Moto X vs Nexus 4 vs HTC One specs comparison

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Moto X vs Nexus 4 vs HTC One specs comparison
Moto X seems to be this year's best candidate for a Nexus phone in everything but in name and maybe price, as Google likely didn't wan't every Android maker to freak out if it does a Nexus handset with the subsidiary Motorola, after swearing it won't play favorites.

Still, in shape and, surprisingly, in specs, it walks like a Nexus 4, and quacks like one, that's why we are pitting the two in the specs comparison tablet below, adding the flagship Google Experience HTC One with the same screen size for those who got to have them Full HD screens and scorching fast processors.

In all honesty, if in 2012 someone told us Google's own phone this year will be almost identical in specs as last year's Nexus 4, we wouldn't believe it. OK, we've got a few changes, like an OLED 4.7-incher instead of an LCD one, a customized S4 chipset instead of the S4 Pro, 10 MP camera instead of 8 MP, slightly bigger battery, but no major changes. 

On paper, the HTC One beats them both with its crazy 468ppi pixel density of the same-size display, and the quad-core Snapdragon 600, not to mention the amplified BoomSound speakers, and its 2 micron UltraPixels. What was Google thinking telling Motrola to make what can be considered an upper midrange handset these days?

The devil seems to be in the details, though, as Google took its time to explain how every aspect of the phone was rehashed in line with the function it performs, rather than chasing the specs-o-meter. Moto went with OLED, as it makes possible the Active Display notification function, but it is a standard RGB matrix OLED, so you still get plenty of true pixel density, "without wasting power on pixels most people can't see". 

The X8 processor might have "just" two CPU cores, but it is rethought from the ground up to make the always-on environmental awareness of the phone possible with power-sipping extra processing cores. The 10 MP camera might not be in line with the 13 MP on current flagships, but is the first to utilize the Clear Pixel technology that lets it soak much more light, and so on.

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This approach seems preferable to us compared to the specs-chasing game, and actually reminds a lot of Apple's way of doing things, customizing things for their purpose, rather than the spec sheet, and fusing software with hardware together. Which approach do you prefer?


DESIGN
DeviceMoto XNexus 4HTC One
OSAndroid (4.2.2)Android (4.3, 4.2.2, 4.2.1, 4.2)Android (4.2.2, 4.1.2) 
Dimensions5.09 x 2.57 x 0.41 inches (129.3 x 65.3 x 10.4 mm)5.27 x 2.70 x 0.36 inches (133.9 x 68.7 x 9.1 mm)5.41 x 2.69 x 0.37 inches (137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3 mm)
Weight4.59 oz (130 g)
the average is 4.4 oz (127 g)
4.90 oz (139 g)
the average is 4.4 oz (127 g)
5.04 oz (143 g)
the average is 4.4 oz (127 g)
Body material Glass 
Side KeysRight: Volume control, Lock/Unlock keyLeft: Volume control; Right: Lock/Unlock keyRight: Volume control
ColorsBlack, White, custom colorsBlack, WhiteBlack, Red, White
DISPLAY
Physical size4.7 inches4.7 inches4.7 inches
Resolution720 x 1280 pixels768 x 1280 pixels1080 x 1920 pixels
Pixel density
316 ppi318 ppi468 ppi
Technology
AMOLEDIPS LCDS-LCD 3
BATTERY
Talk time13.00 hours
the average is 11 h (650 min)
15.30 hours
the average is 11 h (650 min)
 
Stand-by time 16.2 days (390 hours)
the average is 18 days (444 h)
 
Capacity2200 mAh2100 mAh2300 mAh
Type Li - PolymerLi - Polymer
Not user replaceableYesYesYes
Wireless charging Built-in 
HARDWARE
System chip
Motorola X8Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 APQ8064T
Processor
Dual core, 1700 MHz, KraitQuad core, 1500 MHz, KraitQuad core, 1700 MHz, Krait 300
Graphics processorAdreno 320Adreno 320Adreno 320
System memory
2048 MB RAM (Dual-channel, 500 MHz) / LPDDR22048 MB RAM (Dual-channel, 533 MHz) / LPDDR22048 MB RAM (Dual-channel) / LPDDR3
Built-in storage16 GB8 GB32 GB
Maximum User Storage12 GB 26 GB
CAMERA
Camera10 megapixels8 megapixels4 megapixels
FlashLEDLEDLED
Aperture size  F2.0
Focal length (35mm equivalent)  28mm
FeaturesAuto focus, Touch to focus, Digital zoom, Geo tagging, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), PanoramaAuto focus, Face detection, Smile detection, Exposure compensation, ISO control, White balance presets, Burst mode, Digital zoom, Geo tagging, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), Panorama, Scenes, Effects, Voice activationBack-illuminated sensor (BSI), Auto focus, Optical image stabilization, Burst mode, Digital zoom, Geo tagging, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), Panorama, Scenes, Effects, Self-timer
Camera sensor size 1/4"1/3"
Camcorder1920x1080 (1080p HD)1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps)1920x1080 (1080p HD)
Features Video callingOptical image stabilization, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), Video calling
Front-facing camera2 megapixels1.3 megapixels2.1 megapixels
Video capture  1920x1080 (1080p HD)

MULTIMEDIA
Music player   
Filter byAlbum, Artist, PlaylistsAlbum, Artist, PlaylistsAlbum, Artist, Playlists
FeaturesAlbum art cover, Background playbackAlbum art cover, Background playbackAlbum art cover, Background playback, Beats Audio
Supported formatsMP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, FLAC, WMA, WAV, AMR, OGG, MIDIMP3MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV, AMR, OGG, MIDI
Video playback   
Supported formatsMPEG4, H.263, H.264MPEG4, H.263, H.264MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV, 3GP, 3G2
SpeakersEarpiece, LoudspeakerEarpiece, LoudspeakerEarpiece, Stereo speakers
YouTube playerYesYesYes

TECHNOLOGY
CDMA
  800, 1900 MHz
GSM850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
UMTS 850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz
LTE  800 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2600 MHz
DataLTE, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGE, GPRSHSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGE, GPRSLTE, HSPA (unspecified), UMTS, EDGE, GPRS
Micro SIM YesYes
nano-SIMYes 

AVAILABILITY
Officially announced01 Aug 201329 Oct 201219 Feb 2013

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