Moto X (2015) or wait for Nexus 5 (2015)?

[Cakefish]

So for the sake of this question, let's assume that these rumoured specifications for the Moto X 3rd gen turn out to be true and the device launches next week (as is rumoured); http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_moto_x_(3rd_gen)-7229.php

If the phone has those specifications (and gets generally positive reviews), would it be worth upgrading from my current Nexus 5, or should I wait until the end of October for the new Nexus device? I'm really itching to upgrade ASAP because of the dire battery life and poor low-light camera performance of the Nexus 5 you see, so the thought of waiting until October/November really bothers me.

Basically, what I'm asking is; is there anything that the new Nexus 5 could possibly bring that would make me regret buying this new Motorola device? Motorola has the most timely updates of any Android OEM as well as virtually stock Android, which suits me just fine.

Thoughts and opinions appreciated.

 

[poofyhairguy]

My honest opinion is that I don't trust Lenovo. The 2014 Moto X backed by Google was a stock phone you could trust. But Lenovo is a different animal. Sure all of their flagships are up to date, but that 2014 X went over five months without Android Lollipop before it got an update. That is better than most phone makers, but it isn't a Nexus replacement.

On the other side, updates matter less than ever. Lollipop onward updates almost the entire OS through the Play Store, mostly what you get in new releases is new features like the upcoming Doze in Android M. Almost every major app in AOSP is in the Play Store, so I can take even a Samsung device and make it look like a Nexus.

So I say go for it IF YOU LIKE THE PHONE. Don't do because you feel you are getting an alternative Nexus like you found a loophole in the Android ecosystem. With the GPe program gone there is a huge gap between the Nexus experience and everything else. Lenovo currently comes closest, but who knows where they will be as a company in a few years? My suspeciaon could be misplaced though, seems like they want to learn from Motorola:

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/arti...o-sees-even-more-today-from-motorola-mobility

 

[Cakefish]

Thanks, I hadn't thought of the impact that Lenovo might have. Though I understand that currently Motorola is being run as a mostly separate entity for now.

My main concern I think is the fact that the Nexus 5 is rumoured to have the Snapdragon 820 whilst the Moto X will have either the 810 or 808. On the flipside, if the Moto X does have microSD support as is rumoured then that will be very useful for me as my music collection grows ever larger. Additionally I can't imagine that the new Nexus will be able to beat the rumoured 3280mAh battery if it turns out to be true and as I mentioned in my OP, battery life is paramount to me.

 

[s44]

Motorola has the most timely updates of any Android OEM

That has *already* fallen by the wayside. Ask any Droid Turbo owner.

The rest is hard to tell. If the Nexus 5 has the 820, the better process should actually help battery life. Who knows about battery capacity or screen resolution, though...

 

[Cakefish]

Droid Turbo doesn't count though! It's exclusive to US carriers that are notorious for being the worst at updating Android in the western world. I'd be getting the unlocked pure variant, not any US contract-locked nonsense

From what a remember the Moto X (2014) got a major Lollipop update (either 5.0 or 5.1) before the Nexus 5 so they aren't bad at providing updates.

More importantly, the actual software is pretty much stock Android.

 

[poofyhairguy]

From what a remember the Moto X (2014) got a major Lollipop update (either 5.0 or 5.1) before the Nexus 5 so they aren't bad at providing updates.

That WAS the way it was back when Motorola was owned by Google. That is what I was saying, Googlerola was a different company than the Lenovorola we have today.

In particular, the 2013 Moto X didn't get Lollipop until MAY of this year. MAY! True they jumped all the way to 5.1 but still it got 5.1 a month slower than my GPe M8 got it and two months after the Nexus 5 or 6 got it. The 2014 X got it a little quicker, but that isn't a good trend long-term.

The line that a Motorola phone is a good as a Nexus is dead. Now the only Nexus we have is a Nexus. Motorola is just the best of everything else.

