Flipkart is all set to launch the new Moto X Play in the next ten days or so taking aim at the OnePlus Two and Meizu MX5, according to our sources.
The Moto X Play is the more affordable version of the company’s flagship, the Moto X 3rd Generation or ‘Style’. The Lenovo-owned company is also prepping the launch of the Moto Style in India soon, though no final confirmation of the date of availability could be ascertained. It is possible that both would be launched together around mid-September.
The Moto X Play will be priced at Rs 25,000, according to our source. Motorola had said that it would price the phone in the ‘upper mid range’, but Rs 25,000 is clearly flagship territory for Chinese brands.
Before delving into the specs, it must be clarified that Motorola models are no longer the value-for-money plays that they used to be. Except for its waterproofing abilities, Moto X Play does not offer anything to compel you to choose it over Chinese flagships like OnePlus Two and Meizu MX5.
In addition, Reliance Jio and Lenovo will unveil the Lenovo Vibe Shot at around Rs 20,000 in the coming week, which will be a strong competitor due to its high-end camera features, VoLTE support and other features.
The key advantages of X Play over OnePlus are sporty looks, waterproofing, a 21 MP camera and a big 3.63 Ah battery. However, OnePlus Two is likely to appeal to those who value speed, performance and sleek/premium looks. For a price of Rs 25,000, OnePlus Two offers 4 GB of RAM, a fingerprint scanner, 3.3 Ah battery, Snapdragon 810 chipset and 64 GB of internal memory.
Unlike the metallic builds of OnePlus Two and Meizu MX5, the Moto X Play retains the older plasticky looks.
Display size and resolution are the same in all three models — as they all sport 5.5-inch, full-HD panels. However, the Meizu MX5 — priced Rs 19,999 — offers a superior Super AMOLED display of the same size. (The downside of MX5 is its non-expandable 16 GB internal memory.)
The India version of Moto X Play offers internal memory of 32 GB, and, like the OnePlus Two, gives the user the option of extending the storage memory with the use of a MicroSD card. We are not sure if the 16 GB version will be launched in India. (OnePlus Two does not have a card slot).
In terms of camera, the OnePlus Two is the weakest of the three on paper, as it sports a 13 MP shooter at the back, while the other two come with 21 MP sensors. OnePlus does claim that the 13 MP camera gives much better pictures than a typical 13 MP camera, but we can’t back up that claim right now.
While the X Play may have a higher-resolution camera, bigger battery and waterproofing, there are some key areas in which it trails flagships MX5 and the OnePlus Two. Performance and fingerprint technology are the biggest ones.
The Moto X Style will be Motorola’s flagship and is the one that comes with all the bells and whistles such as a quad-HD display and 3 GB of RAM.
What this means is that the Moto X Play has a considerably weaker processor — Snapdragon 615 — compared to those inside the MX5 (MT6795) and OnePlus Two (Snapdragon 810). Lenovo has also been stingy with RAM – at just 2 Gigs, while Meizu MX5 offers 3 GB and OnePlus Two offers 4 — the highest amount of RAM on any phone in the market.
The second omission in the Motorola phone is a fingerprint scanner. Both the Meizu MX5 and the ‘Two’ have it, and this helps in a variety of functions such as easy unlock and easy banking and money transfer functions.
The Moto X-Style has dual front speaker, but we’re not entirely sure whether they are present in the Play version. Let us know what you think is the best full-HD phone in the market right now, considering both features and price.
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