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Motorola Moto X Force review: Plans | Pricing | Specs

Name: Motorola Moto X Force
Brand: Motorola

Brodie Fogg

Last updated: 6 September 2019

Motorola's Moto X Force is a more than capable smartphone that offers quality features, but it primarily sells on its heavy duty screen.

5.4 inches

Display size

1440 x 2560px

32 GB

Internal storage

21 MP

Rear camera

3,760 mAh

Battery size

Finder rated as Average vs similar phones

Details

Device features

Rear camera megapixels	21MP
Rear camera aperture size	f/2.0
Video recording	4K
Front camera megapixels	5MP
Front camera aperture size	f/2.0

Processor	Snapdragon 810
RAM	3
Operating system	Android 5
Internal storage	32GB
External storage support	Up to 2TB
Battery capacity	3,760mAh

Launch price (RRP)	$599
Launch date	2015-10

Brodie Fogg was the publisher for Finder's streaming and entertainment comparisons. Brodie has a background in education and is passionate about breaking down complicated topics and tech garble to make it more palatable for a wider audience.

The good

Can take a hit from every angle.
The price is right.
Impressive 21MP camera with 4K recording.

The bad

One colour option.
Processor lacks punch.
Water-repellant coating is good, but not good enough.

The Moto X Force boasts an impressive 21MP camera, long-lasting battery and a near-indestructible shell.

A lot of Motorola’s Android offerings have catered to a market of klutzes and ruffians. While it has generally gone for a clean and tidy Android UI, its range of smartphones has never been too afraid to get down and dirty.

The Moto X Force continued that legacy by offering a premium smartphone in a seemingly indestructible shell. In addition to a 21MP camera, 4K video capture a Snapdragon 810 chipset, the X Force also boasts a shatter-proof display and water-repellant coated internals. Oh, and it’s clearly named after one of the most indestructible superhero teams in history.

Design

Near indestructible screen.
Water-repellant coating is good, but not good enough.

The Moto X Force’s claims of a shatter-proof screen aren’t anything to balk at.
Its five layers of glass can take a serious pounding. We weren’t game enough to take a hammer to the screen of our X Force, but you can find loads of videos on YouTube of people putting it through the wringer. One gentleman dropped it from 1,000 feet to have it survive without so much as a scratch. Whereas another repeatedly bashed it with a heavy mallet.
While the display indeed made it through the ordeal without shattering, the shock was strong enough to scramble the phone’s insides and it became inoperable. This is something to consider before you go testing the X Force’s mettle, because there’s a line between "shatterproof screen" and "indestructible smartphone", and on one side of it you end up with an inoperable phone.
There’s also the fabric rear-plate which is made of "ballistic nylon". The tightly-weaved fabrics not only provide cushion should the phone hit the deck, but it's also scratch-resistant.
We scratched the phone’s back up pretty aggressively with a screwdriver, but the marks wiped away in a matter of seconds.
I also think the fabric rear looks quite classy up close, which is not something you usually hear about "tradie" phones. Its porous surface also offers significant grip, which I can certainly appreciate after letting more than one iPhone slip from my hand onto hard concrete.
Motorola’s X Force isn’t waterproof or even water-resistant, but it does feature “water-repellent nano-coating” that will safeguard it from a light spray or spill.
Motorola makes it a point to indicate that the X Force is not waterproof and will not be covered by warranty for any water-related damages. While something is better than nothing, it’s odd to me that a smartphone (with a sealed battery) that’s all about longevity wouldn’t go the whole hog and offer some waterproofing or water resistant assurance.
The Moto X Force also isn’t scratch resistant, despite its incredibly tough screen. The review handset we received has a few noticeable scratches on the front display, and a few scuffed edges. It’s possible that whoever got their hands on the X Force before us really put the screen to the test (which you won’t be doing), but it’s still a point worth considering. Especially when Samsung and Apple’s flagship handsets come with proper IP-rated water and dust resistance.
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Camera

Impressive 21MP camera with 4K recording.

While megapixel count isn’t everything, it’s still a good indicator of the kind of quality you can expect from a smartphone camera.
As always, Motorola’s camera UI is incredibly simple. When launched there are only two buttons on screen, video recording and rear/front camera switch. The X Force’s impressive auto-focus means you can tap anywhere on the screen to take a photo, which makes snapping pics on the go a cinch.
If you’re a little more serious about your photography, there are all the usual extras you would expect like flash, panorama, low light mode and timer hidden in a menu that’s accessed by swiping right while the gallery can be accessed by swiping left.
The auto-focus, while mostly reliable, can get a little finicky at times. For those moments there’s also a manual focus ring that can be dragged around the screen and swiped to increase and decrease exposure.
Images captured from the Moto X Force and our Galaxy S7 were near indistinguishable in all environments except under fluorescent lighting. Images captured under unnatural light with the X Force show a slight yellow tint. Something I’ve experienced with previous smartphones, but not with the Galaxy S7’s effort.
Below is a comparison of the two shots under fluorescent lighting. The X Force’s 4K capture is also relatively painless thanks to the digital image stabilisation and the camera’s rapid focus adjustment.

Motorola Moto X Force

Samsung Galaxy S7
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Performance

Processor lacks punch.

We ran the Moto X Force through Geekbench 4’s single core and multi core benchmark tests and the results were average. As you can see from the results below, the Moto X Force doesn’t really hold up against the Samsung and Apple flagship handsets, or even Apple’s budget SE handset. It’s roughly the same calibre as the Google Nexus 6P, but that handset is over a year old now and as a result, much cheaper. Past some expected lag after booting up, transitions are as smooth as you would expect from any premium device, just don’t expect it to hold up down the line when you’re running more intensive tasks.

Handset	Geekbench 4 CPU Single Core (higher is better)	Geekbench 4 CPU Multi Core (higher is better)
Motorola Moto G Play	522	1,334
Sony Xperia XZ	1,133	2,506
Sony Xperia X	1,122	2,626
Motorola Moto X Force	1,352	3,581
Google Nexus 6P	1,293	3,594
Apple iPhone 6s	2,465	4,052
Apple iPhone SE	2,449	4,171
Samsung Galaxy S7	1,378	4,718
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	1,359	5,333
Apple iPhone 7 Plus	3,374	5,649

Battery life

3000 mAh battery

For a phone of its era, the battery life of the Motorola Moto X Force was also pretty outstanding. When we compared it against mid-range 2016 handsets using Geekbench 3's battery test, the Huawei Mate 8 was the only handset to beat it in duration. The Huawei Mate 8 is also a larger phone, so naturally it has a larger battery than the Moto X Force.

Handset	Geekbench 3 Battery Test Duration	Geekbench 3 Battery Score
Huawei Mate 8	11:14:40	6,659
Motorola Moto X Force	9:46:50	3,914
Huawei P9	8:26:30	4,948
LG Stylus DAB+	8:11:40	3,278
Oppo R9	6:41:50	4,018
Google Nexus 6P	6:39:20	3,754
Telstra Signature Premium	5:48:50	3,260

Verdict

Another good Motorola handset, although its newer efforts do eclipse it.

Pricing and availability

Motorola Moto X Force

Motorola's heavy duty Moto X Force

The Motorola Moto X Force has a tough screen that can take a beating and just keep on going.

The Motorola Moto X Force originally sold in Australia for $599 outright.