Introduction
You cant spell midranger without an M, and the Moto M is not taking linguistics lightly. Among other things not taken lightly are looks and substance (in that order), and thats where it differs from its Moto G4 siblings, which are about as exciting to look at as a rock. And not a precious stone, either.
The Moto Ms design formula is one thats proven successful across a myriad of makers and generations of smartphones, so if it works for them, it should work here. And it does - the Moto M is an attractive handset with an upmarket feel to it, and certainly says more than Im just a tool to get things done.
Underneath the golden veil, theres some serious hardware too - serious midrange hardware, of course. The Mediatek P10 is a proven soldier (with well-known weaknesses, but more on that later), and the India-only P15 isnt all that different. RA M and storage wont be an issue in either version and the 5.5-inch display packs pixels aplenty.
Now that pixels got into the conversation, the Moto Ms primary camera has the tiniest of those, but at least there are 16 million of them. Half the number on the front, but slightly larger ones, could mean a strong selfie game. Other niceties include a fingerprint sensor and a water-repellent nano-coating - not quite water-resistant, the Moto M, but better than nothing. Oh, and theres an FM radio too, and we all know how that magic abbreviation can mean the world to some.
Motorola Moto M key features
- 5.5" IPS LCD of 1,080 x 1,920px resolution; 401ppi
- Body measuring 151.4 x 75.4 x 7.9 mm and weighing in at 163g
- Mediatek Helio P10 chipset, octa-core 1.95GHz Cortex-A53, or
- Mediatek Helio P15 chipset, octa-core 2.2GHz Cortex-A53 (India only)
- Ma li-T860MP2 GPU; 3GB/4GB of RAM
- 32GB/64GB of storage; hybrid microSD card slot (uses SIM slot 2)
- Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
- 16MP main camera with f/2.0 aperture, 1.0µm pixel size, PDAF, dual-tone LED flash
- 1080p@30fps video capture
- 8MP front-facing camera, 1.12µm pixel size
- Rear-mounted fingerprint reader
- Dual-SIM; Cat. 6 LTE support; 802.11 a/g/b/n/ac; Bluetooth 4.1, A2DP, LE; GPS; FM radio
- 3,050mAh battery
- Type-C 1.0 reversible connector
- Water-repellent nano-coating, splash and dust resistant
Main shortcomings
- No Gorilla Glass
- No NFC
- Hybrid card slot limits usability
The Moto Ms specsheet is not without oMissions either (well move along as if that didnt happen). Youre denied near-field communication, so among other things you can forget about Andro id Pay - which you could also probably have never known of on account of it not being available in your country.
Motorola Moto M press images
Weve had a beef with hybrid slots, and we can see how they cater to both multi-SIM users and those that need more storage. Draw a Venn diagram though, and those folks in the middle that are the intersection of the two groups will need t o look elsewhere.
And whichever bunch you are a member of, you can certainly appreciate some display protection, right? Well, the Moto M may have that, only its not being advertised and weve gotten used to feeling safer when the Gorilla Glass moniker is thrown in there. Not here, though.
You may be on your own when it comes to scratches, but were here to help you with the other stuff. Join us on the next page for the usual hardware overview.
This review is based on a Moto M review unit with a Mediatek Helio P10 chipset.
Motorola Moto M 360-degree spin
The Moto M measures 151.4 x 75.4 x 7.9 mm, which is just about average for a mid-range 5.5-incher with zero claims for bezellessness (dont look it up, we just invented the word). To put things into perspective, the 5.5-inch Galaxy S7 edge is just 0.5mm shorter and 2.8mm narrower.
At 163g, the Motorola phablet is also as heavy as youd expec t it to be - the latest Redmi 5.5-inch models (the Pro and the Note 4) are 10g heavier with more battery inside, but the plastic G4 and G4 Plus would be less of a burden on your pocket (in more ways than one) at 155g.
Hardware overview
Weve seen iterations on the same base concept a million times, but that doesnt take away from the fact that the Moto M is one reasonably good-looking device. The satin-finished metal back with antenna bands top and bottom has become sort of a go-to design when you want a phone to look premium (in no small part - by association) while maintaining radio reception, obviously. Nothing overly fancy, but not a noname black slab either.
Motorolas design team (or rather Lenovos) has added a few touches that make the M look like a part of the same family as the rest of the current devices. While the Moto Zs of late have a prominent circular camera bump, the Moto M is more like recent Moto Gs with an elongated bump. After all, there are no Moto Mods to worry about here, so they could trim the circle.
Youd also find a fingerprint reader in this vicinity. Were not particular fans of the square front-mounted implementation on the Moto Zs, which feels like a bit of a retro-fitted afterthought. The rear-mounted solution seems more natural, even if it cant be accessed when the phone is placed on a table. For what its worth, the Moto M is the first Moto phone to have the fingerprint reader positioned on the back.
