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Officially unveiled only moments ago, the upcoming Motorola Moto X definitely faces some stiff competition. In a smartphone market that’s being dominated by Samsung and Apple, does the Moto X have what it takes to capture the hearts — and wallets — of consumers the world over? There’s no question both Motorola and Google have a lot riding on the X. Not only is the X Motorola’s first Google influenced smartphone, but one of their first devices to launch across all major US carriers. That being said, you’re no doubt wondering how the X stacks up to current heavyweights like the Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One, and even (heaven help you) the Apple iPhone 5. Let’s take a look.
Motorola Moto X
Strengths
Believe it or not, the Motorola Moto X is the first smartphone built here in the US. While that may not sound like a big deal to those living overseas, this is pretty huge for those in the US and typically, smartphone manufacturers like Samsung and even US-based Apple outsource all their device manufacturing to other countries. More like brownie points, we can’t be sure how much this will influence the buying decisions of Americans, but it’s definitely something to consider.
The Moto X also features Motorola’s new X8 “mobile computing system” that, while only technically a dual-core processor, features a powerful GPU for gaming, and 2 separate co-processors for handling a variety of X’s sensors. This means the X can handle Facebook and gaming, while also operating in a super low-power state when sleeping for optimal battery life.
Bored with all these Android devices that all look the same? Want to express your individuality? Well, the Moto X is the first Android smartphone to make that happen. Motorola has built a special online customizing center dubbed “Moto Maker” that allows customers to jump in, and design a smartphone in a variety of color options to fit their individual style. Killer feature? Not really. Cool? Most definitely.
Weaknesses
The Motorola X’s biggest weakness is one that most consumers will most likely never notice. Under the hood, the X doesn’t feature the ridiculously high-end specs of rivals, coming equipped with only a 720p display, dual-core processor, and adequate storage options. While this is easily trumped by other high-end devices like the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4, the X should have little trouble mopping the floor with upcoming Mini variants of these devices, with the X being nearly the same size.
HTC One
Strengths
The HTC One is still regarded by many as the best Android device to date. With a plethora of smartphones on the market and the uber popular Galaxy-line taking up a good portion of that, really, that’s saying a lot. Widely seen as the underdog in the smartphone world, HTC pulled a Hail Mary with the One, equipping the device with every high-end spec imaginable. Aluminum body, full 1080p HD display, all new version of Sense, great low-light camera, and front facing stereo speakers. There’s little here not to love.
Weaknesses
While the HTC One offers a lot, it doesn’t feature the flexibility that some Android users have come to expect from their devices. No micro SD slot means you’re confined to the One’s 32GB/64GB of internal storage, and non-removable battery means bulky portable chargers are the only option for keeping the device juiced up on-the-go. Don’t forget that, at the time of this writing, the One is still running on an older version of Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, and while 4.2.2 is promised in the future, 4.3 has already been released.
Samsung Galaxy S4
Strengths
The Samsung Galaxy S4 is arguably the best device the Korean manufacturer has ever built. Featuring a 1080p full HD display, SD card slot, removable battery, and more software features than you can shake a stick at, the Galaxy S4 is the veritable Swiss Army Knife of smartphones. The fact that Samsung is pouring countless dollars into advertising the Galaxy S4 means more people will have one and greater app compatibility. Combine all of this with Samsung’s dedication to supporting new and older devices with timely Android updates and you have the makings of a real winner.
Weaknesses
Of course, while Samsung’s countless software features may sound great, the OS has become bogged down by many features you’ll likely never use. While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, TouchWiz has become stale and the Galaxy S4’s glossy plastic build materials make for a device that feels cheap, no matter how many tricks it has up its sleeve.
Apple iPhone 5
Strengths
Alright, so I think we all know this is an Android focused blog — there’s no denying that. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to automatically bash the Apple iPhone 5, which admittedly, has a lot going for it. It’s currently one of the most popular smartphones on the planet, and because of this, is likely a strong contender to anyone considering a new smartphone.
Apple recently overhauled the system software with iOS7 and while it’s not quite ready for prime time, they did a good job at finally updating the OS to the 21st century. The best part? Both the older iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 will get the update at the same time. Because of the very tightly knit and closed ecosystem, you can find more quality apps and games on iOS than any other platform. For wanna-be photogs, the iPhone 5 still has one of the best smartphone cameras on the market, though it remains to be seen if it can outperform the Moto X’s new “Clear Pixel” 10MP camera.
Weaknesses
Keep in mind the iPhone 5 isn’t smartphone perfection (as some would have you believe). The tiny, low resolution display is best suited for teens and young people with still perfect vision. If you want a smartphone you don’t have to hold to your nose, the Moto X or other options remain the best choice. Apple’s closed OS means iOS is always one step behind Android devices, which get better with multiple updates and enhanced features throughout the year.
Verdict
Really, only you can decide what phone is best for you. With that being said, we’re curious; Exactly which one of these smartphones do you find is best in its class? Vote in our poll, leave a comment as to why, and don’t forget to visit the Moto X forum where you can chat with others about the X and voice your excitement (or displeasure) with Moto’s latest flagship.
[polldaddy poll=7292547]
FIRST
Wow people still do this? Sad
Some people just never grow up….very Sad.
HTC one with thinner bezel would own all.
