named Moto X4, priced at 9,990,000 VND, what does this phone offer?

Innovative design

After numerous design changes, none quite impressive, I witnessed Lenovo's first 'transformation' with the Moto X4. Despite being a mid-range device under 10 million VND, it has received more investment in terms of design. Over the past 2 years, Moto-branded smartphones have had rather rugged and bulky designs, perhaps partly because their design criteria still lean towards sturdiness and durability, making it quite difficult to appeal to female users.

However, upon getting my hands on this X4 phone, I was quite surprised to see how much they've 'evolved' their product. The back of the phone is no longer a metallic block like most other products on the market; instead, it's made of glass, gently curved towards the 2 frame edges of the phone.

This design language somewhat reminds me of the premium Galaxy S7 or S8 line from Samsung, very glossy and visually appealing whenever light reflects on it. However, because of the glass back, it's prone to fingerprints, scratches, or in worse cases, shattering upon impact. Fortunately, the manufacturer includes a white plastic case with beautiful decorative lines, enhancing product protection.

Another aspect I really like about this phone is that the origin letters, machine model... are not printed on the back like most other products on the market; instead, they're 'relocated' to the bottom edge of the phone, between the charging port and the headphone jack. Therefore, the back of the Moto X4 looks cleaner, more spacious, and 'tidier'.

The antenna lines are also elegantly designed, running 2 blurry lines on the bottom edge and 1 blurry line on the top edge of the phone, all coated in black matching the body color, so overall, it looks seamlessly integrated without any tone mismatches. The phone is also equipped with IP68 standard water resistance, so users can confidently use it on rainy days.

One thing that bothers me quite a bit is the cluster of physical volume adjustment buttons and power button; the manufacturer has placed these 3 buttons on the same right edge of the phone. Ironically, all 3 are almost the same size and the spacing... is quite equal. Therefore, accidental button presses happen frequently, and I probably need to spend more time getting used to this unintentional or deliberate arrangement of theirs.

While on the left side, there's nothing much.

Moto X4 utilizes a 5.2-inch Full HD screen with an IPS panel for excellent viewing angles even under sunlight. Unfortunately, the screen bezels are still quite thick, especially at the top and bottom, and haven't caught up with the trend of bezel-less designs like some other smartphones currently on the market.

Performance and Interface

As a mid-range smartphone, Moto X4 stands out from other competitors by equipping the Snapdragon 630 processor, quite rare compared to the market today where most use the Snapdragon 625 version. The phone is equipped with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal memory, so it confidently meets the full range of user needs from work to multimedia entertainment. I've tried many games, including both FPS and high-graphic RPGs, and of course, the phone still operates smoothly, without lag or excessive heat during gaming thanks to the use of glass instead of metal or plastic as before.

Moto's interface still follows the stock Android, simple and with minimal customization from the manufacturer. For those who appreciate the originality, this may be one of the products to consider.

Dual Camera is the Highlight

The X4 features a dual-camera system with a raised design on the back. This is also a standout point in its design, making it different from other products on the market. Speaking of the dual camera, the phone uses a 12 MP F/2.0 regular lens paired with an 8 MP F/2.2 wide-angle lens. With this dual-camera system, the phone allows you to capture portrait photos with excellent subject and background processing, minimizing 'cut-off' situations.

The device has a quick camera launch feature by shaking the phone twice.

The image quality that this phone provides is decently average. Under good lighting conditions, the phone focuses relatively quickly, but as the light begins to dim, everything becomes sluggish. Moto X4 still maintains a moderate level of color accuracy and detail capture.

Overall, Moto X4 adds a new option for users in the sub-10 million VND smartphone segment this year-end. Looking back at the list of products in this segment, we can mention many phones, but if you are still a loyal Moto fan, desire to experience new changes, a bit of standout brightness from the X4 design, as well as being concerned about the Snapdragon 630 processor, then this is a candidate worth paying attention to.