Thoughts: Moto X & Nexus 5

[alostpacket]

Well I think you cant go wrong

I would suggest really get to know Active Notifications. A lot of bloggers who reviewed the Moto X found that at first glance they weren't super impressed, but as they began to learn the features and use them more, they really loved the phone.

The Anandtech guy made it his main phone after the review heh.

For example: One of the great things about the X is how it wakes up when I pick it up or take it out of my pocket.

It seems like a gimmick after first but then you realize its truly kinda awesome -- saves from having to hit the power button.

 

[UncleMike]

Well I think you cant go wrong

I would suggest really get to know Active Notifications. A lot of bloggers who reviewed the Moto X found that at first glance they weren't super impressed, but as they began to learn the features and use them more, they really loved the phone.

I like the idea of the Moto X features, but imagine that active notifications and touchless controls are effectively neutered when you use anything more secure than slide-to-unlock.

My other concern is the lower specs of the Moto X. I understand that it may not make a difference now (I'll see for myself soon), but when Android blah-blah-blah comes out, it may mean that the Nexus 5 gets an update while the Moto X does not. With each major OS update, some devices are inevitably left behind, and historically those devices have been the ones with lower specs.

 

[doogald]

I like the idea of the Moto X features, but imagine that active notifications and touchless controls are effectively neutered when you use anything more secure than slide-to-unlock.

Active Notifications are definitely not neutered. They can be - you have the option to hide details if you have a secure lockscreen - but you don't have to. Of course when you slide the notification to unlock, you need to use your secure method. (I use pattern unlock myself.)

Touchless controls are neutered a bit, but you can still place calls and (I think) send text messages, even if the phone is locked. I use touchless controls very rarely anyway.

 

[alostpacket]

I like the idea of the Moto X features, but imagine that active notifications and touchless controls are effectively neutered when you use anything more secure than slide-to-unlock.

My other concern is the lower specs of the Moto X. I understand that it may not make a difference now (I'll see for myself soon), but when Android blah-blah-blah comes out, it may mean that the Nexus 5 gets an update while the Moto X does not. With each major OS update, some devices are inevitably left behind, and historically those devices have been the ones with lower specs.

I recently got a Pebble Watch which serves as a trusted bluetooth device. It keeps the moto X unlocked when in range. But If I leave the room or it were to get stolen, my pin would kick in.

Moto also sells something called Moto skip that can do the same thing.


As for the specs, it may not have the fastest processor but is still competitive with an S4 or HTC One, especially because of the GPU. Honestly it is buttery smooth, I never noticed any performance issues whatsoever.


Have a look at these benchmarks, they tell the story of how fast a Moto X is (hint: really friggin fast). Also remember the S4 and HTC One cheat on some benchmarks.

Moto X holds it's own in CPU
AnandTech | Moto X Review

Moto X rocks the GPU
AnandTech | Moto X Review


* These benchmarks predate the N5 and G2 and kitkat

 

[Rxpert83]

I turn off the "OK Google" as it is on my nexus 5. Id likely turn off the always listening on the motoX as well.

Talking to my phone (as opposed to using it as a communication tool to talk to someone else) just hasn't caught on with me.

I wonder how much of a battery difference you'd see.

 

[UncleMike]

I recently got a Pebble Watch which serves as a trusted bluetooth device. It keeps the moto X unlocked when in range. But If I leave the room or it were to get stolen, my pin would kick in.

I implemented my own lock/unlock secure zones (Wi-Fi connections) using Tasker, but specifically made it so that the device must be manually unlocked once in a secure zone before the lock is disabled. Does Motorola's trusted Bluetooth concept just disable the lock automatically when in range, our must the user unlock it once first?

 

[doogald]

I implemented my own lock/unlock secure zones (Wi-Fi connections) using Tasker, but specifically made it so that the device must be manually unlocked once in a secure zone before the lock is disabled. Does Motorola's trusted Bluetooth concept just disable the lock automatically when in range, our must the user unlock it once first?

You have to unlock it once, then it stays unlocked. However, I have two trusted BT devices - a pebble watch and my car's BT. If I turn off my car and lose the connection, even if the pebble is still connected, I sometimes have to unlock again once. It doesn't happen every time, but it happens once in a while.