Given that I would rather have something like a S6 that is just a better phone if I wasn't getting a Nexus personally. Heck the S6 got 5.1 only a month after the Moto X! The difference between stock Android and the skinned Android is often just a bunch of installs from the Play Store.

I am not saying don't do it, just don't do it if your reasoning is that you get a Nexus without waiting. Do it because you like the phone as it without the promise of Nexus-style updates.

 

[ThisIsChrisKim]

Do you trust Motorola with cameras? That's another question to ask. My experience with all the Moto phones is: no.

 

[destrekor]

I miss Moto making themselves relevant. They had a great surge where it seemed like they were making the right moves to carve out a sizable portion of the market, but they've basically dropped back again.

I still can't believe that they are just one more manufacturer following the Apple and Google disdain for expandable storage. Really? I get the built-in battery, but the SD Card hardly screws with device proportions. It's a cop-out, and is one reason I won't be buying a Motorola until 128GB or larger is an affordable standard or they offer expansion.

And that pisses me off too, because it still remains the fact that Motorola has the strongest radio and antenna designs. However, it does appear that at least Sony also has strong reception on Verizon, I can get cell service where others do not. I think my Z3V may actually match Motorola in that regard. However, Sony is just as much of a non-competitor these days, because the Verizon devices are one-offs that get basically no support. I still don't have Lollipop! D: Verizon and Sony have dumped previous releases that other Z3 phones have gotten because of bugs or whatever, and instead continue to delay any potential Lollipop release on Verizon. Damn Verizon and their over-engineered method to ROM development and approval.

 

[s44]

I'd be getting the unlocked pure variant

That only got 5.1 last month. Admittedly they were doing soak tests much earlier, but there was a big delay in the official roll-out.

 

[foghorn67]

I honestly don't trust the Chinese mining my data. I am wary. A tad paranoid, but whatever.

 

[ControlD]

If you are already willing to wait for the new Nexus, then wait. If you need a phone sooner than that and you like the new Moto then go that way.

Personally, I would wait for the Nexus. I dislike any skinned/forked Android variant out there though, so that colors my opinion more than a little. My biggest fear with Android is that Google will drop the Nexus line at some point completely.

 

[Cakefish]

I think my view of Nexus quick updates has been marred somewhat by the disastrous Lollipop update that turned my phone into a slow, stuttery, crash prone, unusable-at-times mess until 5.1.1 arrived and finally fixed the awful memory leak. I realised that it wasn't really important that I had got the update first when the update itself was severely flawed.

The fact that Android M adds 'major' new features that I'm not really that bothered by (Android Pay) signals that the OS has become so mature now that updates are going to be pretty minor from now on. It's only really the battery saving features of M that really excite me.

In my eyes Motorola are the next best thing to Nexus as their version of Android is the most unadulterated and least bloat-filled of any of the major OEMs.

I just feel really drawn to the rumoured specifications of the Moto X. Apart from the SOC, everything else is pretty much spot on with what I want out of a new phone. The microSD card support would be a huge bonus.

It's just the SOC and the fact that Snapdragon 808 only has the Adreno 418 GPU paired with a 1440p display. Would it perform worse than Adreno 330 paired with a 1080p display? I don't play games very often at all on my phone though, but a regression in performance would be stupid.

Do you trust Motorola with cameras? That's another question to ask. My experience with all the Moto phones is: no.

It's rumoured to have OIS this time around so that will hopefully help greatly. Fingers crossed! If it's not better than my current Nexus 5 at low-light photography then I will instantly lose interest.

That only got 5.1 last month. Admittedly they were doing soak tests much earlier, but there was a big delay in the official roll-out.

Ouch. I didn't hear about that.

I honestly don't trust the Chinese mining my data. I am wary. A tad paranoid, but whatever.

The US government already spies on all our phones and knows everything about us already so I don't think it makes much difference.

 

[sm625]

Is there even going to be a new Nexus 5? It seems like google has gotten tired of releasing hardware at a decent price. Who is to say the new Nexus 5 wont be an epic overpriced disappointment like the Nexus 6?

