Moto G LTE vs. Nexus 5 vs. Galaxy S4

[Old Stoneface]

G'day,

My wife and I are currently using HTC Sensation 4Gs. They are more-or-less okay--which I guess is about the most that can be said for them.

We're considering upgrading. Cost aside, the following three devices are under consideration:

• Motorola Moto G LTE (outright purchase and BYOD)
• Nexus 5 (thru TMO)
• Samsung Galaxy S4 (thru TMO and TMO branded)

Doing my research, it appears to me the Moto G LTE beats the other two in the following aspects:

• Build quality (it's even slightly water resistant)
• Runtime
• Cell signal acquisition and retention (typical of Motorola)

I know the N5, and particularly the S4, are higher-performing devices, with bigger, better displays, but the other three criteria are more important to us. We use these things nearly 100% as phones and for texting, followed by email, calendaring, keeping an eye on the weather, and occasionally light web browsing. No gaming at all. No video streaming at all. Neither of us even streams music, news, etc. on them.

The only thing that really gives us pause about either the N5 or Moto G is the lack of WiFi calling.

I haven't seen many comments about the performance of the Moto G LTE specifically on T-Mobile's network, even when I asked, so I figured I'd ask the more general question for everywhere. Any fault with my conclusions? Missed something, perhaps?

 

[STARGATE]

It seems like you've done your homework, and actually already decided.

I had the GS4 because the camera, and never regretted that decision.
But apparently the Motorola is the one you seem to be pulled towards.

If you already have the pros and cons, and know exactly what you need from a phone, the answer is clear.

 

[B. Diddy]

The Moto G LTE's main drawback is it only comes in an 8 GB version. Which means you'll only have around 5 GB of internal storage available to you. I know you don't play games, but all apps have to be installed in Internal Storage, and it can be a headache if you start running low on space.

 

[Old Stoneface]

It seems like you've done your homework, and actually already decided.

"Decided" isn't quite accurate. "Strongly leaning toward," is closer. If I'd been firmly decided, I wouldn't have asked

I had the GS4 because the camera, and never regretted that decision.

*sigh* The camera. That's one of the things Motorola skimped on in order to hit their price point. But, in the end, yes: The other aspects are more important to us.

If you already have the pros and cons, and know exactly what you need from a phone, the answer is clear.

That is dependent upon my having interpreted what I've read correctly and what I've read being, in fact, true. E.g.: Is it true the Moto G is robustly constructed? Is it true it has the best runtime of the three? Is it true it is (likely) the best of the three in acquiring and holding a wireless connection?

The Moto G LTE's main drawback is it only comes in an 8 GB version.

The LTE version has a µSD slot that can accept up to a 32GB µSD card.

Thanks for your comments, guys!

 

[B. Diddy]

True, it has an SD card slot, but keep in mind the SD can't be used for app installation. It's primarily for media storage.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[JeffDenver]

I know the N5, and particularly the S4, are higher-performing devices, with bigger, better displays, but the other three criteria are more important to us. We use these things nearly 100% as phones and for texting, followed by email, calendaring, keeping an eye on the weather, and occasionally light web browsing. No gaming at all. No video streaming at all. Neither of us even streams music, news, etc. on them.

The only thing that really gives us pause about either the N5 or Moto G is the lack of WiFi calling.

I haven't seen many comments about the performance of the Moto G LTE specifically on T-Mobile's network, even when I asked, so I figured I'd ask the more general question for everywhere. Any fault with my conclusions? Missed something, perhaps?

Nexus 5 IMO. Definitely.

Vanilla Android + 1080 display + Great CPU + 2 gigs RAM + Wireless Charging + Best camera on the list = win. It will definitely have the smoothest UI of these 3 and will get updates the longest (and quickest). Touchwiz alone would kick the S4 out of the running for me...it's that bad. Nexus does not have SD, but does support USB OTG, and it works well...I can even stream stuff direct from USB on it.

None of them really suck. But the Nexus is the clear winner IMO. I use a Nexus 5 on T-Mobile and love it.

As for Wifi Calling, well, there is this - This is the next best thing to T-Mobile WiFi calling on your Google Nexus 5 or Moto X - Pocketables

So I guess you can do Wifi Calling on any device on T-Mobile, but you have to jump through an extra hoop if you do not use a branded device.

 

[JeffDenver]

*sigh* The camera. That's one of the things Motorola skimped on in order to hit their price point. But, in the end, yes: The other aspects are more important to us.

Not just the G but the X as well. Moto just does not seem all that concerned with cameras.

These are all unmodified images from the Nexus 5.

View attachment 135753

View attachment 135755

View attachment 135756

View attachment 135757

View attachment 135758

Even the 2014 Moto X won't be able to do these.

 

[LeoRex]

First.... which G. The newer or the old?

