Introduction
Do we have a good one for you today – the Motorola Moto X Pure Edition goes up against the OnePlus X. Both devices have a solid build, although one would certainly have to say that the cheaper OnePlus X may have a more premium look – however, the Moto Maker customization adds a nice touch to the Moto X and that wood back looks awesome. The Moto X is certainly the larger of the two devices, but its curved back makes it easy and comfortable to hold. We will look at what these two smartphones have in common and then take a more detailed look at each individual device.
The Moto X Pure Edition and the OnePlus X have very few similarities – the Moto X is larger all around and they use different display technologies. They both use a Qualcomm Snapdragon, but they are worlds apart. They both have 3GB of memory, both offer a variation with 16GB of internal storage and they both offer a microSD card slot to add an additional 128GB of storage. Their main cameras are not close to each other megapixel-wise, but their picture quality does not vary as much. They both have most of the usual suspects – Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (4.1 on the Moto X and 4.0 on the OnePlus X), GPS, USB ports v2.0, both have 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.
Specifications
Motorola Moto X Pure Edition
Motorola did a nice job upgrading last year’s Moto X with the Moto X Pure Edition in the US (Moto X Style elsewhere). It is unmistakably a Motorola design and as usual, offering up a solid smartphone and pricing it very competitively. No smartphone is perfect and the Moto X does have its flaws, but priced at only $400, there is not much you can complain about. One area that is lacking is a fingerprint sensor for mobile payments – with Android Pay and Marshmallow – and wireless charging would have been a nice feature. Many users would prefer a smaller display for an everyday driver, but Motorola does a good job with the 5.7-inch display. They built the new Moto X with a solid metal frame and retained the comfortable curved backing making it a joy to hold even with its larger size. You can also customize it with Moto Maker and they still offer that beautiful wood backing.
The new Moto X has an IPS LCD QHD display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels with 520 pixels-per-inch (PPI) versus the 5.0-inch FHD AMOLED display on the OnePlus X with 441 PPI. The Moto X uses a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 hexa-core with four cores running at 1.44 GHz and two cores running at 1.8 GHz and the OnePlus X uses the old 32-bit Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor. The Moto X packs 3GB of RAM with choices of 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of internal storage, while the OnePlus X is packing 3GB of RAM with 16GB of storage. Both devices have the ability to expand on the internal memory by a 128GB via a microSD card.
The camera on the Moto X Pure scored well on the DxOMark test and our in-depth review shows that it takes good, but not great photos. It uses a 21MP sensor with phase detection autofocus, an aperture of f/2.0 and dual-tone LED flash, but no OIS. It has a large 5MP front-facing camera (FFC) with the same f/2.0 aperture and a wide-angle lens for great group selfies or video chatting. This goes up against the 13MP main camera that takes good photos under good conditions and an 8MP FFC on the OnePlus X. The Moto X uses a 3000 mAh battery versus the smaller 2525 mAh battery in the OnePlus X – both are non-removable, and both should last through an entire day of normal usage. The Moto X has a fast-charging battery that can use Motorola’s Turbo Charger – a 10-hour charge in only 15 minutes. The OnePlus X has no rapid charge capability.
The Moto X Pure includes front-facing stereo speakers with Smartboost for a great sound. The Moto X is sold unlocked so it can be used on all major US networks. It also has a nano-coating for water resistance. It has NFC capability to transfer data and mobile payments are possible. Using the almost pure Android experience – currently 6.0 Marshmallow – you will get the fastest updates possible from a non-Nexus device. Motorola has given the Moto X Pure Edition a starting price of only $399.99.
OnePlus X
The OnePlus X is OnePlus’ attempt to produce a sub-$250 entry-level device, but along the way, it picked up an FHD display and a Snapdragon 801 processor, which was a real workhorse in 2014, but it is only a 32-bit and four cores in a 64-bit, octa-core world. However, with a price tag of only $249, you would expect a bargain processor. OnePlus barely got the OnePlus 2 model out the door and then jumped on the OnePlus X so they could compete with an entry-level device.
The OnePlus X sports a 5.0-inch AMOLED FHD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and 441 PPI. The Moto X Pure Edition uses a 5.7-inch IPS LCD QHD display coming in at 520 PPI. OnePlus went back to Qualcomm and snatched up and older 32-bit Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor clocked at 2.3GHz. This goes up against the Moto X’s 64-bit Snapdragon 808 hexa-core processor. The OnePlus X is packing 3GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot to expand that memory an additional 128GB. The Moto X comes with 3GB of RAM and either 16GB/32GB/64GB of memory and room for expansion of an additional 32GB.
The main camera on the OnePlus X uses a 13MP sensor with an LED flash and phase detection autofocus with videos in 1080p and 30fps. The Moto X also uses a huge 21MP camera that has a few more features than the OnePlus X. The OnePlus X sports a larger 8MP FFC for selfies and video chatting while the Moto X uses a 5MP FFC. Powering the OnePlus X is a small non-removable 2525mAh battery that should make it through a day. The Moto X uses a larger 3000 mAh non-removable battery that easily made it through a day in our tests.
The OnePlus X comes with 4G LTE connectivity and enough bands to work on AT&T and T-Mobile. It has a single speaker at the bottom of the device and sports an FM radio. It is running Android 5.1.1 Lollipop with OxygenOS on top. The device measures 140 x 69 x 6.9 mm and weighs in at 138 grams and will cost approximately $249.
…And The Winner Is…
Summary
I had to choose the Moto X Pure Edition as the winner of this specification comparison, especially since there is only a $150 difference in the price. For that extra money, you get a larger and QHD display, Android Marshmallow and fast updates, a 64-bit hexa-core processor and better Adreno 418 GPU for graphics. The Moto X will give you a better camera experience, stereo front-facing speakers, the all-important NFC capability for mobile payments and transfers. You get a larger battery with fast charge capabilities and a nano-coating for water and dust resistance.
The OnePlus X is a well-built and good-looking device and at $250, it offers up some real value for a basic smartphone, but nothing about it will excite you. Photos are okay, it is running a 32-bit quad-core processor and you will get a nice Full HD AMOLED display. You will get 3GB of RAM, a small 2525mAh battery with no means to quick-charge and a single speaker on the bottom of the device. Do not expect to make any mobile payments due to the lack of NFC.
It just seems that for the money, the Moto X Pure Edition is a more complete smartphone and certainly has the better specs – it is the winner of this comparison.
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