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The original 2013 Moto G was a lower-end smartphone aimed at the masses who wanted a competent Android phone on the cheap. And it was a huge success for Motorola, becoming its best-selling smartphone ever. To follow up on the Moto G’s success, the company has launched a new 2014 version of the handset. How do the two compare? We dove in to find out.
Specs
Moto X (2014)
Screen size: 5.2 inch 1920 x 1080 display at 423ppi AMOLED
Weight: 144 grams
Dimensions: 140.8x 72.4x 10 mm
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 MSM8974AC quad-core Krait 400 2.5GHz, Adreno 330 GPU
RAM: 2GB
OS: Android 4.4 KitKat
Storage: 16GB or 32GB
Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, Compass, Barometer, Temperature
Battery: 2,300 mAh Li-Ion
Cameras: 13-megapixel rear camera that records video at 2160p, f/2.25 aperture, dual-LED flash; 2-megapixel front camera
Connectivity: 4G,3G, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
Typical price: starting from £419.99 for 16GB
Samsung Galaxy Note 4
Screen size: 5.7 inch 2560 x 1440 display at 329 ppi Super AMOLED
Weight: 176 grams
Dimensions: 153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5 mm
Processors: Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 quad-core Krait 450 2.7GHz, Adreno 420 GPU
RAM: 3GB
OS: Android 4.4 KitKat, TouchWiz UI
Storage: 32GB plus microSD up to 64GB
Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, Compass, Barometer, Gesture, UB, Heart Rate, SpO2
Battery: 3,220mAh removable
Cameras: 16-megapixel rear camera that records video at 2160p, optical image stabilisation, LED flash; 3.7-megapixel front camera
Connectivity: 4G, 3G, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac dualp-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, Infrared
Typical price: As yet unknown
Design & Display
In actual fact, both the Moto X 2014 and Samsung’s latest Galaxy Note 4 have a lot more in common than you might think, and a lot of the similarities do start on the outside. Both devices feature a contoured metal frame around the outer edge, giving each a quality, rigid, and robust feel in the hand. The Note 4 is much more angular than its predecessor, while the new Moto X has a curvier and more elegant shape, however, the Note 4 does feature a curved back panel – each device is also thinner this time round. The Note 4’s back panel is the same faux leather soft-touch material we saw on the Note 3.
The Moto X has a lot more variation, there are a range of configurations and it really depends how much you want to spend, but a basic model can be had with a plastic, leather, or bamboo back panel. The more expensive route is to go via Motorola’s Moto Maker, where not only can you choose from various plastic, leather, or wood (including bamboo) finishes, but can also customise the colour of the front panel, the accent colour for the buttons and trim, and a few software tweaks for the wallpaper and greetings messages.
Motorla’s device features a 5.2in display, but the bezel has been reduced to such an extent that the vast majority of the phone’s fascia is the touchscreen – and that’s a compelling look. It’s a full HD AMOLED with great brightness, contrast, colour depth, and clarity.
Samsung has implemented a 2.5D display, which means it has a bevelled edge and appears to float above the phone. It’s a large 5.7in Super AMOLED with a narrow bezel along either side, but a reasonable stretch of bodywork above and below. Being Super AMOLED, it’s incredibly bright and colour is rich, while black and dark tones have extra depth. Both phones accommodate wide viewing angles.
Samsung boasts a higher resolution at 2560 x 1440 pixels and a sharper, clearer picture as a result. It’s fair to say Samsung does have a bit of an advantage here, even if Motorola’s screen is no slouch.
Processors, RAM & Storage
Motorola has gone for a more reserved approach with the Moto X, it’s not running the latest and greatest chip, but rather one that has been proven time and again, and which is, in all fairness, still overpowered for the current app and content market. It uses a Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM, which, combined with a well-optimised stock edition of Android, should provide extremely smooth performance for the next couple of years at least.
Samsung’s gone all out with the very latest Qualcomm chip, a Snapdragon 805 on the company’s newest Krait 450 architecture. It uses an updated graphics processing unit and 3GB of RAM. Are you going to notice a massive uplift in performance? Possibly, it remains to be seen. Our guess is probably not though.
The Moto X comes in both 16GB and 32GB onboard storage flavours, but sadly neither can boast microSD support. Meanwhile Samsung has only announced a 32GB version of the Note 4, but it does support microSD expansion for cards up to 64GB.
Operating System
Both phones run Android 4.4 KitKat. However, the Moto X uses a near-stock setup and has been guaranteed for an update to Android L once it has been released. Samsung’s Note 4 doesn’t run stock, it has the TouchWiz UI on top, but in fairness this is teamed together with the S-Pen and the massive display to deliver some unique capabilities, including some high innovative multitasking and handwriting recognition. Samsung hasn’t guaranteed an update to Android L but if the company’s historic behaviour is anything to go by you can bet your bottom dollar it will get it.
Battery, Sensors & Connectivity
Of course the Galaxy Note 4 has a much larger battery cell, but also has the perk that it’s removable. An easy win for Samsung.
On the connectivity and sensor side of things, both devices are fairly fully stacked like any good flagship – 4G, Wi-Fi, NFC. All the good stuff.
Cameras
Motorola has boosted the Moto X’s camera over its predecessor with a 13MP sensor capable of 4K video recording. However, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4’s imaging spec sounds far more compelling with a 16MP ISOCELL sensor, 4K video capture and optical image stabilisation. The front camera is also quite beefy at 3.7MP.
16:50, 5 Sep 2014
by pbriden via Featured Articles
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