Satin ba ck with a dearly loved logo • Camera bump and fingerprint reader
Just dont let the M batwing logo on the bottom play tricks with your nostalgia of a time when Motorola ruled the world of mobile all on its own, instead of being part of a huge multinational electronics company.
Looking at the front of the M, a lowercase moto badge continues on that sentimental note, right in the middle of a chin that could have been a millimeter shorter. Okay, were being too picky now.
Above the display youll find the stuff that usually goes above the display - the earpiece is in the middle and its right side theres a proximity and ambient light sensors, plus the selfie camera. Fret not, theres a notification LED too, tiny as it may be, hidden on the left underneath that golden passe-partout.
Hello moto • Top bezel with all the right ingredients
Not strictly innovative either, the shiny chamfered edges of the perimeter also immediately evoke a sense of luxury. The frame is a bit too thin to easily pick up from a table, yes, but on the other hand it makes the handset look sleeker and more refined.
On the left side youll find the SIM card slot, and the tray would take a couple of nanoSIMs or a nanoSIM and microSD. On the plus side, the Moto M is a dual SIM device by default (theres no single SIM model), but the hybrid nature of the slot makes it less flexible than a dedicated 3-card solution.
Just the card slot on the left • The hybrid slot is not a fan-favorite
The power button is on the right side, perfectly high up to be accessed by the thumb of your right hand. That renders the texture on top of it a bit useless, as you wont be scrambling to find it, but its still nice to have. The volume rocker is above the power button, on the same side of the phone.
Power button and volume rocker, both on the same side
USB Type-C is on the rise and the Moto M is staying in touch with the times - the symmetrical and more versatile port is in the middle of the phones bottom plate. On each of its sides youll find a tiny screw, and a grille, but theres a loudspeaker behind the right one only. Up top the 3.5mm jack resides, joined by the secondary mic.
USB Type-C port • Symmetry • 3.5mm jack, secondary mic, and no symmetry
In the hand, the premium look of the Moto M translates into premium feel. That doesnt necessarily mean secure handling though, as the satin finish is about as slippery as they come. Then again, its so much better at keeping fingerprints away than a glass panel.
5.5-inch FullHD IPS display
The Moto M comes with a 5.5-inch Ful lHD IPS display - you cant really ask for more in its segment. The subpixel arrangement is the standard RGB with an equal number of subpixels for each primary color.
The Moto Ms isnt very bright at its maximum setting - 425nits is AMOLED territory, and we all know how LCDs can typically go brighter (and should). Theres no boost in Auto mode either. The more affordable Moto G4 and G4 Plus are surprisingly superior in this respect. As for contrast, the Moto G4s have a slight edge as well, but the Moto Ms 1400:1 isnt too shabby either.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | ||
| 0.3 | 425 | 1417 | |
| 0 | 371 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 526 | ∞ | |
| 0.42 | 403 | 953 | |
| 0.38 | 439 | 1158 | |
| 0 | 408 | ∞ | |
| 0.32 | 495 | 1560 | |
| 0.33 | 478 | 1448 | |
| 0.43 | 587 | 1365 | |
| 0 | 353 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 484 | ∞ | |
| 0.52 | 425 | 816 | |
| 0.46 | 449 | 976 | |
| 0 | 351 | ∞ | |
| 0.032 | 411 | 12844 | |
| 0.50 | 531 | 1071 | |
Sunlight legibility is okay on the Moto M. Its no match for the AMOLED panel on the Moto Z Play, but at least in this respect, the M is superior to the G4 and G4 Plus. The LCD-equipped bunch of the Chinese competitors cant match the Moto Ms sunlight contrast, so theres that too.
