Introduction
Motorola has really been busy this year releasing new flagships – a new Moto X, a new Nexus 6 for Google and now a new Motorola Droid Turbo for Verizon. Each device is unmistakably a product of Motorola, yet each one different in its own way. The Droid Turbo is an exclusive device design specifically for Verizon’s Droid series and with the huge battery that will offer up to 48 hours of usage; it looks like it will be replacing the Droid Maxx. It has the usual Kelvar impregnated design for superior strength, offered in Black or Red – but it also offers a new Ballistic Nylon model, like the material used in backpacks, offered only in black and offering up 64GB of storage rather than the usual 32GB…more on that later.
The New Moto X is a refinement of an already great device, making it better in all respects. It has a full metal frame and the usual Moto X curved back for a comfortable fit in your hand – and you can order real leather for the back or even a genuine wooden back. Both devices look premium – the Droid Turbo looks good with either backing and offers a solid grip and premium feel…in fact, the bottom front of the DROID Turbo has that little ‘lip’ like my old DROID Bionic.
Even though both devices have the same size display, and Motorola makes both, there really isn’t too much the same on the Droid Turbo and the new Moto X – so which one is for you? Please take a look below at the detailed Specification chart and you can see just how different these two devices are from one another. After that, we will look at each individual device and list the pros and cons in a quest to pick a winner in this comparison.
Specifications
Motorola Droid Turbo
The new Droid Turbo is a beast of a phone – Motorola pulled out all of the stops in this device making it a tough act to follow. It is designed to be super tough, yet comfortable in your hand. It comes with a the same 5.2-inch AMOLED display except it ups the display to a QHD giving it a 2560 x 1440 resolution and a unheard of 565 pixels-per-inch (PPI). It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 quad-core processor clocked at 2.7GHz – making the Galaxy Note 4 and the new Nexus 6 the only others sharing this trait. The 3GB of RAM is also more than the 2GB used in the Moto X…you can also get a 32GB model in Black or Red Kevlar or a special 64GB model in the Black Ballistic Nylon. Neither the Moto X or the Droid Turbo have room for expansion.
The Droid Turbo also has a 21MP main camera with Auto-focus and a Dual Flash – one on each side of the lens…compared to the great 13MP found on the Moto X. They both have a 2MP front-facing camera (FFC) for videos chats and selfies. It has a huge 3900mAh battery for up to 48 of usage compared to the 2300mAh battery in the Moto X. It has all of the usual suspects – Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and a microUSB port for charging and data transfer.
It also adds DLNA and VoLTE Calling with an update coming out soon. It has a large single front-facing speaker, nano-coating for water resistance, wireless charging, and shares the Turbo Charger with the Moto X. It will come with 4.4.4 KitKat with an upgrade to 5.0 Lollipop, hopefully, shortly after it comes out. The Droid Turbo will cost you $199 or $249 on a two-year contract, depending on 32GB or 64GB…and is available only on Verizon.
Motorola Moto X (2014)
The new Motorola Moto X is larger and better in every way than its predecessor – finally a true flagship that can compete against the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S5, LG G3 and HTC One M8. This is definitely not your father’s Motorola Startac or even Razr flip phone.
The new Moto X has the basic look of its predecessor – the same curved back and the same options for different materials for the back and a solid and comfortable fit for your hand. It packs a new 5.2-inch display, as does the new Droid Turbo, but after the size, there is nothing the same…the Moto X has a Full HD AMOLED display. This means a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels with 423 pixels-per-inch (PPI) versus the AMOLED QHD display on the Droid Turbo. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core clocked at 2.5GHz powers the Moto 2014, but the Droid Turbo has the newest Snapdragon 805 and 3GB of RAM versus the 2GB in the Moto X. The new Moto X really upped the camera to a 13MP sensor, with auto-focus and added a dual-LED Flash Ring that encircles the lens…but once again, the Droid Turbo’s 21MP out does the Moto X’s picture taking ability. They both carry the same 2MP FFC for video chatting and selfies.
The devices differ very little in size, with the Moto X a little smaller all around and weighing in at only 144 grams versus the 169 grams for the Droid Turbo – almost exclusively because of the battery size. The Moto X comes with a 2300mAh battery versus the enormous 3900mAh battery found in the Droid Turbo. They both offer the usual Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, and a microUSB port for charging and data transfer. They both offer front mounted speakers for excellent sound – we are anxious for Alex to compare the sound to the HTC BoomSound. They both offer Motorola’s Turbo Charging option and both are nano-coated for water resistance.
There are a couple of technical advances found on the new Moto X as well – Motorola gave it four microphones for excellent clarity when speaking and excellent noise cancellation. The second feature is called Dynamic Tuning – this allows the antenna to adjust its reception based on how you are holding the device and they claim it can increase reception by 500x. They both run the same Android 4.4.4 KitKat, but should get the new 5.0 Lollipop shortly after it comes out. The new Moto X is available on all the major networks but Sprint for only $99 on a two-year contract and $499 off contract.
…And the Winner Is…
Summary
The winner for specs has to go to the new Droid Turbo – it is better in every respect, except that it is a Verizon exclusive. It has a better display, better processor, more memory, more internal storage is available, better camera, larger battery, and is basically the same size. Naturally, it is $100 more, but that money buys you a tremendous amount of smartphone…that, and if you can take Verizon out of the picture (for some), the Droid Turbo is simply the better device.
The Moto X will probably get the 5.0 Lollipop update a little quicker, and it is a great device, has a couple extra techno specs and it is cheaper – so if you are not a specs person then the Moto X may be the one for you. However, based on specs alone, we will have to crown the Droid Turbo as the winner of this comparison…please hit us up on our Google+ Page and let us know which one of these devices you like better and WHY…as always, we would love to hear from you.