Using your logic then a Moto X with a Snapdragon 800 would own them all!! This isn’t a woulda coulda shoulda comparison. I’ll wait and see how the X performs because I pass judgment. Processor cores certainly don’t mean all that much to me. I look more at the SoC and the X8 is interesting to say the least. Plus, this is a moto and moto hardware and radios blow away anything HTC or Samsung can muster up.
I would throw money at it :) MottoX looks good.
Gotta leave room for improvement. :)
Thin bezel, centered home button, bottom headphone jack and stock Android would be my requests :)
Chris, nice touch including iPhone 5 on Phandroid. It’s like throwing bunch of Russian rubles at people in Time Square…nobody cares.
Zero rubles give today!
KK does
Anyone know if full GPS, aGPS or both??
I didn’t know that not all HTC Ones are upgrade to 4.2.2.
I have been running Stock HTC One 4.2.2 for a month already.
Things move slower here in the US.
IMO:
1) Note 2
2) S4
3) HTC One
4) Nexus 4
5) S3
6) LG something
…
21) Moto X
There’s probably 20 other phones with a higher bang/buck — on AND off-contract — that I’d buy before the MotoX. About the only people who’d rank the MotoX #1 are those who care way more about having their phone match their outfit and Beats headphones than they do about getting a better phone for the same price.
(And I don’t understand why the off-contract the price will inevitably be so high… I mean it’s mostly MADE in china, and only “snapped together” in ‘MURRICA.)
We still don’t know exactly how much the off-contract price will be, no one does.
Remember when the $300 Nexus 4 was being sold on-contract with T-Mobile? It only saw a $100 discount. I’m thinking this might also be the case with the Moto X.
Many sources are reporting off-contract price will be about $550. Do you have any basis for your belief, other than the Nexus 4 history?
and wasn’t the nexus 4 subsidized by Google?
Skeptical… but wouldn’t mind being proved wrong.
Love Samsung much????
I’m not really sure why this whole customization thing is a big deal. It’s not very often I see someone with a phone that isn’t covered by a case of some sort. What good is your wood back plate if it’s completely obscured by your Otterbox?
Well while I agree with your statement, I also believe for the same amount of people who love to put cases on their phone for safety and security, there are also a lot (like myself) that take such good care of a phone that feel no need to have one. So at this point being able to customize the phone really isn’t a big deal, but it is a nice little perk a lot of other manufacturers aren’t offering
why does it matter to you personally? let people do what they want to their phones.
Who said it mattered to me personally? I’m just questioning the importance of customization to this phone when most people use cases. Did I say people who want to customize their phone are bad in doing so?
Why does my comment matter to you personally?
Not everyone uses a case on their phone and im one of them, I have the HTC One and I rather not have my beautiful looking phone in some ugly case.
See latest Moto Maker video here: http://youtu.be/HnTvmB44Cec
Motorola is offering clear cases to let the customization shine through! :P
HTC One is a beast.
Upvote just for mustache alone!
Htc One hands down, on a side note, why is the iPhone even on the list lol
can’t really add iphone in there as it’s a year old and they’ll be announcing one shortly.
Still a great phone, still one of the most popular, and still the only iPhone that’s currently available.
and the dumbest phone among smartphones:
bit (dot) ly/17CPlOn
I hate to say but the iPhone 5 is still my favorite hardware. It’s extremely fast, light, thin, and well built with outstanding battery life for how thin it is.
If only it could run Android 4.3.
and very very dumb:
bit (dot) ly/17CPlOn
If the Moto X had a quad core processor and 1080p screen I would get it no question, I love the option of customizing the Moto X to not look like everyone elses Moto X.
My order for hardware is:
1. iPhone 5 2. Moto X 3. SGS 3 4. HTC One.
For Software:
1. Moto X 2. SGS4 / HTC One, 3. iPhone 5.
I want to like the One but the bezel is just huge and the lack of centered home button bothers the hell out of me. I LOVE that the Moto X is practically stock Android and supposedly has a NON-PENTILE OLED display? Did I read that right? Made (assembled?) in USA is awesome too. The rest of the specs are comparable to the others.
The only thing that bothers me that it’s 10.4mm thick. That’s fat In the world of iPhone 5 that’s 7.6mm. It irritates me that the other phones claim to be thinner but are actually pretty close to 10mm too since the manufactures lie and measure them in some thinnest part they find somewhere rather than thickest like Apple and Moto.
he world of iPhone 5?
Android controls 80% of the smartphone world. What alternate dimension are you living in?
OS vs OS, iOS and Android are pretty much neck and neck and that’s saying a lot.
Handset vs handset, the iPhone is still the most popular.
Galaxy s4 + Cm10.1 to get rid of the Samsung bloat = all day battery life and the best hardware option imo. Non removable battery wasn’t a big deal, but no SD card slot killed the One for me
Agreed. SGS4 + CM10.x is probably the best setup there is.
Glad to see it’s being built in the U.S. Still has china parts though but assembly here.
Tough sell at $199 ON contract. But, maybe it’ll attract the average non-techie who wants to customize the color of the phone…
For the Nexus crowd — I don’t see the appeal.
I’m hoping there’ll still be a Nexus in Nov/Dec at $299.
With LTE this time. And not wrapped in glass. Running Key Lime Pie. Thanks Google.
The glass is beautiful alot more durable than the iPhone’s 4 and 4s. Though Chris would beg to differ… but ymmv
Beautiful yes. Solid feeling.
