Not a downgrade. It is just a lateral move. I liked the screen better stock kitkat on the Nexus 5 myself, but I liked the smaller form factor and better battery on the Moto X. Both are equally interesting in their own right.
Is going from the Nexus 5 to the Moto X considered a "downgrade"?
- Thread starter Mikhailov
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Wildo6882
Well-known member
I would put them equal. The Nexus has the processor and better camera. The X had the form factor, active notifications, and battery life. I would probably switch to a Nexus just for the camera if Verizon carried it. But that's because that's the single most important thing in a smartphone for me. Your use may differ.
oldDummy
Well-known member
Can't argue with someone who currently has both.
There is a possibility that I didn't give the Nexus 5 a reasonable chance.
After going over the specs and a review that I trust [Anandtech]: Might give it another shot.
Truthfully, never thought of having two cell phones at one time...seems extravagant.
In this new age of cell user empowerment me thinks it will be common.
But, that is for another thread.
Thanks for your reply.
It really depends on how you use your phone. For me, the Nexus 5 would be a downgrade from the Moto X. Sure, the Nexus 5 has more powerful hardware, but we have really reached a point where software is more important because even mid range hardware (Moto G level) will run Android with little to no problem. There are software features on the X that the N5 does not have and I use multiple times a day every day. First and foremost is touchless control. I drive a ton. It is illegal (and unsafe) to touch your phone while driving where I live. Being able to initiate a quick text, phone call, change music, etc. from a locked phone is a killer feature for me. The Nexus 5 can't do that. Having "always listening" from the home screen is not the same, and as far as my use is concerned, is virtually indistinguishable from the feature being entirely absent. The next is Moto Assist. Yes, Tasker, Llama, and others can emulate this feature, but none are as easy to set up and use as Assist. The other biggie for me is Active Display. I like it so much more than a notification LED. With an LED, yes you can see you have a notification. With active display, I can see, without touching my phone, whether it is a notification I want to bother dealing with right then or not.
benhmadison
Well-known member
It really is a lateral move. I went from the X to the N5 and there are pros and cons to both. If you are just itching to make a change then I would go for it, but either way you will end up with a great device.
TofuTwit
Well-known member
I passed in the motox and bought the nexus. Love it but it didn't knock my socks off the way the n4 did. Played with my wife's motox and eventually got one too during the black Friday sale. Have not regretted making the switch.
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ultravisitor
Well-known member
No matter what, some people will consider a move from a Nexus to ANY other phone to be a downgrade--unless the move is to a more recent Nexus.
Really, though, you're splitting hairs between the Nexus 5 and Moto X. They're about on par with one another. It just depends on how you'll be using your phone and what you value.
Really, though, you're splitting hairs between the Nexus 5 and Moto X. They're about on par with one another. It just depends on how you'll be using your phone and what you value.
How is the speaker on the Moto X? In my limited time with it (other friend's devices), I noticed it to be better than the N5 or even the HTC one's speaker. Are there other factors that made some of you former N5 users want to switch?
bbycrts
Well-known member
There is no such thing as a downgrade if you're choosing something that works better for you. Specs mean nothing if the overall package doesn't make sense to the way you work.
Kevin OQuinn
AC Team Emeritus
I currently have both devices with me 100% of the time, and they are both active with AT&T SIM cards in them. I like them both, but my priorities may be different than yours. So here are my thoughts when comparing the two:
The Nexus 5 has a better display and camera than the X. This isn't even close, and there are quantifiable ways to prove the display is superior. It has better color accuracy, gets brighter, and is far more visible in daylight (which is extremely important to me). The X has a really good display for being AMOLED, but it's still AMOLED and has all the draw backs associated with that technology (over saturated colors, poor daylight visibility), but I haven't had it long enough to know if it suffers from the "black splotch syndrome" or will suffer burn-in (I suspect no burn-in since the display stays off far more often than any other phone I've used).
The camera on the X got much better with the updates, and so did the N5. The N5 camera is far more consistent for me, though, with focus being better, shutter speed faster, and low-light performance easily better. That being said, both camera are serviceable.
The software experience is going to be a preference. I love the voice actions on the X, and I actually use them in the car. The breathing for notifications is great. The N5 has GEL, but that's not a huge selling point in comparison to the X honestly. The X wins on software.
The X also wins in battery life. This isn't even close. I have franco kernel on the N5, with undervolting, and the X still stomps it in battery life. I can go a day and half without charging the X. The N5 will mostly make it through a day, but it also sits on my wireless charger while I'm at work. Which brings up something else, the N5 has wireless charging. For someone that sits at a desk this is a really nice feature. I can just pick it up and set it back down when I'm done using it. Honestly, because of this I don't worry about the battery life of the N5, but that's my situation. Someone else's may be different.
When it comes time to pick one up to use, I usually go for the N5. The two most important things for me are the display and camera, and I know the N5 won't disappoint in either of those when I go to use it. Daylight visibility alone (especially here in California) is almost enough by itself to choose the N5 for my particular use case.
All that being said, I wouldn't tell someone with an X that they should get the N5, but I would tell anyone they should give it a fair shot. If you've done that and still like the X better I can't fault your decision at all, especially if it does what you need it to do better than any other device available today.
The Nexus 5 has a better display and camera than the X. This isn't even close, and there are quantifiable ways to prove the display is superior. It has better color accuracy, gets brighter, and is far more visible in daylight (which is extremely important to me). The X has a really good display for being AMOLED, but it's still AMOLED and has all the draw backs associated with that technology (over saturated colors, poor daylight visibility), but I haven't had it long enough to know if it suffers from the "black splotch syndrome" or will suffer burn-in (I suspect no burn-in since the display stays off far more often than any other phone I've used).
