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Moto X (2014) vs Sony Xperia Z3 vs Samsung Galaxy S5: specs and size comparison

posted by Chris P. / Sep 05, 2014, 2:16 AM

Moto X (2014) vs Sony Xperia Z3 vs Samsung Galaxy S5: specs and size comparison

After a customary leaks-based hype build-up, the new Motorola Moto X is finally here, and it would appear that, specs wise, the rumors were right on the money for a very big part. The second Moto X in history packs flagship-worthy hardware, though some will, of course, be quick to point out that it's not on the bleeding edge.

And it's true. The Moto X doesn't pack the latest Snapdragon 805, and it "only" has 2GB of RAM while pretty much all of its competitors have 3GB. But is that a really big deal? Not really, especially since Motorola is very conservative with its additions to the mostly-stock Android software loaded on its devices, including the X. What's more, the current package is, without a doubt, absolutely capable of delivering you top notch, no-compromise user experience. The only part of the equation we're worried about is the 2300 mAh battery -- it honestly is small by today's standards, but we'll have to test it out before we're sure it falls short of what the competition has to offer.

Speaking of the competition, how does the new Moto X compare with the equally new Sony Xperia Z3 and the mighty Samsung Galaxy S5, specs wise? Time to find out!

Front view
Side view

To see the phones in real size or compare them with other models, visit our Visual Phone Size Comparison page

Motorola Moto X (2014) vs Sony Xperia Z3 vs Samsung Galaxy S5

Display

Display size

5.2 inches

5.1 inches

Resolution

1080 x 1920 pixels

Pixel density

423 ppi

424 ppi

432 ppi

Technology

AMOLED

IPS LCD

Super AMOLED

Screen-to-body ratio

73.46 %

71.00 %

69.76 %

Camera

Rear

Single camera

Main camera

13 megapixels

20.7 megapixels

16 megapixels

Hardware Features

Autofocus

Autofocus, CMOS image sensor

Back-illuminated sensor (BSI), Phase detection autofocus

Specifications

Aperture size: F2.2; Focal length: 29 mm; Sensor size: 1/3.06"; Pixel size: 1.13 μm

Aperture size: F2.0; Focal length: 25 mm; Sensor size: 1/2.3"; Pixel size: 1.12 μm

Aperture size: F2.2; Focal length: 31 mm; Sensor size: 1/2.6"; Pixel size: 1.12 μm

Video recording

3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps)

3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (60 fps)

Recording format

MPEG4, H.264

Features

Digital image stabilization, Video calling

High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), Continuous autofocus, Picture-taking during video recording, Digital image stabilization, Video calling

High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), Continuous autofocus, Digital image stabilization, Video calling, Video sharing

Front

2 megapixels

2.2 megapixels

2.1 megapixels

Video capture

1920x1080 (Full HD)

Design

Dimensions

5.54 x 2.85 x 0.39 inches (140.8 x 72.4 x 9.9 mm)

5.75 x 2.83 x 0.29 inches (146 x 72 x 7.3 mm)

5.59 x 2.85 x 0.32 inches (142 x 72.5 x 8.1 mm)

Weight

5.08 oz (144 g)

5.36 oz (152 g)

5.11 oz (145 g)

Materials

Back: Plastic

Back: Glass; Frame: Metal

Back: Plastic

Resistance

Splash

Water, Dust; IP 68

Water, Dust; IP 67

Biometrics

Fingerprint (swipe)

Features

Touch sensitive control keys, Interchangeable covers, Notification light

Hardware & Performance

System chip

Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 8974-AC

Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 MSM8974-AC

Processor

Quad-core, 2500 MHz, Krait 400

Quad-core, 2500 MHz, Krait 400, 32-bit, 28 nm

GPU

Adreno 330

RAM

2 GB LPDDR3

3 GB LPDDR3

2 GB LPDDR3

OS

Android (5.1 Lollipop, 5.0 Lollipop, 4.4.4)

Android (6.0 Marshmallow, 5.1 Lollipop, 5.0 Lollipop, 4.4.4)

Android (6.0 Marshmallow, 5.1 Lollipop, 5.0 Lollipop, 4.4.4, 4.4.2), Samsung TouchWiz UI

Battery

Capacity

2300 mAh

3100 mAh

2800 mAh

Charging

Yes

Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0

Talk time

14.00 hours

21.00 hours

Stand-by time

37.1 days (890 hours)

16.2 days (390 hours)

Talk time (3G)

21.00 hours

Music playback

130.00 hours

67.00 hours

Video playback

10.00 hours

13.00 hours

Options

12 Comments

1. edelxander

Posts: 58; Member since: Oct 01, 2013

Z3 seem to have the upper hand..

posted on Sep 05, 2014, 2:21 AM 14

5. SonyLover

Posts: 7; Member since: May 12, 2014

s5 still best phone. Z3 fail

posted on Sep 05, 2014, 2:39 AM 2

6. ArtSim98

Posts: 3535; Member since: Dec 21, 2012

Which part is sarcasm? Your name or your comment? OK we know that the comment itself isn't true but maybe you are being serious about it.

posted on Sep 05, 2014, 2:48 AM 6

9. ivanprskalo

Posts: 124; Member since: Dec 09, 2010

You mean otherwise... Did you try both? I had S5 and Z2 and in direct comparision Z2 blows S5 away.. Z3 is even better.

posted on Sep 05, 2014, 7:12 AM 3

11. shadowwalker

Posts: 5; Member since: Dec 21, 2013

you must kidding

posted on Sep 05, 2014, 9:08 AM 0

2. JohnMilisis

Posts: 23; Member since: May 04, 2014

Moto x maybe will run faster than s5. I really want to see a video comparison of those two phones, cause they have almost the same specs with the big difference, that the X runs almost stock android and s5 runs touchwiz over android.

posted on Sep 05, 2014, 2:27 AM 1

7. yahia_malka

Posts: 186; Member since: Mar 27, 2014

Of course it'll , a comparison between Moto G and the s5 revealed that the Moto g is faster because of the touch wiz UI , if Moto g is faster , I wonder how a Moto X will be

posted on Sep 05, 2014, 3:29 AM 3

3. StraightEdgeNexus

Posts: 3689; Member since: Feb 14, 2014

Moto X for me!

posted on Sep 05, 2014, 2:29 AM 1

4. ArtSim98

Z3 is so freaking beautiful. Still, not reason to upgrade even from the Z. TBH IMHO it's useless to upgrade phones any more often than once every two years or so.

posted on Sep 05, 2014, 2:35 AM 5

8. kiza_88

Posts: 22; Member since: Feb 28, 2013

z3 for me this time

posted on Sep 05, 2014, 6:22 AM 3

10. dil2abu

Posts: 315; Member since: Nov 09, 2011

Z2 was best till Z3 launched.. Now Z3 FTW..

posted on Sep 05, 2014, 8:42 AM 1

12. jpkelly05

Posts: 110; Member since: Nov 13, 2012

"Misc Notes" should be added to the comparison chart. Z3 plays PS4 games. Moto X has always on voice controls that can now be customized to what ever call sign you give it. SGS5 has a fingerprint scanner.