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Motorola Moto X 2014 vs Moto X 2013

posted by John V. / Sep 16, 2014, 5:18 AM

Introduction

Motorola surely established something in the smartphone industry that we haven’t seen in a grand scale when the Moto X arrived on the scene last year to much acclaim. Not only did it present us with a venerable Android smartphone that could be customized in several ways, from its case options to accent colors, but it also proved to many that simplicity and functionality are two things that go hand-in-hand in making a smartphone legendary. Well, the new Moto X, the 2014 version, receives all the evolutionary upgrades we’d expect with any successor, but how much better is it than its predecessor?

Design

Obviously, the biggest design difference here is the new Moto X’s larger size, which depending on your taste, might be a good or bad thing. Indeed, it’s a size that’s more akin to a flagship, but we feel that the original Moto X’s size is perfect – as in, it’s more comfortable to hold with one hand. However, we really dig how the 2014 model is sporting a more aggressive and sophisticated design, aided by its aluminum frame and new leather casing options.

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Front view
Side view

Motorola Moto X (2014)

Dimensions

5.54 x 2.85 x 0.39 inches

140.8 x 72.4 x 9.9 mm

Weight

5.08 oz (144 g)

Motorola Moto X

Dimensions

5.09 x 2.57 x 0.41 inches

129.3 x 65.3 x 10.4 mm

Weight

4.59 oz (130 g)

Motorola Moto X (2014)

Dimensions

5.54 x 2.85 x 0.39 inches

140.8 x 72.4 x 9.9 mm

Weight

5.08 oz (144 g)

Motorola Moto X

Dimensions

5.09 x 2.57 x 0.41 inches

129.3 x 65.3 x 10.4 mm

Weight

4.59 oz (130 g)

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

Display

Yet again, the new Moto X reaps the benefits of being more of a flagship phone because of its larger and sharper looking 5.2-inch 1080 x 1920 AMOLED panel – versus the smaller and lower resolution 4.7-inch 720 x 1280 AMOLED display of the original. From a normal distance, it’s almost tough to distinguish which of the two has the upper hand in the details department, but there’s no competition after a closer inspection.

Beyond the size and resolution, these two screens based on AMOLED technology exhibit the same qualities – like their over-saturated color reproduction, wide viewing angles, and tough visibility under direct sunlight.

Display measurements and quality

	Maximum brightness Higher is better	Minimum brightness (nits) Lower is better	Contrast Higher is better	Color temperature (Kelvins)	Gamma	Delta E rgbcmy Lower is better	Delta E grayscale Lower is better
Motorola Moto X (2014)	385 (Average)	23 (Poor)	unmeasurable (Excellent)	7056 (Good)	1.93	6.83 (Average)	4.27 (Average)
Motorola Moto X	218 (Poor)	21 (Poor)	unmeasurable (Excellent)	6634 (Excellent)	1.86	7 (Average)	4.62 (Average)

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The numbers below represent the amount of deviation in the respective property, observed when a display is viewed from a 45-degree angle as opposed to direct viewing.

	Maximum brightness Lower is better	Minimum brightness Lower is better	Contrast Lower is better	Color temperature Lower is better	Gamma Lower is better	Delta E rgbcmy Lower is better	Delta E grayscale Lower is better
Motorola Moto X	51.8%	57.1%	unmeasurable	11.4%	1.6%	33.4%	59.1%
Motorola Moto X (2014)	54%	52.2%	unmeasurable	3.9%	4.7%	16.4%	47.8%

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The CIE 1931 xy color gamut chart represents the set (area) of colors that a display can reproduce, with the sRGB colorspace (the highlighted triangle) serving as reference. The chart also provides a visual representation of a display's color accuracy. The small squares across the boundaries of the triangle are the reference points for the various colors, while the small dots are the actual measurements. Ideally, each dot should be positioned on top of its respective square. The 'x: CIE31' and 'y: CIE31' values in the table below the chart indicate the position of each measurement on the chart. 'Y' shows the luminance (in nits) of each measured color, while 'Target Y' is the desired luminance level for that color. Finally, 'ΔE 2000' is the Delta E value of the measured color. Delta E values of below 2 are ideal.

These measurements are made using Portrait Displays' CalMAN calibration software.