But glass breaks. The N4 is the first phone I’ve ever felt the need to put in a case.
I STILL don’t have mine in a case and have dropped it several times- not … a… single … crack.
Don’t believe Chris’s hype.
Or… maybe… YOU’RE A WITCH!
I could keep it out of a case but of course i don’t want to scratch the back. I’ve dropped it without a case
I’m on T-Mobile so I don’t miss LTE at all….15MBPS on HSPA+ is more than fast enough for me and I actually really like the glass backing, it give the phone a really nice “premium” feel that the GS4 just dosen’t have. Thrown a Cruzer case on it and you’re fully protected…this glass ain’t breaking unless you drop it directly on the concrete with no case what so ever.
Get that dam iphone out of a android line up if you’re going to put it in you should of put the black berry in too
WTH is a blackberry j/k
But with that thought where is the Windows phone then. Why ask for a BB and not a WP?
The point is only android phones should be in the line up
I agree. I just found it funny you called out BB but not WP. Poor WP LOL
I forgot about WP
Sometimes people need a reminder of how much the iPhone is lacking when compared to other high-end Android smartphones.
If someone were debating on whether or not to buy the Moto X or iPhone 5, they’d find this post. Remember, the iPhone is still one of the most popular smartphones on the market.
Most of us are not here because we are interested in apple products.There are many other place to go for that.
You must have missed the important part of that sentence:
“If someone were debating on whether or not to buy the Moto X or iPhone 5, they’d find this post.”
That means more traffic to this site, which is the main reason for including the iPhone I’m sure.
But your fancy chart doesn’t show it lacking.
I have to vote for the S4 since that’s what I have. Also cheap plastic wow my phone is encased in a D30 case and the big screen looks great.
I did the same. Just voted for the phone I had. I felt pretty biased, but then again. I got the phone out of the ones that were shown.
What is the battery life of the ‘X’ havent seen this anywhere (how long do they ‘claim’ it lasts)
Full 24 with “mixed” usage and talk is 12 or 14 or really who cares about talk times lol
Whether that gets the full 24 of “mixed” usage is anyone guess on what “mixed” usage is LOL
My LG Optimus G from Sprint hits 24 easily with 4+ hours screen on. heck I’m setting here right now at 74% with 9h26m on battery and screen on of 45M. LOL
Ha!! Is this a battery war?
On my HTC One lets see…
Since I have to drive in Houston’s Downtown where there’s nothing but one-way streets I GPS a lot. I’ve noticed that…
20 Minutes of GPS and Bluetooth streaming music from the cloud = 10%. Auto-Brightness.
Mmmhmm… =.P
As compared to my E4GT. 20 Minutes of bluetooth streaming music on the device = 25%
I’m so glad I don’t have that phone anymore. LoL!!
Maybe you should move to Cypress lol my 12 min commute to HP only drains my phone 1% :-) not joking about that commute.
I have the S4, my roommate has the One and they’re pretty much on par with each other considering they have the SoC (Snapdragon 600) so their tied for #1 in my book.
Yeah but you can put an sd card in yours….
How many people need more than 32gb of data on a phone? YOu must be storing cia blueprints
If by CIA blueprints you mean an offline music collection, 1080p video of the kids, gigs of gamedata, TV shows, movies, ROMS, and backups, then, yeah.
really?think cloud
subway. tunnels. basements. camping. etc. == no cloud.
and even with cloud, data is slower and costlier (in terms of battery and $)
“unlimited data” Ever heard of it ? Plus NO ONE needs to have 10,000 songs on their phone, or HD videos of family blah, or TV shows and movies, no one watches those enuf , or listens to that much on the road to justify keeping it on the device. I could put all that on my ONE and have tons of space, but then id never watch or listen to any of it.
“no one needs _______”. Clearly you’re wrong, because I do.
That would all still fit on a 32GB card with room to spare.
No it wouldn’t. My S3’s 16GB internal is essentially full (with bindmounts to external), and my 64GB external has 10GB remaining.
Can’t wait for a Note 2 with 32G internal and 128G external.
You need a hobby dude. No one needs that much space.
You’re just a lightweight, and that’s fine. Leave the power use to the power users.
I use much more data than 32 gb on my S4, everything is data now, we need memory for it right?
wifi?cloud?
32GB is storage, has nothing to do with DATA. If your DATA plan is limited then thats a different story. I wonder if that is the big disconnect here ? People dont know the difference.??
You can beat your head against a wall with these people for hours over this subject. lol
Not to mention the free 25gb of drop box space on top of THAT.
Actually yea I can, I currently have a 64 GB class 10 MicroSD card in it. Check your facts buddy before you call someone out.
Whats the point of these stupid polls…. any self respecting editors will say it is either GS4 or the Note 2 which are two of the best phone available right now.
Um…? The GS4 features only work in Samsung apps. I don’t use Samsung Browser, so there goes look to scroll and hover to view image. I use Google Music so there goes flip to silent. Um…? Double tap top to go back to the top of the list. Um…? Can’t think of anymore.
The only thing I miss from my E4GT (GS2) is put your head to your phone to start calling. My gosh!! That was like THE BEST feature evar!! On my HTC One, I sometimes struggle to make a call because I don’t really know how. I like look for the contact and look how to call people. LoL!!
