Gadgetory

it's iPhone release week which means it's the perfect time for an Android comparison let's explain that in the US the name samsung has become synonymous with Android to much of the buying public Samsung is the iPhone alternative a perception the company spends billions each year reinforcing so it can be tough for other contenders to make a dent but with its new high-end smartphone the second generation Moto X Motorola is giving it a try if you're in the market for an Android this iPhone shopping season these are two great choices to consider so which one should you buy i'm michael fisher with pocket now let's try to find out in moto x versus galaxy s5 they don't look much alike but these smartphones have a lot in common on the spec sheet they're almost identical in mass screen size and pixel density and horsepower with each driven by some of the best silicon around their cameras are comparable in resolution their radios capable of the same high speed LTE connections and they're each built to run the latest version of Android on this basic level these phones are very similar but you don't have to dig much deeper to see that the priorities which shaped these phones are very dissimilar nearly five years ago Samsung built its Galaxy S line on a foundation of raw power and expandability and that's carried through to today the galaxy s5 s battery is larger than the motos for one thing and it's also removable and replaceable instead of sealed in meaning you can carry more than one power pack if you're planning a long stretch away from a charger and you can boost the galaxy's onboard memory to two 128 gigs with a microSD card the galaxy s5 also includes a veritable fountain of features with a fingerprint scanner a heartrate monitor a TV remote control USB 3.0 and my most support for accelerated downloads it's screen can be made either much brighter or much dimmer than many other smartphones and the whole thing is wrapped up in a dust proof casing that's also capable of for a swim the Moto X offers none of that but where the galaxy s5 comes in only a handful of available colors for its stippled plastic casing the Moto X can be customized in up to 500 different combinations with material choices including real wood and leather Motorola's edges are also real aluminum which is often cool to the touch and its frame is curved to fit the palm meanwhile the galaxy's entire chassis is slab-sided polycarbonate that doesn't look or feel terribly inspired in an aesthetic sense the Moto X definitely looks and feels more like it was designed for humans sorry Samsung if you're the kind of person who loves extravagance though Samsung's custom software is right up your alley visually it favors colors that pop and icons that jump off the page and functionally it features almost every option you could imagine on a smartphone and a few things you'd never think to expect the former category is useful stuff like multi window which lets you run two apps side-by-side so you don't have to pause your YouTube video every time you get a message and ultra power saving mode for when you really need to squeeze the absolute most from your battery in the less useful category is so much stuff most of which is only marginally useful or only works sporadically stuff like hovering your finger over the screen to preview pictures waving your hand over the phone to browse Motorola isn't shy about bundling features of its own but it makes sure they're one implemented properly and to actually helpful being able to interact with your phone by speaking to it from across the room might seem like a party trick but it's so versatile that it comes in handy very often so does having your text messages read aloud to you when you're driving or just busy so does having your screen turn on using only the pixels it needs when you pull the phone from your pocket or when you reach for it when it's sitting idle and Motorola blends these features seamlessly into the clean pure Android experience it's a stark contrast to Samsung's interface which is dotted with endless pop-up windows and dated aesthetics and is more prone to bogging down over time then the stock build is where Samsung's kitchen-sink philosophy serves it well isn't photography the viewfinder on the galaxy s5 may be intimidating with its endless layers of options and toggles but that provides a granular level of control not found on the Moto X while Motorola has included a handy gesture that helps to launch the camera quickly which we love it's also sacrificed too much controllability in the name of simplicity that might be okay with us if the camera delivered better shots in return but it doesn't the Galaxy s5 is a little aggressive when it comes to saturation but mostly the difference in vibrance you're seeing here is a result of the Moto X just making everything look dead HDR helps the Moto somewhat in this regard but Samsung still trounces it for color also evident are the different aspect ratios Motorola confines you to a more squared-off frame if you want to use all 13 of its megapixels while the galaxy lets you shoot in full 16 megapixel resolution in widescreen and while we chastised Samsung for poor low-light performance in our galaxy s5 review it's nowhere near as bad as what Motorola is bringing to the table here about the only thing the Moto X has going for it on the still side is a more powerful flash but since we prefer to avoid flash shooting we're not ready to call that a real advantage same deal in video while we like the Moto X is excellent sound capture and smoother software stabilization we continue to prefer the Galaxy s5s more dynamic and true to life colors more camera samples including selfie shots are available in the full review for each phone and pocket now when motorola is allowed to play to its strengths things go better for the new EX testing on ATT callers report that quality is significantly clearer brighter and crisper on the X verses the muffled galaxy and Motorola's front mounted loudspeaker helps out a lot with speaker phone calls when compared to the rear firing unit on the Samsung phone media playback is the same deal you performance on high demand gaming and such is basically on par at least with our Snapdragon equipped s5 so the last point is battery life and it goes to Samsung while it can be a stretch to get to the end of the day with heavy use on either phone the s5 gives us 25% more screen on time on average plus it's got that ultra power saving mode and that replaceable battery so what's it all come down to for you folks not meant for the Apple ecosystem well using the new Moto X feels almost like you're using Google's version of the iPhone an Apple product not made by Apple that's because it's more limited but in a smarter way it has fewer customizable options and fewer features overall but the features it does offer work better and we find them more useful it feels like a more thoughtful more refined product from software to fit and finish and it's available in trims for every taste by contrast the Samsung product feels more like the anti iPhone which is of course where the Samsung Galaxy family has always come from the cameras better it's more water-resistant there are five times as many features but they're less polished as is the plastic chassis and the whole user experience really but if you don't really care about elegance and your main goal and smartphone shopping is to find a device that can do all the things the galaxy s5 was built just for you which philosophy is built the better phone that's for you to argue about down in the comments but keep it civil and be sure to check out our full review of each of these phones linked in the description down below hey follow us on social media too and subscribe here on YouTube if you don't want to miss future coverage from PocketNow and thanks as always for watching till next time this has been michael fisher captain two phones on twitter reminding you that the only true galaxy is on Orion's belt we'll see you next time you