Introduction

We have a good one for you here – the new Motorola Droid Turbo takes on the infamous Apple iPhone 6 – and there can be no whining about this matchup from either side because these two models are fresh and the newest from Android and iOS. Both devices are solidly built, although I have to admit that the iPhone 6 looks a little more like a premium device – Motorola’s Droid line has always given us a great device, but it is generally not a thing of beauty.

Because the Droid Turbo is an Android device and the iPhone is an iOS device, there are not many parts and pieces that match up in these two smartphones.  They both make phone calls, neither one has room for internal expansion, they both have 64GB models, they both are close to the same size and they are both on the Verizon network.  This difference in philosophies – the openness of Android and the closed iOS, helps to identify these two devices and makes this an exciting comparison.

Please take a close look at the detailed specification chart below and you can see just how different the Droid Turbo and the iPhone 6 are when the specs are compared.  Then we will look at each device individually and from the facts we gather we will make our determination of which device wins this comparison.

Specifications

Motorola Droid Turbo

The new Droid Turbo came out of nowhere and quickly became one of the top smartphones to come out this year.  The device is built like a Kevlar tank and has specs that are tough to beat.  First, it has a 5.2-inch QHD AMOLED display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and 565 pixels-per-inch (PPI) for a sharp and brilliant display.  The Droid Turbo boosts the best processor on the market from Qualcomm – the Snapdragon 805 quad-core clocked at 2.7GHz, found only in the new Nexus 6 and Samsung Galaxy Note 4.  It packs 3GB of RAM versus 1GB in the iPhone 6 and comes in a 32GB and 64GB model with no room for expansion.

On the camera side, Motorola pulled out all of the stops except OIS (the iPhone 6 does not have it either, although Apple chose to put OIS in the iPhone 6 Plus) with a 21MP sensor, auto-focus and dual-LED flash…upping the ante of the 8MP on the iPhone 6.  The Droid Turbo has a 2MP front-facing camera (FFC) versus the 1.2MP found on the iPhone 6.  Talk about pulling out the stops – a huge 3900mAh non-removable battery provides power to the Droid Turbo versus the measly 1810mAh found on the iPhone 6.

The Droid Turbo also has a few extra features not found on the iPhone 6 – besides the usual Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0, the device has the standard microUSB 2.0 port, unlike Apple products that have their proprietary connector for charging and transferring data.  The Droid Turbo also has the standard NFC capability, not the proprietary Apple Pay – see the pattern here?  The Droid Turbo also has DLNA, a single front-facing speaker, water resistant nano-coating, wireless charging, and Turbo Charging that will give you 6-8 hours of usage for only a 15-minute charge.  Now it is running Android 4.4.4 KitKat, but should get a quick upgrade to the new 5.0 Lollipop and all of the new features that it offers, not to mention a few nifty Motorola apps.  Because it is a Droid, it is a Verizon exclusive and only $199 on a two-year contract for the 32GB model.

Apple iPhone 6

The new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are the boldest moves that Apple has made with their smartphone in years.  After repeatedly stating that they would not make a large display device, they come out with a 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and a 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus – and then have the nerve to tell their customers how wonderful these new, large display devices are…like there were never any big screens out there before theirs!

The iPhone 6 looks nice on the outside, but what is inside that makes this phone so special to its many loyal followers?  It comes with a 4.7-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1334 x 750 pixels with only 326 PPI, compared to the 565 PPI on the Droid Turbo.  Apple uses an Apple A8, a 64-bit dual-core processor clocked at 1.4GHz coupled to only 1GB of RAM – yes, a 64-bit processor using only 1GB of RAM is more a marketing gimmick than it is a specification.  The A8 and 1GB give the iOS a smooth operating environment – I wonder how it would perform with heavy multitasking…certainly not as good as the Snapdragon 805 quad-core clocked at 2.7GHz with 3GB of RAM like the Droid Turbo is packing.  The iPhone comes in three storage models – 16GB / 64GB / 128GB – with no room for expansion…so if you are willing to pay $399 on a two-year contract or $849 off-contract, then you can have 128GB of storage.

Now we will go to one of the iPhone’s strengths – its camera area…and make no mistake, they have a great point-and-shoot camera, but the other manufacturers have not only caught up, but in many cases are surpassing the iPhone’s capabilities.  The iPhone 6 still uses a 8MP sensor – improved over last year’s 8MP – with auto-focus and a dual-LED flash, although the Droid Turbo has all of that and bumps it up to 21MP.  The iPhone still only uses a 1.2MP FFC – I cannot believe for the money, they do not put a better FFC for video chatting and selfies.  Talking about size, Apple thinks it is more important to have the thinnest device, rather than putting in a battery larger than an 1810mAh non-removable affair, compared to the massive 3900mAh battery in the Droid Turbo.

As far as extra features on the iPhone 6, it does have Wi-Fi calling capabilities, a bottom mounted speaker and a fingerprint scanner.  It uses Apple’s new iOS 8, which has not been without some problems and immediate updates in an effort to fix the bugs.  The iPhone is available on all major U.S. networks and the Droid Turbo is a Verizon only device with better pricing.

…And The Winner Is…

Summary

This decision is not made on the Droid Turbo being an Android vs the iPhone being an Apple device – LOOK at the specs and the price and you cannot help but to choose the Droid Turbo over the iPhone 6.  You have a better display, as good or better processor, 3GB of RAM, a 21MP main camera, a 3900mAh battery, a front-facing speaker, water resistant nano-coating, wireless charging, and the Motorola Turbo Charger.  All of this for only $199 on a two-year contract – and let’s not forget the more exciting Android OS…offering more flexibility and customization.

Please hit us up on our Google+ Page and let us know which one of these devices you would have picked and WHY…as always, we would love to hear from you.