Moto X vs iPhone 5

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[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Apr 30, 2010
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So, the last few days I've been thinking about selling my iPhone 5 and buying a Moto X.

Have any of you used both of these phones? Is the Moto X as good as it seems?

The main reason I'm thinking about switching is just that I get bored with my gadgets quickly and I want to switch it up. That, and the Moto X has a way bigger screen than the iPhone 5, without being much bigger overall.
 
IMO the only phone you should be looking at is the LG G2 or the Samsung Galaxy S4 on the andriod side. My current top pick is the LG G2.
 
I have a friend that has the Moto X Maxx and loves it. The voice command features blow Siri away, even when phone is in standby it is listening. I'm not saying to buy one over other phones. But, I would look at the feature sets and find the one that will give you your best experience. The best part is there are so many phones out there that there is something for everyone.
 
I looked at S4 but Moto X took it because the stats do not reflect how fast the device delivers and Motorola wins on software in comparison.

Moto Assist / Active Notifications
+
Semi-Vanilla Android

These are two things that just took the cake for me.
 
IMO the only phone you should be looking at is the LG G2 or the Samsung Galaxy S4 on the andriod side. My current top pick is the LG G2.

I will never buy a 5" phone. The screen size just gets too big to be usable with one hand, which is how I use my phone. The SMALLER screen size was actually one of the main reasons I got an iPhone 5 instead of something android. The Moto X is much more efficient in it's use of space, though, and really shoves that 4.7" screen in a small package.

What carrier are you on?

I'm assuming not Verizon.

I'm on Verizon. Why would you assume I wasn't?
 
I'm on Verizon. Why would you assume I wasn't?

Because you didn't list the droid variants. But now reading that you don't want a 5 inch phone that rules out the maxx (awesome battery life) and the ultra. When I played with some of the latest phones at the Verizon store I was surprised at how small the Motox actually was, the back feels a little weird to me but I'd put it above the feel of the ultra/maxx.

Are you against the HTC One? The speakers and screen on it and the overall build quality is very nice.

I just ordered the iPhone 5s and one of the awesome parts about it is its ability to work on Verizon/ATT/Tmobile LTE bands if you ever decide to switch carriers.

For me personally I'd group the iPhone 5s/Moto x/HTC One as the top contenders and if you want Samsung as an option then the only real choice is the Note 3 (then you would also want to consider the LG G2)

Don't forget the Nexus 5 will be announced soon bit it will be a big phone as well and who the hell knows if it will end up on Verizon.
 
I too have been looking into possibly switching from my iPhone 5 to a Moto X. I've kind of wanted to break free a little bit from the iTunes Eco system and have a little more free roam, of course my biggest reluctant reasons is the fragmentation of android, the intermittent choppy performance and slow progression of software updates. But I've heard the fluidity in the Moto X and some of the newer android phones are impressive, I don't really do anything intensive on my phone or anything but having a smooth experience especially with web browsing and scrolling would be nice.

I'm not really taking well to the ios 7 software, apple's new 5S launch felt pretty underwhelming.

Sorry, not meant to derail the thread, but I'm in the similar spot with the OP as well.
 
I've heard that the price of the Moto X on-contract will be slashed from $199 to $99 for the holiday season. So if you are thinking of getting one it might be a better idea to wait till then.
 
Out of those, I'd pick the moto x, there are (arguably) better options.
 
when i can im going Moto X. I use siri on my 4s for everything.screw pressing buttons, Just put your phone on the bar, when im leaving "google now, text kelly what do you want me to bring home" simplicity is key. Why the hell havent they dont this yet
 
I like the Moto X for it's Nexus-ish demeanor, but it's hardware seems weak compared to other phones.
 
I've used both extensively -- I'd suggest sticking with the iPhone 5, even though I really like the Moto X.

The performance delta isn't that large, and the iPhone 5's camera is miles better. Active Display and Touchless Control are cool, but I wouldn't switch phones solely for those. It would make more sense to wait until the next generation of one or both devices so that you get a meaningful speed boost on top of any special tricks.
 
I hardly ever use my camera, and not really after the touch controls (though, I am sure they have their uses.). More just looking for a stock android experience, or close to it.

I'm a VZW employee, and thus a great perk I get is 10 month upgrades basically, I usually just end up doing rolling 10 month upgrades, and selling off my previous device to pay for my upgrade essentially, this works extremely well with iPhones and their resell value.

There is also employee edition droid ultras/Maxx available with reduced prices and black and red special color and branding, those do appeal since they are a bit similar to the Moto X.

I tend to review this annually, and the iPhone seems to always win just for a almost inertia like factor for me. Just when I always seem to be willing to break out of my apple ecosystem I stop at the last second and stay right in it, I type this as I watch random clips of Breaking Bad episodes straight from my iTunes library on my computer and doing the same thing prior today on my phone during my lunch hour at work.

Damn you Apple, you win again.
 
Well, I went ahead and bought the X. I'm loving it so far. The screen is massive compared to the iPhone, and it doesn't feel at all bigger in my hand. The screen also looks amazing. MUCH more (not necessarily better) saturation than the iPhone. I like saturation, so that's a plus for me.

The OS/UI has been VERY responsive for everything I've done so far. Much better than iOS 7, actually. I have no idea why they made the animations for everything take so damn long in iOS 7. It was really starting to piss me off, even after such a short time.

Battery life seems very comparable to an iPhone 5. I don't push my phones too hard, so I'm getting about 36 hours of battery life from a single charge with the X.

Active notifications are actually pretty useful. I'm already unlocking my phone a lot less to check things, because all I have to do is move it a bit for the active notifications to show up.

Touchless controls are pretty cool, but I'm not sure I'll use it a ton. It's actually REALLY useful for things like setting reminders or alarms, since you can just speak the day/time/whatever instead of having to type it all. Voice recognition is pretty damn good. I have a tendency to slur words, but it still gets what I'm saying most of the time. The whole "only responds to your voice" isn't perfect, though, as my dad can use it just fine.

The camera sucks. Plain and simple. I haven't used it too much yet, but in the low-light settings I've been trying it, it fails miserably. Hopefully the update that's coming will make it usable. (The hardware is there, but apparently the software is just garbage.)

Motorola connect is probably the coolest feature, so I don't get why that isn't being talked about more. It lets you send and receive texts from Chrome with an extension, was well as view other notifications and whatnot. Pretty awesome for texting people while on your computer.

Alas, it is 4:30, so I need to stop typing and GTFO of my workplace, cause my day is over.
 
Was the call quality better for you and the other party with the 3-mic noise cancelling? How quick is the X able to fix on satellite with built-in barometer? Thanks.
 
Moto X really is not being marketed right. The average person doesn't understand the features in the Mx that make it unique.
 
I remember reading on anandtech.com a review they put up on improvements to the camera software for the Moto X that greatly improved the quality, I'd link it but on my phone. Check it out, might have a fix on the way.

Well, I went ahead and bought the X. I'm loving it so far. The screen is massive compared to the iPhone, and it doesn't feel at all bigger in my hand. The screen also looks amazing. MUCH more (not necessarily better) saturation than the iPhone. I like saturation, so that's a plus for me.

The OS/UI has been VERY responsive for everything I've done so far. Much better than iOS 7, actually. I have no idea why they made the animations for everything take so damn long in iOS 7. It was really starting to piss me off, even after such a short time.

Battery life seems very comparable to an iPhone 5. I don't push my phones too hard, so I'm getting about 36 hours of battery life from a single charge with the X.

Active notifications are actually pretty useful. I'm already unlocking my phone a lot less to check things, because all I have to do is move it a bit for the active notifications to show up.

Touchless controls are pretty cool, but I'm not sure I'll use it a ton. It's actually REALLY useful for things like setting reminders or alarms, since you can just speak the day/time/whatever instead of having to type it all. Voice recognition is pretty damn good. I have a tendency to slur words, but it still gets what I'm saying most of the time. The whole "only responds to your voice" isn't perfect, though, as my dad can use it just fine.