But as for the old one..... it won't be able to keep up with the much more powerful Nexus, but it'll do its thing well enough where a lot of people won't mind. Motorola does a great job of optimizing their software, so the G should do well in its own right. The first gen Moto's from the X on down, didn't exactly have a stellar reputation when it came to snapping shots... and while the G doesn't have budget-phone performance, it certainly has a budget phone camera. If that's not that important, then no worries.

Hey.... there's not a lot of bad things to say about that G though, nice phone, great price. Provided you've done a little bit of reading and understand it's limitations, you should be happy with it.

 

[blak8830]

There's a thread in the Motorola forums that says you can move apps to SD on the G.
https://forums.motorola.com/posts/7e59cc7baf
I've just order a moto G LTE through Amazon, so we'll see....

 

[B. Diddy]

When you move an app to the SD card, you're not moving the whole app--only a portion. A substantial portion has to remain in the Internal Storage. So it can help if Internal Storage starts to run low, but it may not be enough if you're trying to free up enough storage to install a big app.

Enjoy your G!

 

[Old Stoneface]

Nexus 5 IMO. Definitely.

Vanilla Android + 1080 display + Great CPU + 2 gigs RAM + Wireless Charging + Best camera on the list = win.

Wireless charging seems a gimmick, to me. Doesn't do anything for me. Camera? A nice camera would be nice, but falls in importance well below other criteria, for me.

Touchwiz alone would kick the S4 out of the running for me...it's that bad.

I've never quite understood the TouchWiz hate. Had it on our tablets, before I replaced Samsung's perversion of Android with CM, and thought TouchWiz was all right.

Nexus does not have SD, but does support USB OTG, and it works well...I can even stream stuff direct from USB on it.

The lack of an SD card slot is not a big negative for me. It has more internal storage than I'll ever use.

As for Wifi Calling, well, there is this - This is the next best thing to T-Mobile WiFi calling on your Google Nexus 5 or Moto X - Pocketables

I'll have to look into that. Could be useful. Thanks!

Not just the G but the X as well. Moto just does not seem all that concerned with cameras.

Apparently not.

First.... which G. The newer or the old?

Probably the "old" one, but the LTE version. Funny thing, that: The LTE version seems to get better battery life than the original. Go figure.

I might wait until I see how the 2014 version fairs in reviews and user experiences before pulling the trigger, though. Then again: Either way it's probably not of great importance. I'm going to want to take advantage of 700MHz band 12 and want LTE. The current G LTE doesn't support 700MHz band 12 and the new "G" doesn't have LTE. So I expect to replace it in a year or so, anyway.

But as for the old one..... it won't be able to keep up with the much more powerful Nexus, but it'll do its thing well enough where a lot of people won't mind.

This HTC Sensation 4G I'm using now is so laggy, I'm sure just about anything would be a world of improvement.

Besides: Neither my wife nor I play games or stream videos on our handsets. Phoning, texting, weather... I do calendaring and use the GPS.

The first gen Moto's from the X on down, didn't exactly have a stellar reputation when it came to snapping shots... and while the G doesn't have budget-phone performance, it certainly has a budget phone camera. If that's not that important, then no worries.

We each occasionally take photos with them, but our expectations aren't real high on that score.

When you move an app to the SD card, you're not moving the whole app--only a portion. A substantial portion has to remain in the Internal Storage.

Being as our Sensation 4Gs have a whoppin' 1GB of internal storage, I expect the measly 8GB in the Moto G will suffice on that score

Thanks for the feedback, folks!

My wife's leaning toward the GS4. I remain in favour of the Moto G LTE. She's placing greater emphasis on retaining WiFi calling. Plus a couple friends of ours have GS4s and are happy with them. Having "stock" Android, runtime and other things are more important to me.

 

[STARGATE]

No problem, glad we can help.
I also don't get the hate against TW.
My first Samsung phone was the GS4, and I came from a Motorola.
I loved my GS4, but the GS5 got my attention with the better camera and water resistant, so I got it and gave the GS4 to my sister.

I guess it'll work better if you get the one your leaning towards the most, and the GS4 for your wife.

 

[JeffDenver]

Wireless charging seems a gimmick, to me.

I used to say the exact same thing on here. I didn't believe it either. After 4 weeks of using it, I am wondering how I ever got along without it. It's a lot more convenient than people think it is.

Camera? A nice camera would be nice, but falls in importance well below other criteria, for me.

Then there is no reason not to get a Moto G.

I also don't get the hate against TW..

and

I've never quite understood the TouchWiz hate.

The hate mostly comes from the fact that you can't uninstall it. If Samsung allowed you to uninstall it, there would be little or no hate. Samsung will never do this because they know full well most people would uninstall it.

It slows down the UI and causes lag, and it's ugly. No Samsung device has ever been as smooth or fast as a Nexus device of the same generation...even though they almost always have better hardware.