 

[ControlD]

Is there even going to be a new Nexus 5? It seems like google has gotten tired of releasing hardware at a decent price. Who is to say the new Nexus 5 wont be an epic overpriced disappointment like the Nexus 6?

All indications point to two new Nexus devices being released later this year. One will be somewhere around the 5" size and the other will be closer to the 6" size.

I think the days of the cheap Nexus might be over though. If the rumors are true, the new Nexus 5 is going to be built around the LG G4, so you can probably expect pricing to be somewhere around what the G4 sells at.

I hope the Nexus 5 is as big a disappointment as the Nexus 6 ... the N6 is hands down the best phone I have ever used. Still, I understand your point in regards to price.

 

[destrekor]

All indications point to two new Nexus devices being released later this year. One will be somewhere around the 5" size and the other will be closer to the 6" size.

I think the days of the cheap Nexus might be over though. If the rumors are true, the new Nexus 5 is going to be built around the LG G4, so you can probably expect pricing to be somewhere around what the G4 sells at.

I hope the Nexus 5 is as big a disappointment as the Nexus 6 ... the N6 is hands down the best phone I have ever used. Still, I understand your point in regards to price.

Nexus 6 is just a tad too big for me IMHO. But we all have the preferred sizes. I sort of miss the original Moto X I had, there was no other phone in the history of phones that perfectly fit in my hand as well as that phone did. One handed operation was simply magical with it, everything felt so right (at least, with a case - a little extra grip and the most minimal increase in bulk were great for my hands).

But what immediately dissuaded me from the Nexus 6 was the lack of external storage. I accepted it on the Moto X because I never really used it before, but now I'm preparing for the inevitable by having my entire music library on my phone so that I can ween off unlimited data for when that time finally comes. The options for phones with external storage is quickly growing abysmal, because I like phones that start as exceptional phones! Moto has had that ace in the bag for a long time, but they can't get me to give them my money anymore. A 128GB standard storage option that didn't raise the price obscenely high, that would do it for me.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I think my view of Nexus quick updates has been marred somewhat by the disastrous Lollipop update that turned my phone into a slow, stuttery, crash prone, unusable-at-times mess until 5.1.1 arrived and finally fixed the awful memory leak. I realised that it wasn't really important that I had got the update first when the update itself was severely flawed.

I agree that Lollipop was basically Android's Vista, but the experience made me look at updates a new way. It made me personally REALLY REALLY value updates, because I would HATE to be stuck on 5.0 right now. I am so happy I am on 5.1.1 on my devices, and quite frankly that rush to the fixed update is why my next phone is probably the updated Nexus.

The fact that Android M adds 'major' new features that I'm not really that bothered by (Android Pay) signals that the OS has become so mature now that updates are going to be pretty minor from now on. It's only really the battery saving features of M that really excite me.

Early reports are that Doze is fantastic. Like the first "Project ____" that really paid off in Android. I am also looking forward to the redone app drawer and fixed audio management. It will be the Windows 7 of Android I am sure.

In my eyes Motorola are the next best thing to Nexus as their version of Android is the most unadulterated and least bloat-filled of any of the major OEMs.

I agree that out of the "major" OEMs they have the least amount of bloat for sure. Now that the GPe program is dead Moto phones and Nexuses are pretty much the only thing you can buy on contract with a subsidy that look like AOSP.

With that said the real boom in the market since that first Moto X launched is the rise of non-major OEM makers. The same Android fanboys in the past who would be waiting in line with you for the Moto X 2015 are getting ready to fight for OnePlus 2 invites. Huawei is said to be making a Nexus, and their hardware has been great outside of garbage stock ROMs. It is interesting times for sure. That 810 SoC threw the market for a loop and who knows what will come of it.

I just feel really drawn to the rumoured specifications of the Moto X. Apart from the SOC, everything else is pretty much spot on with what I want out of a new phone. The microSD card support would be a huge bonus.

