Apple iPhone 5s vs Motorola DROID Ultra

Introduction

Sure, it’s closely related to the Moto X, but Verizon’s Motorola DROID Ultra has enough distinction of its own to be considered different from its sibling. Being a part of the latest generation of DROID branded smartphones, the DROID Ultra not only emphasizes its super slim profile over other rival phones out right now, but it packs along some unique software features that mimic’s the iPhone’s simplistic operation. Unlike the last several versions of the beloved iPhone, this 7th generation iPhone finally sees a huge overhaul to its software experience in the form of iOS 7 – something that’s been longingly desired. Now that we have it, along with the usual set of incremental upgrades, does the Motorola DROID Ultra stand a chance against it?

Design

Okay, as we intently look at the two, we can’t help but realize that their overall designs haven’t changed much over their predecessors. It’s not a surprising thing, naturally, seeing it’s a common occurrence in the landscape, but nonetheless, we find their designs to be appealing on the same level – so it simply depends on what entices you more. Between them, we’ll say that the iPhone 5s has the more premium construction, as its brushed aluminum casing and solid construction helps to give it more precedence. Despite being outclassed by materials regarded as being more premium, the DROID Ultra still has a solid construction of own – plus, its carbon fiber pattern really helps to give it a unique look of its own.

Indeed, the DROID Ultra has the larger footprint, making it a bit more unwieldy to hold in the hand over the compact iPhone 5s, but despite that, its curved sidings help to make it feel comfortable. Oppositely, those chamfered edges on the iPhone 5s make it feel a bit sharp!

Feeling out their respective power and volume buttons, we don’t find one set to be superior over the other, since they’re both distinctive, raised, and offer spring responses when pressed. As for the rest of the stuff around their trims, they pretty much boast the same set of things – like their microphones, 3.5mm headset jacks, and respective power/data ports.

Around back, they’re naturally armed with some impressive camera gear. Specifically, it’s an 8-megapixel iSight camera on the iPhone 5s , meanwhile, the DROID Ultra is flaunting a 10-megapixel “Clear Pixel” camera.

Display

Let’s be frank here people! Neither display on these flagship smartphones are regarded as cutting edge, since they’re rather modest with their specs. To me more specific, it’s a 4-inch 640 x 11356 IPS LCD based Retina Display on the iPhone 5s – while the DROID Ultra has a larger 5-inch 720 x 1280 AMOLED panel in its body. Obviously, there’s a huge size disparity between the two, as the DROID Ultra adds a full inch to its size, making it ideal for things like surfing the web or watching videos. However, there’s a slight detail advantage to the iPhone 5s due to its pixel density of 326 ppi, which edges out slightly the DROID Ultra’s 294 ppi tally, but it’s almost indistinguishable from a normal viewing distance to adequately differentiate them.

Utilizing different display technologies, they have their own unique strengths! With the iPhone 5s’ IPS LCD panel, it exhibits the more accurate looking colors – plus, it offers the better outdoor visibility. On the flip side, the AMOLED panel of the DROID Ultra is able to catch some glances of its own, thanks in part to the vibrant and over saturated colors it’s able to emit, however, its screen washes out under outdoor usage.

Interface and Functionality

Simplicity is what these two flagship phones value the most, and it really shows profoundly with their respective platform experiences. Unlike other smartphones of late, they don’t try to bombard us with an extraordinary set of features, like giving us two or three ways of accomplishing the same tasks, but instead, they’re straightforward and without complication.

In terms of visual presentation, we can’t help but take notice to the iPhone 5s’ refreshingly new iOS 7 experience, which not only packs some new features, but it’s also greeted with some eye candy filled visuals to make it a smidgen more appealing than the mostly stock Android Jelly Bean experience of the DROID Ultra. From its layered “flat” design, to the heavy usage of translucency, iOS 7 has this unmistaken new look that draws us – and it helps that it’s complemented by some decent transition effects too! It’s not totally new with the Motorola DROID Ultra, since it’s stock Android and all, but it no doubt still greater personalization.


Generally speaking, multi-tasking and notifications are handled similarly with these two. However, we’re presented with secondary functions with the notifications panel with the DROID Ultra – like being given options to reply or archive emails.


Checking out the various organizer apps offered by both devices, they generally operate and offer the same set of features. However, there are some added cool features with the DROID Ultra’s experience that we feel are noteworthy over the iPhone 5s.

Indeed, Siri gives the iPhone 5s a fair amount of organization, but its functionality doesn’t quite encompass the same level of totality found with the Google Now experience on the DROID Ultra. Best of all, the DROID Ultra’s Touchless Control feature provides us with a unique way of interacting with the device – and all of it is done via voice. Lastly, other features like Active Display and Quick Camera Capture, help to deepen the DROID Ultra’s functionality over the iPhone 5s – while still giving us a straightforward experience that’s not filled with any redundancy.


Having a full inch to work with, the DROID Ultra naturally sees a more spacious keyboard than what’s on the iPhone 5s. Despite that, we find the two to be exquisitely well in enabling us to keep a constant rate of input. Frankly, we appreciate that their layouts are simple and that they’re super responsive to the touch.

All told, there are many aspects we adore with their software experiences. Out of everything, we need to emphasis the fact that they’re simple at heart – so they don’t have any unpractical features attached to them. Overall, we find that the experience on the DROID Ultra, much like its sibling in the Moto X, to be far more useful, as well as practical, over what the iOS 7 has to offer. Sure, we’re thankful for iOS 7’s refreshed design and added features, but as a whole, it’s lacking the innovative features seen with the DROID Ultra.

