Google Nexus 5 vs. Moto X: Detailed Comparison

Buying an Android phone these days has become a major dilemma of sorts. With so many fantastic devices flooding the market, making the choice is anything but easy. There are many devices to choose from and different people will recommend different devices.

In this case, the best thing to do is to make a list of what you are looking for in your phone and then match a device which suits all those specifications. The current hotties in the Android world are the Nexus 5 and Moto X. If you are confused, then take a look at the detailed comparison below before making an informed choice.

Display Specs

The Nexus 5 has a 5 inch LCD display of 1920 x 1080 IPS with a density of 445 PPI. The display is extremely sharp which means that if you are a movie buff, then this phone is the right one for you. Also the whites are perfect without being too bluish.

On the other hand, Moto X has a 4.7 inch AMOLED display with 1280 x 720. So there are rich colours with an excellent contrast feature. The density is lesser at 316 PPI.

If you really have to pick a favourite between the two, then the screen is where the Nexus 5 really excels and this super strong gorilla glass which makes it virtually unbreakable.

Camera features

The Moto X easily wins in the camera department with a behemoth 10 mp camera as compared to the 8 mp of the Nexus 5. While not judging the camera by the pixels alone, the performance is also noteworthy.

The Moto X is better and faster at focusing, than the Nexus 5, even in bright contrasting situations. The Nexus 5 has a lengthy shutter lag time as compared to Moto X. In the software department too, the Moto X is very user friendly and easy to function.

However, the Nexus 5 has the feature of taking 360 panoramic images, a feature called the Photosphere. Also, the image quality is definitely better with the Nexus, with less noise and the appropriate amount of sharpness. The HDR effect (or as the Nexus calls it, HDR+) is a better at the detailing.

Battery life

The battery life in the Moto X is pretty long and can last you an entire day and sometimes even more, depending on your use. On a single charge, the Moto X gets between 4 to 8 hours more of charge than the Nexus 5.

Performance comparison

In terms of day to day performance, there is little difference between the two devices. This is slightly surprising, given the superior specs of the Nexus 5. It has a 2.26 GHz Snapdragon 800, way better than the Moto’s 1.7 GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro.

The apps run mostly the same in both the devices. Chrome and Youtube work faster on the Moto X. In games like Asphalt 8, nexus % came out tops. This proves that at the end of the day, numbers and specs might not mean all that much.

Cool extras

Both the phones have good voice control features. For the Moto X, the mic is always on, even while it is in sleep mode. So you have to train your phone to recognise your voice. The Nexus 5 has similar options, except the fact that the commands don’t function when the phone is inactive.

The Nexus 5 has a home screen dedicated to Google Now, and it’s always on.

Finally, to guide your decision, go through these specs carefully and discover which the ones that matter the most to you are.

About the author

Rob Jameson is a freelance Android app developer for the last three years. He also writes gadget reviews for popular tech websites. In his free time, Rob loves to play FPS video games.