If you want the phone don't let me or anyone talk you out of it. The only reason I don't have a 2014 Moto X myself is they didn't have the 64GB version when I was phone shopping, and by the time they got one the lack of updates for the 2014 X scared me off. Moto makes amazing phones still, and in many ways I think they have some of the best designs in Android. Go for it.

It's just the SOC and the fact that Snapdragon 808 only has the Adreno 418 GPU paired with a 1440p display. Would it perform worse than Adreno 330 paired with a 1080p display? I don't play games very often at all on my phone though, but a regression in performance would be stupid.

Welcome to Android in 2015. The 810 sucks so bad that companies are using a mid-level SoC in the 808 (which yes can mean regressions in GPU power per pixel) to get the job done.

The "good" news it is doesn't matter, because quite frankly the Android gaming market isn't anything like iOS. With iOS as soon as a better GPU hits the market some developer goes and tries to make a game targeted to that power level to get sales from those new customers. In Android the market is so fragmented that outside of Nvidia basically bribing developers to make games for their platform (or often just add a higher quality level to games already out) most games assume a SoC power level that is years behind current. Like right now you finally see some popular games that chug on a Galaxy S3. So by the time you replace your phone you probably never saw a game that maxed it out.

 

[poofyhairguy]

All indications point to two new Nexus devices being released later this year. One will be somewhere around the 5" size and the other will be closer to the 6" size.

I think the days of the cheap Nexus might be over though. If the rumors are true, the new Nexus 5 is going to be built around the LG G4, so you can probably expect pricing to be somewhere around what the G4 sells at.

I wouldn't make that assumption personally, ESPECIALLY if LG makes the five inch Nexus. I mean, the Nexus 4 was basically the LG Optimus G in a different case and without some stuff for less. The Nexus 5 was basically a G2 without some things, and when it launched it was cheaper than a LG 2 too.

In my opinion the leaks that the Nexus makers are LG and Huawei shows that Google doesn't want a repeat of an expensive Nexus. If a Moto or a Samsung get involved the Nexus has to be priced high in order to not outshine their own flagship offerings. For LG and Huawei the halo of being associated with the Nexus is worth whatever loss in flagship sales they have to deal with because of the Nexus price.

Huawei in particular has wanted to get into the flagship US market, but quite frankly we Americans don't trust them enough. I could see them pulling a OnePlueOne and giving us a freaking crazy nice flagship for less than $500 just to make a splash in our market. Before the Nexus 4 no one here would even consider LG phones, now the G4 gets recommendations. If Huawei is smart they see that halo effect of the Nexus program and they don't hold any punch to really impress us Americans. The P8 is pretty slick, that plus Nexus AOSP would be a sick device as is.

 

[ControlD]

I wouldn't make that assumption personally, ESPECIALLY if LG makes the five inch Nexus. I mean, the Nexus 4 was basically the LG Optimus G in a different case and without some stuff for less. The Nexus 5 was basically a G2 without some things, and when it launched it was cheaper than a LG 2 too.

Hmm, that is a good point I had not considered. I figured LG had enough of a brand name now that they wouldn't want a Nexus phone undercutting the sales of their flagship.

However, I then realized that almost nobody out there except a small community of geeks even knows what a Nexus phone is in the first place or what advantages it has. I have been asked about my N6 numerous times and once I explain the Nexus concept to people they quickly lose interest.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Hmm, that is a good point I had not considered. I figured LG had enough of a brand name now that they wouldn't want a Nexus phone undercutting the sales of their flagship.

They are selling the G4 on its excellent camera and its custom backs, which are two things you have to assume that we won't get on the LG Nexus. Plus look how LG has shifted their product timing- the G2 was released in the fall, the G3 the summer and the G4 in the Spring. Now they are on the same cycle as Samsung and HTC, but they no longer have the later year big release (like Samsung does with the Note) because they only have one flagship. A LG Nexus gets them some late year press.