Sunlight contrast ratio
- Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
4.615 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
4.439 - OnePlus 3
4.424 - Samsung Galaxy S7
4.376 - HTC One A9
4.274 - Samsung Galaxy Note7
4.247 - Samsung Galaxy A3
4.241 - < span class="label">OnePlus 3T
4.232 - Google Pixel XL
4.164 - ZTE Axon 7
4.154 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
4.124 - Samsung Galaxy Note5
4.09 - Huawei Nexus 6P
4.019 - OnePlus X
3.983 - Vivo Xplay5 Elite
3.983 - Oppo R7s
3.964 - Apple iPhone 7
3.964 - Huawei P9 Plus
3.956 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)
3.918 - Samsung Galaxy C5
3.911 - Samsung Galaxy C7
3.896 - Samsung Galaxy A5
3.895 - Samsung Galaxy J7 outdoor
3.879 - Samsung Galaxy J2 outdoor
3.873 - Samsung Galaxy A8
3.859 - Samsun g Galaxy A9 (2016)
3.817 - Motorola Moto X (2014)
3.816 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) outdoor mode
3.802 - LG V20 Max auto
3.798 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
3.798 - Sony Xperia XZ
3.795 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
3.789 - Apple iPhone 6s
3.783 - Meizu Pro 5
3.781 - Microsoft Lumia 650
3.772 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
3.756 - Oppo F1 Plus
3.709 - Vivo X5Pro
3.706 - Sony Xperia X Compact
3.694 - Apple iPhone SE
3.681 - Huawei Mate 9
3.68 - Samsung Galaxy A7
3.679 - Meizu PRO 6
3.659 - BlackBerry Priv
3.645 - Apple iPhone 7 Plus
3.588 - Apple iPhone 6s Plus
3.53 - Motorola Moto Z Play
3.526 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016)
3.523 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016) outdoor mode
3.523 - Acer Jade Primo
3.521 - Microsoft Lumia 950
3.512 - Oppo R7 Plus
3.499 - nubia Z11
3.466 - Samsung Galaxy J7
3.422 - Meizu MX5
3.416 - LG V20
3.402 - Oppo R9s
3.352 - Oppo R7
3.32 - Xiaomi Mi 5s
3.276 - Samsung Galaxy J2
3.235 - Sony Xperia X Performance
3.234 - Xiaomi Mi Note 2
3.228 - Motorola Moto X Play
3.222 - Huawei P9
3.195 - Lenovo Vibe Shot
3.113 - Motorola Moto X Force
3.105 - LG Nexus 5X
3.092 - Huawei Mate S
3.073 - Microsoft Lumia 640 XL
3.065 - Sony Xperia X
2.989 - Samsung Galaxy Note
2.97 - Huawei Mate 8
2.949 - Xiaomi Redmi 3S
2.913 - Sony Xperia XA Ultra
2.906 - LG G5
2.905 - HTC One S
2.901 - Xiaomi Redmi 3s Prime
2.893 - Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
2.884 - Sony Xperia Z5
2.876 - Microsoft Lumia 550
2.851 - Motorola Moto M
2.813 - Xi aomi Redmi 3 Pro
2.803 - Sony Xperia Z5 compact
2.784 - Meizu MX6
2.751 - LG V10
2.744 - Xiaomi Redmi 3
2.735 - Sony Xperia M5
2.69 - Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime
2.679 - Huawei P9 Lite
2.679 - Vivo V3Max
2.659 - Xiaomi Mi Mix
2.658 - Xiaomi Mi 4i
2.641 - Sony Xperia XA
2.609 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
2.582 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus (max auto)
2.582 - Xiaomi Mi 4c
2.574 - LeEco Le Max 2
2.567 - Microsoft Lumia 640
2.563 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
2.563 - Lenovo K6 Note
2.544 - Lenovo Moto G4
2.544 - Oppo F1
2.528 - Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
2.525 - Huawei Honor 7 Lite / Honor 5c
2.506 - Sony Xperia M4 Aqua
2.503 - Oppo F1s
2.481 - Motorola Moto G
2.477 - Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus
2.473 - Huawei G8
2.471 - Huaw ei nova
2.467 - Sony Xperia Z
2.462 - Lenovo Vibe K5
2.459 - Meizu m3 max
2.447 - Huawei Honor 7
2.406 - Sony Xperia E5
2.386 - ZUK Z1 by Lenovo
2.382 - Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
2.378 - HTC 10
2.378 - Meizu m1 note
2.362< /li> - Huawei nova plus
2.329 - HTC One E9+
2.305 - Alcatel One Touch Hero
2.272 - Apple iPhone 4S
2.269 - Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
2.254 - Sony Xperia C5 Ultra
2.253 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (MediaTek)
2.249 - Sony Xperia C4 Dual
2.235 - Xiaomi Mi Note
2.234 - Motorola Moto G (2014)
2.233 - LG Nexus 5
2.228 - Huawei P8
2.196 - Huawei Honor 6
2.169 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
2.166 - OnePlus Two
2.165 - HTC One X
2.158 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
2.145 - LG Aka
2.145 - Archos 50 Diamond2.134
- Xiaomi Redmi Note
2.119 - Acer Liquid X2
2.084 - Huawei P8lite
2.078 - Moto G 3rd gen max manual
2.026 - Xiaomi Mi Max
1.996 - Sony Xperia E4g
1.972 - OnePlus One
1.961 - Meizu m3 note
1.923 - BlackBerry Leap
1.892 - ZTE Nubia Z9 mini
1.759 - Sony Xperia U
1.758 - Asus Zenfone Selfie
1.68 - Motorola Moto E (2nd Gen)
1.675 - ZTE Nubia Z9
1.659 - Jolla Jolla
1.605 - Motorola Moto E
1.545 - Sony Xperia M
1.473 HTC Desire C
1.3- Sony Xperia C
1.283 - Meizu MX
1.221 - Sony Xperia E
1.215
1.892
The phones display isnt particularly accurate either. Certainly not to the point of being an issue, though - an average DeltaE of 5.9 is perfectly within reason, considering the Moto Z Plays 5.3 value. Then again the Moto G4 Plus posted an average DeltaE of 4.3 with a 7.4 maximum in its default mode, so again the cheaper phone scores higher.
