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Torn between Moto X...

H

Hadlander

Lurker
...and the iPhone 5s.
Bit of background; I currently have an iPhone 4 and a MacBook Pro. I'm comfortable with Apple tech, but the Moto X looks like a pretty great phone, and I'm fairly comfortable with stock Android as I have a Nexus 7.

Also, I primarily use my phone for calling, texting and web browsing. Also, some business stuff like managing calendars and traffic maps (stuff like that). I have no interest in rooting or downloading kernels or anything like that. Furthest I go with customization is background display and ringtones.

I only really have 2 questions/concerns:
- Which is the better phone (broad question, I know, but I'd love informed feedback)?
- While I don't do a lot of syncing with my MacBook Pro, am I in a disadvantage for when I need to do somethings like transfer songs/podcasts, backing up my phone, and other general tasks that would require me to hook my phone up to my computer?

BTW, if you're ultra anti-iPhone, and you're the type that flies into a rage whenever i-Anything pops up, save your aggro; I'm just not interested, and you're not helping.

Thanks guys!
 
I have a buddy who is an "apple guy" has the 4S and is planning on getting the 5S when our apple store here gets more in. He played with my X on Friday and called me Monday and asked if he could play with it some more. He loved how it felt in hand and some of the software I got to show him ... he wants a chance to really play with android as he's NOT overly familiar. Said it's the first android he's ever cared about. (he's played with the HTC One, the nexus 4 and a samsung)

So I don't know if that helps, but I have played with his Iphones, I am not a fan of Apple and I love my X.

My 2 cents
 
You can't say one is better, because it just comes down to which one meets your needs better. I use all types of products. ipads, nexus 7, iphones, moto x, PC, macbooks. That being said, I use different devices for different categories. For example, I use a custom built desktop PC for my main computer. When I am on the go, Macbook air. With my cell phone, I get bored of my phone pretty fast. If I had more money, I would probably get a new phone every six months. But right now, I am switching out every year. The bottom line, if I had an iphone, I would get tired of it within about 3-5 months. Where as Android allows to me to do things to my phone where I am ok keeping it for a year or longer. Look, they work very well for people who just want a phone, unbox it, and go. Also, the build quality is nice, as long as you never drop it.

For you, it sounds like an iphone would be a great phone for you and it will meet your needs perfectly. Your just getting trapped in the "something different" phase. Its kinda like wanting a new girlfriend, even though the one you have is perfect for you. :)

However, if you feel like you need a change, I would say the Moto X would be a great choice. If not the best choice. The two best smartphones I recommend to people right now are the S4 (google play edition) and the Moto X. I have heard many people say this phone, is the first real "iphone" on the android platform. In the sense that, when you get it, it makes sense and it works great.

I can agree that Apple had an advantage with syncing stuff early on, but I think that part is starting to become less of an issue... if you are willing to change services. Obviously, if you do everything through itunes, the best way to stay in sync is with an iphone. But Google has many good ways to keep your data safe. You just would have to be willing to try it out.

If possible, I might recommend holding out a little longer, Cause the Nexus 5 might interest you. Considering you are on a carrier who supplies the phone.
 
There are a lot of possibilities. If you are attracted to the iPhone at all (I'm not) you should probably go with it. There is a difference in approach and if you like the Apple approach then that's what you should do.

I went with the Droid Maxx that has much the same structure as the Moto X and a very long lasting battery (I'm testing right now and it is almost 2 days 19 hours at 10%) and 32GB memory.

There is a forum in Android Forums that is dedicated to device comparisons. I would be happy to move your thread there so you got the maximum exposure to your question.

... Thom
 
Since this is an Android forum, my answer will be biased. I liked my iPhone 4/s when I had it; it was a good phone with a nice screen, great camera, was fairly smooth most of the time even though its smoothness was a bit overrated. Personally, I can do without having to buy Apple specific cables since my other device is an Android tablet. It sounds like a Moto X or Nexus 4 (or Nexus 5 when it's released) will be good options for you. They run vanilla Android (or close to it with the Moto X) which run smoothly. The display is 720p RGB which is beautiful. The camera is a bit lacking though maybe the update will correct some of that.
Basically what Android will offer is just a little more customization aside from the app screen and folders that the iPhone just has. Widgets being able to do multiple things and many apps to choose from the Play store will give your phone more utility. With that said, I wouldn't just download everything for the sake of doing it. If you're on Verizon, it might be better to opt for the Droid Maxx due to it's bigger screen and battery if that supports your needs. Once you go to a bigger screen, that thin 4" iPhone will be a distant memory.
Now just take what I said with a grain of salt. I've only had a couple experiences with the Moto X in store where I got to play with it for a half hour the 1st time then close to an hour the 2nd. The turn offs to me were the camera and lack of expandable storage though the iPhone doesn't offer that either.
 
If a camera is at the top of your list in terms of features (its not for me), it will disappoint you, and could be a deal breaker. But we will see if the new update (rolling out soon) will fix those camera problems to make it more... normal.
 
Hadlander said:
I only really have 2 questions/concerns:
- Which is the better phone (broad question, I know, but I'd love informed feedback)?
Click to expand...

The iPhone 5s is probably better from a hardware perspective. One clear advantage is Apple technical and hardware support. There is nothing like AppleCare+ that you can get from Motorola. There is no Motorola Store. There are insurance options, but even those are worse than Apple support for the iPhone products. As somebody else pointed out, the iPhone 5s camera is much, much better than Motorola's, and even a software update to Moto's camera will not make the hardware as good as Apple's.

- While I don't do a lot of syncing with my MacBook Pro, am I in a disadvantage for when I need to do somethings like transfer songs/podcasts, backing up my phone, and other general tasks that would require me to hook my phone up to my computer?
Click to expand...

Backing up (and restoring) the phone - that is something that the iPhone does better as well. Especially if you use iCloud syncing, you can choose to restore an iPhone from a prior backup and get the phone set up exactly as it was when the backup was made, save perhaps for some passphrases. Android offers some backup, but it doesn't backup and restore things like call logs, SMS messages, home screens, and most application data. It does restore many settings (like wifi hotspot settings), wallpapers, will reinstall apps (again, most, if not all, without any of your data). There are some third party apps that can do this, but Android/Moto X out of the box will not do this.

Podcasts - seriously, you are better off with a great podcast app like Pocketcasts than transferring from your computer. Just let the app download them for you. It can be set to download only over wifi if you want to save data.

Music - again, I suggest using Google's Music service. You can upload up to 20,000 songs, and it can be done automagically using an app from Google that syncs with your iTunes library.

If you really want to copy music directly from a Mac to an Android phone, there is an app called doubletwist that can do so. I haven't used it for years now, but I recall that it would sync automatically upon connection to a phone. Again, that's not how I use my phone (I have the Motorola Droid Maxx, which is software-similar to the Motorola X).


If this seems like I'm steering you to the iPhone, perhaps I am; but really, I want you to know the disadvantages you may see with the Moto X compared with the iPhone. I love Android, I love what Motorola has done with their phones, and there are things that Android does for me what iOS cannot (most specifically, Android does Gmail and Google calendar and contact services better than iOS, supports a great third-party keyboard called Swiftkey that saves me a lot of effort, but I love an app called SMS Backup+ that backs up all of my text and mms messages to Gmail conversations, my call logs to a Google Calendar. There is nothing like that on iOS.)
 
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