Thoughts: Moto X & Nexus 5

Funnyusername · Nov 6, 2013

With the release of the Nexus 5, I just had a couple thoughts about each phone and what it means now that Google owns Motorola and are working together ( in some capacity). My initial thought is this:

How much did the Nexus 5 shape the overall design, specs, and release of the Moto X? Or do you feel like the Moto X is exactly the phone they (Motorola) wanted to make? I can understand why Moto X went in the direction they did with the phone. They avoided the spec war, and wanted to give the user a great experience. By downgrading the specs, they were able to achieve better battery life and keep costs down by not breaking the bank on a 1080p display and other expensive internals. I am not saying what they did is wrong, because they have given us a very nice phone.

The other side of me is always left wondering however. Like was this phone given limitations from the start? Did Motorola make this phone this way without stepping on the heals of the Nexus 5? If that is true, it leaves me this bad taste in my mouth of what could have been? What if the device could have been more high end flavor, but they wanted to leave that for the Nexus 5? I feel like both these phones offer different strengths, and maybe that was designed from the start. As much as people love their Nexus phones, if this phone was given a similar footprint to the Nexus 5, this phone would blow the nexus out of the water.

I think its very likely, Motorola sat down however and said "what are the most important thing people want in a phone". And their design team came up with usability (software and features), battery, and build quality (feel and customization). They took those three things and made this phone. End of story. I am pretty sure that this phone simply wouldn't be possible if they gave it more high end specs, with the added cost of the whole Moto Maker thing. It irks me that they started the price at 199. Especially since its already been lowered to 99. However, I completely understand why they did it that way. Starting the phone at 99 dollars simply makes the consumer believe its a cheap phone. But that's an entire topic in its self.

Anyway, just curious which way you guys think. Do you think the Nexus 5 influenced this phone? If yes, how much? Or do you think this is an obvious post and its obvious they worked together to make two phones this way. Giving the consumer the idea Motorola is still Motorola, and Google is Google.

/end thought

alostpacket · Nov 6, 2013

I think the Moto X is fantastic. And it is just different in what it is awesome.

Here are the differences as I see them.

Moto X
- Small form factor while still having a screen as big as the HTC One and Galaxy nexus (and smaller than both)
- Slick design
- Fast enough to make everything buttery smooth (As fast as S4 and HTC One)
- Active notifications
- Always-on listening for Google Now

Nexus 5
- Beautiful screen (IPS/LCD)
- Optical image stabilization to make a great camera
- It's a Nexus
- Almost definitely the fastest Android device out there

That said I am getting a N5 through work (tomorrow probably) and will give it a try over the weekend, although I need to get a SIM adapter. Will use my work N4 SIM for now at least.

Anyways, I dont usually recommend gawker sites for anything, but you should check out the Gizmodo review of the N5.

Spoiler

They conclude the Moto X is possibly still the best overall Android phone.

alostpacket · Nov 6, 2013

And yes Google's engineers definitely influenced the Moto X, but it still feels like a Moto.

I would bet they were brought in to consult mostly but there were certainly still separate teams. And the end result was awesomeness. I hope they continue to collaborate like this but keep their own special Moto features.

alostpacket · Nov 7, 2013

Got my N5. It's a beast.... but my MotoX is still a svelte vixen.

I still need to get an adapter for my SIM before I can switch for day to day use so I dont have any really good comparisons yet except the obvious.

N5 has a much larger screen, is thinner, lighter, has a nice IPS/LCD display which means nicer colors but no active notifications. The N5 is the largest phone I have used. About as large as an S4 / HTC One.

MotoX
+1 Low power AMOLED
+1 feels better in hand
+1 better voice activation
+1 active notifications are insanely useful
+.5 fast
+.5 lightweight

N5
+1 IPS/LCD screen is very pretty to look at
+1 very lightweight
+1 it's VERY fast
+1 low price
+? Need to use it more.

