Newsletter 
Introduction
Do we have a good one for you today – the beautiful new Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ with its dual-curved display goes up against the new and improved Motorola Moto X (Pure Edition in the US and the Moto X Style outside the US). We have two flagships from one of the most loved manufacturers and one of the largest – these are two well designed, and well-built smartphones that will be two of the better sellers in 2015. Samsung went all out and redesigned their Galaxy S series and the S6 Edge+ is a variation of that design. Motorola refined and upgraded its Moto X in all areas and then set a selling price at only $400.
The Galaxy S6 Edge+ and the Moto X Pure Edition actually have a few specs that are common with each other – starting with the physical dimensions, they are almost identical except the S6 Edge+ is much thinner at 6.9mm versus the 11.1mm of the Moto X. Both devices have a 5.7-inch display with a Quad HD (QHD) resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and about 518- 520 pixels-per-inch (PPI). Both are running the newest Android 5.1.1 Lollipop and 64-bit processors. You can choose either 32GB or 64GB of internal memory, although the Moto X also has a 16GB option as well as a microSD card slot for expansion. They both have a 5MP front-facing camera (FFC) for selfies and video chatting.
The usual suspects are there – Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (4.1 on the Moto X and 4.2 on the S6 Edge+), GPS, NFC, a microUSB port and fast charge 3000mAh non-removable batteries.
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.
Specification
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge +
Samsung really changed their approach in their design of the new Galaxy S6, S6 Edge and S6 Edge+ – no more plastic, instead we have an aluminum unibody with Gorilla Glass 2.5D on the front and Gorilla Glass 3D on the back. It comes in Black Sapphire or Gold Platinum. The Galaxy S6 Edge+ is beautiful from every angle with a premium feel and solid build and that extra ‘WOW’ factor with the dual curved display.
The Galaxy S6 Edge+ sports a 5.7-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and 518 PPI with its dual-curved screen. This compares to Moto X’s QHD 5.7-inch LCD display and 520 PPI. Samsung made a few bold decisions in their new Galaxy S6 series, and the first was to go with their in-house 64-bit Exynos 7420 octa-core processor. It has four cores clocked at 1.5GHz and four cores clocked at 2.1GHz. The Moto X is sporting a new Qualcomm Snapdragon 64-bit 808 hexa-core processor. The Galaxy S6 Edge+ is packing 4GB of the much faster DDR4 RAM, compared to 3GB of DDR3 RAM used in the Moto X. The Galaxy S6 memory options are 32GB or 64GB of the new and faster Samsung UFS 2.0 flash memory with no room for expansion, whereas the Moto X comes with options of 16GB, 32GB and 64GB of internal memory and a microSD card for expansion.
The Galaxy S6 Edge+ has one of the best smartphone cameras and it comes with a 16MP ISOCELL sensor with autofocus, LED Flash, a wide f/1.9 aperture, Live HDR and OIS. Samsung increased the FFC to 5MP and they wisely added the f/1.9 aperture, 120-degree wide-angle and Live HDR for excellent low-light group selfies and video chatting. The Moto X main camera is a huge 21MP affair and a 5MP FFC…it should take great pictures, but the Galaxy S6 Edge+ will win in a competition.
The non-removable 3000mAh battery in the S6 Edge+ is the same size as the non-removable 3000mAh in the Moto X, but they should get you through an entire day with moderate usage. However, if you run into trouble, the new Samsung battery can charge up to 4 hours of usage in only 10 minutes and they included built-in quick wireless charging. The Moto X also provides a quick charge feature as well.
The Galaxy S6 Edge+ has several features not found on the Moto X – it has it is Samsung Pay ready with a fingerprint sensor that is PayPal certified. It has the definitely cool dual curves display with an ‘edge’ that adds several functions. It includes a heart rate monitor, an oxygen saturation sensor and quick wireless charging for both Qi and PMA standards. It is running Android 5.1.1 Lollipop with TouchWiz UI on top and will cost you about $770 off-contract for the 32GB model.
Motorola Moto X Pure Edition (2015)
Motorola has released their new flagship Moto X device for 2015. They are calling it the Moto X Pure Edition in the US and outside the US it is called the Moto X Style. Motorola improved the new Moto X in just about every area – larger display, more pixels, better camera, 64-bit processor and more memory. They are many ways to customize and personalize the physical look of the new Moto X – colored backings, casings and even the wood backings – and you can further customize its look using the Moto Maker. It is a larger device, but retains the full-metal frame and curved backing making it comfortable to hold.
Motorola replaced the AMOLED display with an IPS LCD variety. It is a large 5.7-inches with a QHD resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and 520 PPI, while the Galaxy S6 Edge+ uses the same QHD display technology in a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display with 518 PPI and a dual-curved screen on the left and right side. Motorola decided to stick with Qualcomm and put in their 64-bit Snapdragon 808 hexa-core processor with one quad-core clocked at 1.44GHz and the other dual-core clocked at 1.8GHz. This goes up against the 64-bit Exynos 7420 octa-core processor in the Galaxy S6 Edge+. The Moto X comes with 3GB of RAM and either 16GB/32GB/64GB of internal memory with a microSD card slot to expand. The Galaxy S6 Edge+ has 4GB of RAM, 32GB or 64GB of internal storage, but no means to expand.
When it came to radios and antennas, Motorola’s name pops up in your mind, but when it comes to camera quality…not so much. However, we saw a glimmer of hope in the Nexus 6 and now with the new Moto X they went the extra mile with a huge 21MP sensor. The camera comes with a quick phase detection autofocus, dual-tone LED flash and uses an f/2.0 aperture. The Moto X even includes a 5MP FFC with an f/2.0 aperture and a wide-angle lens for great selfies and video chatting. This goes up against one of the best cameras in the Galaxy S6 Edge+ with a 16MP main camera and a 5MP FFC. The Moto X uses a 3000mAh battery, as does the Galaxy S6 Edge+ and both are non-removable. The Moto X can use Motorola’s Turbo Charger for a very quick charge and the S6 has a fast charge option as well as quick wireless charging built-in.
The Moto X includes front-facing stereo speakers with Smartboost for a great new sound rather than the one bottom mounted speaker in the S6 Edge+. Motorola also includes the IP52 water repellency in the Moto X. Another nice feature about the new Moto X is there is one unlocked device that can work on all major US networks. With almost a pure Android experience – currently 5.1.1 Lollipop – meaning, that you will receive some of the fastest updates possible. Motorola has given it a starting price of only $399.99
…And The Winner Is…
Summary
There is no doubt based on specifications alone, the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ is the clear winner – it has the better Super AMOLED display, better 14nm processor, more RAM and faster DDR4 technology. The S6 Edge+ uses a faster UFS 2.0 flash memory, better camera, a fingerprint sensor, heart rate and oxygen saturation sensors, built-in quick wireless charging, PayPal certified, Samsung Pay ready and the dual curved display.
The Motorola Moto X Pure Edition is great device, but when compared to the Galaxy S6 Edge+, it just does not have the specs to out gun the more expensive device. Yes, it has a nano coating for water resistance and a microSD slot for expansion, but what it has more of than anything is a terrific price of only $400 versus the $770 of the Galaxy S6 Edge+.
If you want the smartphone with the best specifications and cost is no object, then you should buy the Galaxy S6 Edge+ – however, if you want a great smartphone at a terrific price, that may be lacking a few features, then the Moto X Pure Edition will certainly satisfy.