You can always create a folder of direct dial on one of your home screen of the people you call the most…just open folder and tap on the contact.
“Both the older iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 will get the update at the same time.”
1. This is about the current phones not older phones.
2. THEY WILL NOT GET THE UPDATE AT THE SAME TIME. The iPhone 4s at a minimum will get a stripped down and fragmented version of iOS7 not the full version coming to the iPhone 5s/6 or even the same as the iPhone 5, just like every other release of a new version of iOS, but for some reason, the blogoshere lives in the Apple Reality Distortion Field where fragmented versions of iOS is not the same a fragmented version of Android.
There is still fragmentation in iOS releases between devices, Apple are just clever enough to disguise it with the same version number.
But for those that don’t care, as long as the iPhone got an update, it got an update. And everyone who bashes Android and talks about fragmentation always points out how the iPhones get updates for like 3+ years.
It always gets on my nerves when they say that. Like really? A partial update? And you’re happy with your one new ability to add folders? Let me not get started. LoL!!
HTC One has already been updated to Android 4.2.2 !
Wow, they sure are slow with updates……..
When you had a phone that works as swift as the One, having the latest version of Android is not a big issue, by the way the Play Edition is going to be updated soon.
Agreed, the ONE is awesome.
The Poll should be Moto X or Not !!!
I like Motorola’s battery life and radios. I like Samsung’s screen, removeable battery, sd card and overall look. I like HTC’s sound.
Now if one of these companies can put the whole package together with a vanilla ‘ish Android OS using only the most important “features” (not 50 which most get turned off anyways) I’d buy that phone.
Very much this.
play edition htc one…but honestly i refuse to buy a phone that doesnt have the on screen buttons bc that is truly android and truly distinguishes it from any other mobile os
Droid Maxxxx
Just buy the note 2 or wait for the note 3 they beat all the phines
“phines” ?
I’ll be picking up the X. Really don’t care if the screen is 720 or 1080…they are both great. I pick Motorola’s hardware over Samsung, HTC, LG any day of the week
I do like their transparent nav bar. I wonder how that looks in other apps. Like if apps are full screen and they’ve somehow managed to have the navbar as an overlay.
Good luck with that. Id be embarrassed to have anything called MOTO.
Gotta love the people throwing in the Note II as #1 and the SGS4 as #2. I have the HTC One, and let me just say, it is the best phone I have ever owned, used, or tested to date. The Note II isn’t a part of this comparison and yet Samsung’s followers would rather have it over the mighty SGS4……..what a shame.
That’s because until the GS4/HTC One came out, the Note II was actually the best all around smartphone on the market. It had the Specs to back it up. It has a great 720p LCD display too
AMOLED not LCD. Also, saying it was the “best all around smartphone” is only based on the personal opinion of everyone that has one. I was on Sprint and I personally chose the LG Optimus G because some of us out there don’t want to carry around or put up to our faces a mini flat screen. Not to mention, my Optimus G was faster in every way……………….here come the down votes……………..-_-
lol.. it’s like nba.com asking who is the best player of all time..
lebron
durant
kobe
tiger woods
Lol true, its all preference. Some people prefer crap.
Lebron.
whats wrong with the memory options in phones by the phone manufacturers? why are they stuck with limited memory choice’s?
32gb is alot for a phone
not sure what thesepeople are doing with their phones..32 is way more than enough for most everybody,i think people are insecure.
Agreed
My 16 GB Galaxy S has only .5 GB of free space remaining, the 32 GB SD card has 1 GB remaining, this is ONLY because I removed a lot of content from it so it wouldn’t be totally full in case I want to download something else, and I’ve ordered a 64 GB SD card, and if T-Mobile had the 32 GB edition of the Galaxy, you can bet I’d upgrade to that WITH the 64 GB SD card, and then I’d have enough space.
Agreed. I had a G2 from HTC and bought a 32GB SD card and then never even came close to filling it. I had tons of songs, pictures, and apps on it too.
and the winner is HTC ONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Of course, thats a no-brainer.
OMG, my Note 2 is still my numero uno. This much hyped Moto X is such a let down. Eww..
not everyone wants a phablet you cant pocket…its a cellphone
The MOTO X is a letdown because its mid-range crap, it shouldnt even be compared to the GS4 or the ONE.
Never had a problem putting my Note II in my pockets.
sigh
Go Ubuntu Edge!
I’m guessing you chose “other”?
The HTC One is beautiful but the no SD-card slot option is a dealbreaker. I can accept that in a tablet, perhaps, as I am tempted to get the Nexus 10. However, in a phone I find it absolutely unbearable. Cloud storage is not a good option, and the only things I put in the cloud are things that wouldn’t drive me insane if I couldn’t access them (due to being in a place with no data signal, etc.) But damn, as much as I love the Galaxy just look at it up there beside the others, it’s definitely eye catching.
As for the Moto X…well, my Galaxy can do everything it can do and I don’t need it to be pink or blue or rainboow or wood grain. Major pass.
As for the iPhone….ew, please don’t make me vomit.
32gb not good enough for you?
Definitely not.
It should be.
I feel like you just like the HTC One so much that that is why you’re so strongly defending the stupid decision to not have expandable storage. 32 GB = Not enough.
You dont need to access 10,000 songs, most of which you never listen to, just to have them on your device. The HTC ONE is more than beautiful, the 32GB onboard is ALOT.
