I was considering the Nexus 5, however I think I would rather have the Moto X the more and more I read in each device.
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Posted via Android Central App
Moto X over Nexus 5
- Thread starter tonymhoffman
- Start date
I skimmed though the N5 section.The more I read the more I know I made the correct choice .Moto X ! 
Let me preface my comments by saying I've had roughly 20 minutes with the Nexus 5 so my thoughts/opinions on that device would not hold the same weight as others who have either reviewed or owned the device. That said, I'm confused on the disparity in reviews as it pertains to the camera/screen/battery/speaker. Those that have reviewed it so far have probably used the phone for 3-5 days; in my experience, that's enough time to get a firm grasp on the device, especially if your job over that span is simply to use the phone. With that said, there seems to be some differing views on those aspects of the phone, although outside of the screen, these were expected to be areas of issue with the Nexus 5.
Having both the Nexus 5 and the Moto X (Verizon, running the new apks from 4.4/Google Home) in my hand, I really wanted to see if there were any huge, glaring differences that would make me want to use a Nexus 5 over my X. Honestly? There's really nothing about the Nexus 5 that appeals to me over the Moto X. There's a negligible difference in general performance, which is pretty amazing considering the advantage of not only the more powerful chipset, but the optimized 4.4 OS. The screen on the Nexus 5 looked washed out compared to the Moto X, something I didn't expect. I came into this thinking the screen was going to be the big sell and it really isn't. It's still a great screen, but not as great as I expected. I wouldn't dare leaving the brightness above 20% on the Nexus 5 for fear of not even getting 6-8 hours of use on that battery. I don't have that problem with the X. Speaking of battery, I can't really comment on it with 20 minutes of use. All I can say is that if I was betting man, I'd bet on it being pretty subpar. You don't add a 5-inch, 1080p screen, a higher clocked/more efficient CPU, and LTE with a 200 mah bump and expect anything great.
From the stills I've seen and the specs, I'd say the camera is better on the 5, but not in such a way that makes any real difference. They're both pretty bad, but Moto made the camera app updatable through the Play Store and that goes a long way with me. The speaker on the Nexus 5 was pretty awful compared to the X, in both audio/video playback and a test phone call on speakerphone. As far as the software goes, 4.4 is coming to the Moto X. It's coming to the Moto X while still maintaining Touchless Controls and Active Notifications. There's nothing specific to the Nexus 5 that gives it an advantage on that side.
Long story short, I'm not that impressed. I wanted to be, but I'm really not. 4.4 is a step forward, but not a huge one, no matter how much people want to be convinced of it. Active Notifications changed how I interact with my phone every time I pick it up. Touchless Controls changed how I interact with my phone when my screen isn't even on. -That- is innovation and there's nothing about 4.4 or the Nexus 5 that even touches that. When you throw in the fact that even with the all the hardware advantages, the Nexus 5 doesn't really outperform the Moto X, there's not much else to say. In my opinion, and I know I'm not the only one, the Moto X is a better phone than the Nexus 5. I know the Nexus line is the "hero device" every year and it's borderline blasphemous to say such things, but there's no shame in losing to what would probably be the phone of the year for 2013: the Moto X.
Having both the Nexus 5 and the Moto X (Verizon, running the new apks from 4.4/Google Home) in my hand, I really wanted to see if there were any huge, glaring differences that would make me want to use a Nexus 5 over my X. Honestly? There's really nothing about the Nexus 5 that appeals to me over the Moto X. There's a negligible difference in general performance, which is pretty amazing considering the advantage of not only the more powerful chipset, but the optimized 4.4 OS. The screen on the Nexus 5 looked washed out compared to the Moto X, something I didn't expect. I came into this thinking the screen was going to be the big sell and it really isn't. It's still a great screen, but not as great as I expected. I wouldn't dare leaving the brightness above 20% on the Nexus 5 for fear of not even getting 6-8 hours of use on that battery. I don't have that problem with the X. Speaking of battery, I can't really comment on it with 20 minutes of use. All I can say is that if I was betting man, I'd bet on it being pretty subpar. You don't add a 5-inch, 1080p screen, a higher clocked/more efficient CPU, and LTE with a 200 mah bump and expect anything great.
From the stills I've seen and the specs, I'd say the camera is better on the 5, but not in such a way that makes any real difference. They're both pretty bad, but Moto made the camera app updatable through the Play Store and that goes a long way with me. The speaker on the Nexus 5 was pretty awful compared to the X, in both audio/video playback and a test phone call on speakerphone. As far as the software goes, 4.4 is coming to the Moto X. It's coming to the Moto X while still maintaining Touchless Controls and Active Notifications. There's nothing specific to the Nexus 5 that gives it an advantage on that side.
Long story short, I'm not that impressed. I wanted to be, but I'm really not. 4.4 is a step forward, but not a huge one, no matter how much people want to be convinced of it. Active Notifications changed how I interact with my phone every time I pick it up. Touchless Controls changed how I interact with my phone when my screen isn't even on. -That- is innovation and there's nothing about 4.4 or the Nexus 5 that even touches that. When you throw in the fact that even with the all the hardware advantages, the Nexus 5 doesn't really outperform the Moto X, there's not much else to say. In my opinion, and I know I'm not the only one, the Moto X is a better phone than the Nexus 5. I know the Nexus line is the "hero device" every year and it's borderline blasphemous to say such things, but there's no shame in losing to what would probably be the phone of the year for 2013: the Moto X.
