Gadgetory

if you're in the market for a premium Android smartphone but you're not interested in stretching your pockets with one of the Jumbo phones that are quickly becoming the norm Sony and Motorola are each heading into 2014 with a nice option but which is the better fit for you let's find out i'm michael fisher with pocket now and this is sony xperia z1 compact vs. motorola moto x from a practical standpoint this choice is a question of availability the Moto X has historically been limited in its global rollout with its most compelling offerings confined to the US while the z1 compact is currently only officially available outside of the States so it's likely that where you live is going to have a big say in which of these you favor but say availability isn't a concern say you can get either of these unlocked which you can and which we did with our z1 compact from clove technology well then the question becomes one of philosophy because while these are both mid-sized smartphones with powerful capabilities they really couldn't be more different in terms of how they derive that power and what they use it for take the z1 compact for instance a Snapdragon 800 SOC lives under it's casing nearly the most powerful mobile processor you can find today it's camera is an impressive 20 point 7 megapixels it offers a microSD card slot for your storage needs and it's all encased in a water and dust resistant chassis like most Xperia Pro duct the display is small at 4.3 inches but sharp with great colors and respectable viewing angles as we made clear in our full review it's a very powerful Android flagship shoehorned into an extremely pocketable very pretty casing it comes in a few different colors but it's also in many ways quite conventional the Moto X on the other hand is anything but Motorola's custom x8 mobile computing system doesn't have the raw horsepower of the Snapdragon 800 but it was built with a handful of very specific features in mind features that make using the Moto X more can and enjoyable than almost any other Android smartphone the display is larger at 4.7 inches and blacks are deeper thanks to the AMOLED technology but power users may be put off there's no expandable storage here the camera is a ho-hum 10 megapixel unit and while the internals feature Motorola's water-repellent nano coating it's not actually rated for immersion or dust resistance the battle between conventional and novel continues in the virtual world the z1 compact features a heavily skinned version of android jelly bean while the Moto X thanks to Motorola's time as a Google property runs an ear stock version of Android KitKat Sony's UI is quite responsive owing to the compact powerful processor but it includes the sort of add-ons we've come to expect and frankly loathe from major manufacturers namely a lot of portals to Sony branded content that in most cases can be more cheaply or easily had through the Google Play Store by contrast the editions Motorola has brought actually deserved to be here touch less control has only gotten better since launch active notifications are much smarter than Sony's more traditional blinking LED and Motorola assist has matured into a very handy accessory for drivers and none of these features impair the software's overall performance the Moto X is as responsive on 4.4 as it was when it launched with 4.2 it's a software cocktail that's pretty tough to beat and thanks to many of its features being Hardware dependent it makes the whole Moto X package itself pretty hard to beat as well but then there's the matter of the camera though we demonstrated with the pocket now smart phone guessing game that the Moto X is capable of surprisingly good photos given the right conditions on the hole we prefer shooting with Sony's excellent camera on the z1 compact it's not so much the end results in regular settings it's the usual case of some shots look better on this phone others look better on that one but Sony's viewfinder software just offers so many fun and useful options and they're all laid out wonderfully plus the software stabilization makes framing a photo such a smooth experience and of course you've got that hardware shutter key as well it all feels so premium and Sony's intelligent auto mode delivers much more true to life results than Motorola's Auto HDR which often produces ghostly halos around subjects tied in with the compacts much higher available resolution and better low-light performance it makes Sony's device the clear winner for the photographically inclined if you're going to be sharing media more often than creating it though the Moto X will be a better fit not only is the screen more impressive but Motorola's speakerphone just blows Sony's out of the water that'll matter more to gamers maybe than anyone else but which one is best for playing your favorite title will depend on how much you're able to detect framedrops Motorola's chipset doesn't have the Brawn of Sony's but it's never stopped us from playing any of the graphically intense games we enjoy and it also has an impacted performance of those titles at least not enough for us to stop playing as for voice calls a direct comparison wasn't possible here because we're using two different networks but on the whole we prefer talking on the Moto X after decades in the business motorola has the fundamentals down pat and the hardware of the Moto X is also more comfortable to hold up to an ear and finally speaking of fundamentals battery life between these devices is about comparable or at least it was over the course of our week of testing going back to that notion of comfort that might be the heart of this comparison because while the Xperia z1 compact might pack more power its Motorola's device we'd recommend to those looking for a better all-around Android experience it's a close shave but to borrow a phrase from Samsung the Motorola product just seems designed for humans more so than does the Sony product still not everyone's made the same way and if you're a power user with a real need for expandable storage a super-fast processor or a high-resolution camera the Xperia z1 compact will be the better fit just be prepared to pay a premium for it and our thanks one more time to the folks at clove technology clove co uk if you want a z1 contact of your own or even a Moto X we thank them for the z1 compact review unit we used for this video if you have some thoughts on this comparison leave them in the comment section down below but on your way be sure and click the like button if you did enjoy this video and be sure to check out our full review of both the Moto X and the z1 compact both are available at pocketnow.com once again linked in the description until next time folks this has been michael fisher with PocketNow be sure and follow us on social media but most important of all thank you for watching we'll see you on the next one you