Hardware

Motorola isn't rewriting the rulebook here; the Pure Edition will feel awfully familiar if you've so much as picked up a second-gen Moto X over the past year. That's a good thing. With its trim waistline and gently sloping back, this year's Moto X is one of the most comfortable big-screen phones to hold, even despite the 5.7-inch panel Motorola added this year. We'll revisit the screen shortly, but in general it's a beautiful thing and it's complemented by a pair of front-facing stereo speakers. It's still pretty odd to see an LED flash nestled next to the front-facing 5-megapixel camera, though all's fair in the search for the perfect selfie. And it wouldn't be a Moto X if the facade weren't flecked with numerous infrared sensors to detect a face or moving hands.

If the phone's face seems forgettable, flip it over for a reminder of what you can do with Moto Maker. My review unit came with a deep gray finish on its metal frame and a textured, brown Saffiano leather back that adds some extra character to the mix. If that's not your thing (it isn't really mine), you can also order your Pure Edition with a colorful silicone rear, or a more exotic one hewn of bamboo, charcoal ash, ebony or walnut wood for a few bucks more. Since Motorola wasn't concerned about including a fingerprint sensor on the Pure Edition, the telltale logo dimple below the 21-megapixel camera is way smaller than on last year's version too. I took this harder than I expected: The dip the X used to have on its backside made for a comfortable place to rest my index finger. This smaller version isn't nearly as satisfying. At least the device is now water-resistant, allowing the Pure Edition to survive a few accidental dips in my sink.

Speaking of potentially unsatisfying, the Moto X's internals might seem less interesting than at first. The phone uses one of Qualcomm's hexa-core Snapdragon 808 chips and 3GB of RAM, much like the LG G4 from earlier this year. Meanwhile, rivals like the OnePlus 2 offer the more powerful Snapdragon 810 and 4GB of RAM. Other powerhouses like the Galaxy Note 5 also include a full four gigs of memory. As always, though, Motorola has complemented its fairly high-end components with its so-called Mobile Computing System, a bundle of contextual processing cores that pay attention to the device's motion and your voice. It plays a key role in making the Moto X Pure a more thoughtful phone, and that might make all the difference for you.

Display and sound

Motorola finally made the leap to a Quad HD (2,560 x 1,440) panel with this year's Moto X, and I'm not about to start a debate on whether or not we actually need such high-resolution screens on smartphones. The fact of the matter is, we have a solid performer in this 5.7-inch IPS LCD, with crisp visuals (at 515 pixels per inch, no less) and good viewing angles. All that said, it doesn't stand out in the same way that Samsung's super-vibrant Super AMOLED screens do. It's a mixed bag, really.

Colors that seem bright and mostly natural on the Moto X's screen take on a cooler, almost washed-out cast next to the Galaxy Note 5. On the bright side, though (ha!), whites are much crisper on the Moto X and the display itself is noticeably brighter too, especially with adaptive brightness turned off. Trust me: You won't have any trouble taking the X for a spin outside. Be prepared for an occasional wait, though. The display's auto-brightness can be slow to react -- think three or four seconds -- especially if you're pulling the phone out of a dark bag and into a well-lit room. The Pure Edition's screen isn't a clear winner compared to some of its biggest rivals, but it's meaningfully different in a few key ways.

We could say almost the same thing about the Pure Edition's pair of front-facing speakers. They're still a far cry from, say, HTC's BoomSound speakers, but I'd still take these over a wimpy single speaker any day (here's looking at you, Note 5). Pro tip: If you're watching a video or listening to music through these speakers while holding the phone vertically, you're doing it wrong. You'll get a modest sense of channel separation when the X is sideways, so your tunes will sound slightly fuller, more expansive.

Software

There is, thankfully, little to say about the Pure Edition's software; it's an almost-completely stock build of Android 5.1.1 with just a few Motorola apps preinstalled. All of Lollipop's finer touches -- that nuanced take on sounds and notifications, multiple user accounts -- are all where you'd expect to find them and work the same as always. Even better, the unbundling of apps like Google Plus and Newsstand from Android proper means we've got an even cleaner version of Android than usual.

With that foundation laid down, Motorola once again set out to make the Moto X as thoughtful and responsive as possible. Take Moto Display, for instance. Waving your hand over the phone's face like some Jedi extra from The Clone Wars rouses part of the screen to tell you what time it is and what notifications have rolled in. Swiping a notification icon down unlocks the screen and pops the phone right into the app you wanted to be in. Simple. Motorola's tried-and-true gestures are back too, so you can twist the X a few times to fire up the camera and karate chop with it to turn on the flashlight. You can now also lift the phone to your ear to issue a Moto Voice command, and any response will route straight through the earpiece for subtlety's sake.