Nexus 6 vs. Moto X 2014

[anon(5506951)]

I must say, I'm really impressed with some of the features present in the Moto X 2014. Of all the OEM's, they seem to be the one that gets it "right", at least in my opinion. The ability to use your own custom launch phrase is a great idea; not having to worry about the phone going off when you say, "OK, Google" only in passing is a help. The Moto app is great, with Moto Voice, Actions, Assist and Display, which I see is much more reliable than Ambient Display in the Nexus 6. Along those lines, how many of you that have the Nexus 6 actually have a unit where Ambient Display actually works?

If only the Nexus 6 incorporated more of Moto's features! It's a shame, really. If not for what I hear is supposedly average to bad battery life, the only one speaker, and getting Lollipop out of the box on the Nexus 6, I might've considered the Moto X, as it actually has useful features, as opposed to Samsung being stuffed to the gills with gimmicks. Is it any wonder TouchWiz eventually regurgitates after 6 months?

 

[QWIKSTRIKE]

I must say, I'm really impressed with some of the features present in the Moto X 2014. Of all the OEM's, they seem to be the one that gets it "right", at least in my opinion. The ability to use your own custom launch phrase is a great idea; not having to worry about the phone going off when you say, "OK, Google" only in passing is a help. The Moto app is great, with Moto Voice, Actions, Assist and Display, which I see is much more reliable than Ambient Display in the Nexus 6. Along those lines, how many of you that have the Nexus 6 actually have a unit where Ambient Display actually works?

If only the Nexus 6 incorporated more of Moto's features! It's a shame, really. If not for what I hear is supposedly average to bad battery life, the only one speaker, and getting Lollipop out of the box on the Nexus 6, I might've considered the Moto X, as it actually has useful features, as opposed to Samsung being stuffed to the gills with gimmicks. Is it any wonder TouchWiz eventually regurgitates after 6 months?

My ambient display works all day every yime I get a message or text and when I pick up the phone it works. Touch wiz may not be fore everyone but when I had my Gs3 I had no issues using it minus lagg that went away when I installed SBP 3d shell. The featurs are there and gimmicky or not they are all options that make the Note series outshine every device on the market software suite wise.

Nexus lines are pure Android with out the software implentation features of other phone. If having those features matter most you must get those phone. I bought this phone for the larger display, cellular band frequencies/signal strenght for Sprint, and battery life. I knew the cmaera, and display would not be as efficient as the Note and when I tested how bright that it was in sunlight I decided it was good enough to keep, rather tham to return it for a Note4, which was my 1st choice by the way. I played with the Note for weeks and it is a great phone period, and probably the best phablet on the Market. The software suite on the Note 4 has no rival in the phablet arena.


This phone ou pefroms my Nexus 5 in every way minus screen brightness. The battery has lasted me 24 hours with 23% an stimated 5-6 hours of battery time left.

 

[anon(5506951)]

My ambient display works all day every yime I get a message or text and when I pick up the phone it works. Touch wiz may not be fore everyone but when I had my Gs3 I had no issues using it minus lagg that went away when I installed SBP 3d shell. The featurs are there and gimmicky or not they are all options that make the Note series outshine every device on the market software suite wise.

Nexus lines are pure Android with out the software implentation features of other phone. If having those features matter most you must get those phone. I bought this phone for the larger display, cellular band frequencies/signal strenght for Sprint, and battery life. I knew the cmaera, and display would not be as efficient as the Note and when I tested how bright that it was in sunlight I decided it was good enough to keep, rather tham to return it for a Note4, which was my 1st choice by the way. I played with the Note for weeks and it is a great phone period, and probably the best phablet on the Market. The software suite on the Note 4 has no rival in the phablet arena.


This phone ou pefroms my Nexus 5 in every way minus screen brightness. The battery has lasted me 24 hours with 23% an stimated 5-6 hours of battery time left.

I still plan on getting the Nexus, as for me, when it comes down to it, stock Android best fits my needs. I've had this discussion with my friend, and she made some good points. She said that she didn't consider the Nexus 6 to be a real phablet, aside from its size. Mind you, she owns a Nexus 5 and the iPhone 6 Plus, cause she prefers stock. Anyway, she considers the Nexus 6 "a big phone", as opposed to the Note, which is a true phablet, because of its features. I will admit that even though it's not for me, and despite its lag, the Note 4 is the best phablet on the market, for those who wish to make use of all the features. They will have to deal with TouchWiz lag as well. I also have an S3 running Nova Prime. For me, I don't want to have to download launchers and icon packs. I just want to be able to use the phone as it is, running fast and smooth. I like the look of stock Lollipop. If at some point in the far future I choose to use Nova Launcher, though, I'm glad I have the option. It still won't be as bad as TouchWiz, in my opinion.

