Motorola Moto X Style versus Samsung Galaxy S6

The Motorola Moto X Style is truly an innovative flagship device for the company, and will possibly be one of the more respected handsets among the flagships that have and will release this year. Many were concerned what the Lenovo acquisition would mean for Motorola’s devices, but it seems to have been a smooth transition with Lenovo not wanting to interfere with Motorola’s big push for the pure Android experience.

The Moto X Style offers the pure Android experience with few modifications, and the device stacks up very well against the OnePlus Two, but just how well does it compete with what is arguable one of the biggest flagships of the year, Samsung’s Galaxy S6?

Design

The Motorola Moto X Style comes in at 153.9 x 76.2 x 11.1 mm and weighs 175 grams. As per the norm, you’ll find volume buttons and power buttons on the sides of the device. It also features a metal frame with a silicone removable back panel, touting Motorola’s signature curved design.

The SIM card slot is placed inside the removable rear panel. Around the front, you have the front-facing camera, LED flash, and a variety of sensors. On the back, you have Motorola’s signature rear camera with flash along a vertical stripe housing the Motorola logo.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 measures in at 143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8 mm and weighs 138 grams. The volume rocker, power button, and SIM card slot are on the two sides of the device, and unlike the Moto X Style, the back is not removable, as it features a metal and glass unibody.

On the front, you have the home button at the bottom, with capacitive recent apps and back buttons to the left and right, respectively. The front-facing camera resides at the top, alongside a variety of sensors. Around the back, there is a rear-facing camera with flash to the right above it. A Samsung logo is placed below the camera utilities.

Verdict: It’s a matter of preference.

Hardware

Samsung’s Galaxy S6 has an Exynos 7420 chipset, featuring a quad-core 1.5GHz Cortex-A53 and quad-core 2.1GHz Cortex-A57 processor. It’s packed with Mali-T760MP8 GPU and a hefty 3GB of RAM. Samsung opted to get rid of a 16GB model, instead offering 32/64/128GB storage options with no microSD card support.

The Galaxy S6 features a gorgeous 16-megapixel rear camera, has a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, and the usual variety of sensors: an accelerometer, gyro, proximity sensor, compass, barometer, and etc. Finally, the Samsung Galaxy S6 employs the microUSB port over recent USB Type-C options we’ve seen.

The Moto X Style sports a premium package, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chipset and a 1.8GHz dual-core Cortex-A57 and quad-core 1.44GHz Cortex-A53 processor. It has an Adreno 418 GPU, 16/32/64GB storage options, 3GB of RAM, and microSD card support.

It has a 21-megapixel rear camera, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Motorola shied away from the USB Type-C port, opting for the traditional microUSB solution. It also has the standard package of sensors: accelerometer, barometer, and etc.

Verdict: Both the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Moto X Style offer a lot of power, but as far as numbers go, the Galaxy S6 wins.

Display

The Motorola Moto X Style has a 5.7-inch 2560 x 1440 TFT LCD display, with a pixel density of 520ppi. It also sports Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3 protection and has a 74.9% screen-to-body ratio.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 has a 5.1-inch 2560 x 1440 Super AMOLED display, sporting a whopping 571ppi. It has Corning’s Gorilla Glass 4 protection with a 70.7% screen-to-body ratio. As is the norm with Samsung’s AMOLED display, colors are saturated, yet vivid and vibrant.

Verdict: It’s a tie.

Battery

The Motorola Moto X Style features a 3,000mAh battery with TurboCharge technology, allowing you to charge the device faster than any other on the market. Additionally, it boasts lasting through an entire day or more, if you so choose to go out after work.

Samsung’s Galaxy S6 has a much smaller non-removable 2,550mAh battery. The Galaxy S6 features Fast Charging technology, allowing you to get a full charge in a little over an hour. It also has wireless charging capabilities. Unfortunately, the battery doesn’t last that long under regular use, so you may not be able to get a full day or more out of it.

Verdict: Moto X Style wins.

Software

The Motorola Moto X Style will run the stock Android experience atop of Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. Of course, Motorola will include a few of its own signature Moto apps, such as Moto Display, Moto Assist and so on. As is the norm with Motorola, users should be able to get the latest version of Android before many other devices see it.

The Samsung Galaxy is running its own TouchWiz UI atop of Android 5.0 Lollipop, however, it is upgradeable to Android 5.1.1. Unlike the Moto X Style, Samsung’s UI is full of bloatware and modifications that slow down the overall performance. Samsung is also notoriously slow with updates, so it could take some time to see the latest of Android on this flagship.

Verdict: Moto X Style wins.

Price and Availability

The Motorola Moto X Style is truly an innovative flagship device for the company, and will possibly be one of the more respected handsets among the flagships that have and will release this year. Many were concerned what the Lenovo acquisition would mean for Motorola’s devices, but it seems to have been a smooth process, with the Chinese-based company wanting to help Motorola succeed with the pure Android experience.

The Moto X Style offers the pure Android experience with few modifications, and the device stacks up very well against the OnePlus Two, but just how well does it compete with what is arguable one of the biggest flagships of the year, Samsung’s Galaxy S6?

Design

The Motorola Moto X Style comes in at 153.9 x 76.2 x 11.1 mm and weighs 175 grams. As per the norm, you’ll find volume buttons and power buttons on the sides of the device. It also features a metal frame with a silicone removable back panel, touting Motorola’s signature curved design.

The SIM card slot is placed inside the removable rear panel. Around the front, you have the front-facing camera, LED flash, and a variety of sensors. On the back, you have Motorola’s signature rear camera with flash along a vertical stripe housing the Motorola logo.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 measures in at 143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8 mm and weighs 138 grams. The volume rocker, power button, and SIM card slot are on the two sides of the device, and unlike the Moto X Style, the back is not removable, as it features a metal and glass unibody.

