The Best Smartphone of the Year: Hands On with the Moto X (2014)

Half a decade has passed since the first iPhone inaugurated the smartphone era, and the world of flagship mobile devices has fallen into a reliable routine: Android users obsess over which new phones have the beastliest "specs," while iPhone users generally just wonder if and how soon they can get the next iPhone.

Motorola's Moto X (2014) seems designed specifically to break those boring habits. It's better than much meatier (and much more expensive) spec'd Android rivals, while posing a legitimate threat against the iPhone's perceived monopoly on the whole "ease of use" thing.

Simply put, the Moto X 2014 is the best smartphone of the 2014, and is highly recommended for anyone -- from hardcore Android geeks to technologically disinclined grandparents -- and the vast majority of typical smartphone consumers in between.

Design: The Motorola Moto X (2014) is the second iteration of the Moto X. Last year's device was highly rated by critics and made waves as a respectably nice cheap unlocked phone, but it never reached as much of an audience as it probably should have.

That's partly because it didn't quite qualify as a top-tier smartphone and partly because the (also cheap, unlocked) Nexus 5 was released around the same time and got a lot more attention.

This year's Moto X ups the hardware specs, especially the screen, and while that necessarily means it's larger and heavier than the 2013 edition, this phone is by far the most comfortable 2014 flagship device to hold and use.

The Moto X makes up for its larger screen by having smaller bezels all around, even while incorporating larger, much better speakers and IR sensors on the front.

The phone's footprint is in line with the Samsung Galaxy S5, and while it's thicker than most premium phones (0.39 inches), Motorola's curved design on the back actually makes its portly waistline an asset: the thickest part of the phone rests right in the curve your palm, making it feel snug, solid and unlikely to slip away from you.

On top of that smart design choice, Motorola obviously thought long and hard about how to make the nicest looking smartphone given the relatively cheap overall build it's working with. The metal rim gives the device a solid feel, and while the flat, lipless Gorilla Glass 3 pane feels strange at first -- almost like a permanent protective film they put on brand new touchscreens, except made of thick glass (the same is true with the Nexus 6) -- but you get used to your screen having no tangible edges quickly.

Finally, there's the customizability of the Moto X through Motomaker. Our test device came with a light bamboo back, which also adds to the premium feel, but other unique build materials are available. If I had my choice, I'd get a dark leather-backed Moto X. That seems guaranteed never to slip.

Everyday Use: Normally, we talk about specs towards the top of any review. But we're not this time, because the Moto X (2014) proves that specs aren't the only thing that goes into a great device.

It's the overall experience that matters.

And it's in everyday use that the Moto X (2014) outshines the rest of the year's new flagships.

First, every task I put the phone through -- including graphically intensive games like Batman Arkham Origins -- the Moto X performed in a snappy, prompt manner. Sure, if you want a supercomputer in your pocket, you're probably better off with something like the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, but if you would describe your smartphone use anywhere in the range between "normal" to "pretty intensive," the Moto X will perform as well or better than premium rivals with more RAM or higher-clocked processors.

But speedy performance is a necessary condition for a great phone, it's not why the Moto X is the best of 2014.

Here's one reason: the Moto X is built to accommodate your needs without any input from you. Those IR sensors in the front? Sure, you can wave your hands in front of them to silence calls, like with the Samsung Galaxy S4. That's mostly a gimmick.

Moto Display, on the other hand, is not. It's just an unlock button and clock, but the IR sensors turn it on when you reach for your device, obviating the need for that old "power button > swipe to unlock" habit. One less button to press 50 times throughout the day? It's the little things that matter, and that's just smart.

The Moto X is full of smart interactions and improved contextual awareness -- and just thoughtful design -- that Moto Display, simple as it is, exemplifies. Like the Moto X 2013, the device is always listening for voice input, which is improved and much more reliable now, to the point where I can't imagine using a dumber smartphone in the car ever again. And by the way, the Moto X can also automatically switch into drive mode when it knows you're on the go, home mode when you're home, and two other contextual modes.