Good to hear that Ambient Display works for you. I hope it works for me when I get the phone.

 

[ACG00]

I must say, I'm really impressed with some of the features present in the Moto X 2014. Of all the OEM's, they seem to be the one that gets it "right", at least in my opinion. The ability to use your own custom launch phrase is a great idea; not having to worry about the phone going off when you say, "OK, Google" only in passing is a help. The Moto app is great, with Moto Voice, Actions, Assist and Display, which I see is much more reliable than Ambient Display in the Nexus 6. Along those lines, how many of you that have the Nexus 6 actually have a unit where Ambient Display actually works?

If only the Nexus 6 incorporated more of Moto's features! It's a shame, really. If not for what I hear is supposedly average to bad battery life, the only one speaker, and getting Lollipop out of the box on the Nexus 6, I might've considered the Moto X, as it actually has useful features, as opposed to Samsung being stuffed to the gills with gimmicks. Is it any wonder TouchWiz eventually regurgitates after 6 months?

Having gone from a Moto X to the Nexus 6, the Moto apps totally had me spoiled. Moto Display especially, it's far superior to Ambient Display. That's not to say Ambient Display doesn't work, but it's not consistent and it falls short of being able to simply wave your hand over the phone in order to wake the display to see notifications. IMO Motorola did it right with their apps - they augment the stock Android feature set nicely without really screwing with the stock look and feel of the OS.

 

[anon(5506951)]

Having gone from a Moto X to the Nexus 6, the Moto apps totally had me spoiled. Moto Display especially, it's far superior to Ambient Display. That's not to say Ambient Display doesn't work, but it's not consistent and it falls short of being able to simply wave your hand over the phone in order to wake the display to see notifications. IMO Motorola did it right with their apps - they augment the stock Android feature set nicely without really screwing with the stock look and feel of the OS.

I totally agree with you. That's why this has me so confused, lol. I played around with Moto Maker today and designed a phone. It came out to $475 for the 32 GB model. Even with tax, that's still way less than the Nexus 6. Although I'm a T-Mobile prepaid customer, having used a test model in an AT&T store, the Nexus absolutely dwarfs the Moto X in size. The battery (most important in my book) is bigger, and those dual front-facing speakers sound great. Sigh, lol.

 

[QWIKSTRIKE]

I still plan on getting the Nexus, as for me, when it comes down to it, stock Android best fits my needs. I've had this discussion with my friend, and she made some good points. She said that she didn't consider the Nexus 6 to be a real phablet, aside from its size. Mind you, she owns a Nexus 5 and the iPhone 6 Plus, cause she prefers stock. Anyway, she considers the Nexus 6 "a big phone", as opposed to the Note, which is a true phablet, because of its features. I will admit that even though it's not for me, and despite its lag, the Note 4 is the best phablet on the market, for those who wish to make use of all the features. They will have to deal with TouchWiz lag as well. I also have an S3 running Nova Prime. For me, I don't want to have to download launchers and icon packs. I just want to be able to use the phone as it is, running fast and smooth. I like the look of stock Lollipop. If at some point in the far future I choose to use Nova Launcher, though, I'm glad I have the option. It still won't be as bad as TouchWiz, in my opinion.

Good to hear that Ambient Display works for you. I hope it works for me when I get the phone.

I had Nova on the Nexus 5 and I have Nova Prime on my Nexus 6. I used SMS backup and restore for my texts transfer since it worked so well I brought the pro version to support the app maker......well worth the few dollars you pay.

 

[ACG00]

I totally agree with you. That's why this has me so confused, lol. I played around with Moto Maker today and designed a phone. It came out to $475 for the 32 GB model. Even with tax, that's still way less than the Nexus 6. Although I'm a T-Mobile prepaid customer, having used a test model in an AT&T store, the Nexus absolutely dwarfs the Moto X in size. The battery (most important in my book) is bigger, and those dual front-facing speakers sound great. Sigh, lol.

Having stick time with both phones, here's my thinking is you can't really go wrong with either.

- I loved the Nexus 6's large screen while I had it. The size of the phone was a little overwhelming at first but I quickly got used to it. Pocketing it wasn't too bad, and you kind of get used to how to best handle when in use. Due to size it's hard to have a good grip on it when you're using it, and I was somewhat afraid I'd drop it a few times, but I think a slim case would have taken care of it.

- The battery on the Nexus was also better than the Moto X. That's not to say the Moto is bad, but with the way I used the phone the Nexus definitely had the edge there.