Connectivity
The Moto M is a dual SIM phone by default (meaning theres no single SIM version), with the second SIM slot shared with the microSD card - so you cant have all three cards in at the same time. One of the SIMs gets to tap into 4G LTE networks, while the second one only gets 2G/3G connectivity. You can have both cards connected to 3G networks, too.
In the local connectivity section dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac is supported along with Bluetooth 4.1 LE. The Moto G4s Bluetooth is version 4.2 (should minimize interference with LTE networks), but the Moto Z Play is 4.1 as well, so theres not much of a price-Bluetooth correlation. Theres GPS, but no NFC, so you can forget about Android Pay if its even available in your country in the first place.
There is an FM radio receiver on board too, and were sure that will please a wide demographic.
Theres a USB Type-C connector for power supply and wired data transfers, and it supports USB OTG too, only be sure to have a Type-C adapter.
Motorola Moto M battery life
The Moto M is powered by a 3,050mAh battery. It may sound like a red flag for a 5.5-inch FullHD device with an Helio P10 at the helm, but the Oppo F1 Plus did a pretty good job with the same config and 200mAh less, so we kept an open mind going into the tests.
Well, it turned out a bit of skepticism would have been very much warranted. The Moto M posted average numbers in all of our tests, starting with 15 hours of 3G voice calls. The Moto Z Play can do double that, while other P10-equipped models (the above mentioned F1 Plus and the Meizu M3 Note) beat the Moto M by just 6 hours in this discipline.
Its not getting any better in web browsing over Wi-Fi, where the Moto M barely passes the 7-hour mark before calling it a day. The Moto G4 Plus and the Meizu M3 Note can last well over 11 hours in this one, and even the Oppo F1 Plus manages to keep browsing for an hour more than the Moto M.
The Ms battery struggles continue into video playback - not even 8 hours in our standardized test. The others weve been comparing to so far can last in the 11-12 hours ballpark.
The unimpressive individual figures inevitably lead to a lowly 55-hour overal l Endurance rating.
The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case youre interested in the nitty-gritties. You can also check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones weve tested will compare under your own typical use.
Vanilla Marshmallow, zero Moto
The Moto M ships with a near-stock version of Android Marshmallow. Its also getting none of the Moto niceties we saw on the Moto Z like the Moto screen notifications or hand gestures.
The lockscreen is plain Android. This means time and date, notifications and two shortcuts - Camera and Voice search.
Behind the lockscreen is the Google Now launcher. The left pane is your Google Now view wit h all relevant info cards. If you choose to enable it, that is. To the right are standard homescreens. Swiping up from any interface brings up the Now on tap feature - now more content-aware and smarter than ever.
Lockscreen • Homescreen • Folder view • Homescreen settings • Google Now on tap
Theres the usual app drawer too - the Moto M hasnt fallen victim to the all-too-common practice to omit the app drawer in favor of a single-tiered in terface.
App drawer • Search is not too good
The Notification area shows notifications on the first swipe and then Quick toggles upon a second swipe. You can also do a two-finger swipe to get straight to the Quick toggles. This is the vanilla Android setup, and it is gaining popularity as many phones stick close to AOSP and even skinned ones like Xperias do not change it.
This includes the brightness slider that lacks an Auto toggle. You have to go into the settings menu if you want to enable/disable automatic brightness.
Notification area • Quick toggles
The app switcher is the usual 3D rolodex. Google has been considering adding split-screen multitasking for ages (since Lollipop), and its made it natively to Nougat, but not here, though.
Task switcher
Unlike the rest of the Motos that have the functionality, the Moto M comes with a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. The software team has figured that mandates a two-step instruction on where to find it - a bit extreme, we think.
Once youve managed to locate it, its the usual repetitive tapping until the phone has mapped your entire fingerprint. Its smooth sailing from then on - the recognition works nearly flawlessly and is quick and accurate.
Fingerprint reader settings
Synthetic benchmarks
The Moto M is powered by a Mediatek Helio P10 chipset, or if youre in India - the P15. Theres little to set the two apart, though - its all in the clock speeds. The 8 Cortex-A53 cores in the P10 are capped at 1.95GHz, while the P15s CPU can go as high as 2.2GHz. Theres a bump in the Mali-T860MP2 GPU frequency as well - 800MHz for the P15, 7 00MHz for the P10.
We have the P10 version for review, in 3GB RAM spec - theres a 4GB option too, but not ours. Weve reviewed a bunch of P10 devices already, so we have a lot to compare the Moto M against. Sadly, we wont be able to test Mediateks claim for 10% improved performance.