The camera sucks. Plain and simple. I haven't used it too much yet, but in the low-light settings I've been trying it, it fails miserably. Hopefully the update that's coming will make it usable. (The hardware is there, but apparently the software is just garbage.)

Motorola connect is probably the coolest feature, so I don't get why that isn't being talked about more. It lets you send and receive texts from Chrome with an extension, was well as view other notifications and whatnot. Pretty awesome for texting people while on your computer.

Alas, it is 4:30, so I need to stop typing and GTFO of my workplace, cause my day is over.
 
Moto X really is not being marketed right. The average person doesn't understand the features in the Mx that make it unique.

I don't think it's priced right. Seems expensive for what you get compared to other phones in the same price category.
 
I don't think it's priced right. Seems expensive for what you get compared to other phones in the same price category.

Agreed. Things should change with the $299 Republic Wireless price, but $200 subsidized is a joke for what boils down to a highly usable but not cutting edge device.
 
Agreed. Things should change with the $299 Republic Wireless price, but $200 subsidized is a joke for what boils down to a highly usable but not cutting edge device.

I don't think it's priced right. Seems expensive for what you get compared to other phones in the same price category.
Price is based on "experience" - not specs. A lot of you seem to forget that.

Moto X is blazing fast compared to some of its competitors and is the only phone that provides a near stock experience with some pretty cool features that actually WORK like Active Notifications and voice commands.

The reason why a phone like the Note 3 is a beast because it has to be in order to run all of the shit samsung layers on android smoothly
 
Price is based on "experience" - not specs. A lot of you seem to forget that.

Moto X is blazing fast compared to some of its competitors and is the only phone that provides a near stock experience with some pretty cool features that actually WORK like Active Notifications and voice commands.

The reason why a phone like the Note 3 is a beast because it has to be in order to run all of the shit samsung layers on android smoothly

The X8 has some real innovations and making good sense on the smartphones. Too bad Moto wasn't maxing out on the sensors, it could have beaten the SameSons without self destruction at the spec war.

But the more I read, the more I am reading the battery life isn't all that great. The noise cancelling didn't sound even as good as iPhone 4.

I think I will move on with N5 and one day Google does this Nexus thing in-house at Moto. At my locale, I could buy 2 Nexus 5 for each Motorola X.

It is really a shame that getting the desired phone is just never feasible.
 
The average person has been brainwashed into thinking that Android phones need to be bought based on specs, because a new one is announced every few months and that's all that differentiates them.

They make their buying decision on ads and what friends/salesmen tells them. Most people have no idea what stock Android looks like or can do. They will pick up the MotoX, pick up a GS4 etc next to it which is bigger, faster, same price, much better marketed, and the decision is made.
 
Moto X rocks a larger 4.7-inch 720p display, though it has a slightly lower pixel density at 316 ppi.
 
The average person has been brainwashed into thinking that Android phones need to be bought based on specs, because a new one is announced every few months and that's all that differentiates them.

They make their buying decision on ads and what friends/salesmen tells them. Most people have no idea what stock Android looks like or can do. They will pick up the MotoX, pick up a GS4 etc next to it which is bigger, faster, same price, much better marketed, and the decision is made.

Well, there is no accounting for taste right? But the bigger issue is that there are SO MANY great android phones out there and only a couple iPhones to choose from.
I don't think we need to have a definitive Android phone, as that would mean less choice less competition and less advancement.

..and the iPhone is great too. I just hate iOS, and iOS 7 is Satan's final push to drive me insane.
 
Well, there is no accounting for taste right? But the bigger issue is that there are SO MANY great android phones out there and only a couple iPhones to choose from.
I don't think we need to have a definitive Android phone, as that would mean less choice less competition and less advancement.

..and the iPhone is great too. I just hate iOS, and iOS 7 is Satan's final push to drive me insane.

Besides Moto X, what is the next best phone that has taste?

We in Canada have to consent to bodily harm by Rogers Wireless to get the Moto X at $550....I am reading the exclusive features according to some may not be live up to the claims however still up there.
 
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