Motorola showed off an entire line of new Droid phones last week, but it was nothing but a tease for non-Verizon customers as that was the only service provider those handsets are available on. A flagship phone has to transcend those network lines to reach as many hands as possible. That job appears like it belongs to Moto X, the newest handset from Motorola that will be available on every major carrier. Does Moto X have enough power to push itself up the ranks and be the signature phone of Motorola? How does it compare to the other handsets at the top of their class? We find out by pitting the Moto X against the Galaxy S4 and iPhone 5 in a spec showdown.
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iPhone 5  |
Galaxy S4  |
Moto X  |
|
| Size | 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 (mm) | 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 (mm) | 129 x 65 x 10.4 (mm) |
| Weight | 112g | 130g | 130g |
| Screen | 4.0-inch LCD | 5.0-inch Super AMOLED | 4.7-inch AMOLED |
| Resolution | 1136×640 pixels | 1080×1920 pixels | 720×1280 pixels |
| OS | iOS 6.0.1 | Android 4.2 with TouchWiz UI | Android 4.2 |
| Storage | 16/32/64GB | 16/32/64GB | 16/32GB |
| SD Card Slot | No | Yes | No |
| Processor | Dual-core A6X | 1.9GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 600 | X8 chipset, 1.7GHz dual-core |
| RAM | 1GB | 2GB | 2GB |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, HSPA+ | Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, HSPA+ | Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, EV-DO Rev.A |
| Camera | Front 1.2MP, Rear 8MP | Front 2MP, Rear 13MP | Front 2MP, Rear 10MP |
| Bluetooth | Yes, version 4.0 | Yes, version 4.0 | Yes, version 4.0 |
| Battery | 1440mAh | 2600mAh | 2200mAh |
| Charger | Lightning connector | Micro USB | Micro USB |
| Marketplace | Apple App Store | Google Play Store | Google Play Store |
| Price | $200+ | $200+ | $200+ |
| Availability | AT&T, Sprint, T-Mob, Verizon | AT&T, Sprint, T-Mob, Verizon | AT&T, Sprint, T-Mob, Verizon |
Going just by the specs, it may seem as though the Moto X is fighting an uphill battle against the likes of heavy hitters like Samsung’s Galaxy S4 and Apple’s iPhone 5. However, the strength of the Moto X appears to be in it’s computing power and customization (read our Moto X hands-on impressions). Housing the X8 chipset beneath it’s exterior – an exterior that can be customized with 17 back colors and various other color/material combinations of your choice – the Moto X should get the job done. Apple devices seem to work in a similar way: even with a lower number on the spec sheet, they manage to run smoothly.
The display of the Moto X may also appear as a turn off, as it’s smaller in size at 4.7 inches and maxes out at 1280 x 720 pixels. It does produce a comparable pixels-per-inch count to the iPhone 5, so we’ve no doubt the picture will be just fine. But both are overshadowed by the impressive display on the Galaxy S4. Similarly, the Galaxy S4 has a considerable advantage when it comes to the megapixel count on its camera, but Moto X sports a ClearPixel that promises great results of its own. A lot of the differences between these phones are going to show up clearly when you take the time to play around with them. User interface is as important as anything, and Moto X may appeal to you more with its Touchless Control and an Active Display feature that displays information when you turn the phone over from face down rather than making you turn the phone on and off.
