Introduction
Do we have a good one for you today – the Moto Z Play goes up against the Honor 6X. The glass-backed Moto Z Play and its bevy of Moto Mods go up against the all-metal Honor 6X with its dual cameras. The Moto Z Play is the first device in a series of three, but it is far from an entry-level device. The Honor 6X is their latest in a series of mainstream devices. Both the Moto Z Play and Honor 6X are finding some very favorable acceptance among critics and users. Let’s look at just what these two devices have in common, if anything, and then we will take a closer look at each one in hopes that we can determine a winner of this comparison.
These two devices do have a few things in common, including their physical size and their 5.5-inch screen. Their displays use different technologies – the Z Play is an AMOLED display and the Honor 6X an IPS LCD display – but do use the same Full HD resolution. They both use different processors and GPUs made by different manufacturers. Both devices allow for memory expansion via a microSD card. The camera areas used a different sized lens, but both take great photos. They both use larger, non-removable batteries and offer rapid charge capabilities. They both pack a fingerprint sensor for unlocking the device, but only the Z Play has NFC to authorize mobile payments. They have the usual suspects – WiFi, Bluetooth (v4.0 on the Z Play and v4.1 on the Honor 6X), GPS, and the reversible Type-C port for charging and data transfer on the Z Play and a microUSB v2.0 port on the Honor 6X.
Please take a thoughtful 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 device in greater depth 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
Moto Z Play
Of the three Moto Z models – the Moto Z Force, the Moto Z, and the Moto Z Play – the Moto Z Play is the only one with a glass backing rather than a metal one like the Moto Z, and Moto Z Force. In this comparison, we are looking at the most affordable Moto Z Play that is far from an entry-level phone. It combines an FHD Super AMOLED display, an excellent 16MP camera, a large 3510mAh battery, Moto’s Turbo Charger, and the ability to use Moto Mods. It has a solid build with a 7mm thickness and is the only one of the Moto Z family that includes a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The Moto Z Play sports a 5.5-inch AMOLED Full HD display, giving you a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels with 403 pixels-per-inch (PPI). Lenovo went with the Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor clocked at 2.0GHz and coupled it to an Adreno 506 GPU to handle the graphics. The Moto Z Play is packing 3GB of DDR3 RAM (due to the limitations of the processor), and it offers 32GB of the faster UFS 2.0 internal memory that is expandable via a microSD card.
The primary camera on the Z Play uses a 16MP sensor with a large aperture of f/2.0, both Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF) and laser autofocus, and dual-tone flash. For its front-facing camera (FFC), it uses a 5MP lens with a f/2.2 aperture along with its own LED flash for selfies and video chatting. The Moto Z Play comes with Moto’s Turbo Charger that can charge the Moto Z Play’s 3510mAh non-removable battery up to 50-percent in only 20 minutes. Like the other Z series, there is an $89 Moto Mod that will increase the battery capacity by another 2200mAh and even adds wireless charging capabilities to the device.
The Z Play started out as part of the Droid series that is exclusive to Verizon, but an unlocked Moto Z Play is available for everybody to use. The Moto Z Play is the only one of the new Z series that retains the convenient 3.5mm earphone jack. It also allows you to utilize the Moto Mods that add features to your device but one can also use customized covers on the back to help personalize its looks. It has a nano-coating for water resistance, measures in at 155.9 x 75.8 x 7mm, and weighs in at 163 grams. It comes in two colors – Black or White with pricing at $408 on Verizon’s website and the unlocked version is about $450. According to Moto, the Z Play should receive its Android Nougat upgrade in March, although unlocked versions are receiving their update now.
Honor 6X
Huawei follows the Chinese belief of providing a mid-range offering with good specs at a reasonable price, and the Honor 6X continues in this direction. There is a 3GB/32GB model that will cost only $250, and the 4GB/64GB model will run you a mere $299. It has a solid metal design, although you will find small pieces of plastic at the top and bottom for better antenna reception. Huawei rounded corners and used 2.D-curved glass that pairs up nicely with the curved sides to make it a pleasure to hold. The Honor 6X is only 8.2mm thick and rather light at only 162 grams. Considering this is a mid-range device under $300, it is unusual to find that Huawei included dual cameras in the Honor 6X. Let’s see how it stacks up to the more expensive Moto Z Play.
The Honor 6X sports a 5.5-inch IPS LCD Full HD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and a respectable 403 PPI. Huawei naturally went with their processor in the Honor 6X, the HiSilicon Kirin 655 octa-core with four cores clocked at 1.7GHz and four cores clocked at 2.1GHz. They included their Mali-T830MP2 GPU as part of the package to handle the graphics. The base Honor 6X packs 3GB of RAM and offers 32GB of expandable internal memory via a microSD card, but Huawei says to look for be a 4GB/64GB option coming soon.
Usually, dual cameras are reserved for use in higher priced devices, but Huawei was able to include one in the Honor 6X that uses an unusual dual camera setup. The primary camera is a 12MP, but only uses a 2MP secondary camera to deliver what Huawei says is a “professional-grade bokeh effect.” It comes with PDAF and a LED flash. The FFC is a rather large 8MP lens for selfies and video chatting. The Honor 6X uses a large 3340mAh non-removable battery.
Despite the Honor 6X’s small price tag, you will soon forget it is a mid-range smartphone as it has an excellent build quality and good looks. It comes with a fingerprint sensor for unlocking the device, but mobile banking is not an option since it lacks an NFC chip. The Honor 6X filters out the blue light to prevent eye fatigue. It measures 150.9 x 76.2 x 8.2mm, weighs in at 162 grams, and comes in Gray, Gold, and Silver. Pricing is about $250 for the 3GB/32GB model and only $300 for the upcoming 4GB/64GB model. It comes with Android 6.0 Marshmallow with a planned upgrade to Android 7.0 Nougat. The Honor 6X is a GSM device so that it will function only on AT&T or T-Mobile in the US.
…And The Winner Is…
The Final Word
As nice as the Honor 6X is, I am still picking the roughly $150 more Moto Z Play as the winner of this comparison. Besides being able to use all major carriers in the US, it has more options with its Moto Mod capability. It also uses a Super AMOLED display, has some Splash water and dust resistance, it is receiving its Android 7.0 Nougat update, offers mobile payments, a slightly larger battery, and comes with the Moto Turbo Charger.
The Honor 6X does offer a lot of value for the money, but with that value comes a few restrictions – like only working on AT&T or T-Mobile networks. Because of its lack of NFC, you cannot participate in any mobile banking, and it still uses the older microUSB port.
The Moto Z Play will cost you a few extra bucks, but its added capabilities are worth the extra cost. If you are already on AT&T or T-Mobile and feel you are not interested in making any mobile payments, then the $250 Honor 6X may suit you just fine.
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