The Motorola Droid Turbo is the most recent Verizon launch from the company and many have been looking forward to the massive new handset. The Droid Turbo also has a Droid Ultra version, which is essentially the same phone, but not a Verizon branded one. The Moto X was the previous flagship from Motorola, demoed at IFA Berlin 2014 and launched to positive reviews. If you’re a Motorola fan, you are surely wondering whether the Droid Turbo or the Moto X 2014 would suit you better and we’re here to help with that.
Many say that the Motorola Droid Turbo beats the Moto X when it comes to actual specs, while other emphasize the fact that the Moto X design looks and feels better than the bit bulky Droid Turbo body. In any case, we can assure you that both these phones are great investments if you are looking for a powerful phone with a pretty great battery life. What’s even better is that their price is lower than the competitions’, even though not by much, it is a significant characteristic for the phones.
The Motorola Droid Turbo, which is a Verizon exclusive, is the newest flagship in the Droid line from Motorola. Its predecessor, the Droid Maxx was a worthwhile acquisition, too, but the Droid Turbo surpasses it in many ways. When it comes to the Moto X, many say that the handset offers the best bang for buck among more high-end flagships, and they are mostly right. Not to say that the Moto X is better than the Galaxy Note 4 or iPhone 6, but it does offer pretty good specs for a fairly affordable price. What’s even more admirable is that both the Droid Turbo and Moto X keep skinning over Android to a minimum, which gets as close to stock Android as possible. That’s an appealing feature for Android fans, since many have been complaining about other OEMs like Samsung and its TouchWiz making the user experience annoying with the skin.
The Motorola Droid Turbo is a bit bulkier and heavier than the Moto X, weighing 169 grams compared to the Moto X’s 144 grams. While that is not a big difference, it’s certainly noticeable if you hold the two phones in your hands simultaneously. That doesn’t mean it’s a minus for the Droid Turbo, as many users enjoy a solid a phone in their hands which they can actually feel in their pockets. The Moto X has a more appealing design and more variants you can get through Moto Maker, while the Droid Turbo only has a couple of options available. Even so, the Droid Turbo has great design and maneuverability, just as much as the Moto X. In terms of size, the Droid Turbo is also larger, wider and thicker than the Moto X, which adds to the solid feel of the phone, if that’s what you’re into. If you like your phones thinner and lighter, the Moto X would be more suitable for you.
One minus for both of these flagships is that neither have microSD card slots if you want to expand your storage. That should be a big problem with the Droid Turbo since it has a 32 GB and a 64 GB variant you can buy, but the Moto X’s 16 GB variant might become obnoxious for intensive power users. The Moto X is also available in a 32 GB version, too, so if you’re set on the Moto X but want the most storage available, that’s the version you should choose.
The Droid Turbo display is a 5.2 inch Super AMOLED one with a 1440*2560 resolution at 565 pixel density, which is quite a step up from the Moto X display, which is the same 5.2 inch in size, but only AMOLED and with a lower 1080*1920 resolution at 424 ppi pixel density. Both displays are stunning and top-notch in their respective categories, but if you put them side by side, the Droid Turbo is clearly brighter and sharper than the Moto X. Both these flagships have NFC, but only the Droid Turbo benefits from an IR blaster, which could be a welcome feature for many users.
The Droid Turbo specs are pretty ahead of the Moto X specs, to be fair. The Droid Turbo is powered by a Snapdragon 805 CPU, backed by Adreno 420 and 3 GB RAM. The Moto X is run by a Snapdragon 801, backed by Adreno 330 and 2 GB RAM. Even though the Droid Turbo has superior specs, that doesn’t mean the Moto X won’t be able to run most all of the things you throw at it. Nonetheless, if you want a future-proof device that will surely hold out against future apps you might throw at it, the Droid Turbo might be the more appropriate choice. Android 5.0 Lollipop is going to be on both of these devices in no time, so performance issues shouldn’t arise from any of them, aside from the bugs Android 5.0 Lollipop has at the moment.
When it comes to the camera setup, the Droid Turbo shines as well. The Droid Turbo rear camera is a 21 MP sensor with a dual LED flash, while the front cam is a 2 MP shooter. The Moto X has a 13 MP shooter on the rear with dial LED flash and the same 2 MP shooter on the front. While the Moto X takes great photos and videos, the Droid Turbo camera is still superior in quality, clarity and color reproduction. If you use your phone a lot for photography and video, the Droid Turbo would be the wiser choice.
When it comes to battery, the Droid Turbo outdoes the Moto X once again, with its massive 3900 mAH battery, which can last for around 2 days with mixed and moderate use. The Moto X has a pretty good battery life too, even though it has a considerably smaller 2300 mAH battery. Once again, the Droid Turbo would be the better choice if you want your phone to have an extended battery life. Wireless charging is also available on the Droid Turbo, alongside fast charging. While the Moto X can’t be wirelessly charged, it still has the fast charging option, which is sufficient for most users.
Overall, the Droid Turbo is clearly superior to the Moto X, but it is more expensive. The Droid Turbo price at Verizon is set at $600 for the off-contract version, while the unlocked Moto X can be had for $300, which is half the price of the Motorola Droid Turbo. When it comes to bang for buck, the Motorola Moto X 2014 is one of the best examples of appropriate pricing and high-end hardware. While the Droid Turbo is significantly more powerful and expensive, the $300 difference might be too much to reflect the actual hardware differences. Still, the Droid Turbo is definitely worth the price.