 

[slyd]

The speaker on the moto x is waaaaaay louder than the nexus 5 speaker.

 

[krouget]

My other concern is the lower specs of the Moto X. I understand that it may not make a difference now (I'll see for myself soon), but when Android blah-blah-blah comes out, it may mean that the Nexus 5 gets an update while the Moto X does not. With each major OS update, some devices are inevitably left behind, and historically those devices have been the ones with lower specs.

With the implementation of Kit Kat, Google has sought to stop this. "Lower specs", now more than ever, don't mean as much as they did, given Google has taken measures to lean out the OS-- and that's without saying the Moto X was optimized and running fine on 4.2, so the lower footprint from 4.4 only means good things. Most current devices usually don't fully utilize all of their hardware, save for focused benchmark testing, which isn't the best way to reflect real-world usage.

Also, Motorola has turned things around in a number of ways, most notable the lack of any serious modifications to the OS (the size of which adds bloat, and is more likely what hurts actual lower spec devices), and then the fact that they've shown some serious initiative on the update front (so much so, that they've also moved previously native apps to Google Play, in order to speed up the process). I'm not sure how well they'll adhere to the speedy update schedule in the future, but thus far, signs are good...after all, they did beat the Nexus 4 and GPE devices.

 

[UncleMike]

I've been torn between these two phones since the Cyber Monday deal was announced last week. You've basically hit on my two main concerns: the N5 speaker and the MX display. Both the speaker(phone) and outdoor visibility on my GSM Gnex suck, so either of these phones would be an improvement. My main concern with the MX is outdoor visibility. My main concern with the N5 is the speaker (I already know it sucks, but can be fixed if rooted).

But... as of lunch time today I have both an MX and N5 on the way, so I'll see first hand and (hopefully) be able to make a decision.

Well I think you cant go wrong

I would suggest really get to know Active Notifications. A lot of bloggers who reviewed the Moto X found that at first glance they weren't super impressed, but as they began to learn the features and use them more, they really loved the phone.

The Anandtech guy made it his main phone after the review heh.

For example: One of the great things about the X is how it wakes up when I pick it up or take it out of my pocket.

It seems like a gimmick after first but then you realize its truly kinda awesome -- saves from having to hit the power button.

I've had both phone on hand since early December and have decided to keep the Moto X and return the Nexus 5. With the Nexus 5 there was nothing I really loved, a few things that left me wanting (speakerphone volume/quality, voice recognition), and 1 thing I found unacceptable - battery life. With the Moto X, I love Active Display and Touchless Controls (voice recognition is better than the N5, even without TC), and there was nothing that left me wanting or that I found unacceptable. The form factor of the Moto X is better for me too - I find it much more comfortable to move around in one hand, and it's as large as I can go for comfortable one-handed use.

 

[syntrix]

And here I came from an S4, and love my Moto X

I did play with the N5 a lot, but I don't want to lose my unlimited data on VZW, so very hesitant to switch to a GSM carrier. And for the $150 off deal, getting one from Moto for $350 was an awesome deal.

For the first time ever, I think it's more about the experience and not the paper benchmarks on ANY phone that I've used! This phone just works, and it works very well!

 

[DarkJedi]

I love my Moto X... just wish it had Photosphere. Using the Google Play app Focal doesn't use the full resolution (and honestly doesn't look as good).

 

[UncleMike]

I love my Moto X... just wish it had Photosphere. Using the Google Play app Focal doesn't use the full resolution (and honestly doesn't look as good).

Not having PhotoSphere was one of the negatives for the Moto X that I was conscious of before looking at the Nexus 5 and Moto X. I've seen posts where people have made stock camera app from either a Nexus or GPE phone available for download, but also saw at least one report of tearing of the viewfinder image in both the downloaded app AND the stock app after installing the downloaded app. I came to the conclusion that while PhotoSphere is cool, the ability to view it as intended is very limited (on a device that supports it, or in Google+), and for my purposes, panorama photos are just as good for 90% of what I used PhotoSphere for.