Expert Reviews | Katharine Byrne

With its fantastic screen, amazing battery life and premium build quality, the Moto X sets the benchmark for mid-range phones.

VentureBeat | Devindra Hardawar

Perhaps the most important thing about the Moto X is how it completely moves the conversation away from mere specs and toward how we actually use our devices.

TechRadar | Matt Swider

Moto X 2nd Generation gives pure Android fans a reason to opt for this budget-friendly phone with a 1080p display and premium design. The camera isn't perfect and its features aren't as exciting as other cheap phones, but it's still stylish as ever.

Digital Trends | Malarie Gokey

Motorola wowed us with the first Moto X, but the second generation is even better. The improved screen, high-end processor, and endlessly customizable design make the 2014 Moto X a true flagship smartphone.

Forbes | Gordon Kelly

The new Moto X is my smartphone pick of 2014. The reason is because it is such a complete package. It packs the biggest and best 1080p display I've seen inside the sector's most compact and toughest form factor and marries it with barnstorming performance, what amounts to stock Android with some very smart tweaks, strong battery life, a very able camera and a great price.

TechnoBuffalo | Brandon Russell

In many ways, the Moto X is the most complete Android experience ever. I really have no glaring complaints other than the camera could be improved. But, overall, all things considered, I'd choose this over any other Android handset out there.

International Business Times | David Gilbert

While the design and performance are nothing special, the combination of Touchless Control, Active Display and Quick Capture camera make this a phone which stands out for all the right reasons. Innovation in smartphones is so rare these days that Motorola should be congratulated and let's hope that the company's sale to Lenovo doesn't stifle this type of innovation.

Know Your Mobile | Sam Kieldsen

The Moto X isn't the fastest phone, or the one with the best camera, biggest screen or highest pixel density. It does however feature some of the most user-friendly features we've encountered on a current-gen smartphone, solid build quality and impressive battery life, and we found it a more than capable performer in all the major areas. And it's not particularly pricy either.

Pocket-lint | Ian Morris

We still do wholeheartedly recommend the Moto X. Sure, it lacks the power of the higher-end competition, and it's more expensive than the Nexus 5, but there's more to a phone than raw power. We think, what the Motorola does is worth a price premium over the Nexus 5.

Wired UK | Dave Oliver

Both the Moto G might or Nexus 5 are available for less, and either may still be a better bargain, but with its extra offerings the Moto X is a very good, well-priced, state-of-the-art Android smartphone.

What Mobile

If it keeps up this momentum, Motorola will give Samsung, LG and HTC a run for their money.

Gadgets Now

Moto X is the perfect reply to those who complain about how an iPhone's user experience is much better than an Android phone's. The smartphone delivers on the smarts and makes the user experience extremely enjoyable... Though battery life and camera quality are a concern, the overall user experience is simply unmatched.

Australian PC World | Tony Ibrahim

There is magic to the way the Moto X gets things done. Inconspicuous design and a level of intuition helps the smartphone blend into your lifestyle. It's not that the smartphone is at arm's length when you need it; it's that it disappears into the background when you don't.

Phone Scoop | Eric M. Zeman

The Moto X is a fine effort from Motorola. It took last year's sub-flagship device and pushed it to full flagship status.... Perhaps the biggest two improvement come from the camera and the battery... Would I recommend the Moto X? Well, the Moto X is mostly for people who want to design their own phone.

Android Authority | Kristofer Wouk

When it comes down to it, the Moto X is a very solid device, and it's unique in that it focuses on what it actually does than simply providing the specs and focusing on what it could do.

Digital Versus | Sofian Nouira

The Moto X may not boast hardware as impressive as its high-end counterparts, but it's still a choice buy. For one thing, it doesn't really have any major, deal-breaking flaws (that's rare on a mid-range phone); instead it has tons of advantages. Plus, Motorola's added features, like voice and gesture control, hit their mark and are more than just gimmicky window dressing.

Register Hardware | Alun Taylor

Technically, the new Moto X can't quite compete in bragging rights with the latest super-flagships. But for £420 I still think the Moto X is a rather impressive lump.

The Guardian | Samuel Gibbs

The Moto X is a very solid Android smartphone. It isn't quite as good value as the Google Nexus 5, but the Moto X certainly bodes well for the Motorola-built Nexus 6

Mobile Choice

While there was a suggestion the Moto Maker service could show its colourful face in Europe, there's been no further word on that since the Moto X's launch. Were the same customisation options available in the UK, we would be recommending this as loudly as a hipster talking about a band no-one else has heard of.

ITProPortal | Sandra Vogel

Although the Moto X isn't built with top notch specifications, it performs well, and its battery life is strong. It's a nice size for one-handed use, and its extra features seem to have potential. Okay, the voice control won't always be a substitute for touching the screen, but in some cases you can complete whole tasks with voice alone, and in others you can do things more quickly than you can by screen-tapping alone.

PC Advisor | Chris Martin

Performance and software are both excellent but the device is lacking that premium feel and is a little way behind the leaders in some areas.

NDTV Gadgets | Ketan Pratap

Good Stock Android experience Handy software enhancements Minimalistic design and ergonomics Bad Limited storage Average camera performance Mediocre battery life

The Gadget Show

Motorola has come up with a respectable phone in the Moto X, but it's far too late to the party, and it just costs too much.

Stuff | Sam Kieldsen

The long battery life, sturdy build, pocket-friendly size and various user-orientated interface tweaks and apps make the X one of the friendliest smartphones around.

Engadget | Joseph Volpe

I like the Moto X. I really, really do... That affinity, however, doesn't necessarily mean I'd buy it if given the chance.

The Verge | Joshua Topolsky

The Moto X is not a perfect phone, but neither is any other phone on the market right now. What it is, however, is a pretty damn good phone - and one I can recommend.

Coolsmartphone | James Pearce

Overall the Moto X is a cracking phone, it's got a great design, some great software and some decent specs. But for me it's just out of place in the UK market.

Mobile Syrup | Daniel Bader

The best Android experience I've ever had. It feels like a long time since I felt so effusive about a smartphone. Perhaps it is the ever-quickening maturity of a market so commoditized that a budget phone can fill all the checkboxes, but as powerful as these computers-in-our-pockets are getting I really haven't felt that way since.

Digital Spy | Hunter Skipworth

Some of the Android competition could do well taking a long, hard look at themselves and learning a thing or two from Motorola's book.

Trusted Reviews | Andrew Williams

The Motorola Moto X is not a bargain like the Moto G. And it doesn't have the specs to be a true top-end phone. However, the streamlined approach it takes to Android is exceptionally easy to get on with.

Recombu | Chris Barraclough

Some aspects of the Moto X's hardware are undeniably a disappointment given that high price. That said, we still enjoyed our time with the Moto X.

What Hi-Fi?

We want to like the Moto X. Features such as active display and touchless controls really do make it stand out from the plethora of Android smartphones on the market today.

The Inquirer | Carly Page

The Moto X definitely has some good things going for it, with its up to date Android 4.4 Kitkat mobile operating system, smooth performance and vibrant screen, but we'd still find it hard to recommend the handset over alternative Android handsets available.

V3 | Alastair Stevenson

The Motorola Moto X's slightly disappointing internal specifications are by and large balanced out by its close to untouched Android 4.4 KitKat operating system and useful software additions. However, you can still get better value for money elsewhere.