Based on the criteria you've given, the Nexus 5 should not even be in your list. Not sure what about it was appealing to you.

 

[Old Stoneface]

Then there is no reason not to get a Moto G.

It seems that way, at least for me. I'm just making sure

[regarding TouchWiz...]
It slows down the UI and causes lag, and it's ugly. No Samsung device has ever been as smooth or fast as a Nexus device of the same generation...even though they almost always have better hardware.

Based on the criteria you've given, the Nexus 5 should not even be in your list. Not sure what about it was appealing to you.

Part of the answer to that question you've answered for yourself Tho I have never, so far, had the issues with TouchWiz that you and others apparently have, I've had other issues with Samsung's software, so I'd prefer to avoid it, if possible. My experience with HTC's Sense UI hasn't made me much love it, so same deal.

There are currently two choices, then: Nexus devices and Moto devices. One being pure Android and the other nearly so. It only made sense to have the N5 on my short list.

Our minds are not made up quite yet.

 

[JeffDenver]

It seems that way, at least for me. I'm just making sure

Unless the S4 has something you can't live without (embedded wifi calling might be it), there is no reason not to get a Moto G. It has vanilla android, SD, and will get updates much longer than the S4. And it is significantly cheaper.

Part of the answer to that question you've answered for yourself Tho I have never, so far, had the issues with TouchWiz that you and others apparently have

You have had them...but you may not care enough about them to notice. The lag may be trivial to you. Some people don't care about lag. But a lot of people do.

My experience with HTC's Sense UI hasn't made me much love it, so same deal.

I had an HTC Rezound for the full length of my Verizon contract (18 months)...I have grown to despise Sense.

There are currently two choices, then: Nexus devices and Moto devices. One being pure Android and the other nearly so. It only made sense to have the N5 on my short list.

Why? I'm still not clear on what about the Nexus 5 it is that you like. It has vanilla android, but so does the Moto G. You don't care about the camera. It has no SD. You don't care about lag. Based on your criteria, I don't understand what about the Nexus 5 is appealing to you.

 

[STARGATE]

Wireless charging seems a gimmick, to me. Doesn't do anything for me.

I love wireless charging, had it since my beloved Palm Prē!

I use to have a TouchStone at home and one in each truck.
So convenient!

 

[cgardnervt]

If budget is important to you then get the Moto G 4G. Its a sweet device for the price! But if specs are more important then get the N5.

 

[itic]

The only way to buy a nexus 5 is outright. Buying it from TMO just means another layer of hassles should you have any issues with the phone and that the TMO overlay disables some of the nexus 5s features. S4, TMO and TW overlays will render the phone glitchy and slow. Although wifi calling is nice the radios in the s4 will make you more dependent on wifi calling. Like my nexus comment, samsung and TMO are a pain in the **** to work with if you have problems. My rec is either the moto G lte or a 1st gen moto x outright. Count on the price of the X to drop as the release date of the 2nd gen X nears.

 

[JeffDenver]

The only way to buy a nexus 5 is outright. Buying it from TMO just means another layer of hassles should you have any issues with the phone and that the TMO overlay disables some of the nexus 5s features. S4, TMO and TW overlays will render the phone glitchy and slow. Although wifi calling is nice the radios in the s4 will make you more dependent on wifi calling. Like my nexus comment, samsung and TMO are a pain in the **** to work with if you have problems. My rec is either the moto G lte or a 1st gen moto x outright. Count on the price of the X to drop as the release date of the 2nd gen X nears.

I bought my nexus 4 via TMO...I can tell you there is no overlay. It is like the Google phone. Only difference is a few TMO apps pre-installed (and fully removable).

The only downside from buying a Nexus via TMO is the expense. They may finance it for you, but they will charge the "real" price, which is like $100 or so more. Google is eating part of the cost on the Play store versions. The real retail price is more than on the Play store.

I agree it is best to simply pay cash on Play for a Nexus, if you can afford it. Cheaper and fewer hassles. Google ships very quickly too. I am still really glad TMO will finance Nexus phones for people who can't pay cash.

 

[itic]

I bought my nexus 4 via TMO...I can tell you there is no overlay. It is like the Google phone. Only difference is a few TMO apps pre-installed (and fully removable).

The only downside from buying a Nexus via TMO is the expense. They may finance it for you, but they will charge the "real" price, which is like $100 or so more. Google is eating part of the cost on the Play store versions. The real retail price is more than on the Play store.

I agree it is best to simply pay cash on Play for a Nexus, if you can afford it. Cheaper and fewer hassles. Google ships very quickly too. I am still really glad TMO will finance Nexus phones for people who can't pay cash.

after owning a TMO carrier s3 i went with a N4. I t worked OK but i did notice that i couldnt use the phones tether function so i though there was some kind of TMO control over the function of the phone on their network. I still think the moto G LTE or a 1st x is a better device then nexus.