We wont be deviating from the usual drill - starting off with some CPU benchmarks. In the single-core portion of GeekBench 4, the Moto M outperforms the Meizu M3 Max (Helio P10, too) and the Moto G4 Plus (Snapdragon 617). One similarly clocked (2.0GHz vs. 1.95GHz) Cortex-A53 in a Snapdragon 625 configuration posts better numbers, but none is a match for the high-flying A72 cores that can be found in the Helio X20-powered Redmi Note 4 and Redmi Note Pro.
GeekBench 4 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Re dmi Pro
1551 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
1546 - Oppo R9s
845 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
843 - Motorola Moto Z Play
795 - Lenovo Moto M
771 - Meizu m3 max
687 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
669
The Snapdragon 617 inside the Moto G4 Plus is showing further signs of aging and is struggling to keep up with the rest in multi-core as well. The Moto M posts higher numbers here than the Meizu M3 Max, so its shaping up to be one of the better P10 implementations already.
The Oppo R9s is no t making a strong case for the S625, but the Zenfone 3 does redeem it, beating the Redmi Pro. The latter, on the other hand, isnt squeezing the most of its deca-core CPU - looking at the Redmi Note 4, the Helio X20 can do much better.
GeekBench 4 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
4456 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
4053 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
3885 - Oppo R9s
3130 - Lenovo Moto M
2921 - Meizu m3 max
2625 - Motorola Moto Z Play
2621 - Mo torola Moto G4 Plus
1822
Shifting our gaze to Antutu for a quantitative measure of overall performance, and the Moto M isnt breaking any records, but its still the highest ranked P10 device around. Theres a pretty wide gap between the P10 and the S625, with the Qualcomm chip clearly having the edge. The higher-grade Snapdragon 650 with the fancier A72 cores and the Helio X20 are clearly in a different league.
AnTuTu 6
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
85162 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
77442 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
76186 - Oppo R9s
66081 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
63358 - Samsung Galaxy C7
62818 - Motorola Moto Z Play
62217 - Lenovo Moto M
51831 - Oppo F1 Plus
51299 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
49094 - Meizu m3 max
48334 - Lenovo Moto G4
46949 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (Helio X10)
45474 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
45190 - Meizu m3 note
44898
The same can be said about the results produc ed in Basemark OS II - a fine showing for the Moto M among P10 peers, but a superior S625 and markedly more powerful Helio X20 and Snapdragon 650. The Moto M refused to play nice with Basemark OS II 2.0, so no scores from that one.
Basemark OS II
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
1914 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
1648 - Samsung Galaxy C7
1368 - Motorola Moto Z Play
1226 - Lenovo Moto M
1127 - Oppo F1 Plus
1114 - Meizu m3 max
1009 - Samsung G alaxy J7 (2016)
999 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (Helio X10)
956 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
951 - Meizu m3 note
930
Graphics department isnt an area where weve come to expect excellence from Mediatek SoCs, much less midrange ones. So while the Moto M doesnt exactly impress, were pleased to report that it is, again, one of the best-scoring P10 phones.
In Basemark X the F1 Plus comes closest to putting up a fight against the Moto M - of the P10 bunch that is. The Moto Ms result is still no match for the higher-end Helios or the Snapdragon 625.
GFX 3.0 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
15 Xiaomi Redmi Pro
15- Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
14 - Oppo R9s
10 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
9.9 - Motorola Moto Z Play
9.8 - Samsung Galaxy C7
9.8 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (Helio X10)
8.5 - Lenovo Moto M
7.1 - Oppo F1 Plus
7 - Lenovo Moto G4
6.5 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
6.4 < li>Meizu m3 max - Meizu m3 note
5.4 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
4.9
5.5
GFX 3.0 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
15 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
15 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
14 - Motorola Moto Z Play
10 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
9.7 - Oppo R9s
9.7 - Samsung Galaxy C7
9.6 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
9.5 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (Helio X10)
7.9 - Lenovo Moto M
7.6 - Oppo F1 Plus
7 - Lenovo Moto G4
6.8 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
6.6 - Meizu m3 max
5.5 - Meizu m3 note
5.4
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
9.5 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
9.5 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
9 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
7.2 - Motorola Moto Z Play
6.2 - Samsung Galaxy C7
6.2 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
6.2 - Oppo R9s
6.2 - Lenovo Moto M
4.7 - Lenovo Moto G4
4.2 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
4.1 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (Helio X10)
4 - Meizu m3 max3.6
- Oppo F1 Plus
3.3 - Meizu m3 note
2.5
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Pro
9.5 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
9.4 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
9 - Motorola Moto Z Play
6.7 - Samsung Galaxy C7
6.1 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
6.1 - Oppo R9s
6.1 - Lenovo Moto M< /span>
5.2 - Lenovo Moto G4
4.5 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
4.4 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (Helio X10)
3.9 - Meizu m3 max
3.6 - Oppo F1 Plus
3.3 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
3.2 - Meizu m3 note
2.5
Were pleased with the performance put out by the Moto M - its doing the best it can with the hardware provided. The Helio P10 chipset is no powerhouse, but as far as P10s go, this is among the best ones. Just be sure not to expect miracles in 3D gaming. But dont let that put you off. Mobile games are pretty go od at scaling down the quality so were pretty sure you wont have any issues running and of the available game titles.