However, I then realized that almost nobody out there except a small community of geeks even knows what a Nexus phone is in the first place or what advantages it has. I have been asked about my N6 numerous times and once I explain the Nexus concept to people they quickly lose interest.

So true, people don't care about the updates. And they are right not to care. I would prefer a Nexus 6 over a Note 4, but most people would prefer that Note 4 camera or its longer battery life. I don't recommend a Nexus to anyone who doesn't know what Lollipop is without me telling them, which is 10% of the Android users in my life.

But on the flipside in the nerd community the Nexus has never meant more. In the last few years we have watched the Android Silver program be stillborn, Moto get sold, the GPe program flop, and the OnePlusOne CM experiment basically flop. In 2013 it looked like stock Android options were around the corner for everyone, in 2015 it's obvious Google has given up (hence the Play Store-ification of their apps) and we just have to pray the Nexuses don't suck.

I am not going to lie, 2015 is rough for an Android nerd. The only wind in the sales is the S6 is pretty excellent and the cheap non-major OEM phones, but the latter are crippled by slow updates or terrible ROM skins. I hope at least one of the two rumored Nexuses NAILS their specs- has OIS, has A GOOD fingerprint reader, has UFS storage and has a Qualcomm SoC with a custom design in it. Then we will have an Android worth having in six months.

 

[Cakefish]

Android Authority seems to think that the LG Nexus will have the Snapdragon 808 and a 2700mAh battery: http://www.androidauthority.com/nexus-2015-rumor-roundup-626660/

That would make it a much closer battle between Moto X and Nexus 5.

 

[s44]

The US government already spies on all our phones and knows everything about us already so I don't think it makes much difference.

It makes a huge difference. The US gov't sort of sucks, but I certainly don't want all my data being grabbed and sold by the Chicoms as well.

Particularly for folks in competitive international businesses, using a Chinese phone is just inviting having your personal and corporate secrets stolen. I'm not that important, but I'm not going to consider even the Huawei Nexus.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Android Authority seems to think that the LG Nexus will have the Snapdragon 808 and a 2700mAh battery: http://www.androidauthority.com/nexus-2015-rumor-roundup-626660/

That would make it a much closer battle between Moto X and Nexus 5.

Yeah and the Huawei Nexus will have an 810 in it:

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Huaw...ording-to-analyst_id71627#VYLSS6y6x4RrJHi2.97

 

[ThisIsChrisKim]

They are selling the G4 on its excellent camera and its custom backs, which are two things you have to assume that we won't get on the LG Nexus. Plus look how LG has shifted their product timing- the G2 was released in the fall, the G3 the summer and the G4 in the Spring. Now they are on the same cycle as Samsung and HTC, but they no longer have the later year big release (like Samsung does with the Note) because they only have one flagship. A LG Nexus gets them some late year press.



So true, people don't care about the updates. And they are right not to care. I would prefer a Nexus 6 over a Note 4, but most people would prefer that Note 4 camera or its longer battery life. I don't recommend a Nexus to anyone who doesn't know what Lollipop is without me telling them, which is 10% of the Android users in my life.

But on the flipside in the nerd community the Nexus has never meant more. In the last few years we have watched the Android Silver program be stillborn, Moto get sold, the GPe program flop, and the OnePlusOne CM experiment basically flop. In 2013 it looked like stock Android options were around the corner for everyone, in 2015 it's obvious Google has given up (hence the Play Store-ification of their apps) and we just have to pray the Nexuses don't suck.

I am not going to lie, 2015 is rough for an Android nerd. The only wind in the sales is the S6 is pretty excellent and the cheap non-major OEM phones, but the latter are crippled by slow updates or terrible ROM skins. I hope at least one of the two rumored Nexuses NAILS their specs- has OIS, has A GOOD fingerprint reader, has UFS storage and has a Qualcomm SoC with a custom design in it. Then we will have an Android worth having in six months.

