The Moto X Force phone takes some serious force to damage. Courtesy Motorola
The Moto X Force phone takes some serious force to damage. Courtesy Motorola

Motorola X Force review: Smartphone is not pretty, but very tough



The Moto X Force is not the kind of smartphone likely to be sported by the fashion-conscious set on a Friday night at Asia de Cuba or the Jetty Lounge.

Rather, it’s the sort of device you carry around when you’re doing something active and high impact. Or failing that, it’s great if you’ve got young children who can’t keep their slippery hands off your expensive gadgets.

The X Force isn’t designed to win any beauty contests. Its simple metal frame is offset by a rugged “ballistic nylon” textured back that feels rugged in the hand, but also a little cheap.

Its 21 megapixel rear camera takes impressive images in a range of conditions, while falling a little short of the likes of the Galaxy S7 and the LG G5. And the 5.4 inch Amoled display promises a lot but falls a little short.

But you don't buy a smartphone called X Force for its camera, design and display. You buy it because it's tough. And make no mistake, this is a high-impact smartphone.

I didn’t have the nerve to test whether it could withstand a five-foot drop on a tiled floor as Motorola claims. However, its display survived without blemish after being dropped face down on a hardwood floor several times, as well as a number of medium-force blows from a standard hammer.

Most gratifyingly, it survived 24 hours in the company of a colleague’s one-year-old, who had inflicted impressive damage on his mother’s iPhone a week earlier.

Not only did the X Force remain unscathed, its 5MP front camera is intuitive enough even for a toddler to take (several) selfies.

Despite being on the market for some months, the Moto X Force is still a little pricey at about Dh2,549, more than both the HTC 10 and the LG G5. But while it lags in terms of display and camera specs, its nigh-on unbreakable design will definitely appeal to rugged outdoor types, as well as any parent whose little darling delights in causing damage to expensive gadgets.

q&a tough and resilient all day long

John Everington expands on the Moto X Force’s tough credibility:

So how did Motorola make it so tough? Did they leave it in the oven for an extra 12 hours?

It’s what they call “ShatterShield” screen technology. It’s made up of five layers, starting with a rigid aluminium chassis and the aforementioned Amoled display, which is in itself quite flexible. Then there’s a dual touch layer, an interior lens and an outer screen protection ShatterShield lens.

So how tough is it really? Should I take it rock climbing with me?

Motorola is pretty realistic that the X Force is resilient but probably not designed to be dropped 200 feet off a mountain. That being said, it’s tough enough to be dropped on a hard floor by a toddler (and an adult for that matter), which matters more to most of us than its climbing credentials.

You mentioned something about a disappointing display?

Disappointing is maybe too strong a word. The X Force’s Amoled display has a stunning 540 pixels per inch density, promising great images. But given the added screen protection layers, the effect is a little diminished. While videos look high quality, you don’t quite get the brilliant colours of the Galaxy S7 Edge.

What else should I know?

It has a large battery that’ll get you through the day with no problem. Internal memory is expandable up to 256GB via microSD. Regrettably, there’s no fingerprint scanner. And as for that ballistic nylon finish? It’s not available in rose gold.

jeverington@thenational.ae

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The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

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Los Angeles Galaxy 2 Manchester United 5

Galaxy: Dos Santos (79', 88')
United: Rashford (2', 20'), Fellaini (26'), Mkhitaryan (67'), Martial (72')

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Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'

Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.

Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.

"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.

"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.

"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."

Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

MATCH INFO

Chelsea 0

Liverpool 2 (Mane 50', 54')

Red card: Andreas Christensen (Chelsea)

Man of the match: Sadio Mane (Liverpool)

Company Profile

Company name: Yeepeey

Started: Soft launch in November, 2020

Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani

Based: Dubai

Industry: E-grocery

Initial investment: $150,000

Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year

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Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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AiFlux – renewables, oil and gas

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Olymon Solutions – smart automation

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Sav – finance

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Swftbox – delivery

Trade Capital Partners – FinTech

Valorafutbol – sports and entertainment

Workfam – employee engagement

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Favourite piece of music: Verdi’s Requiem. It’s awe-inspiring.

Biggest inspiration: My father, as I grew up in a house where music was constantly played on a wind-up gramophone. I had amazing music teachers in primary and secondary school who inspired me to take my music further. They encouraged me to take up music as a profession and I follow in their footsteps, encouraging others to do the same.

Favourite book: Ian McEwan’s Atonement – the ending alone knocked me for six.

Favourite holiday destination: Italy - music and opera is so much part of the life there. I love it.

match info

Athletic Bilbao 1 (Muniain 37')

Atletico Madrid 1 (Costa 39')

Man of the match  Iker Muniain (Athletic Bilbao)

THE BIO:

Sabri Razouk, 74

Athlete and fitness trainer 

Married, father of six

Favourite exercise: Bench press

Must-eat weekly meal: Steak with beans, carrots, broccoli, crust and corn

Power drink: A glass of yoghurt

Role model: Any good man

The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

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Brief scores:

Toss: Australia, chose to bat

Australia: 272-9 (50 ov)

Khawaja 100, Handscomb 52; Bhuvneshwar 3-48

India: 237 (50 ov)

Rohit 56, Bhuvneshwar 46; Zampa 3-46

Player of the Match: Usman Khawaja (Australia)

Player of the Series: Usman Khawaja (Australia)