MXPE review after three weeks use

[rushmore]

Full disclosure: I actually was going to return it, but changed my mind. I had the RMA ready to go and reset the Pure to stock and all boxed up. Main reason for return was the heat with VR content. Went back to my Note 4 and realized I missed the stereo speakers and the smoother overall experience. I took it back out of the box and started from scratch again. Here is a summary:

Build is premium

Display colors look better using vibrant mode than any setting with Note 4. Miss the deeper blacks some, but the color trumps for me.

The stereo speakers are great. I use them a lot and enhances the experience when not using headphones and handy for speaker calls or general music listening in a room.

Headphone output is the same as the Note 4, but I use PowerAmp to increase the output. My preferred music app anyway.

Phone speaker output is average.

Radio reception is better than the Note 4 and handles lower reception areas better. Like all LTE radios though, still a battery drainer in weak reception areas. It is the tech and not the device.

The CPU is fast on this device. Heavy emulators like MAME and PSP plays more games smooth than the Note 4.

The GPU though is not as robust as the Note 4's, but I do not notice any hit with games like Modern Combat 4, GTA Vice, or NOVA 3. Seems to play as smooth as the Note 4.

VR content though runs hot on the Pure, but the same really for any device with a 1440p display. Note 4 gets hot too, but the Pure seems to get a little hotter. Thing is I do not use VR content enough to make me return the device. Plus still have a Note 4.

UI is straight Android, so kind of default good there.

Battery life is soooooo subjective, but I find the battery life to be about 90 minutes average less than the Note 4 (this is factoring light to heavy use). This is due to the 220 mah smaller battery and LCD display. Still, I prefer the overall experience of the Pure. BTW, I get very good battery life with my Note 4. Net result for my medium to heavy use is 3.5 hours SOT with the Pure. Fine for me since lasts the day.

The Note 4 is now my back-up device and mainly used for Gear VR. IMO the MXPE rocks!

 

[Suzi_Derkins]

Full disclosure: I actually was going to return it, but changed my mind. I had the RMA ready to go and reset the Pure to stock and all boxed up. Main reason for return was the heat with VR content. Went back to my Note 4 and realized I missed the stereo speakers and the smoother overall experience. I took it back out of the box and started from scratch again. Here is a summary:

Build is premium

Display colors look better using vibrant mode than any setting with Note 4. Miss the deeper blacks some, but the color trumps for me.

The stereo speakers are great. I use them a lot and enhances the experience when not using headphones and handy for speaker calls or general music listening in a room.

Headphone output is the same as the Note 4, but I use PowerAmp to increase the output. My preferred music app anyway.

Phone speaker output is average.

Radio reception is better than the Note 4 and handles lower reception areas better. Like all LTE radios though, still a battery drainer in weak reception areas. It is the tech and not the device.

The CPU is fast on this device. Heavy emulators like MAME and PSP plays more games smooth than the Note 4.

The GPU though is not as robust as the Note 4's, but I do not notice any hit with games like Modern Combat 4, GTA Vice, or NOVA 3. Seems to play as smooth as the Note 4.

VR content though runs hot on the Pure, but the same really for any device with a 1440p display. Note 4 gets hot too, but the Pure seems to get a little hotter. Thing is I do not use VR content enough to make me return the device. Plus still have a Note 4.

UI is straight Android, so kind of default good there.

Battery life is soooooo subjective, but I find the battery life to be about 90 minutes average less than the Note 4 (this is factoring light to heavy use). This is due to the 220 mah smaller battery and LCD display. Still, I prefer the overall experience of the Pure. BTW, I get very good battery life with my Note 4. Net result for my medium to heavy use is 3.5 hours SOT with the Pure. Fine for me since lasts the day.

The Note 4 is now my back-up device and mainly used for Gear VR. IMO the MXPE rocks!

Thanks for putting up this review. I am coming from a Moto X 2nd gen to the MXPE. I find the battery life on the MXPE is MUCH better than the Moto X 2nd gen. My 2nd gen also got hot, too hot for my comfort. The MXPE gets warm, but not alarmingly so. I am really enjoying the MXPE.

 

[WeeWilly]

Good review. Like you, I moved from a Note 4 to the MXPE. After using the MXPE for about four weeks I think it is the best phone I've ever owned.

 

[Sportster]

I came from a Note 3 and really like this phone as well. The pics from the camera really outdo the Note 3,especially low light pics. Love the front facing speakers. Love also the fact it can be bootloader unlocked and rooted, which I did both waiting for some killer ROMS. This so far is hands down the best phone I've owned.

 

[WeeWilly]

...Love also the fact it can be bootloader unlocked and rooted, which I did both waiting for some killer ROMS. This so far is hands down the best phone I've owned.

Apparently the MXPE is not a developer edition so unlocking the bootloader voids the warranty and no support will be provided, and that includes providing a recovery image. There have been several discussions about this on the Motorola Users' Forum. Here are links to a couple of threads:
https://forums.motorola.com/posts/883929bbc0
https://forums.motorola.com/posts/cda80927a1?page=1

 

[Sportster]

They will honor hardware problems but software issues are another animal. So if something happens internally to the equipment, it's covered.