- Speakers on the Nexus were nice, but I honestly never listen to anything without headphones so the single speaker on the Moto X doesn't bother me.

- Usability wise, the Moto X has the Nexus beat hands down. I had the Moto X first, so again I was spoiled, but the two features I couldn't live without are Moto Display and Moto Assist. Moto Display is way better than Ambient Display and I've come to rely on Assist, especially when driving. Moto Apps aside though, the big reason I returned my Nexus 6 and went back to the Moto X was the overall performance of the devices. Both phones were running Lollipop, and had the same apps installed, but for whatever reason performance on the Nexus would start to degrade as the day went on (choppy transitions between screens, slow app loading time, etc) while I had none of the same issues with my Moto X.

In the end, I'm perfectly happy with the Moto X. Yeah the big screen was kind of awesome, but the screen on the Moto isn't exactly tiny and it's more pocketable. It's more or less pure Android, with the only exceptions being the Moto app which I love and the crap Verizon installs which I can't really do much about but it's not that big of a deal.

 

[anon(5506951)]

Having stick time with both phones, here's my thinking is you can't really go wrong with either.

- I loved the Nexus 6's large screen while I had it. The size of the phone was a little overwhelming at first but I quickly got used to it. Pocketing it wasn't too bad, and you kind of get used to how to best handle when in use. Due to size it's hard to have a good grip on it when you're using it, and I was somewhat afraid I'd drop it a few times, but I think a slim case would have taken care of it.

- The battery on the Nexus was also better than the Moto X. That's not to say the Moto is bad, but with the way I used the phone the Nexus definitely had the edge there.

- Speakers on the Nexus were nice, but I honestly never listen to anything without headphones so the single speaker on the Moto X doesn't bother me.

- Usability wise, the Moto X has the Nexus beat hands down. I had the Moto X first, so again I was spoiled, but the two features I couldn't live without are Moto Display and Moto Assist. Moto Display is way better than Ambient Display and I've come to rely on Assist, especially when driving. Moto Apps aside though, the big reason I returned my Nexus 6 and went back to the Moto X was the overall performance of the devices. Both phones were running Lollipop, and had the same apps installed, but for whatever reason performance on the Nexus would start to degrade as the day went on (choppy transitions between screens, slow app loading time, etc) while I had none of the same issues with my Moto X.

In the end, I'm perfectly happy with the Moto X. Yeah the big screen was kind of awesome, but the screen on the Moto isn't exactly tiny and it's more pocketable. It's more or less pure Android, with the only exceptions being the Moto app which I love and the crap Verizon installs which I can't really do much about but it's not that big of a deal.

Thanks for your in-depth take on both devices, I appreciate it. That Moto app is tempting, indeed. I guess if I did go with the X, I'd try and get the Pure Edition, to avoid the carrier bloat.

 

[planoman]

I had the moto x pure edition and returned it to wait on the nexus 6. My issues were the battery, camera and one speaker. I loved the rest of the phone though. None of those things were deal breakers but I thought I could do better. If there was a 64 GB moto x 2014 I would have kept it.

I wanted to try the nexus 6 and so far it is great except the width. Have not got used it it after a week. I also have an OPO and 6+ but the slight increase in width is not comfortable and has changed the entire feel of this device.

Might be going back to the moto x...


Posted via my Nexus 6!

 

[Mayze]

If the N6 was able to run moto suite I would buy one. After using moto assist and moto voice for almost a year I can't go back. Being in the shower and replying to text or calls without having to touch my phone is so convenient. Same with driving. Needless to say unless other manufacturers implement these features in their phones in the future I'll be sticking to Motorola's flagship. IMO the software of the X trumps any spec advantage the N6 has.

 

[LeoRex]

I totally agree with you. That's why this has me so confused, lol. I played around with Moto Maker today and designed a phone. It came out to $475 for the 32 GB model. Even with tax, that's still way less than the Nexus 6.

Of course the Nexus 6 is more expensive.... it has an upgraded CPU and GPU, larger higher def display, more RAM, larger battery, upgraded radios (more bands, CAT6, BT 4.1 etc), better speakers, upgraded camera (Sony IMX135 vs the IMX214 in the 6), etc. This isn't a matter of the Nexus 6 just being a stretched and nexus-ified Moto X... I'd be really curious to see what the manufacturing costs are between the two phones, but safe to assume the 6 is a fair bit more expensive to slap together.