The camera on the X got much better with the updates, and so did the N5. The N5 camera is far more consistent for me, though, with focus being better, shutter speed faster, and low-light performance easily better. That being said, both camera are serviceable.
The software experience is going to be a preference. I love the voice actions on the X, and I actually use them in the car. The breathing for notifications is great. The N5 has GEL, but that's not a huge selling point in comparison to the X honestly. The X wins on software.
The X also wins in battery life. This isn't even close. I have franco kernel on the N5, with undervolting, and the X still stomps it in battery life. I can go a day and half without charging the X. The N5 will mostly make it through a day, but it also sits on my wireless charger while I'm at work. Which brings up something else, the N5 has wireless charging. For someone that sits at a desk this is a really nice feature. I can just pick it up and set it back down when I'm done using it. Honestly, because of this I don't worry about the battery life of the N5, but that's my situation. Someone else's may be different.
When it comes time to pick one up to use, I usually go for the N5. The two most important things for me are the display and camera, and I know the N5 won't disappoint in either of those when I go to use it. Daylight visibility alone (especially here in California) is almost enough by itself to choose the N5 for my particular use case.
All that being said, I wouldn't tell someone with an X that they should get the N5, but I would tell anyone they should give it a fair shot. If you've done that and still like the X better I can't fault your decision at all, especially if it does what you need it to do better than any other device available today.
LOL....nice list.....Not worth arguing with you. I love the Moto X, bought mine the day they came out. Fact of the matter is that the Moto X is a little long in the tooth at this point and they are practically giving them away. The N5 is just plain worth more and it has a much better camera. The Moto X right now at this point is a downgrade from the N5. Love the Moto X, I really do and I cant wait for the second generation of it but given the choice, if I could only have one then it would have to be the N5.
oldDummy
Well-known member
Sorry I'm late to this thread but I'm not sure how you can say the Moto X screen look sharper when it's 720p, when the N5 is 1080p. The N5 have more than twice the number of on screen pixels compared to the Moto X (2MP vs 0.9).
You may mean the contrast on AMOLED screen is better which is true or that AMOLED screen have very unrealistic color saturation making it pop more.
But it's true that Goggle always tune their all their Nexus screens to be on the washed out side on purpose.
Otherwise I think Moto X is a better choice for you.
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You may mean the contrast on AMOLED screen is better which is true or that AMOLED screen have very unrealistic color saturation making it pop more.
But it's true that Goggle always tune their all their Nexus screens to be on the washed out side on purpose.
Otherwise I think Moto X is a better choice for you.
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I have never own an AMOLED device that doesn't have black blotches, it goes with the territory.
But the MotoX screen have RGB matrix so it have good detail. I still like AMOLED more for the contrast and black level. Saturation issue for AMOLED wouldn't be so bad if the manufacturer include a kennel feature and software to changes the display settings, Asus does this. I never have issues with AMOLED brightness in sunlight, I love it's viewing angle which is basically 180* side to side.
LCD have it's own issues like poor contrast and backlight leakage. In the end it's just preferences.
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Moving between these two is basically moving between the #1 and #2 devices in the top 10 list, but which direction it is and how close that gap appears is very subjective. I consider the X to be slightly higher than the Nexus, but both are pretty far ahead of 3rd place, IMO.
If the cost is the same, I think you should get the one you like more, and not worry about whether someone else thinks it's a downgrade or an upgrade or whatever. Phones have gotten powerful enough that most of them work well enough, and the difference is mostly in how you interact with them. Do you like how it feels in your hand? Do you like looking at the screen? Does it sound good to you? Is the reception adequate for your needs? Does the battery last long enough?
I bought the Moto X because I really wanted a phone smaller than the "flagships", and I've been very happy with it. It feels really nice in my hand, fits in my pockets, and has really excellent reception. The battery is good enough. These were the critical items for _me_. I don't much care about the camera or watching videos on my phone. (That being said, I've been pleasantly surprised with the quality of photos. Phones take MUCH better photos than they used to.)
My only regret is that it doesn't do wireless charging. I had that feature two phones ago, on the Pre, and I still miss it. But no phone on the market was perfect for me,and this one is good enough.
I hope you enjoy whatever phone you end up with.
I bought the Moto X because I really wanted a phone smaller than the "flagships", and I've been very happy with it. It feels really nice in my hand, fits in my pockets, and has really excellent reception. The battery is good enough. These were the critical items for _me_. I don't much care about the camera or watching videos on my phone. (That being said, I've been pleasantly surprised with the quality of photos. Phones take MUCH better photos than they used to.)
My only regret is that it doesn't do wireless charging. I had that feature two phones ago, on the Pre, and I still miss it. But no phone on the market was perfect for me,and this one is good enough.
I hope you enjoy whatever phone you end up with.
I can't explain it. It just looks nicer to me. The Nexus 5 is not a bad display, but it does seem washed out when comparing side by side.
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Kevin OQuinn
AC Team Emeritus
I can explain why. People in general prefer a cool and saturated display. It's pleasing to the human eye.
The Nexus 5 display is the most technically accurate display that has shipped on an Android phone to date. It's not washed out our muted or anything. It's accurate and presents things the way they should appear. Any other display in comparison is wrong.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with your preference for one display versus other, but I just wanted to explain why people think AMOLED displays look so great.
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