For some people, but 32 GB with no option to expand memory is still not an option for me. I have lots of apps, games, documents, videos, music, etc. As it is I’m having to constantly remove stuff from my phone that I want to keep. 32 GB may be more than enough for you but I would easily, easily make use of triple that space, so the fact that I can’t put a 64 GB SD card in the HTC One means I cannot own it.
Thing is SD-Card are USELESS for Apps. I’d rather have a giant pool of storage (preferably 64GB, but 32GB is fine) than 9GB of storage for apps and a mostly useless SD-Card.
Still running the HTC One’s grandfather (Sensation 4G). With CM 10 it runs well. I need to be able to swap batts and SD cards. Sad they removed them for the One.
Most people dont “need” to be able to do that in 2013. HTC simply is going with the times, most phones will eventually.
The Galaxy S4 has this metallic strip around the side of it. It looks pretty cool actually. It gives it the “shiny” that it needs. I forget about the plastic when I see it. But this also means you can’t have a case on the phone.
LoL!!
What do you mean, can’t have a case? I have a case on my S4 that works perfectly.
Plus it gives it a little extra heft, which is good for my big hands, there is such a thing as too thin, but I love how light it is.
Yep I have a SPECK case on my ONE. Between the all aluminum of the phone plus the heft of the case if i flung that at someone it would prob knock them unconscious or kill them, lol.
Big phones suck. Why aren’t there more Android phones in the 4″ to 4.5″ range?
Oh, Moto’s on the right track, I hope they keep improving. The X seems like a great mid-market device. Here’s hoping the kids (or their parents) think so.
Because its cheaper to throw in better specs in a larger chassis and slap on a giant screen and call it better than last years.
I thought the same thing till I got the note 2..i would never go smaller..
I didn’t think the same thing, I thought I wanted 5.55″. After owning a Note II for 1/2 a year, I would go a bit smaller, but only to 5″ not 4.7″. And my next phone will definitely by 1920×1080. A pen would be nice but not mandatory. I hope the Nexus 5 will be more impressive than the (for me disappointing) Moto X.
Yep Mid-range device for a Mid-range market. Im sure the kiddies will love the color options.
No SD card? No thanks!
let me hear you say that when samsung does this soon.
If they were smart and offered 64GB as the base storage and offered up to 256GB on the Galaxy SV, I wouldn’t care if their was an SD-Card or not…
Why isn’t the battery size in the comparison charts?
It would be great to see how many milliamps each device can hold. I know not every processor consume the same amount of juice, but it can quickly give a rough indication of on the battery life as well as how much is the device expected to consume power.
My last 3 phones were HTC, but I passed this time and went for the S4 and not looking back. Deal breakers on the HTC One were the 4 mp camera (don’t give a damn about ultra pixels, I need to be able to crop pix not just shoot close ups), no removable battery (would be screwed on my biz trips with typically bad htc battery life – S4 is MUCH better than my last htc rezound), and no removable sd card.
Also love the 5″ screen on the S4 vs One.
Only thing I didn’t like on the S4 was touch wiz – ugly. Installed a launcher within 20 minutes of turning on my phone and problem solved.
There is no “typically bad” HTC battery life, my wife has a GS4 and runs through the battery in less than 6 hrs some days from heavy use. You bought a HTC Rezound ? You have no reason to complain. You should have tried the ONE before passing it up, the Ultrapixel camera is better than the one on the GS4. How do i know that ? I have a ONE and my wife has a GS4, and i regularly get better pictures on my phone then she does on hers. In fact her camera has been taking lots of blurry pics for no reason. My phone history is HTC G1, HTC G2, HTC ONE S, and now HTC ONE. I see no reason to try a different manufacturer, HTC has never let me down, and the ONE is no exception. Lastly are you comparing .3 inches of screen real estate ?? 4.7 on the ONE is not far from 5.0 when you put the screens side by side, hardly noticeable. Just say you like the GS4 and leave it at that.
Htc never let you down, that’s a joke. Never got any timely updates, forced to root and flash to get ics after other phones had it for a year, to get sense 4 (that phone still doesn’t have it), and now the company is in complete disarray. You’ll be about 2 android updates behind in the next couple months, I’m sure.
As for the camera, I’m sure it’s better in low light, but that’s about it. Ive seen plenty of reviews saying the same. I take a lot of pics of more than close ups, and you can’t do squat with 4mp pix – would probably look blurry as a wallpaper on a desktop. Thats an enormous fail in my book. My s4 takes better outdoor pix and stop action than my htc phone ever did.
As for the battery, I get about twice the life I did in my htc phone.
Htc One is a step in the right direction for them, but I’m giving up on them for now…
Uh, I’m staring at both the HTC One and Galaxy S4, the HTC One’s camera shots do not even come close to matching the detail and image quality of the GS4. The HTC One camera isn’t even better than the camera in the Galaxy Note II, Galaxy s3 and iPhone 5. The ultra pixel direction is the HTC One’s only bottleneck.
It does take good quality shots in certain low light situations.