To be honest, I'm all in with the theory that the Nexus 6 was really the 'Moto S'... but something happened along the way that changed the course of its development and it changed to the next Nexus. This could have been one of the first 'Android Silver' phones... or the original device that was going to carry the Nexus 6 moniker fell through or didn't come out of development meeting Google's needs... who knows. But the original fell apart and then Motorola offered up the 'S', which to be honest, probably took little to no effort to turn it into a Nexus device. After all, the current Moto line is pretty much a Nexus phone with a few OEM additions.

And (my point with that tangent) had this been the Moto S, it most likely would have been priced similarly to the Nexus 6.

 

[anon(5506951)]

Of course the Nexus 6 is more expensive.... it has an upgraded CPU and GPU, larger higher def display, more RAM, larger battery, upgraded radios (more bands, CAT6, BT 4.1 etc), better speakers, upgraded camera (Sony IMX135 vs the IMX214 in the 6), etc. This isn't a matter of the Nexus 6 just being a stretched and nexus-ified Moto X... I'd be really curious to see what the manufacturing costs are between the two phones, but safe to assume the 6 is a fair bit more expensive to slap together.

To be honest, I'm all in with the theory that the Nexus 6 was really the 'Moto S'... but something happened along the way that changed the course of its development and it changed to the next Nexus. This could have been one of the first 'Android Silver' phones... or the original device that was going to carry the Nexus 6 moniker fell through or didn't come out of development meeting Google's needs... who knows. But the original fell apart and then Motorola offered up the 'S', which to be honest, probably took little to no effort to turn it into a Nexus device. After all, the current Moto line is pretty much a Nexus phone with a few OEM additions.

And (my point with that tangent) had this been the Moto S, it most likely would have been priced similarly to the Nexus 6.

You make a very good point, I did read that Android Silver fell through because OEM's were unwilling to "get with the program", so to speak. It makes a lot of sense that this "Nexus" was supposed to be a Silver device, especially since up until the last possible minute, it seems, I was hearing about there being two variants; a 5.2" device, along with the 5.96" that we see today. Now we know that the 5.96" device was Google's "in case" device. Once Apple came out with the 5.5" 6 Plus, they decided to go with it. In which case, you're right, the price is justified.

 

[LeoRex]

You make a very good point, I did read that Android Silver fell through because OEM's were unwilling to "get with the program", so to speak. It makes a lot of sense that this "Nexus" was supposed to be a Silver device, especially since up until the last possible minute, it seems, I was hearing about there being two variants; a 5.2" device, along with the 5.96" that we see today. Now we know that the 5.96" device was Google's "in case" device. Once Apple came out with the 5.5" 6 Plus, they decided to go with it. In which case, you're right, the price is justified.

I suspect that the 5.2" device was the Droid Turbo to be honest. We got leaks about that thing pretty far into development, far enough that I doubt that it would get scrapped. But no matter how early/late the Moto/Nexus switch may have happened, I still don't see where the controversy over the price stems from.... Too many people are getting hung up on branding and not paying attention to the hardware.

Still.... as for the Nexus 6 vs Moto X choice. We're really talking two different classes of phone here and they don't exactly overlap much.... I will readily admit that the Moto X has a bit more mass market appeal to it.... whereas the Nexus 6 will attract a more directed audience.

By the way.... Ambient Display on my 6 works just fine. I did tweak things a bit... I loaded a custom kernel that included double tape to wake because I missed the feature from my G3 and not because AD didn't work.

 

[danielcj]

Thought the nexus 6 was too large and availability too spotty so I made my own... Nexus 5.2!

 

[anon(5506951)]

I suspect that the 5.2" device was the Droid Turbo to be honest. We got leaks about that thing pretty far into development, far enough that I doubt that it would get scrapped. But no matter how early/late the Moto/Nexus switch may have happened, I still don't see where the controversy over the price stems from.... Too many people are getting hung up on branding and not paying attention to the hardware.

Still.... as for the Nexus 6 vs Moto X choice. We're really talking two different classes of phone here and they don't exactly overlap much.... I will readily admit that the Moto X has a bit more mass market appeal to it.... whereas the Nexus 6 will attract a more directed audience.

By the way.... Ambient Display on my 6 works just fine. I did tweak things a bit... I loaded a custom kernel that included double tape to wake because I missed the feature from my G3 and not because AD didn't work.

Good point again, about the Turbo. When it first came out, the prospect of that battery life had me considering it, as well. Unfortunately, being that it was a Verizon- exclusive device, with me on T-Mobile, that's a no- go. I haven't heard anything about the Turbo's GSM variant Moto Maxx becoming available in the U.S., but the mere presence of bloatware on it is enough to dissuade me.