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20 Comments

1. calim

Posts: 40; Member since: Mar 09, 2013

The 2013 Moto X added a lot of value to the market. It was a great compact flagship phone. The 2014 version competes against so many other 5-5.5" flagships that I feel it doesn't add nearly as much. A great phone on it's own, but one among many very similar.

posted on Sep 16, 2014, 5:51 AM 3

2. o0Exia0o

Posts: 903; Member since: Feb 01, 2013

With the size of the new Moto X one would almost be better off buying an LG G2 in my opinion. Oh well here’s to hoping one of the unannounced new Droids better fits my wants. My dream phone this year: 4.5-4.7 inch (with my choice being closer to 4.5 than 4.7) 720p Amoled screen with minimum screen bezel, Snapdragon 801, Adrino 330, 2GB ram, front facing stereo speakers, vanilla Android with Motorola's software enhancements and a 3300 mAh battery. But Ill probably go another year wanting, oh well!

posted on Sep 16, 2014, 6:21 AM 2

3. salaal

Posts: 109; Member since: Dec 08, 2013

Xperia Z3 compact is the closest to your needs.

posted on Sep 16, 2014, 6:54 AM 4

5. o0Exia0o

Posts: 903; Member since: Feb 01, 2013

And I really would consider the Xperia Z3 Compact if it werent for the fact that I am on a legacy unlimited data plan on Verizon.

posted on Sep 16, 2014, 9:04 AM 0

8. Scott93274

Posts: 6040; Member since: Aug 06, 2013

... I gave mine up... broke my heart to do it. But now my bill is half of what it was a year ago and I don't have much of an impact as I'm always connected to wifi. Hold on to yours as long as you can!

posted on Sep 16, 2014, 10:41 AM 0

10. o0Exia0o

Posts: 903; Member since: Feb 01, 2013

And my sympathies to you for the loss of your unlimited, but I am not ready to let go of mine. If they push at me too much then I will leave Verizon all together, but at this time its my plan I pay for it therefor I will continue to use it.

posted on Sep 16, 2014, 11:45 AM 0

4. Scott93274

Posts: 6040; Member since: Aug 06, 2013

The Moto Voice, Moto Assist, quick launch camera, vanilla Android OS, timely updates, all put the Moto X way ahead of the LG G2. The G2 was a good phone when it came out, I nearly bought it in fact. But I held out and bought the phone with the more useful features. I have noted that you state that it was your opinion, but from my hands on experience with the 2013 Moto X, This phone (Even last year's model) holds up amazingly well with the current flagships from other OEMs. And $499 off contract or $99 with a 2 year contract is so much more affordable than other phones with similar hardware.

posted on Sep 16, 2014, 7:18 AM 0

6. o0Exia0o

Posts: 903; Member since: Feb 01, 2013

As far as price is concerned an LG G2 can be picked up at the same price or cheaper than the Moto X 2014. Screen size and pixel density are the same. As far as the Android OS is concerned yes you would not get extras that Motorola equipped the Moto X with but what you lose in those features you gain a lot more battery life with the G2. Right now the LG G2 can be had at Verizon for FREE with a 2 year contract or 499 outright. Also Right now the LG G2 is one of only 2 devices that can take advantage of Verizon's VoLTE. VZW website: http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/device/smartphone/lg-g2 PA comparison LG G2 vs Motox (2014) vs Moto X: http://www.phonearena.com/phones/compare/LG-G2,Motorola-Moto-X-2014,Motorola-Moto-X/phones/7969,8897,7885 I still stand by my comment. Again just my opinion though.

posted on Sep 16, 2014, 9:17 AM 0

7. Scott93274

Posts: 6040; Member since: Aug 06, 2013

Well, with project Volta on Android L, you can expect to see an increase of 30% battery life on the Moto X which already lasts through a full day of moderate use at the moment thanks to hardware optimization. In my experience Motorola's pushes out updates for their phones maybe a month after the nexus lineup gets them. So I would expect the battery life after the update to be relatively close to that of the LG G2. How long will LG make its users wait before they get Android L?

