Samsung Galaxy S6 edge vs Motorola Moto X (2014): first look

The oh-so-compelling Samsung Galaxy S6 edge is great and from the looks of it, it is the more interesting device that Samsung treated us to just yesterday. Sleek, polished, beautiful, ingenious, you can say many things about it, and you'll have all the right reasons to do so. We should not forget. however, that Motorola has the Moto X (2014) in its portfolio, a device that often remains outside of the spotlights but is certainly not among the underwhelming ones. We had one on us when we played with the S6 edge at MWC in Barcelona and here follows a brief first look comparison between the prominent Android champs.

Design

Gone is the plasticky feel of Samsung's previous offerings - we have two sheets of Gorilla Glass 4 at the front and the rear, held together by an "aircraft-grade" aluminum frame, which has successfully accommodated the hardware keys at the sides. 

In the meantime, the Moto X is a also relying on aluminum in its build (for the frame), but it's mostly making use of plastic, mostly at the rear, but we should not forget that we can customize the Moto X with leather or wood back, giving it that unique premium feel, which puts it somewhat on par with the new Galaxy S6 edge.

Display

A stunning 5.1-inch, Quad HD Super AMOLED display with a prominent rounded silhouette is what you'd find on the Galaxy S6 edge , while the Moto X (2014) is equipped with a slightly larger, 5.2-inch 1080p one, also using an AMOLED tech. 

Truly, the edge display is the main selling point of the Galaxy S6 edge and the Moto X can not match that, it's way more mundane. We are dealing with a staggering 577ppi sharpness on the S6 and a noticeably lower density of 423ppi on the Moto X (2014). 

The difference is not stellar, but it's obvious - Motorola's flagship does not come with a sub-par display, but the Galaxy S6 edge is superior,inhabiting a league of its own. 

We are yet to test the Galaxy S6 edge's display to the fullest, but at first look we can say that Samsung has probably once again outdone itself and developed an AMOLED display with pretty respectable properties.

Processor and memory

Although it's not certain, we are quite sure that the Galaxy S6 edge is coming with Samsung's latest Exynos chipset, though there's been no official word on this, so have one in mind. 

Alas, we know that the SoC is a 64-bit octa-core one, based on 14nm FinFET process, making it way more efficient than most of its rivals. 

Everything about the Moto X (2014), on the other hand, is known for some time - inside, you'll find Snapdragon 801 SoC churning gears at 2.5GHz. It's coupled with 2GB of RAM, but the Galaxy S6 is the clear winner in this segment, as it packs not 2, but 3GB of RAM, paving the way for batter multitasking.

Interface and functionality

As we already claimed in our hands-on of the Galaxy S6 edge, it's tough to say whether it's the best iteration of TouchWiz ever, though it certainly feels faster and way more polished than its progenitors. In Motorola's camp, we have a simplified experience is something we absolutely get from the stock Android running in the new Moto X. It’s a stark contrast to the features-rich experience of Sammy’s TouchWiz UI, since Motorola doesn't try to overwhelm us with software features.

Samsung's newest TouchWiz is now based on Android Lollipop, is still the good old feature-packed UI that we're used to, yet dressed in a modern guise and streamlined for ease of use. There is a slight, noticeable improvement over previous TouchWiz iterations. The edge display also bears a few interesting, but not so handy functionalities in tow - its display doubles as a night clock, flashes in different colors when a given contact is calling you, etc.

Camera

The Samsung Galaxy S6 edge has a 16MP rear camera, which is similar to the ones of the S5 and the Note 4, but there is a respectable host of new features involved. One of the more intriguing ones is the optical image stabilization aboard, in addition to real-time HDR, infrared white balance, and tracking auto-focus for the video camera. The Moto X comes with a 13MP shooter that boasts an aperture size of F/2.2, while the Galaxy S6 has an aperture size of F/1.9. We are yet to put the two cameras together, but are already suspecting that the oh-so-interesting Galaxy S6 edge will be victorious in this segment, besting the Moto X 2014 in almost any photography-related contest we might devise.

Expectations

A race between the Moto X (2014) and the spic-and-span Galaxy S6 edge is like a clash between David and Goliath - Samsung has really put a lot of thought inside its newest and most advanced device, making it a tough nut to crack. Not that the Moto X (2014) is an underwhelming device - it's just not the right nutcracker for the job!