I suspect that in the end it will be different phones for different people.

burtonvdp · Nov 8, 2013

I had entered a few "win a free Nexus 5" contests. Yesterday I thought wow what if I won one! The answer I came up with.... I'd sell it and keep my Moto.

fldude99 · Nov 8, 2013

I've read about the notion that Google has quietly invested in Motorola to produce not only a showcase to the features of the latest that Android can do, with a minimum of bloatware, but to also produce a first class piece of hardware to go along with that, a la Steve Jobs era Apple; If that is anywhere close to reality, well, I would say they're on the way to doing just that. Nice to get in on the ground floor of what I think is the best Android phone to date. One thing that's a common theme is that the Nexus 5 feels cheap and flimsy, almost like a dummy phone. Seems like the Nexus is wanting to be a showcase to the latest and greatest specs with a minimum of "human engineering". Just my thoughts on this Friday night

Funnyusername · Nov 8, 2013

fldude99 said:
I've read about the notion that Google has quietly invested in Motorola to produce not only a showcase to the features of the latest that Android can do, with a minimum of bloatware, but to also produce a first class piece of hardware to go along with that, a la Steve Jobs era Apple; If that is anywhere close to reality, well, I would say they're on the way to doing just that. Nice to get in on the ground floor of what I think is the best Android phone to date. One thing that's a common theme is that the Nexus 5 feels cheap and flimsy, almost like a dummy phone. Seems like the Nexus is wanting to be a showcase to the latest and greatest specs with a minimum of "human engineering". Just my thoughts on this Friday night

Well for $350 off contract somethings have to give. I am sure Google hates hearing all that cheap talk. "you nagging bastards, we gave you a phone off contract for $350".

jroc · Nov 22, 2013

We have to remember this:

LG makes screens, they make batteries. They can afford to go a lil higher end on some specs vs other companies. Samsung makes screens, storage, SoC's.

They can afford to do some things others cant. And I still believe 720p vs 1080p on phones is like 720p vs 1080p on HDTV's. Its barely noticeable depending on viewing distances and other factors.

alostpacket · Nov 22, 2013

Fun fact: Moto used to make CPUs for Apple until 2004ish

saptech · Nov 22, 2013

I think it was 2005 or 2006 when Apple switched to the intel chip.

PowerPC, also known as PPC is a RISC instruction set architecture created by the 1991 Apple–IBM–Motorola alliance, known as AIM.

alostpacket · Nov 22, 2013

Yeah I think moto spun off the company that made the chips in 2004

Kinda interesting though: Apple sues Samsung, uses Samsung SSDs and CPUs,

Samsung uses their own CPUs and Qualcomm's

Asus uses Nvidia SoC and Qualcomm and LG screens.

The whole industry all wound together like a plate of spaghetti, just like life

Google is the marinara sauce. And MS is that after dinner mint no one wants.

Funnyusername · Nov 22, 2013

I feel like the Nexus program is kinda just like a phone for developers and Android enthusiast. It just doesn't get the marketing budget or specs of a phone that is going to appeal to everyone. And I think Google is ok with that. The Nexus is just a standard they give for other OEM's.

It seems Google is trying to break into the mix by using Moto. Moto x and the Moto G...and what else they have in mind for the future.

alostpacket · Nov 22, 2013

Yeah I think one of the ideas behind the Nexus line has been as a way to make sure the other Android manufacturers make something at least as good as the current gen Nexus. If an OHA manufacturer were to make a phone after the current gen nexus and it wasnt as good as the Nexus, they would look like complete fools.

It's a mile marker on the road forward.

Interestingly I think Moto is providing a similar push forward, but as a company that has the freedom to explore more radical features.

This, in turn, forces the other Android manufacturers to also innovate (rather than throw together the latest gen screen, SoC, RAM, and storage and give it a new version number)

Maybe I am putting on rose tinted glasses here, but at the very least the Nexus line and now Moto are upping the competition, and that's always good.