Processor and Memory

On paper, they might not be the most intimidating things, but regardless of that, we find the performances of these two to be similar. Seeing that it’s a rarity in the space, the iPhone 5s’ dual-core 1.3GHz Apple A7 SoC is something to behold knowing it’s based on 64-bit architecture. It’s seriously fast, with little lag or sluggishness seen with its performance. Oppositely, the DROID Ultra’s X8 Mobile Computing System, which is comprised of a modified dual-core 1.7GHz processor coupled with 2GB of RAM, still manages to hold its own ground by delivering just as good of a performance as its rival. Likewise, it’s super snappy as well – so we don’t find one performance to top the other!

Unfortunately, the DROID Ultra is only available with 16GB of storage – with no options for 32GB or 64GB. Getting more variety than its competition, the iPhone 5s is offered in all the aforementioned storage options.

Internet and Connectivity

Heading into this category, we knew what to expect, as they both offer an exceptional experience with web surfing. To be exact, they feature speedy 4G LTE speeds for quick page loads, tight navigational controls, and instant page rendering on the fly. Yeah, they share all of the elements that make surfing the web such a joy, but the larger display of the DROID Ultra makes it a tiny bit more ideal for the occasion – mainly because we’re able to see more of a site on it than on the iPhone 5s.



Well folks, the DROID Ultra is exclusive to Verizon Wireless – meaning it’s only available in CDMA form with LTE connectivity in tow. In comparison, the iPhone 5s has more depth, seeing that it can be snagged in both CDMA and GSM variants. With their high-end status, they boast the same common set of connectivity features – they consist of aGPS, Bluetooth 4.0, and dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi. Adding to its arsenal, the DROID Ultra packs NFC for quick sharing of content, which is something not offered by the iPhone 5s. Instead, the same functionality can be accomplished on the iPhone 5s with the aid of iOS 7’s new AirDrop feature.

Camera

The 8-megapixel iSight camera on the iPhone 5s features a backside illuminated sensor, f2.2 aperture lens, 1.5 micron sized pixels, dual-LED flash, and 1080p video recording. The DROID Ultra is flaunting a 10-megapixel “Clear Pixel” camera – the same as the Moto X. Say what you will about its fancy termed attachment, but it’s alleged to offer good performance with fast moving objects thanks to the combination of its 1.4 micron sized pixels and its f2.4 aperture lens.



Simplicity is the name of the game, so that’s why their respective camera apps are light with features – and you won’t find any manual controls on either of them! It’s a blow to photogs who love variety, no doubt, but it merely keeps our focus on the task of quickly taking snapshots.We’ll get down to the point with this one – the iPhone 5s is the superior of the two! It’s not a close race people, but rather, it’s a clear and long win for Apple’s pride and joy. In every condition, the iPhone 5s shows its juicy strength, seeing that its camera simply captures more fine details, natural colors, and does a better job with exposure compensation – especially in low lighting conditions. It’s not bad with the DROID Ultra, but it just can’t rival the iPhone 5s’ quality.


At the same time, we find the iPhone 5s to offer the better 1080p video recording quality as well. Yet again, the same results persist here, as the iPhone 5s’ quality is considerably more potent to the eye with its rich visuals and smooth recording – something that’s maintained under low lighting too. Shooting under the same conditions under low lighting, the DROID Ultra’s video quality is heavily muddied by its indistinct details, heavy presence of noise, and molasses slow capture of 19 FPS.

Multimedia

Neither music players greatly catch our attention, but aside from that, they offer the same functions and presentations. Despite that, their internal speakers deliver the same level of quality with their potent output and robust tones.



High definition videos play smoothly with these two, unsurprisingly of course, but due to the DROID Ultra’s larger display, it’s the ideal device to use for the occasion. Moreover, it lays claim to a wide support of video codecs out of the box over the iPhone 5s.

Call Quality

There’s a lot that these two can do, being smartphones and all, but we’re happy to admit that they’re also fantastic when it comes to call quality. Specifically, voices are clear, distinctive, and are easily comprehended to allow conversations to be handled relatively easy over their earpieces and speakerphones.

Battery

We’re not totally astounded by their battery life, even more when we get the usual one day of normal usage with them, but in our experience, the DROID Ultra pulls out a few more hours over the iPhone 5s.

Conclusion

Verizon customers surely have a pickle on their hands when looking at these two prized smartphones. Honestly, it’s tough to say with enough certainty which of the two is the supreme winner in this scenario, seeing that they boast their own unique strengths that make them so valuable – well, depending on the person of course. Donning the same price points of $200 with a 2-year contract, we wouldn’t say that one is offering more value for the buck, so in the end, your hard money is going to be forked over to the device that caters to your needs more.

You see, the iPhone 5s is a solid device no matter how we dissect it! From its premium construction to its well-rounded performance, there’s no arguing the kind of balance it offers to a broad range of users. In addition, Apple spared no expense in giving this latest generation model a brand spanking new renovation with its software experience – something that gives it a more modern look and feel. However, the more we think about it, we feel that the software experience with the DROID Ultra is still superior. Certainly, the stock Android experience might not be uplifting with its visuals when compared to its rival, but nevertheless, things like Active Display and Touchless Control offer greater depth in how we use the device on an everyday basis.