I agree with all of that minus the nexus 5 camera being equally as bad as the moto X. I've yet to see an android come as close to the iPhone 5s as the N5 In picture quality.
My moto X camera sucks. The only time its awesome is in ideal lighting. Its color reproduction is poor. Reds almost always look pink in unfavorable lighting and blacks purple, skies never seem to come out right either. I have yet to see any of that in n5 shots.
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My moto X camera sucks. The only time its awesome is in ideal lighting. Its color reproduction is poor. Reds almost always look pink in unfavorable lighting and blacks purple, skies never seem to come out right either. I have yet to see any of that in n5 shots.
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Google isn't a hardware company, so they don't really care if you like their device; they make their money when data moves around through their software. The Nexus line is just a development platform for their software, which is why Nexus hardware isn't polished compared to say an iPhone.
Google bought Motorola for their patent portfolio, however, they seem to have been given Google's blessing (and wallet) to seriously focus on the quality of their hardware. Holding a Nexus5 and a Moto X is night and day in terms of ergonomics.
I think this will be the trend going forward; Nexus devices will continue be somewhat bland devices with top-spec chips (for development purposes), while Motorola will be going after Apple's hardware niche.
Google bought Motorola for their patent portfolio, however, they seem to have been given Google's blessing (and wallet) to seriously focus on the quality of their hardware. Holding a Nexus5 and a Moto X is night and day in terms of ergonomics.
I think this will be the trend going forward; Nexus devices will continue be somewhat bland devices with top-spec chips (for development purposes), while Motorola will be going after Apple's hardware niche.
I'm good with that!
A lot of my friends are jealous of how I can interact with my moto x. At the end of the day though,comfort of having always been on iOS 7 and a great camera keeps them with apple.
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I think the bang for buck factor seduced me like a moth to fire. I receive the N5 later this week, but based on people's comments and articles, the X might be better for my use case (better battery, easier to work w/ one hand). I'll see how I feel when Moto leaves ATT's bed and releases Moto-maker to everyone. If the price drops like the ATT version, would be even more compelling.
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I have the n5 but it's just too hold me over till the wood backs are out
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
benhmadison
Well-known member
You could always pick up an AT&T version on Swappa or Craigslist for around 300-400 and unlock it.
I've been tempted to do this myself. But, I think ATT's version is missing the AWS HSPA band. So, if I found myself in an area without T-Mo's LTE or the new 1900 Refarm, I'd be stuck on Edge.
Doesn't seem to be much positivity on g+ with N5 owners. The herd is seldom satisfied but regardless it seems like lot of disappointed people.
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Posted via Android Central App
Making one of the best pieces of technology in existence (available to mass consumers) isn't enough anymore. It has to be PERFECT. Of course, perfect is never going to happen and no one could ever agree on what perfect means... but the vitriol is increasing at an alarming rate and it's pretty draining. The things these companies are doing with things that go in our pockets is nothing short of amazing to me. Could we all think of some little things that might improve the experience? Sure... but how many of us can build the whole thing from the ground up? As long as we're in the business of buying someone else's work, maybe we should try out the business of appreciating the artisan.
planoman
Well-known member
I get home later today from a weeklong meeting. As a fan of the moto x, I will be weighting in on the conversation as I have a Nexus 5 waiting on my home office desk!
Looking forward to setting it up and sharing thoughts with you all.
Sent from my Moto X!
Looking forward to setting it up and sharing thoughts with you all.
Sent from my Moto X!
Look forward to hearing your opinion. As a lot have mentioned, it seems people aren't happy with the n5. Weak battery, poor camera, washed out display, poor sound quality, all reasons people are upset with this phone. I was holding out for the n5 but after seeing the release and reviews I've decided to go with the x. That battery and active notifications, mmmmm. Lol.
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Johnly
Retired Moderator
A couple things about the N5 that I like over the moto x. One, no vzw setup wizard. 2, the haptic feedback on the nexus is better than the X and silent. I love both phones but being on vzw and not having Google wallet is a drag. I will be on the hunt for all these issues people speak of. I honestly don't think you can go wrong with either. The screen on the nexus is wowza!
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
Premium1
Trusted Member
I guess in this case you get what you pay for. Everyone wants a cheap phone and google tries to cram as much as they can into a device and keep the price down which is why it seems like the nexus line is always compromised in one way or another.
ffejjj
Well-known member
I like that Google puts a phone out at a reasonable that hangs with the big dogs. I just think it would be hard to compare to the X.
The few times I've messed with the X had left me very impressed. If I didn't own the One I'd get the Moto X
Sent from my HTCONE using AC Forums mobile app
The few times I've messed with the X had left me very impressed. If I didn't own the One I'd get the Moto X
Sent from my HTCONE using AC Forums mobile app
I had been an iPhone user since day one. Dumped my iPhone 5 for the Moto X. Haven't missed the iPhone even once. The Nexus 5 is very tempting but I'm afraid I would miss the touchless controls/"Always On" features and the active notifications.
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