ArmageddonX · Nov 26, 2013

My Wife prefers the feature rich Moto-X while I prefer the utilitarian powerhouse that is the Nexus 5. To each their own ^_^

mush10 · Nov 26, 2013

I am still trying to decide whether to stick with the X or keep my Nexus. I like the size and active notifications on the X, but do not like the screen's whites. The Nexus has a fantastic screen, but the size feels just a little off. I think it is the way it is built because it is less wide then the GS4, yet seems to not fit as well in hand.

I really just need a Moto X with and updated display and I would be happy. Or perhaps the elusive Moto Nexus could finally put it all together.

sean76 · Nov 27, 2013

I played with a nexus 5 last week and honestly I'd have to pick the x! The screen on the nexus 5 looks washed out to me, and is still fairly warm IMO. And the speaker is OMG absolutely terrible on the 5.

As for camera they both may be unreliable but the 5 to me should be a lot better and maybe can be fixed with a software update.

Also from what I've heard the battery on the nexus is god awful. The x on the other hand is seeing great battery life

I'd still go with the x because of the form factor and its ultra superior sounding speaker, great battery life and fantastic form factor.

tomato88 · Nov 29, 2013

Nexus 5 is like a down-to-earth athletic girlfriend who wears only sportswear, either in black or white. She wins gold medals from any athletic competitions, while being vegan (pure-Android). However, you have to feed her quite often and it takes some effort to make her listen to you. She only gives you hints of what's going on around her world, so make sure to check her out often.

On the other hand, Moto X is like a yogi girlfriend who also enjoys meats. She may not be as bodacious as Nexus 5, but she is far better at listening to you and telling you what's going on, and also has a prettier face. Also, she dresses well.

I really wanted to get Nexus 5, but after seeing what's being said after the release, I'm getting Moto X on Monday.

Rxpert83 · Nov 29, 2013

sean76 said:
I played with a nexus 5 last week and honestly I'd have to pick the x! The screen on the nexus 5 looks washed out to me, and is still fairly warm IMO. And the speaker is OMG absolutely terrible on the 5.

As for camera they both may be unreliable but the 5 to me should be a lot better and maybe can be fixed with a software update.

Also from what I've heard the battery on the nexus is god awful. The x on the other hand is seeing great battery life

I'd still go with the x because of the form factor and its ultra superior sounding speaker, great battery life and fantastic form factor.

If you're the rooting type, there's fixes for just about everything you mentioned, with the camera being the exception.

I'd expect that we'll get an OTA for that before too long. You don't have to go back too far to remember the motoX was plagued by camera problems as well. I imagine had the new camera api that allows for raw images been ready by the time of the n5's launch like it was supposed to be, this wouldn't even be in the conversation.

As far as battery life... No complaints here.

In the end its important to get hands on experience with each device you're considering (I'm glad you did!

) because you just cannot believe everything that everyone says on the internet.

The people who are having problems shout the loudest, especially on a support based website like this one.

You really can't go wrong with either, but I prefer the higher specs and pure nexus experience. Coupled with the fact that I can take this to CDMA or GSM makes it hard to beat

Funnyusername · Nov 30, 2013

Rxpert83 said:
If you're the rooting type, there's fixes for just about everything you mentioned, with the camera being the exception.

I'd expect that we'll get an OTA for that before too long. You don't have to go back too far to remember the motoX was plagued by camera problems as well. I imagine had the new camera api that allows for raw images been ready by the time of the n5's launch like it was supposed to be, this wouldn't even be in the conversation.

As far as battery life... No complaints here.

In the end its important to get hands on experience with each device you're considering (I'm glad you did! ) because you just cannot believe everything that everyone says on the internet.

The people who are having problems shout the loudest, especially on a support based website like this one.

You really can't go wrong with either, but I prefer the higher specs and pure nexus experience. Coupled with the fact that I can take this to CDMA or GSM makes it hard to beat

Is that the Nexus 5 or the Moto X?

Rxpert83 · Nov 30, 2013

Funnyusername said:
Is that the Nexus 5 or the Moto X?

I have a nexus 5

sean76 · Nov 30, 2013

Rxpert83 said:
If you're the rooting type, there's fixes for just about everything you mentioned, with the camera being the exception.

