Moto X Style (Pure Edition) review: Made to order

Performance

The Moto X Style (Pure Edition) features Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 SoC and 3GB of RAM. The chipset consists of a duo of Cortex-A57 CPU cores and a quartet of Cortex-A53 cores. Graphics are handled by the Adreno 418 GPU.

This particular chipset configuration is already familiar to us from the LG G4. Therefore, we knew what to expect from its benchmark performance before we began putting it through out benchmark tests.

Naturally, we kick off our performance routine with the GeekBench 3 test, which gauges the multi-core CPU performance. The device performed similarly to the LG G4 and posted a stellar result, though it surely didn't light the charts on fire.

GeekBench 3

Higher is better

• Samsung Galaxy S6 (5.1.1)
  5242
• Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
  5095
• ZTE Axon Pro
  4574
• OnePlus 2
  4429
• LG G4
  3509
• Moto X Style (Pure Edition)
  3433

The AnTuTu 5 benchmark result painted a similar picture. Once again, the Moto X Style (Pure Edition) did a good job during the test without threatening the top spots held by members of the Samsung Galaxy S6 family.

AnTuTu 5

Higher is better

• Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
  70053
• Samsung Galaxy S6 (5.1.1)
  67553
• ZTE Axon Pro
  55956
• Moto X Style (Pure Edition)
  50629
• LG G4
  49295
• OnePlus 2
  47207

BaseMark OS II 2.0 is quite intensive benchmark, which puts to the test CPU, GPU, memory, system and browser performance. The Moto X Style (Pure Edition) posted an impressive score on this instance.

Basemark OS II

Higher is better

• Moto X Style (Pure Edition)
  2016
• OnePlus 2
  1942
• Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
  1826
• ZTE Axon Pro
  1565

The single and multi-core CPU breakdowns from the BaseMark OS II 2.0 are not as convincing. Somehow, the Moto X Style (Pure Edition) didn't even match the performance of LG G4 on this instance.

Basemark OS II (single-core)

Higher is better

• Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
  3372
• ZTE Axon Pro
  2673
• Moto X Style (Pure Edition)
  2508
• OnePlus 2
  2047

Basemark OS II (multi-core)

Higher is better

• Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
  16856
• OnePlus 2
  10799
• Moto X Style (Pure Edition)
  9132
• ZTE Axon Pro
  8833

The GFXBench tests put the Adreno 418 GPU of the Moto X Style (Pure Edition) to work. In line with our expectations, the smartphone matched the performance of the similarly equipped LG G4.

GFX 2.7 T-Rex (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

• Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
  59
• Samsung Galaxy S6 (5.1.1)
  57
• ZTE Axon Pro
  55
• OnePlus 2
  48
• LG G4
  34.5
• Moto X Style (Pure Edition)
  34

GFX 2.7 T-Rex (onscreen)

Higher is better

• OnePlus 2
  46.7
• Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
  39
• Samsung Galaxy S6 (5.1.1)
  37
• ZTE Axon Pro
  35
• LG G4
  24.7
• Moto X Style (Pure Edition)
  24

GFX 3.0 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

• Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
  26
• Samsung Galaxy S6 (5.1.1)
  25
• ZTE Axon Pro
  25
• OnePlus 2
  22
• Moto X Style (Pure Edition)
  15
• LG G4
  14.9

GFX 3.0 Manhattan (onscreen)

Higher is better

• OnePlus 2
  22
• Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
  15
• Samsung Galaxy S6 (5.1.1)
  15
• ZTE Axon Pro
  15
• LG G4
  9.4
• Moto X Style (Pure Edition)
  9.3

Basemark X test the device's gaming credentials. Again, the Moto performed like LG G4.

Basemark X

Higher is better

• Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
  27046
• Samsung Galaxy S6 (5.1.1)
  26125
• ZTE Axon Pro
  22928
• OnePlus 2
  21937
• LG G4
  15090
• Moto X Style (Pure Edition)
  14598

Finally, the web browsing experience, courtesy of Chrome, turned out quite good. The Moto X Style (Pure Edition) is a speedy web browsing platform, offering smooth and pleasant experience.

Kraken 1.1

Lower is better

• Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
  3989
• Samsung Galaxy S6 (5.1.1)
  4003
• LG G4
  4085
• ZTE Axon Pro
  5374
• OnePlus 2
  6808
• Moto X Style (Pure Edition)
  6910

BrowserMark 2.1

Higher is better

• Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
  2702
• Samsung Galaxy S6 (5.1.1)
  2641
• Moto X Style (Pure Edition)
  2132
• OnePlus 2
  2055
• LG G4
  1990
• ZTE Axon Pro
  1957

To sum things up, the Moto X Style (Pure Edition) performed just as we expected it to. The handset is a powerful piece of hardware, though not as convincing as the Exynos 7420-packing Samsung Galaxy S6 family.

Motorola deserves props for keeping away from the controversial Snapdragon 810. Coupled with stock Android, the Snapdragon 808 offers plenty of oomph for even a seasoned power user.