On the front, you have the home button at the bottom, with capacitive recent apps and back buttons to the left and right, respectively. The front-facing camera resides at the top, alongside a variety of sensors. Around the back, there is a rear-facing camera with flash to the right above it. A Samsung logo is placed below the camera utilities.

Verdict: It’s a matter of preference.

Hardware

Samsung’s Galaxy S6 has an Exynos 7420 chipset, featuring a quad-core 1.5GHz Cortex-A53 and quad-core 2.1GHz Cortex-A57 processor. It’s packed with Mali-T760MP8 GPU and a hefty 3GB of RAM. Samsung opted to get rid of a 16GB model, instead offering 32/64/128GB storage options with no microSD card support.

The Galaxy S6 features a gorgeous 16-megapixel rear camera, has a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, and the usual variety of sensors: an accelerometer, gyro, proximity sensor, compass, barometer, and etc. Finally, the Samsung Galaxy S6 employs the microUSB port over recent USB Type-C options we’ve seen.

The Moto X Style sports a premium package, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chipset and a 1.8GHz dual-core Cortex-A57 and quad-core 1.44GHz Cortex-A53 processor. It has an Adreno 418 GPU, 16/32/64GB storage options, 3GB of RAM, and microSD card support.

It has a 21-megapixel rear camera, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Motorola shied away from the USB Type-C port, opting for the traditional microUSB solution. It also has the standard package of sensors: accelerometer, barometer, and etc.

Verdict: Both the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Moto X Style offer a lot of power, but as far as numbers go, the Galaxy S6 wins.

Display

The Motorola Moto X Style has a 5.7-inch 2560 x 1440 AMOLED display, with a pixel density of 520ppi. It also sports Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3 protection and has a 74.9% screen-to-body ratio. In featuring the AMOLED display, colors are saturated and vibrant.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 has a 5.1-inch 2560 x 1440 Super AMOLED display, sporting a whopping 571ppi. It has Corning’s Gorilla Glass 4 protection with a 70.7% screen-to-body ratio. As is the norm with Samsung’s AMOLED display, colors are saturated, yet vivid and vibrant.

Verdict: It’s a tie.

Battery

The Motorola Moto X Style features a 3,000mAh battery with TurboCharge technology, allowing you to charge the device faster than any other on the market. Additionally, it boasts lasting through an entire day or more, if you so choose to go out after work.

Samsung’s Galaxy S6 has a much smaller non-removable 2,550mAh battery. The Galaxy S6 features Fast Charging technology, allowing you to get a full charge in a little over an hour. It also has wireless charging capabilities. Unfortunately, the battery doesn’t last that long under regular use, so you may not be able to get a full day or more out of it.

Verdict: Moto X Style wins.

Software

The Motorola Moto X Style will run the stock Android experience atop of Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. Of course, Motorola will include a few of its own signature Moto apps, such as Moto Display, Moto Assist and so on. As is the norm with Motorola, users should be able to get the latest version of Android before many other devices see it.

The Samsung Galaxy is running its own TouchWiz UI atop of Android 5.0 Lollipop, however, it is upgradeable to Android 5.1.1. Unlike the Moto X Style, Samsung’s UI is full of bloatware and modifications that slow down the overall performance. Samsung is also notoriously slow with updates, so it could take some time to see the latest of Android on this flagship.

Verdict: Moto X Style wins.

Price and Availability

The Motorola Moto X Style is set to launch some time in September, and Motorola says they’re trying to undercut the competition, costing consumers a mere $399 for an unlocked and high-end smartphone.

On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy S6 is available right now and costs $199 on a new two-year contract with a carrier. If you’d like to purchase the device outright and unlocked, prices start at around $699 and up. Keep in mind that this is for the base 32GB model. Prices will no doubt inflate for larger storage options.

Veridct: Moto X Style wins.

Wrap Up

The Motorola Moto X Style is not only a powerful and premium package, but it’s also extremely affordable, especially when it comes to buying the device off-contract. On the other hand, the Galaxy S6 can be quite expensive, but you’re getting a powerful smartphone with loads of extra features from a reputable and respected manufacturer in the market. That, of course, comes with a hefty price tag.

You’ll certainly be happy with either device you choose, but it goes without saying, the Motorola Moto X Style might be your best option considering how high-end the device actually is and how little it costs.

What is your preference? The Samsung Galaxy S6 or Motorola’s Moto X Style?

The Motorola Moto X Style is set to launch some time in September, and Motorola says they’re trying to undercut the competition, costing consumers a mere $399 for an unlocked and high-end smartphone.

On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy S6 is available right now and costs $199 on a new two-year contract with a carrier. If you’d like to purchase the device outright and unlocked, prices start at around $699 and up. Keep in mind that this is for the base 32GB model. Prices will no doubt inflate for larger storage options.

Veridct: Moto X Style wins.

Wrap Up

The Motorola Moto X Style is not only a powerful and premium package, but it’s also extremely affordable, especially when it comes to buying the device off-contract. On the other hand, the Galaxy S6 can be quite expensive, but you’re getting a powerful smartphone with loads of extra features from a reputable and respected manufacturer in the market. That, of course, comes with a hefty price tag.

You’ll certainly be happy with either device you choose, but it goes without saying, the Motorola Moto X Style might be your best option considering how high-end the device actually is and how little it costs.

What is your preference? The Samsung Galaxy S6 or Motorola’s Moto X Style?

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