Moto X vs. competing Android smartphones
Now that Moto X is here, let's find out how it stands up to its competition.
Finally, Moto X has arrived in India and this time again, Motorola has partnered with Flipkart; which makes the eCommerce site, the lone seller of the smartphone in India. The two companies had earlier partnered over selling Moto G as well, which has become one of the most successful mid-range smartphones in India.
Motorola wants to do that again with its flagship smartphone Moto X, which the company had launched last year but wasn't released in India till today.
Motorola, which designed the phone together with Google, has put in some nifty features such as Touchless Control which always keeps listening to user's voice commands and carries out some tasks without even touching the phone. The control is activated by saying "OK Google." Motorola also says that it is only smartphone that has assembled in the USA.
Another attractive feature that Motorola has given is the customization option which lets users "design" their own Moto X phones. Users can choose custom front colors, back colors (which comes in a cool wooden design as well), accent colors and clear cases. Users can also get their own message imprinted on the phone or leave it blank as well. The smartphone is available in two versions with 16GB and 32GB memory.
It also comes a twist-and-take a photo feature. All you need to do is twist the phone in your hand with your wrist which starts the camera and you can start taking snaps right away.
While many of you might think that Moto X must be a steal just like its smaller brother Moto G, it is important to look at the competition first and then decide. There are other manufacturers that offer compelling specs in their smartphones at similar prices. Other Android smartphones that are available at similar prices are Samsung Galaxy Grand, Gionee Elife E7, Nexus 4 and Sony Xperia ZR. We also decided to include Moto G in the comparison which has been giving other smartphones a run for their money.
So in order to make the choice easy for you, we have decided to show you the differences in specs and prices in a table below
Model → Specs ↓ |
Moto X |
Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 |
Gionee Elife E7 (16GB) |
Nexus 4 |
Sony Xperia ZR |
Moto G (16GB) |
Price (Rs) |
23999 |
21299 |
26249 |
26290 |
26990 |
13999 |
Processor |
1.7GHz Snap- |
1.2GHz Snap- |
2.2GHz Snap- |
1.5GHz Snap- |
1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro Quad-core |
1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 Quad-core |
GPU |
Adreno 320 |
Adreno 305 |
Adreno 330 |
Adreno 320 |
Adreno 320 |
Adreno 305 |
RAM |
2GB |
1.5GB |
2GB |
2GB |
2GB |
1GB |
Storage (Expandable?) |
16GB (N) |
8GB (Y) |
16GB (N) |
8/16GB (N) |
8GB (Y) |
16GB (N) |
Display |
4.7-inch AMOLED [HD] [312 ppi] |
5.25-inch TFT [HD] [280 ppi] |
5.5-inch IPS LCD [FHD] [401 ppi] |
4.7-inch IPS Plus [HD] [318 ppi] |
4.55-inch TFT [HD] [323 ppi] |
4.5-inch IPS LCD [HD] [326 ppi] |
Camera (Rear/Front) |
10MP/2MP |
8MP/1.9MP |
16MP/8MP |
8MP/1.3MP |
13.1MP/VGA |
5MP/1.3MP |
Battery (mAh) |
2200 |
2600 |
2500 |
2100 |
2300 |
2070 |
Android Version |
4.4 |
4.3 |
4.2 |
4.4 |
4.3 |
4.4 |
Moto X is a great buy considering its price despite stiff competition from Gionee Elife E7, Nexus 4 and its own sibling Moto G. What makes Moto X stand aside from the crowd is the specs it offers at the price. Gionee Elife E7 features the best specs among the lot above and even beats Moto X single handedly. The only downside might be its size and a slightly higher price. Despite its price, Gionee Elife E7 is still a great buy. If you are ready to spend a few more bucks and can live with a large phone with a huge 5.5-inch display, then buy the Elife E7. Nexus 4 features very similar specs as the Moto X other than the number of processor cores. When it comes to camera, price and battery, Moto X stay slightly ahead of the Nexus 4. Even Sony Xperia ZR which is almost the same as the Nexus 4 in terms of specs, gives tough competition to Moto X but lags behind when it comes price and Android software. Though if you are looking for a better battery and camera, Sony Xperia ZR is a good buy. Samsung Galaxy Grand does cost less but at the same time, it comes with lower end specs when compared to the Moto X despite featuring a heavier battery and a larger screen. Moto G with its attractive price tag gives a tough competition to its big brother but lags behind in terms of specs. If you are looking to try a Motorola Android smartphone for its brand value and Google support, go for Moto X. If you want high-end performance, add some more money and buy Gionee Elife E7. But then again, Moto X has been designed and made by Motorola with Google which might make it a better performing Android phone overall. And not to forget — the timely upgrades from Google which will make other smartphones always lag behind this beauty from Motorola.