Introduction

Do we have a good one for you today – the widely popular Motorola Moto X (2014) goes up against the newcomer from India, the Yu Yuphoria.  We have one of the first smartphones designed to give you a lot of value for your money…something that Motorola has strived to produce.  Yu, a wholly owned subsidiary of Micromax – a popular smartphone manufacturer located in India – has produced a gem of their own for only $110…unlocked with no contract.

These two devices do have a few items in common – for starters, they are very similar in size, as are their displays with the Moto X at 5.2-inches and 5-inches on the Yuphoria.  They both use a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, although different models.  They both have 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage – the Moto X also comes in a 32GB model you can still purchase.  They both have the usual suspects – Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, a microUSB port for charging and data transfer and fast charging options.

Please take a deliberate look at the detailed Specifications Comparison chart below and here you will see just how these two great devices stack up against one another – click on the “View Full Comparison” link at the end of the chart to expand the details.  After that, we will look at each individual device in greater detail and point out some of its pros and cons.  From all of this information we will try to determine the winner based on specs and execution of design and functions.

Specifications

Smartphones | SpecOut
Motorola Moto X (2014)

The Moto X 2014 is an update of an old ‘friend’ that was improved in all areas, making it one of the best smartphones in its class.  Motorola made the display larger, but they kept it within that ‘sweet spot’ of 5.2-inches.  The internal specifications were upgraded to the point that it actually deserved the term flagship.  Motorola now has a Moto E as their entry-level smartphone, the Moto G as their mid-range device and now a standout flagship to compete against the competition.

The Moto X comes with a 5.2-inch FHD AMOLED display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and a very respectable 423 pixels-per-inch (PPI) – much better than the HD display and 294 PPI found on the Yuphoria.  The Moto X used the best processor of its day…the 32-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core clocked at 2.5GHz, maybe about on the same level with the newer 64-bit quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor used in the Yuphoria.  The Moto X uses the same 2GB of RAM found in the Yuphoria.  The way Motorola optimized the Moto X with its processor, 2GB is all you really need.  The Moto X offers internal storage of 16GB or 32GB with no room for expansion.  The Yuphoria has the one option of 16GB, although it does have a microSD card slot for added expansion.

Motorola smartphones are certainly not known for placing a lot of emphasis on its cameras in the past, although the Moto X has a decent shooter.  The Moto X uses a 13MP sensor and another Motorola design idea – an ingenious dual-LED Flash Ring that surrounds the lens, along with autofocus…but no OIS.  This is going up against the Yuphoria’s 8MP with autofocus and an LED flash.  The Moto X uses the rather pedestrian 2MP front-facing camera (FFC) for social media selfies and video chatting that goes up against a larger 5MP on the Yuphoria.  Both batteries are rather small – 2300mAh battery in the Moto X compared to the 2230mAh found in the Yuphoria, but getting through an average day should not be problem.  If you find yourself needing to charge up your battery, you have access to the Motorola Turbo Charger (extra purchase) that will give you up to 6 hours of usage with only a 15-minute charge.

The Moto X does have a few things the Yuphoria does not have.  The Motorola gave the Moto X four microphones for added noise cancelation and a great sound when speaking on the device.  It also provides you with dual front-mounted speakers for that in-your-face sound when watching videos, an optional genuine wood backing and nano- coating for water resistance.  Motorola also engineered a great new feature called Dynamic Tuning that will automatically switch to the antenna with the best reception.  It also sports Android 5.0.1 Lollipop and is now as low as $50 down on a two-year contract and about $450 – $550 with no contract.

Yu Youphoria

The Yu Yureka, priced slightly higher, was the first Yu device to introduce us to their brand.  The Yu Yuphoria is their latest effort to provide a quality smartphone at the unbelievably low price of only $110.  The phone is mostly made of plastic, with a metal trim ring that goes around the outside edges.  Yu rounded the edges to the point that holding the device is a comfortable experience and pleasing to the eye.  It has a unique setup on the right-hand side of the device when it comes to the volume and power buttons.  The power button is nestled between the slightly raised volume up and down buttons…a rather strange configuration, but you will eventually get used to the feel of the buttons.

The Yuphoria’s weakest spot has to be its display – it only has a 5-inch IPS LCD HD display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels and 294 PPI – this goes up against the Moto X’s FHD 5.2-inch display with 424 PPI.  For the processor, Yuphoria went with a name synonymous with smartphones – a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 quad-core clocked at 1.2GHz with 2GB of RAM and 16GB internal storage, complete with a microSD card slot for expansion up to an additional 32GB.  The Moto X also uses a Qualcomm 32-bit Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and either 16GB or 32GB of internal memory and has no expansion available.

The main camera on the Yuphoria uses an 8MP sensor with autofocus and an LED flash, with a huge metal ring surrounding the lens.  This goes up against the 13MP camera in the Moto X that adds a dual LED Flash ring around the lens.  The Yuphoria has a large 5MP FFC that should produce some excellent social selfies and video chatting, whereas the Moto X only has a 2MP sensor for its FFC.  The Yuphoria has a small, removable 2230mAh battery compared to the larger 2300mAh non-removable battery in the Moto X.  Both batteries will get you through a normal day and the Yuphoria has Quick Charge 1.0, thanks to its Qualcomm processor.  The Moto X can take advantage of their Turbo Charger.

The Yu Yuphoria is has the Pure Wolfson Sound circuitry built into the device, but the speaker on the Yuphoria is not worthy enough for the rest of the hardware.  You can appreciate it better through a good pair of earbuds, but not the ones that come with the device.  It is running Android 5.0.2 Lollipop with Cyanogen 12 riding on top.  The phone is available in two colors – Buffed Steel and Champagne Gold for approximately $110.

…And The Winner Is…

Summary

I know that the Motorola Moto X is a fan favorite, hell, I like it too – but it is hard to pass up the $110 price tag of the Yuphoria with the specs that it possesses.  Yes, I know it has an HD display, but at 5-inches, it still is more than adequate.  It has the newer, name brand 64-bit processor, the same amount of RAM and an expansion slot to increase the internal storage to more than the Moto X.  The main camera may have less pixels, but takes good pictures…which is all the Moto X is really capable of producing.  The FFC on the Yuphoria is much larger at 5MP versus the 2MP on the Moto X. It does have a smaller battery, but it is removable and can take advantage of the Quick Charge.

With all of the above features at $110, how can I pick the Moto X at $450 – $550 depending on where you make your purchase.  The Moto X is a great smartphone, but is it really worth $350 more than the Yuphoria just because it has dual speakers, multiple microphones, a nano coating and a great antenna? That is a question that only you can answer.

[socialpoll id=”[socialpoll id=”2281436″]