Telephony
The Moto M is a dual SIM device - theres no single SIM version. As usual, it lets you select in settings which card does what by default, or you can leave it on a case-by-case basis. It can also select the card based on who youre calling so it can optimize your expenses.
The dialer should be quite familiar. Its split into three tabs - favorites (with big thumbnails), call log and all contacts.
Favorite contacts • Call log • All contacts • Smart dialing
Loudspeaker
The Moto M has just the one speaker on the bottom, but it pumps out enough decibels for a Good rating in our test. Thats pretty much where most of the competition falls too.
| Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Ringing | Overall score | |
| 66.2 | 64.8 | 66.8 | Below Average | |
| 66.0 | 64.3 | 70.1 | Below Average | |
| 66.5 | 64.6 | 71.7 | Average | |
| 63.2 | 69.5 | 71.0 | Average | |
| 64.5 | 71.0 | 68.9 | Average | |
| 64.0 | 70.4 | 73.0 | Average | |
| 64.2 | 67.2 | 76.9 | Good | |
| 64.7 | 70.8 | 72.8 | Good | |
| 66.5 | 66.6 | 75.8 | Good | |
| 68.1 | 71.8 | 69.4 | Good | |
| 64.5 | 72.9 | 72.0 | Good | |
| 62.9 | 70.3 | 77.0 | Good | |
| 64.3 | 71.5 | 76.1 | Good | |
| 70.5 | 70.5 | 78.2 | Very Good | |
| 66.4 | 72.2 | 84.1 | Very Good | |
| 75.7 | 73.5 | 79.5 | Excellent | |
| 88.9 | 79.3 | 82.7 | Excellent |
Messaging and text input
The Moto M comes with Google Messenger pre-installed (its the default SMS app) as well as Hangouts. Messenger behaves a lot like a modern IM app. You can snap a photo and send it in seconds or send short audio recordings, emojis and so on.
Text input, naturally, is handled by the Google keyboard. Its fast, its accurate, its reliable, and it has plenty of configuration options. You can enable one-handed mode by long-pressing the comma key, adjust the keyboard height, the layout (e.g. you may want QWERTZ), enable additional symbols on long-press and change the theme. Typing, swiping and voice dictation are available.
Google Messenger • Google keyboard • One-handed mode • Swype input
Other pre-installed apps
Now this is going to be one short section of the review. Being Android at its most basic, the Moto Ms OS has few apps outside of the standard Google suite. And few here stands for none, really.
Perhaps the sole noteworthy app is the file manager, which sorts files by category or time of accessing and also supports batch actions.
File manager
You also have the stock Google calculator with a swipe-out advanced actions pane in portrait. The Google Calendar is also on board, conveniently syncing with your, well, Google Calendar with highlights for birthdays and holidays as well.
Calculator • Google Calendar
Among other things, the same suite also brings things like Google Docs and Spreadsheets to th e table so you have your document needs covered out of the box.
Who needs a gallery when theres Google Photos
Google Photos is your gallery app on the Moto M, just like on the Moto Z Play. Unlike more premium offerings, though, the Moto M doesnt come with any freebies like full-res photo storage.
Pinch zoom changes the size of thumbnails, but the search field is pure sci-fi - type in some date, or a place, a person or just the general contents of the photo you are looking for (e.g. swimming pool or bottle or note) and it sifts through years of photos in a moment. The more photos you accumulate over time, the smarter Googles search gets. Its not flawless right now.
Google Photos
Sometimes Google Photos will also decide to bundle photos together in a themed album, from, lets say, a particular outing or event. Or even apply some automatic filters for you. The results vary in quality, but are typically quite good, especially for something you put zero effort into.
All of these auto features can be triggered manually, of course. From the editing you can hit Auto to fix the colors and contrast, you can auto-level a photo or just add filters.
Manual editing options
Video Player
Theres no video player as such, but you can use Google Photos to view videos. Thats mostly for ones from your camera as if you want "advanced" features like subtitles youre out of luck.
Basic video player from Google Photos
Google Play Music does what it says on the tin
Play Music works as a generic music player, but its also a streaming app. G oogle boasts access to 35 million for the paid service and if youre worried about data usage, you can just make your favorite albums available offline.
Better still, Google is also generous enough to let you upload your own MP3 files (up to 50,000 songs) to its servers and then stream those through the app.
