Motorola's new camera is a massive upgrade over anything it's done before

For all its leadership in making Android phones more accessible and affordable to the masses, Motorola has never been able to count itself among the best cameraphone makers. The Chicago-based company has made an unfortunate habit of making really great phones with truly terrible cameras. This year, however, Moto promised — nay, guaranteed — that things would be different as it introduced a new 21-megapixel camera in its top-tier Moto X Style / Pure and Moto X Play devices. Having spent a day shooting with this new camera, I can say with certainty that this is indeed the best imaging equipment to have ever made its way inside a Moto smartphone. It's too soon to pass sound judgment on how it compares against the leaders in the field — like Samsung's Galaxy S6 series, LG's G4, and Apple's iPhone 6 — but the very fact these new Moto Xs are even in the conversation is a remarkable advance for Motorola.

Check out a selection of sample images herein and stay tuned for more in our full review of the Moto X Play that took all the photos. It will be here before you know it!