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We've long considered Motorola to be the best Android OEM, and with the new Moto X, the company seems to be making all the right moves. The Moto X is still running stock Android—Motorola wants to make experiences that "augment, not compete" with Google's OS. And the Moto X is still really cheap—$399 gets you a 1.8GHz Snapdragon 808, 3GB of RAM, a 5.7-inch, 1440p display, 16GB of storage, and a 3000 mAh battery.

Motorola says the big upgrade this year is the camera. The company called the new 20MP camera "one of the best in the world," with "better light, faster focus, faster capture, and better color" when compared to the 2014 Moto X. Camera review site DxOMark has rated the Moto X 2015 camera as one of the top three cameras in the world, ahead of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6+. The front of the device has some camera upgrades, too, as the 5MP front-facing camera now has an LED flash.

The device will be customizable on Moto Maker again. There's a glass front and aluminum frame, and for the back there's a choice of a "silicon-coated rubber," wood, or leather. The aluminum sides and back piece that holds the camera can also be customized with a variety of color options. We didn't get to see a wood back, but the leather and rubber back have diagonal lines cut into them, making them very grippy. The device feels great overall, and there isn't an ounce of plastic.

The sizable 3000 mAh battery is nice, but it's very disappointing that the cheaper, mid-range "Moto X Play"—which isn't being released in the US—has the biggest battery in the lineup: 3630 mAh. Motorola is at least including a new fast-charging technology it calls "turbo charging." Motorola says the Moto X charges 50 percent faster than the Galaxy S6, which makes it the "fastest charging smartphone in the world."

There are a lot of extras here, too. There's NFC, a MicroSD slot, and a "water-repellant nano coating." The front of the device has been upgraded to stereo speakers, which were in the Nexus 6 but not the 2014 Moto X. Motorola is including its "natural language processor" with all the voice commands we've come to expect from the Nexus 6 and Moto X. There are also IR sensors in the four corners of the phone, which allow you to wave your hand over the device to wake it up.

In the US, the "Pure Edition" can be purchased unlocked and off-contract for $399 from Motorola.com, Amazon, and Best Buy; this device will have "priority" for updates. There's "universal LTE banding," which will work on all the US carriers, but Motorola hasn't said anything about on-contract carrier availability.

As for the mid-range, Moto X Play (which isn't coming to the US) has a 1.7GHz Snapdragon 615, 2GB of RAM, a 5.5-inch, 1080p display, 21MP camera, and a huge, jealousy-inspiring 3630 mAh battery. If you're in a country where it's for sale, it should be $100 less than the flagship Moto X.