G4 is nice for a hardware enthusiast who yearns for days of yester-year. I like, but not love, my G4. I'd kill, absolutely kill for certain design elements from stock Android (notification shade is the big one).

I've given up software for the camera. Which is really good.

 

[soccerballtux]

I agree that Lollipop was basically Android's Vista, but the experience made me look at updates a new way. It made me personally REALLY REALLY value updates, because I would HATE to be stuck on 5.0 right now. I am so happy I am on 5.1.1 on my devices, and quite frankly that rush to the fixed update is why my next phone is probably the updated Nexus.



Early reports are that Doze is fantastic. Like the first "Project ____" that really paid off in Android. I am also looking forward to the redone app drawer and fixed audio management. It will be the Windows 7 of Android I am sure.



I agree that out of the "major" OEMs they have the least amount of bloat for sure. Now that the GPe program is dead Moto phones and Nexuses are pretty much the only thing you can buy on contract with a subsidy that look like AOSP.

With that said the real boom in the market since that first Moto X launched is the rise of non-major OEM makers. The same Android fanboys in the past who would be waiting in line with you for the Moto X 2015 are getting ready to fight for OnePlus 2 invites. Huawei is said to be making a Nexus, and their hardware has been great outside of garbage stock ROMs. It is interesting times for sure. That 810 SoC threw the market for a loop and who knows what will come of it.



If you want the phone don't let me or anyone talk you out of it. The only reason I don't have a 2014 Moto X myself is they didn't have the 64GB version when I was phone shopping, and by the time they got one the lack of updates for the 2014 X scared me off. Moto makes amazing phones still, and in many ways I think they have some of the best designs in Android. Go for it.



Welcome to Android in 2015. The 810 sucks so bad that companies are using a mid-level SoC in the 808 (which yes can mean regressions in GPU power per pixel) to get the job done.

The "good" news it is doesn't matter, because quite frankly the Android gaming market isn't anything like iOS. With iOS as soon as a better GPU hits the market some developer goes and tries to make a game targeted to that power level to get sales from those new customers. In Android the market is so fragmented that outside of Nvidia basically bribing developers to make games for their platform (or often just add a higher quality level to games already out) most games assume a SoC power level that is years behind current. Like right now you finally see some popular games that chug on a Galaxy S3. So by the time you replace your phone you probably never saw a game that maxed it out.

these are some really good points, A+++ would read again

 

[soccerballtux]

I wouldn't make that assumption personally, ESPECIALLY if LG makes the five inch Nexus. I mean, the Nexus 4 was basically the LG Optimus G in a different case and without some stuff for less. The Nexus 5 was basically a G2 without some things, and when it launched it was cheaper than a LG 2 too.

In my opinion the leaks that the Nexus makers are LG and Huawei shows that Google doesn't want a repeat of an expensive Nexus. If a Moto or a Samsung get involved the Nexus has to be priced high in order to not outshine their own flagship offerings. For LG and Huawei the halo of being associated with the Nexus is worth whatever loss in flagship sales they have to deal with because of the Nexus price.

Huawei in particular has wanted to get into the flagship US market, but quite frankly we Americans don't trust them enough. I could see them pulling a OnePlueOne and giving us a freaking crazy nice flagship for less than $500 just to make a splash in our market. Before the Nexus 4 no one here would even consider LG phones, now the G4 gets recommendations. If Huawei is smart they see that halo effect of the Nexus program and they don't hold any punch to really impress us Americans. The P8 is pretty slick, that plus Nexus AOSP would be a sick device as is.

actually, most of the enthusiasts are on the G2, skipped the G3 due to microlags, 1440p hurting battery life, and under powered GPU to drive the 1440p; and skipped the G4 due to goofy form factor and el-cheapo plasticy feel


--


OP, I would:

1). buy a replacement new OEM Nexus 5 battery
2). buy a cheap Qi wireless charger then at your desk and at work your phone is always topped up
3). I can't help you with the poor low-light photos. Use HDR?