Love the S4, and the s3
As a HTC One owner the phone is great I’ve had zero problems with it before. Honestly how many people need more than 32GB of Data!? iPhones normally carry 8 -16 and nobody complains. Stop hoarding everything. 32GB is fine for a phone you’re gonna have for 2 years. Removable batteries? Nobody was complaining about those before when it was just the iPhone out. You guys just find the one thing that’s a deal breaker for a very SELECT FEW people and run with it. Most people cant possibly fill up 32GB on a PHONE. That’s just an excuse to hoard everything you probably have zero use for. Back it up, there’s google drive and dropbox, and I guarantee almost each and every one of you has a computer available to you at some point store the crap on their. This is 2013 I know we love options but there is no need for superfluous things.
nobody complains about an 8-16 gb iphone because they are not power users. they are who the 8gb iphone was meant for. if i didnt have unlimited data i would most certainly keep more stuff on my phone and need the 32 gb. instead i just stream everything (and i mean everything). and for those who dont know about removable batteries and how clutch they can be, well you are missing out.
I agree that 32 GB is more than adequate for most people, and I actually have switched back and forth my last two phones where nexus devices, no sd cards for me back then, Do I absolutely need it? No and I don’t pretend that it’s an absolute deal breaker for everyone. But I like being able to keep a lot of music on my SD card, Titanium Backups, nandroid backups and emulator rom’s. After being without an sd card for so long I’m really enjoying having one again, it’s a preference people should stop pretending that no one needs more than 32gb and that no sd card is a deal breaker for everyone.
That said removable batteries are something that affect the average user more than SD cards, I recently went shopping for a smartphone for my mother, who is on prepaid, will be buying the phone at retail and doesn’t upgrade phones very often. After a year and a half or more those nonremovable batteries are going to start to suck, so i opted for a Galaxy S3 so she can simply purchase a new battery, in her situation i felt no removable battery was a dealbreaker, for me and a lot of people who swap phones often, not so much.
The newer phones have no need to remove the battery, plus who keeps a phone for more than 2 years these days. Chargers are NOT bulky. They even sell battery cases that double as protection and an extra battery when you need it.
I just told you who needs a removable battery my mother who doesn’t upgrade phones very often. Also my sister who has an iPhone4S that she feels no need to upgrade but the battery is shot after a year and a half and doesn’t even last a day anymore.
Average users are starting to upgrade smartphones less, because the advantages of newer smartphones are getting smaller and smaller, a suprizing percentage of average users I know upgrade mearly because the battery is shot, and that’s what these internal batteries equal = forced upgrades. For most people on this site or sites like it I expect we don’t have these issues as we upgrade at 2 years at the maximum, earlier if we can afford it.
Agreed, NO ONE needs more that 32gb. Hoarders, i agree. I also have a ONE and have tons of music and apps and still have tons of space.
So in 10 years when networks offer 3TB per second internet, and phone games are as massive as Skyrim(8+GBs) you’ll still be happy with 32GB?
Are we talking about 10 years from now ? No we’re talking about now. Who knows what will happen in 10 years , but somehow I doubt there will be SD cards or people playing games on their phones.
What an awful, and completely irrelevant example.
I have to disagree. I have a htc evo lte with a 32 gb card in it and im just starting to run our of space on both the phone and the card. Music can take up a lot of space. I have so much music that i will definitely need a 64gb phone if my next one doesnt have expandable memory
Sounds like you have too much music. No one listens to let alone knows enuf songs to fill an SD card.
i do. Im at nearly 4500 songs right now. I listen to a ton of music and i try to have songs for every occasion or mood. 32 gb is not that much anymore. You also have to think about people who would use their phone for movies or videos. Those can take up huge amounts of space if you dont want them on a cloud
Speak for yourself. There’s no such thing as too much music.
Why assume your standard on everyone else? I do not say the opposite position, since appreciate some do not use much media or apps. I travel a lot, so the cloud is not in any stretch a practical option. I store my apps and photos in the internal of my 25GB (it is not 32GB, so a misnomer of your assertion). And use a 64GB (59GB) to store my 35GB of MP3s, video and also emulator roms.
Your assertion to impose your own standard on everyone else seems a tad fascist.
Ok let me rephrase, NO ONE NORMAL, needs more than 32GB. Its your choice to carry all that around with you, you dont NEED to carry it all with you. My “standard” appears to be alot of peoples standards judging by lots of the comments here.
people complain to much.
S4 is the clear winner for me but of course that’s because both a microSD card slot and a replaceable battery are important features for me.
Yeah for some they may not see why we care so much. but i just like options. the less limited i am the better.
Couldn’t agree more go buy a zerolemon case and you can have your s4 running 4 days without a charge other phones don’t have that flexibility
It gets so dang hot though!
As a XDA member who likes to switch rom’s from time to time. (I’m by no means the flash addict I used to be) The bigger screen, SD card and removable battery make the S4 the winner and the device that’s in my pocket. I’m not one to dismiss phones for lack of SD card or even removable batteries, my last phone was the nexus 4 which I loved. But after using the nexus 4 for 7 months and coming back to a phone in which I could slip my 32GB SD card which was collecting dust, I remember why I love the extra space.
And for someone who loves swapping rom’s all of the S4’s feature bloat, which I turned off almost immediately don’t really matter, it’s the spec winner even if they do inflate their benchmarks lol.
