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The battery is the real standout feature of the Moto X Play. It comes with a big 3630mAh cell – to put that into perspective, the Moto X Style has to power a 2K display and has a 3000mAh cell inside. It does mean the X Play has to be a little thicker to accommodate the bigger battery, but it's worth it.
I found myself getting a consistent day and a bit of use from a full charge, and that's unheard of as I'm such a power-hungry user – generally I'll just about make it to the end of the day, even after putting my phone on charge for a bit midway through.
I ran the Nyan Gareth video test on the Moto X Play as well. I turned the display up to full brightness, with full connectivity enabled, and played a 90-minute clip from start to finish.
The X Play came out the other side with 85% of its battery left – that's a pretty big deal, and it means you can watch quite a few films without having to worry about taking it back to the wall. I ran the test again at 60% screen brightness, and it came out with 87% of its battery intact.
The Moto X Play also supports TurboPower charging, which Motorola claims is the fastest technology of its kind in the world, with a 15-minute charge good for eight hours of battery life.
A TurboPower charger isn't included, however, so you'll have to buy one separately – it's a real shame that you can't take advantage of one of the Moto X Play's major features right out of the box.
Another disappointment is Motorola's decision not to include wireless charging in the Moto X Play. This is something that's becoming more widely available, with charging on offer in places such as coffee shops and restaurants.
The Moto X Play sports a good pair of front-facing speakers. When I was watching video I was a little taken aback at how impressive they were considering it's not a feature Motorola has made a big deal about. The interface within the video app is straightforward, and makes it easy to pause and rewind clips.
I was testing the 16GB version of the X Play, and after software is installed you're left with 10.89GB to play with. That's enough space if you're planning to upload films or music, but my average Spotify offline collection is going to take up 4GB straight off, cutting down the available space for pictures.
Calls and Wi-Fi
Phone calls were clear at my end, and everyone I spoke to reported that they could hear me well – even during a conference call to the US. That's likely down to the noise cancellation technology employed in the Moto X Play, with a dedicated mic – it's featured in all the Moto X phones, and works a treat to ensure that light background noise doesn't accompany your voice over the airwaves.
The X Play supports all internet connectivity, including LTE 4G – why wouldn't it, it's 2015 – so you can get your super-fast internet without any concerns. If you're not on 4G yet, you'll be able to use your 3G network as well.
There's Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, which basically means you're able to connect to any Wi-Fi signal that's available, and you can also turn your phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot at will. I was able to do this without any problems – but hotspot use is going to rinse your internet, so watch out if you're on a limited data contract.
Unlike the OnePlus 2 the Moto X Play comes with NFC support, so it's compatible with the likes of Android Pay.
The phone doesn't come with any specialist security features, so there's no sign of a fingerprint sensor or eye scanner here, which are features some people may miss. The Moto X Style and Moto X Force don't have these either, but the more affordable Moto G4 Plus does, as well as the new premium line of the Moto Z smartphones, including the Moto Z Force and Moto Z Play.