The Moto X I used still had KitKat 4.4 on it, which means missing out on lots of Android Lollipop's improved notifications functions and quick settings, but then again, the Moto X is towards the top of the update list, so you'll get your Lollipop soon enough.

Hardware Specs: Okay, here are the specs, Android heads. The Moto X (2014) runs on a Quad-core Snapdragon 801 at 2.5 GHz, an Adreno 330 GPU, and 2GB RAM.

That's not as impressive as, say, the Nexus 6, but it matches other flagships like the HTC One M8 and the (also great) LG G3. And in benchmarks, it often outperforms rival flagships that you'd think are more powerful.

The display is 5.2 inches -- which I'm convinced is the perfect largish size for most use cases (and hands) -- AMOLED, and comes with 1080p resolution. Again, not as pixel-packing as some QHD rivals, but the positive trade-off is that it gets faster performance and more battery life because of that.

And let's face it -- full HD should be good enough for your everyday smartphone. QHD is really only ideal for phablets, tablets, computers, and for smartphone manufacturers playing the old Android hardware hype game.

The Moto X ignores the hardware hype game again in its 13-megapixel camera, which comes with autofocus and two-tone (indoor/outdoor) flash, and simply looks great on the back of the device.

Its camera software is intuitive and photos and videos are easy enough to produce without too much fuss. It won't outshoot a Nokia 1020 or Galaxy Zoom, but again, for the average smartphone user, it's great.

Coming down to the last important hardware aspects, we get to storage, which before today was a bit of a let down. Motorola continues to ignore microSD support, which is a shame, considering that the Moto X only had 16GB or 32GB internal storage up until this point. But Motorola announced on Thursday that a new 64GB model was available for $100 more, so there's that option now, which is nice.

Finally, there's the 2300 mAh battery, which is less impressive than it could have been, but made up for by the fact that you can charge about 70 percent of the battery in under 30 minutes with Moto X's quickcharger. In normal use, I got about a day and a half out of the Moto X, which was more than enough.

Price, Availability, and Conclusion: The Moto X comes at several price points, since customizability is one of its many fine qualities.

The basic 16GB plastic-backed Moto X 2014 can cost as little as $1.00 with a contract with Verizon, and AT&T offers it for a standard $100, but various trade-in and other deals can bring that price down significantly.

Premium leather or wood back panels add about $25 to the total, and upgrading your memory will cost $50 more for 34GB or $100 for the 64GB version (Pure Edition, unlocked only).

Speaking of unlocked, the Pure Edition Motorola Moto X might be the perfect device for the majority of our audience -- millennials with some spending cash that want a great new smartphone but don't want to get tied into any paperwork. Off contract, the base price is $400, which is a better deal than its rivals by an average of about $200.

You can use the Moto X on Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile, and the Pure Edition is available in a Verizon variant, or you can use GSM networks like T-Mobile, AT&T, or cheaper prepaid plans that use their networks. Sorry Sprint users, no luck with this year's Moto X.

In conclusion, it's hard to get across just how great the understated but incredibly smart Moto X (2014) is, because its greatness comes from all the little conveniences and unexpected useful features that suddenly surprise you during the course of your day.

Here's one last anecdote, for example: I listen to a lot of podcasts, but have realized I'm not wearing headphones 10 hours out of the day anymore. Turns out, it's because the Moto X's front-facing loudspeaker also happens to be better than any other smartphone I've ever used (besides the HTC One with its BoomSound speakers) that I've unconsciously been using the loudspeaker most of the time.

A full accounting of why the Moto X rocks so hard would require a daily journal and a lot more than one hands-on review, because it's so much more than the sum of its parts.

Usually even in positive reviews, I imagine which types of consumers would get the most bang out of their buck with that particular smartphone. But with the Moto X (2014), I fully recommend it to anyone.

Before you buy your next smartphone, try to get into a store where you can at least spend 10 minutes with the Moto X, and hopefully you'll get at least a sneak peek at what makes it brilliant.