I agree, in terms of hardware, the Nexus is a beast of a phone, literally and figuratively. I guess past Nexus owners have been spoiled by the ability to have the purest Android experience at such low prices, but the cost of Moto hardware to power such a device is warranted. Google is in competition with Apple, after all, and who better to partner with than Motorola?

Along those lines, I don't understand why Google sold Motorola. It had me wondering if Google's plan was to use Motorola hardware exclusively for Nexus devices, while having Silver devices of other OEM"s. Either way, Motorola's new marriage with Lenovo is an odd one, IMHO.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[LeoRex]

I guess past Nexus owners have been spoiled by the ability to have the purest Android experience at such low prices, but the cost of Moto hardware to power such a device is warranted. Google is in competition with Apple, after all, and who better to partner with than Motorola?

Oh, I can see where the reaction to the price came from.... It's $300 more than the Nexus 5 was. But all the stars aligned for the Nexus 5 to come in at that price. Google lined up an OEM who was able to leverage an existing device and spec it out in a way to reduce overall costs. Google COULD have done that with the Nexus 6 and would have resulted in what amounts to a Moto X 2014, but undercutting its price. And since Motorola was under Google at the time.... that would be an incredibly stupid business plan.

So the Nexus 6 HAD to be a Motorola device, HAD to differentiate itself enough to justify its existence and, as a result, be pretty expensive.

 

[anon(5506951)]

Google lined up an OEM who was able to leverage an existing device and spec it out in a way to reduce overall costs. Google COULD have done that with the Nexus 6 and would have resulted in what amounts to a Moto X 2014, but undercutting its price. And since Motorola was under Google at the time.... that would be an incredibly stupid business plan.

So the Nexus 6 HAD to be a Motorola device, HAD to differentiate itself enough to justify its existence and, as a result, be pretty expensive.

Exactly, on point. No argument here.

 

[IceQubeGames]

I think nexus 6 is better but its more expensive

 

[QWIKSTRIKE]

Good point again, about the Turbo. When it first came out, the prospect of that battery life had me considering it, as well. Unfortunately, being that it was a Verizon- exclusive device, with me on T-Mobile, that's a no- go. I haven't heard anything about the Turbo's GSM variant Moto Maxx becoming available in the U.S., but the mere presence of bloatware on it is enough to dissuade me.

I agree, in terms of hardware, the Nexus is a beast of a phone, literally and figuratively. I guess past Nexus owners have been spoiled by the ability to have the purest Android experience at such low prices, but the cost of Moto hardware to power such a device is warranted. Google is in competition with Apple, after all, and who better to partner with than Motorola?

Along those lines, I don't understand why Google sold Motorola. It had me wondering if Google's plan was to use Motorola hardware exclusively for Nexus devices, while having Silver devices of other OEM"s. Either way, Motorola's new marriage with Lenovo is an odd one, IMHO.

Posted via the Android Central App

Google sold Motorola to offset Samsung in my opinion. They can't own a company Like Moto and then sell phones to compete against it's partners. Samsung and Tizen is a threat to Google and Android. Selling Motorola gave Moto a chance to get out from under Google's shadow to show of it's new phone line, and can now officically start putting a company like Samsung on Notice with design, and software develpoed in house when under Google is the only reason why Moto software is light, and doing what it is doing now.

With Moto out from under Goolge no one can say that Goolge is killing thier sales which would potential cause rifts in partnerships.

 

[LeoRex]

With Moto out from under Goolge no one can say that Goolge is killing thier sales which would potential cause rifts in partnerships.

Yeah, that probably had a lot to do with it.... This was a concern brought up by a lot of people when Google announced they purchased Motorola Mobility.... how would OEMs take this? And I think that the sudden resurgence of Motorola, under Google's guidance, probably wasn't received all that well, mostly by big Sammy, whose numbers have gone into the tank recently. Yes, that has more to do with Chinese OEMs eating into their market share, but between that AND a dominant, KNOWN OEM coming back to life most likely gets on Samsung's nerves. In some aspects, I would say that the huge turnaround by Motorola necessitated its sale to Lenovo. Had Motorola languished along, it would probably still be Google's.

I don't think you could sit there an honestly argue against Motorola as the best Android OEM at the moment... The Moto E, G, X and the Nexus 6... They touch pretty much every smartphone sub-market and no one else can really touch their device/software/price combination (and 'cheap' phones no longer suck). That's why I was actually pretty stoked when it became clear that Motorola was doing the next Nexus. Don't get me wrong, I would have been totally fine with a LG G3-based Nexus 6 (I had a G3...great phone), but Motorola certainly would do the device up proper (they've become masters of optimizing Android for their hardware).