I'd expect that we'll get an OTA for that before too long. You don't have to go back too far to remember the motoX was plagued by camera problems as well. I imagine had the new camera api that allows for raw images been ready by the time of the n5's launch like it was supposed to be, this wouldn't even be in the conversation.

As far as battery life... No complaints here.

In the end its important to get hands on experience with each device you're considering (I'm glad you did! ) because you just cannot believe everything that everyone says on the internet.

The people who are having problems shout the loudest, especially on a support based website like this one.

You really can't go wrong with either, but I prefer the higher specs and pure nexus experience. Coupled with the fact that I can take this to CDMA or GSM makes it hard to beat

Honestly I really like the Nexus, I've had every single one since the Nexus one and have always supported Google's idea of the how the program should work. Its extremely hard for me to use any Android phone that isn't stock, to me its how Android looks and performs the absolute best. I mean look at the LG G2, lol....I just couldn't do it, there was no way I would be able to use that phone as a daily driver. However with the X and nexus 5 I feel like were seeing android at its best, I would have most likely gone with the nexus 5 if the camera was indeed better, if the screen had a little more life to it, while its a 1080p screen...I still feel like the colors look a little to washed out IMO...and the battery, I'll agree it matters on usage and how you use your phone but I've heard a lot of people say its just really inconsistent and one day its good and one day it's bad. With the X I can safely say its one of the best phones I've ever used battery wise. But that's a moto thing, they have learned how to really utilize power in all the right places.

But my final and true reason is something that all phone manufacturers should be paying attention to...The speaker and the call quality! The x does both with absolute greatness. Phone calls are crystal clear and loud, and playing a video is about as good as it gets IMO. The only phones that I've seen equal the speaker is the HTC one and the iPhone 5s. However the nexus just falls really short in that dept, and to me that's something I need as I watch a good amount of videos, and use my speaker phone quite often.

Anyway I'm hoping for a moto nexus next time around.

alostpacket · Nov 30, 2013

I have both a N5 and an X and I prefer the X.

Battery life is good on both, but not awesome.

Battery life is also really subjective to the person, how they use the phone, how often they use the phone, how much they are on WiFi, how strong the cell signal is in their area, and how much they travel.

One thing you will almost always see is wild differences in what people get for battery on every phone. I dont think there is a phone forum in existence where no one complains about batteries.

But here's why I prefer the X:

- Active notifications + how it wakes itself up when I pull it out of my pocket
- Always on listening
- The size and way it feels to hold it

The N5 is an awesome phone though and my advice to anyone considering one or the other is that you can't lose! They are both fantastic. I would say go for the one that feels better to you.

The biggest objective differences are:

MX
- better/ louder speaker

N5
- Bigger screen

The rest of the differences are purely a matter a personal preference IMHO - At least in the sense that they each do a few different things better than the other.

/my $0.99

Funnyusername · Nov 30, 2013

Rxpert83 said:
I have a nexus 5

How are you getting 7 hours of screen time?? Custom kernels and stuff? Please explain your secrets.

tomato88 · Dec 1, 2013

Another difference worth mentioning is the radio reception. As explained by Android Central, it seems like Moto X holds stronger signal at a less expense of battery power than Nexus 5. As a person who is sick of the spotty reception of GNex, it's a compelling deal maker in favor of Moto X.

UncleMike · Dec 2, 2013

alostpacket said:
The biggest objective differences are:

MX
- better/ louder speaker

N5
- Bigger screen

I've been torn between these two phones since the Cyber Monday deal was announced last week. You've basically hit on my two main concerns: the N5 speaker and the MX display. Both the speaker(phone) and outdoor visibility on my GSM Gnex suck, so either of these phones would be an improvement. My main concern with the MX is outdoor visibility. My main concern with the N5 is the speaker (I already know it sucks, but can be fixed if rooted).

But... as of lunch time today I have both an MX and N5 on the way, so I'll see first hand and (hopefully) be able to make a decision.

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