Google Play Music is built around music streaming
Still, if you prefer your to listen to your own music library locally, then Play Music will assist you in loading tracks from your computer or a USB drive if you happen to have one.
The equalizer carries a Dolby Atmos branding and offers presets for different styles of music as well as other sound enhancement algorithms.
You can cache streamed music • Dolby Atmos equalizer
FM Radio
One of the best bits about non-flagships is that they usually tend to have an FM radio receiver. This one does too. The app can auto scan for all available stations and store them in memory, only it cant read RDS data, so you need to name them yourself. Or at least the favorite ones. Theres a recorder too.
FM Radio app receives the sound, not the data
Audio output pleasingly clean, disappointingly quiet
The Motorola Moto M showed some impressively clean output with an active external amplifier with no weak results in its row. However, even here, the volume level was bel ow average, and that didn’t bode well for the second part of the test.
And indeed, volume dropped even further when headphones came into play so it’s one of the quietest devices around meaning you cant hope to hook up big, high-impedance headphones to it.
The clarity remains pretty good though with stereo crosstalk and intermodulation distortion the only affected readings - both very mildly at that.
| Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
| Motorola Moto M | +0.02, -0.11 | -90.5 | 90.3 | 0.0033 | 0.012 | -91.4 |
| Motorola Moto M (headphones) | +0.38, -0.12 | -90.5 | 90.7 | 0.0030 | 0.219 | -61.8 |
| Lenovo K6 Note | +0.04, -0.09 | -92.7 | 93.0 | 0.011 | 0.020 | -86.8 |
| Lenovo K6 Note (headphones) | +0.08, -0.10 | -92.3 | 93.1 | 0.012 | 0.086 | -75.2 |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 | +0.02, -0.10 | -94.5 | 90.9 | 0.0019 | 0.0086 | -94.9 |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (headphones) | +0.37, -0.25 | -92.2 | 89.6 | 0.0087 | 0.274 | -53.6 |
| Meizu m2 note | +0.08, -0.05 | -93.1 | 92.7 | 0.0079 | 0.013 | -92.4 |
| Meizu m2 note (headphones) | +0.40, -0.62 | -86.9 | 88.0 | 0.145 | 0.529 | -50.8 |
Motorola Moto M frequency response
You can learn more about the tested parameters and the whole testing process here.
16MP camera gets the job done, but doesnt impress
The Moto M comes with a 16MP primary camera with a f/2.0 aperture lens. Dont let that fool you into believing its the same one used on the Moto Z Play - the pixels on the M are tiny - just 1.0µm. IN comparison, the ones on the Z Play are 1.3µm (which may not be much in absolute terms, given the micron unit, but its a significant difference in performance).
That aside, there still is phase detection autofocus, like on the big boys cameras, and a dual LED flash is here to help in the dark.
Youd think that a camera app should be pretty much consistent in its looks between devices from the same manufacturer, only more feature-rich on the higher-end model. Well, no, not in Motorolas case. Or rather, its two camera apps that Lenovo, the parent company, distributes among its devices without much concern which brand is stamped on the box.
Theres nothing wrong with the app itself, though. Okay, nothing other than the front/rear camera toggle high up in the right corner, which is difficult to reach single-handedly. That aside, it gives you an HDR toggle and flash mode switch plus more detailed settings like ISO and White balance two taps away in the menu.
Camera interface
Image quality on the Moto M is decent, but it has its peculiarities. For one, its photos have a pronounced warm color reproduction. Auto exposure also tends to be geared in such a way that photos get slightly underexposed. That may be so to combat the effects of the small pixels and possibly preserve highlights, but physics is a tough opponent, and dynamic range isnt great.
Resolved detail is high, though, particularly with high-frequency subject matter like foliage. Noise is present too, and quite abundant too even at base ISO and plenty of light.
Camera samples
The HDR mode on the Moto M yields quite dramatic results. Gone are the warm colors and the images get a strong cold blue cast. Some of the highlight detail gets salvaged, but thats not what youll be noticing first in the HDR shots.
HDR mode: off • on • off • on
Theres always our Photo compare tool where you can examine from up-close how the Moto Ms photos compare to those from rival smartphones. Weve pre-selected the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and the Lenovo K6 Note, but you can pick any other phone weve tested through the years.
Moto M in our Photo compare tool
Panorama
Panoramas arent great either. At about 1,300px tall, they lack resolution, while stitching issues can be readily observed.
P anorama sample
Selfie camera
The front-facing camera on the Moto M is an 8MP f/2.0 unit. At 1.12µm, its pixels are larger than those on the main camera.
The selfies are packed with detail, skin colors are true-to-life, and the fixed-focus distance has been picked well, so your mug is in focus when you hold the camera at arms length. Youd think that should be the case with all fixed-focus selfie cams, but youd be surprised.