I used to root and flash on my first Android phones, but I agree with you, modern phones have no need to be rooted and flashed. Its impatience and im not an impatient person. With T-Mobile “Jump” I have no need to root, i can get the newest “official” software every 6 months. ROMs are watered down versions of Android, designed to fit on phones that cant handle the full version. I will always compare it to putting a new coat of paint on an old barn. Nexus users will wave the Nexus banner till theyre blue in the face, but the Nexus is not any better than the ONE or the GS4. Its preference, and some people just prefer quality hardware over a name.
Nexus 4 for another year and I don’t need nothing more. Great CPU, great GPU and always having the latest software. Kiddin’ me? can’t argue with software :D
I can because I can root. Software is nothing if you have lacking hardware.
If you can root and install ROMs.. then I am always updated.
I only had to wait a week to get 4.3 on my HTC One! :)
Not a big deal, in my opinion. Beats my old Nexus 4 hands down. The Nexus 4 screen was so washed out in comparison, even after trying practically every gamma combination possible. The HTC One’s screen is amazing!
I wanted the SGS4 with 32gb of int memory. My Carrier of choice didn’t have that model for sale so I refused to buy the 16gb version. Manufacturers for whatever reason are forcing these pathetic 16gb of int memory versions down our throats. Todays apps are just huge and a few games and a few large apps and you are out of int storage. That just sucks, todays modern smartphone needs and must have a minimum of 32gb of int memory with ext sd-card support. Without ext sd-card support a minimum of 64gb of int memory is a must have. Anything less than those combinations is a complete failure. We must not allow the manufacturers to ram anything less than those combinations down our throats, just don’t buy them people and they will stop making those phones with only 16gb of int memory. Complete failure and waste of money.
Just plug a micro sd in and you can have up to 80 gigs of storage it’s actually cheaper to buy the 64g sd card then to upgrade to the 32g phone I imagine that’s why most carriers don’t bother with it! they assume people will take the cheaper option.
OMG…it’s infuriating when people assume that putting an SD-Card fixes everything. EDUCATE YOURSELVES!!! The SD-CARD is USELESS FOR APPS…..It’s only for Photo’s and Music and Videos…If I want to install a 4GB game like Modern Combat 4, it has to install to the main memory, and in most devices (save for the Octa-Core Galaxy S4) you can’t move it to external storage. 16GB phones shouldn’t exist anymore, 32GB is barely usable, I have a 32GB HTC One, after trying out the JOKE that is the “16gb” Galaxy S4 (the US Version still can’t move apps to SD BTW), I’d rather have a tonne of useable onboard storage and no SD-Card, than a piddily amount of usable storage, and an SD-Card.
Wrong. Folder Mount lets me move apps to the sd card.
You have to root to use Folder Mount, so not a solution for most users. The only real solution for most is a stock solution. Apps2sd from Samsung is a half hearted effort, since does not move app data.
Looking at the specs above, S4 trumps them all, IMO- but that is the point like EVERYONE else- it is all of our OPINION. Get what you like :)
32GB on my ONE is fine, i have at least 100 apps and music and all is fine. 64 is overkill. You can stream most music, and honestly, people that say they need their 1000 songs physically on their device need to be shot. No one listens to 1000 songs or even knows 1000 songs. Get real people. 32GB is fine if you’re a normal person.
My Gs4 has 80Gig with the addition of a $50 64Gig micro sd card.
X Phone benchmarks anyone? This may sway some opinions.
Looks like BS to me. Of course someone is going to make the phone look better pre launch. Its a mid range phone and they should leave it at that. Its even made more bogus by the fact that the HTC ONE is not even on the list, as if it doesnt compare to the devices on that list. Looks like a fanboys list, the Nexus 4 is there and GS3 but not the ONE ? Big time bogus.
Cause the One is basically the S4. So why use 2 phones with the same CPU and GPU chips?
could not say it any better.
Actually, Guy Kawasaki, a head advisor at Motorola Mobile Divisions posted this. I mean, I suppose he would he considered a fan boy, but I don’t think he’d outright lie about any of the stats.
This is his post of you don’t believe me.
https://plus.google.com/112374836634096795698/posts/Hk8C5ASFWCA
Wrong. Guy would probably lie about anything for $$$$$. For $10 he would tell you he is American Indian. He is also a attention whore.
Mid-range expensive MOTO-crap. Tell me when the Note 3 or some phone that actually is cutting edge.
X is closer to high-end than it is to mid-range. Specs isn’t everything.
If thats what you keep telling yourself to make yourself feel better, good luck with that. Its been described since Day 1 as a midRange phone. Might be good for the iPhone crowd, they like underpowered, underspec’d devices that are pretty and come in different colors.
Mid-range…how so? 4.7 screen? 720 instead of the overrated 1080p? Dual-core instead of quad-cores? You do know that the dual-core in the X are 2 chips from the Snapdragon 600 right? Or how about the Adreno 320 that its competitors have? So how is the X “mid-range”?
Haha the fact that you claim 720p a benefit over 1080p is a joke. A completely nonsensical, biased joke. The difference in image quality between 720p and 1080p on a mobile device is night and day. And for the record, as awesome of a phone as the Moto X is, it’s definitely more in the category of mid-range than it is high end.
Thanks, thats what I was telling him. Every tech blog from here to there has called this phones specs “meh” and people have the nerve to say its better than a GS4 or an HTC ONE. These motorola fans need to just say they like Motorola because Google bought them and they think that every phone they make will be a cousin to their precious Nexus phones, theyre not.
the 1080 is for bit TV. I do not know why these manufactures put it in the devices, it was not necessary.