posted on Sep 16, 2014, 10:39 AM 0

9. o0Exia0o

Posts: 903; Member since: Feb 01, 2013

If everything posted on different tech sites (on which much may still be seen as speculation) and Google is making a push for OEMs to keep devices updated with the latest iteration of Android with in a certain time frame in order to continue use Google services then I would assume that the LG G2 will see LMP in the future. As for the time frame I could not say. One thing that I can comment on is the fact that the G2 is on 4.4.2 at the moment; Given the fact that 4.4.3 had a major security flaw (which is why the Nexus devices spent less than a week on 4.4.3 and went to 4.4.4) I understand why LG has, what I assume at this point, decided not to update to 4.4.3 and given that we are only about a month and a half from LMP then it would be totally senseless to put in the work for an incremental upgrade to 4.4.4 when the next update is most likely going to jump Android to version 5.0. The LG G2 will not be past Google's required 18 month old update time frame, so I assume that LG will update. Believe me, I am all for Motorola and what they did with the OG Moto X and the last iteration of the droid series. I believe that what they have done by not participating in the specs race speaks volumes of what Google has done with them. The issue I have is it would seem that they have given up on that philosophy of the perfect sized phone with in a year and decided to compete with "Phablets" only to skimp on the battery life. A jump from a 4.7 inch screen with a ppi density of 316 to 5.2 inch screen with a ppi density of 424 but just a small upgrade to the battey from 2200 mAh to 2300 mAh just makes no sense to me. Given the dimensions differences between the OG and the 2014 X surly they could have fit in a larger battery than just adding 100 mAh. Like I said MAYBE one of the new unannounced Droid line models will better fit my needs but the Moto X (2014) is not something I am interested in with its mediocre battey. AND THIS IS STILL JUST MY OPINION.

posted on Sep 16, 2014, 11:42 AM 0

12. Scott93274

Posts: 6040; Member since: Aug 06, 2013

You do actually have a valid argument with 4.4.3 having issues. But I've been on 4.4.4 since late July. And as far as you can tell, there's no concrete information as to when the G2 will get it's next update or what update that will even be. If the battery was 3000 mAh then I would have easily updated form the Moto X 2013 model to the new one, but, because it's near the same as what I have with my 2013 model I couldn't justify the upgrade. But for those who do not have the 2013 model, I wouldn't let the battery life deter me from a purchase because it can last a full day of use.

posted on Sep 16, 2014, 1:06 PM 0

14. o0Exia0o

Posts: 903; Member since: Feb 01, 2013

Really the Android OS version is much less of an issue today than what it has been in the past. Even if the LG G2 never officially receives the LMP update it will still receive it in some form or fashion unofficially through the dev/mod community. So to say that it is not a good buy based on software alone makes the argument moot.

posted on Sep 17, 2014, 2:13 AM 0

16. lebigmac506

Posts: 56; Member since: Sep 17, 2014

Hardly moot, official L is better than no official L, whether unofficial versions exist or not.

posted on Sep 17, 2014, 9:42 AM 0

11. Utopian

Posts: 32; Member since: Feb 07, 2014

Just flash cm11 on lg g2 and it solves most of the issues you mentioned.

posted on Sep 16, 2014, 12:20 PM 1

13. fzacek

Posts: 2486; Member since: Jan 26, 2014

Much better one-handed usage on the 2013. That's a deal breaker for me...

posted on Sep 16, 2014, 3:49 PM 0

15. lebigmac506

Posts: 56; Member since: Sep 17, 2014

"Storage-wise, the two are available in 16GB and 32GB capacities." Moto X 2013 is available in 16, 32 and 64Gb capacities. When I know more about a phone than a reviewer.....

posted on Sep 17, 2014, 9:40 AM 0

17. ThePython

Posts: 902; Member since: May 08, 2013

Screen brightness 218 nits for the Moto X 2013? That can't be right... That is -definitely- wrong.

posted on Sep 17, 2014, 1:11 PM 1

18. Firedogee

Posts: 9; Member since: Sep 19, 2014

This was wrong. The brightness on the 2013 model was 318nits per the review on Anandtech's website. I believe this falls into the "average " category on PA the same as the 2014 model

posted on Sep 19, 2014, 10:39 AM 0

19. etron

Posts: 30; Member since: Sep 12, 2014

I read the g2 will get updated to the new g3 ui and later it will get android l and since the g3 ui is a lighter and simpler ui it should improve how the phone operates