Design: leather back, metal frame
Good design is something elusive: it’s subjective and somehow universally accepted at the same time. That’s why it’s hard to give a definite judgment about a particular design, and the new Moto X is a particularly difficult phone as it seems that it draws polarizing reactions: some love it, and others hate it. First, though, the backstory: the new Moto flagship was designed by Motorola lead designer Jim Wicks, the same person behind the acclaimed Moto 360 circular looks. It puts the focus on symmetry - the front grills are symmetrical on the top and bottom (but only the bottom one is a speaker, we have no stereo speakers in the Moto X), perfectly aligned, on the back, the camera eye is doubled by a second, equally large dimple with the Motorola logo. This creates an unusual look, and the oversized logo and camera definitely look on the weird side. Add to that the three infra-red beamers on the front of the device (used for its gesture recognition), and you surely have a very distinct design
What impresses more, however, is the departure Motorola took from plastic: last year’s flagship Moto X did not exude a feeling that you’re holding something premium, precious. This year’s Moto X? Much closer. It’s got a sturdy metal frame with accented buttons that look gorgeous. Even small details like the riffled lock key are nice. Even nicer is the improved Moto Maker with wider choice of materials: along with the plentiful colorful plastic cover choices, you have 4 wood and 4 leather finishes. The latter are all new and exclusive for the new Moto X.
This year’s Moto X is also no longer small: it has a 5.2" display, and while it is still surprisingly compact for its display size, it is not exactly ideal for use with a single hand. At the same time, it's worth paying special attention to the nice curvy back of the Moto X+1. While technically, you'd see that the phone is listed as being 9.9mm thick, that's only the size at the thickest point. At the edges, the thickness drops down to a very slim 3.8mm, which makes it much more comfortable to hold the device as it lays comfortably in the hand..