Of course, there is a beautification feature, dont worry. It fixes blemishes, brightens up the skin and whitens the teeth.
Selfie samples: Beautification off • Beautificaion on at the highest setting
Video camera
Th e Moto M records video up to 1080p/30fps - theres not much more to be expected in its segment, plus we all know how the P10 chipset cant handle all that number-crunching.
The videos are encoded with a bit rate just short of 17Mbps while audio gets 128Kbps, in stereo.
Theres little to like about those videos, unfortunately - details are mushy, and colors are bland.
Its not all YouTubes fault if the videos dont look up to scratch. From our own server you can download an unedited sample (10s, 20MB), straight out of the camera.
Our video compare tool is here to serve the pixel-peepers among you. Check out how the Moto M stacks up next to competitors, or just about any other phone weve tested.
Moto M in our Video compare tool
Final words
As far as first impressions go, the Moto M makes quite the entrance. The cold metal feel against your fingertips could fool you that youve spent top dollar when in fact youve been quite the reasonable shopper.
The thing is, though, metal builds have trickled down to even the lowest market segments, and you could match the Moto Ms build quality at an even more affordable price point. And its not like the Motorola phablet makes all that a compelling case for itself where it matters the most.
Its more of a consistently average performer, and wed struggle to point out an area where it actually shines. Though this could just as easily be rephra sed to say that the Moto M also doesnt fail miserably in any respect.
Its the camera that can use the most improvement if we had to name one thing. 16MP is all fine and dandy, but theres a lot more than just the dots, and the Moto M doesnt seem to get most of it right. We would have liked to see a better battery life out of the Moto M too. The 55-hour rating is quite indicative of its overall unimpressive performance in this respect.
Motorola Moto M key test findings
- Tried and tested design, premium look and feel, but no Gorilla Glass
- The display has high contrast and decent sunlight legibility, but brightness could have been higher
- Battery life is on low side of average - 55h Endurance rating
- Nexus-like vanilla Android Marshmallow build without the Moto customizations from more upmarket models
- One of the highest-scoring Helio P10 imp lementations, the Moto M is still underpowered in the graphics department and the chipset is probably the reason for the lackluster battery life
- Loudspeaker scores a Good rating in our test
- The audio output quality is clean but really quiet so its not a good match for big headphones
- 16MP primary camera captures good detail, but is otherwise flawed in color reproduction, dynamic range and exposure
- The front-facing 8MP cam produces great selfies - detailed, and with pleasing skin tones
- 1080p video from either camera is uninspiring in quality
Not a small step up, but for about $100 more you could grab a Moto Z Play and get an overall superior device with much better battery life, more capable camera (with 4K recording too) and more feature-rich software. Oddly, youd be sacrificing selfie resolution, though. The Play could also take Moto Mods, but if youre already $100 above budget, extras are perhaps out of the question.
Motorola Moto Z Play
Alternatively, you could save yourself a few notes and go for the Moto G4 Plus. Youd be sacrificing looks, thats for sure, but the G4 Plus will deliver significantly better battery life, a dedicated microSD slot, and the Moto screen features. The Moto M has the higher-res selfies and the metal body to show for its higher price.
Motorola Moto G4 Plus
Lenorola/Motonovo will happily sell you the Lenovo K6 Note too. This one goes for G4 Plus money, thus cheaper than the Moto M. Its got some metal on its back too, so its looking a bit better than the G4 Plus, though we still find the Moto M more appealing. What the K6 Note has going for it, is a brighter display, vastly longer battery life aand... yes, the price.
Lenovo K6 Note
Youd be foolish not to consider a few Xiaomis first, though. A whole bunch, really, all of them packing more punch than the Moto M, while also being cheaper and having metal on their backs. With batteries in the 4,000mAh ballpark they all outlast the Moto M, so theres that too.
The Redmi Pro packs an AMOLED display and has dual cameras, so its perhaps the most full-featured of this quartet - also the most expensive. Then the Redmi Note 3 comes in a Snapdragon 650 flavor if youre not a Mediatek fan for some reason, but its also objectively the longest-lasting of this group.
One potential caveat here is that not all of the Xiaomis are available everywhere, so your selection may be limited by availability.
Xiaomi Redmi Pro • Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 • Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 • Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (MediaTek)
The Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016), on the other hand, can be found pretty much on every market globally, and if its this much of a fan favorite around here, there must be a good reason. Its cheaper than the Moto M and boasts a superior battery life (and a user replaceable battery, for that matter). The Moto M is the looker of the two, features a sharper 1080p display over the 720p of the J7, and has higher-res cameras front and back.
Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
With all those Ms in its name, is the Motorola Moto M the ultimate Midranger? If youve gotten this far, you already know thats not the case. But if good-looking, average-performing, reasonably-priced rings well with your particular list of priorities when shopping for a smartphone, the Moto M fits the bill just right.
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