No one would ever say that dual core is better than quad core. You do know what “quad core” is right ? Or “dual-core” for that matter. A duo is 2, a quad is 4, so youre trying to say 2 cores is better than 4 cores ?? Id love to gamble with you.
i wonder why the G4 with the latest and greatest specs lags so much lol?
Yep all the billions of the iPhone crowd. Who want those sales anyway? Right? It’s not like any of these companies want sales numbers comparable to the iPhone. Pshaw! These companies are in business to make phones with the cutting edge components so they can sell 10,000 to the phone geeks. What was Moto/Google thinking making a mid-range phone that might appeal to the billion strong iPhone crowd? Being profitable should never be the goal. Providing geek tech to the tiny geek crowd that thinks they understand how to run a giant corporation is the way to go.
Appealing to them with a mid range phone wont sway them away from iPhone. In fact from what ive seen, mid range and low range Android phones seem to reinforce with iPhone users that the iPhone is a better phone because the mid and low range phones are such a disappointment.
I work in an Apple centric industry. 85% of my colleagues have iPhones, iPads, MacBooks or all. In every single conversation about phones, computers, etc, NEVER has a single idevice user discussed components, benchmarks, or any specs what so ever. A6, Snapdragon, RAM etc., to them is meaningless and uninteresting. The iDevice does what they ask of it, and that is all.
However, every single one of them has a case–some horrendously tacky–that provides their “individuality” from the crowd. All of them would like more of that. Two days ago a colleague dropped her iPhone and the screen broke (but the phone still works). She said she would get a new phone in the next few weeks. As an experiment, I showed her the MotoMake site and the personalization options available. She really liked the idea, and while talking, a couple other iPhone users wondered over to check it out. They were interested. Had I showed the HTC One or GS4 and talked about Processors, ram etc, the conversation would have lasted 10 seconds. That stuff is meaningless to 99% of iPhone, and 85% of all phone users. If the MotoX looks good, and the OS flows smoothly, the customization of the look will be very important. “Mid-range” specs does not matter if the phone does what is asked of it. (and supposedly due to the tweaks this phone will)
The real difficulty of enticing iDevice users to try something different is that all their items are linked. iTunes etc. Similarly, if all mine weren’t linked through Google, I’d definitely give a Windows Phone8 a try.
It is not even mid range. The design, customization and the 8 cores makes this device the best.
Way to not be able to count. 8 cores ? Stop thinking with your 8 brain cells, ok ?
go back to Arkansas fool. You do not know anything about tech.
another idiot lol
I think the moto x puts up a pretty good fight vs the others, the customization thing is a big deal.
The customization is the only thing it has going for it.
Wait till this people try this device. This device will be like the movie pulp fiction, it was never release in the movies, once people rented it it became a big hit.
I totally agree. The only thing that bothers me with this device is the pricing. It’s just wrong. But I expect performance and battery life to be top notch
The price is not ok because of the display, they did it right with the dual core because they use another chip. Samsung has a 1080 p and their battery last long. Moto should have done the same thing. They also messed it up allowing At&t exclusivity of the motomaker.
Yep, that exclusivity thing is really dumb.
The HTC one also has 802.11 AC WiFi.
Any editors who say One is better than the GS4 or the Note 2 just lost half of his credibility in my books. Im sorry.
I currently have the HTC One and I love it, however the Moto X does intrigue me. However Motorola messed up with giving certain carriers exclusivity of customizing and and memory, hopefully this is short lived and will be available on all carriers with the same design/spec options. Also, the price is very high considering what they are offering, this phone should be $99 on contract and $299 to $399 off contract, and they should have made them all 32gb.
I could not agree more with you. I am the biggest Motorola fan, once i heard that at& t will be the only one with motomaker, i cursed motorola because of that. It is a big downer.
LG just announced the new G2 and I think that will be my next phone unless a new Nexus comes out.
HTC one is such a beautiful phone to look at but I see very few talking about it. Rather see that iPhone 5 and Galaxy S4 are the most debated ones… See an interesting Face-off between the two at: BRAND COLLAGE
Nice plug. Bolding helps get everyone’s attention donchaknow.
HTC One isnt being talked about because shitty little pundits like you cant find anything wrong with it (oh no sd card blah blah) and users like me are too busy USING IT.
People need to understand that the average consumers doesn’t care about cutting edge specs. When my family uses their Galaxy S3’s for navigation, email, texting, Google Apps, and casual gaming it doesn’t matter to them whether their processor is dual or quad core or exactly what the screen’s ppi is. What matters is that the device runs smooth, has good, battery life, and has a pleasing design. People who care about cutting edge specs are the smartphone/Android enthusiasts who make up the vast minority of consumers. The vast majority of consumers will love customizing their Motorola X to the heart’s content; for them its not about specs.
If it gets funded, I think the Ubuntu Edge will have a lot going for it.
Look at the voting result, it tell u which one is the best
Anyone who bases their decision on a poll is a moron. Try each device and decide for yourself which is the best.
Bionic lol? How many nickname do you have fool? be original
This device is the best ever. It will feel better on the hands, fast and pretty cool features.
These geeks are clueless. They envy moto because they have been the best for so long.
So I guess by this article the S4 has no weakness, since Wiz is easy to get past with Nova or other launchers.