Motorola Moto G vs Motorola Moto X vs Google Nexus 5: specs comparison

33comments
Motorola Moto G vs Motorola Moto X vs Google Nexus 5: specs comparison
After months worth of anticipation, Motorola's foray into the low-end smartphone market is now a reality, thanks to the just-outed Moto G. The Moto G largely takes its design cues from the Moto X, though it's admittedly a stripped-down, slightly less-chic version of it, communicating its humble price tag. But what a price tag it is! Starting at $179, the Moto G is a true value proposition, pitting it in the increasingly popular super-high value proposition niche, along with the likes of the Nexus line, and even the Moto X. And though it's less expensive than Google's latest and greatest Nexus 5 and the Moto X, it's likely that the general public will still try and draw parallels between the two, in an attempt to estimate whether shelling out the extra bucks isn't going to get them a palpably better, higher-end experience. This is precisely where we and our handy specs comparison tool get in, and you can see the Moto G, the Moto X and the Nexus 5 battle it out side-by-side right below.

Of course, it goes without saying that, ultimately, the Moto G is the underspec'd device in this particular test. However, seeing as it features the Snapdragon 400 chipset, it's fair to say that it should deliver a more than decent user experience. Having said that, let's go ahead and see how the trio compares on paper.

Motorola Moto G Motorola Moto X Google Nexus 5

Design

Dimensions
5.11 x 2.59 x 0.46 inches
129.9 x 65.9 x 11.6 mm
5.09 x 2.57 x 0.41 inches
129.3 x 65.3 x 10.4 mm
5.43 x 2.72 x 0.34 inches
137.84 x 69.17 x 8.59 mm
Weight
5.04 oz / 143.0 g 4.59 oz / 130.0 g 4.59 oz / 130.0 g
Features
Interchangeable covers
Keys
Right: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key Left: Volume control; Right: Lock/Unlock key
Colors
Black, Pink, Yellow, Blue, Red, White Black, Brown, Green, Blue, Red, White Black, Red, White

Display

Size
4.5-inch, 64.51% screen-to-body 4.7-inch, 70.63% screen-to-body 5.0-inch, 70.89% screen-to-body
Type
IPS LCD AMOLED IPS LCD
Resolution
1280x720px, 329 PPI 1280x720px, 316 PPI 1920x1080px, 445 PPI
Colors
16 777 216 16 777 216 16 777 216
Protection
Corning Gorilla Glass 3 Corning Gorilla Glass Corning Gorilla Glass 3

Hardware

System chip
Snapdragon 400 Snapdragon S4 Pro MSM8960 Snapdragon 800 MSM8974
Processor
Quad-core
1200 MHz
Dual-core
1700 MHz
Krait
Quad-core
2260 MHz
Krait 400
GPU
Adreno 305 Adreno 320 Adreno 330
Memory
1GB (LPDDR2)/8GB
1GB/16GB
2GB (LPDDR2)/16GB
2GB/32GB
2GB/64GB
2GB (LPDDR3)/32GB
2GB/16GB
OS
Android (5.0 Lollipop, 4.4.4, 4.4.3, 4.4.2, 4.4, 4.3) Android (5.1 Lollipop, 4.4.4, 4.4.3, 4.4.2, 4.4, 4.3, 4.2.2) Android (6.0 Marshmallow, 5.1 Lollipop, 5.0 Lollipop, 4.4.4, 4.4.2, 4.4)

Battery

Type
2070 mAh, Li - Ion 2200 mAh 2300 mAh, Li - Polymer
Charging
Qi wireless charging

Camera

Rear
Single camera Single camera Single camera
Main camera
5 MP (Autofocus) 10 MP (Autofocus)
Aperture size: F2.4
Focal length: 30 mm
Sensor size: 1/2.6"
Pixel size: 1.4 μm
8 MP (OIS, Autofocus, BSI sensor)
Aperture size: F2.4
Focal length: 30.4 mm
Sensor size: 1/3.2"
Flash
LED LED LED
Video recording
720p (30 fps) 1080p (60 fps) 1080p (30 fps)
OIS, Video light
Front
1.3 MP
Video capture: 720p (30 fps)
2 MP 1.3 MP
Video capture: 720p

Connectivity & Features

Bluetooth
4.0 4.0, Yes 4.0
WLAN
b,g,n
Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct
802.11 b, g, n
a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band
Hotspot
802.11 a, b, g, n, ac
a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band
Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct
802.11 a, b, g, n, ac
USB
microUSB, USB 2.0 microUSB, USB 2.0 microUSB, USB 2.0
Sensors
Accelerometer, Compass, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Thermometer, Barometer, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer, Step detector, Step counter, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor
Hearing aid compatible
M3/T4 M3/T3
Location
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass GPS, A-GPS, S-GPS, Glonass GPS, A-GPS, Glonass
Other
Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync NFC, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync NFC, ANT+, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync

Multimedia

Headphones
3.5mm jack 3.5mm jack 3.5mm jack
Speakers
Earpiece, Loudspeaker Earpiece, Loudspeaker Earpiece, Loudspeaker
Features
Album art cover, Background playback Album art cover, Background playback Album art cover, Background playback
Screen mirroring
DLNA,Wireless screen share,SlimPort,TV-out
Radio
FM, Stereo, RDS
Additional microphone(s)
Noise cancellation, Video recording

Cellular

4G (FDD) Bands
13, 5, 4, 2 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20
3G Bands
5, 8, 4, 2, 1 5, 8, 4, 2, 1 6, 5, 8, 4, 2, 1
Data Speed
HSDPA+ (4G) 21.1 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS LTE, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS LTE Cat 4 (150/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS
SIM type
Nano SIM Micro SIM

Phone Features

Notifications
Haptic feedback, Music ringtones (MP3), Polyphonic ringtones, Vibration, Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone Haptic feedback, Music ringtones (MP3), Polyphonic ringtones, Vibration, Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone Haptic feedback, Music ringtones (MP3), Polyphonic ringtones, Vibration, Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone
Other features
Voice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recording Voice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recording Voice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recording

Regulatory Approval

FCC approval
Date approved: May 10, 2013
FCC ID value: IHDT56PA1
Date approved: Nov 04, 2013
FCC ID value: ZNFD821
Measured SAR
Head: 1.21 W/kg
Body: 0.65 W/kg
Simultaneous Transmission: 1.52 W/kg
Wireless Router: 1.08 W/kg
Head: 0.92 W/kg
Body: 1.01 W/kg
Simultaneous Transmission: 1.46 W/kg
Wireless Router: 1.23 W/kg

Availability

Officially announced
Nov 13, 2013 Aug 01, 2013 Oct 31, 2013
Prices (MSRP)
$179 $399

Score a Free iPhone 13

Switch to a 3-Month Total 5G Unlimited plan with Total Wireless


We may earn a commission if you make a purchase

Check Out The Offer
Loading Comments...

Latest Discussions

by Thisfonesuxs •
by TBomb • 6
by bklabel • 15

Recommended Stories

FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless