Moto X Style (Pure Edition) vs Samsung Galaxy S6
When the Samsung Galaxy S6 debuted earlier this year, the Korean manufacturer surprised the world by introducing a major overhaul to the build quality and design of its flagship, which better matched the premium price the series commanded. While this was a much-needed change, it did result in some previously signature features going by the wayside.
On the other hand, the latest high-end offering from Motorola retained a lot of what made its predecessor so good, and it remains mostly familiar, save for the bump in size, slightly more refined design elements, and necessary upgrades to key hardware aspects.
How does Motorola’s inexpensive flagship fair against what is arguably the best Galaxy S smartphone that Samsung has ever produced? We find out, in this in-depth look at the Moto X Style (Pure Edition) vs Samsung Galaxy S6!
Design
In terms of design, the first thing you will notice with these two smartphones is how different they are when it comes to the overall aesthetics.
As mentioned, the Moto X Pure Edition retains a lot of the design language of its predecessor, apart from the significant bump in size, including a metal frame, and the curved corners and back that allows for the device to nestle nicely in the palm of your hand. Given its larger footprint, the handling experience isn’t the most comfortable, but the ultra-thin bezels around the sides of the display and small top and bottom chin make for a device that is a lot more manageable that what its 5.7-inch display might suggest. The standard rubbery silicone backing provides a lot of grip as well, but if that is not very important, there are plenty of other options available to you via Moto Maker.
Like the other Moto X family members before it, one of the biggest selling points of the current Motorola flagship is the level of customization available to you. Moto Maker allows you to pick and choose your own color scheme, accent colors, and material for the back cover, and you also have the ability to add custom engravings and messages on the back, for that little bit more of a personalized touch. This kind of personalization is unmatched by any other OEM, and is a very unique aspect of the Moto X experience.
On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy S6 may have only a handful of color options to choose from, but the big story with the latest Galaxy S flagship was Samsung’s decision to be done with plastic, in favor of a glass and metal unibody construction. With a lot of familiar elements, it does look like a Samsung smartphone through and through, but it looks and feels far more high-end, as is expected from a flagship device of this caliber.
The glass on the back can be a fingerprint magnet, and does make the phone somewhat slippery as well, but given its more compact size, one-handed use is still very comfortable with the Galaxy S6.
Display
The Moto X Pure Edition comes with a 5.7-inch IPS LCD display, while the Samsung Galaxy S6 features a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED screen. With the resolution of both displays being 2560 x 1440, sharpness is of no concern with either. The Galaxy S6 does come with a higher pixel density of 577 ppi compared to the 520 ppi of the Moto X Pure Edition, but that is a difference that is going to hardly be noticeable. What is notable however is the distinction caused by the different underlying technologies of these two displays.
Samsung is well known for its display prowess, and once again, the Super AMOLED display of the Galaxy S6 offers the vibrant, saturated colors and high contrast that we’ve come to expect. The inky dark blacks are not only great for battery life, but also look much cleaner when compared to the grayish blacks on the LCD display of the Motorola smartphone.
That’s not to say that the display of the Moto X Pure Edition is disappointing in any way. It is a great looking screen with surprisingly great colors, viewing angles, and brightness, and while the use of AMOLED might have made more sense given some of the software features available with the Moto X, the switch to LCD is certainly not a deal breaker. Gaming and media-consumption is also very enjoyable with the Moto X Pure Edition, with users able to take advantage of the additional display real estate this is available to them.
Performance
Under the hood, the Moto X Pure Edition features a hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, clocked at 1.8 GHz, and backed by the Adreno 418 GPU, while the Samsung Galaxy S6 comes with an octa-core Exynos 7420 processor, clocked at 2.1 GHz, and backed by the Mali-T760MP8 GPU. While both devices offer 3 GB of RAM, you are dealing with the much faster DDR4 RAM with the Galaxy S6, compared to DDR3 on the Motorola device.
The Moto X Pure Edition may not be winning any specs races, but Motorola’s focus with their devices has always been on providing a great user experience, and that, fortunately, continues to hold true with their latest offering. Courtesy of a near-stock software iteration, the Moto X Pure Edition is fast, fluid, responsive, and rarely skips a beat. Swiping, scrolling, opening applications, multi-tasking, and gaming are all handled extremely well, and ultimately, that is what is going to matter the most.
On the other hand, Samsung flagships have always come with whatever was deemed the latest and greatest at the time, but unfortunately, real world performance has historically never lived up to expectations. This time around, Samsung decided to give the Snapdragons of the world a skip in favor of their in-house processing package, and that has proved to be a fantastic move.
The Galaxy S6 performs the way a flagship should, with a lot of credit going to Samsung’s optimization of their Touchwiz software suite, that comes with a lot less bloatware and unnecessary features than we’ve seen from Samsung in the past. The Galaxy S6 is easily the smoothest performing Samsung flagship that has ever been released, and while it still has its flaws, like the aggressive RAM management, it is still leaps and bounds ahead of what we’ve seen from the company over the years.
Hardware
In storage, the Moto X Pure Edition is available with 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB of storage, while the Samsung Galaxy S6 comes with 32 GB, 64 GB, and 128 GB variants. The higher storage options may be the better way to go with the Galaxy S6, given the lack of expandable storage, a previous staple feature that Samsung decided to remove this time around. The story is the opposite with the Motorola flagship however, with the Moto X Pure Edition featuring expandable storage via microSD card, something that wasn’t available with its predecessors. This means that you will be able to alleviate any storage concerns, even if you opt for the base 16 GB model.
Another advantage the Moto X Pure Edition has over the Samsung Galaxy S6 is in terms of speaker quality. The former comes with a dual front-facing speaker setup which sounds fantastic, and provides a far better audio experience for gaming and watching videos when compared to the single, bottom-mounted speaker of the latter. The speaker of the Galaxy S6 is not bad by any means and can actually get quite loud, but it does pale in comparison to the Moto X Pure Edition.
The Galaxy S6 does feature a few extras in hardware that aren’t available with the Moto X Pure Edition, starting with the fingerprint scanner. If you appreciate the added benefit and security of having a fingerprint reader, then the reader on the Galaxy S6 is certainly not going to disappoint. The reader is fast, reliable, and easy to set up, and its touch type nature is a far better implementation that the swipe gesture version seen with some of Samsung’s earlier flagships. Apart from unlocking the device, the fingerprint scanner is also compatible for use with Samsung Pay and Android Pay, for that layer of extra security when using these mobile payment systems. The Galaxy S6 also comes with a heart rate monitor on the back, which is a useful addition for some.
On the battery front, the Moto X Pure Edition comes with a 3,000 mAh battery, larger than the 2,550 mAh unit of the Samsung Galaxy S6. Neither battery is replaceable, and while that is standard for the Moto X device, it is a significant departure from the norm for the Samsung flagship. The battery life is better with the Moto X Pure Edition, but not significantly so.
Both devices come with fast charging capabilities as well, making it extremely easy to get both phones up and running in a short time. The Samsung Galaxy S6 also comes with support for both standards of wireless charging, which is always a nice option to have.
Camera
The Moto X Pure Edition comes with a 21 MP rear camera, with phase detection auto focus and a f/2.0 aperture, while the Galaxy S6 features a 16 MP camera, with a f/1.9 aperture, and optical image stabilization.
Moto X Pure Edition camera samples
The Moto X series has never really been known for its camera capabilities, but the Moto X Pure Edition features some significant improvements this time around, resulting in a camera experience that can finally match up to the rest of the competition. Both smartphones are capable of taking excellent photos in most lighting situations, but the edge has to be given to the Galaxy S6 here, for its better dynamic range and low-light performance.
Samsung Galaxy S6 camera samples
Where the Moto X Pure Edition falls short is with regards to the camera application. It is far too minimalistic, especially when compared to what is available with the Galaxy S6. The GS6 camera app comes with a few more options and manual controls that really help make a difference. Futhermore, tapping on the viewfinder to take a shot on the Motorola device just doesn’t feel as intuitive as having a dedicated shutter button.
Software
On the software side of things, both smartphones are running Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, but the experience each offers is completely different from the other. With the Moto X Pure Edition, you get a near stock Android iteration with some useful features from Motorola baked in, such as twisting your wrist to open the camera, chopping twice to turn on the LED flash, glancing at notifications with Moto Display, or discreetly performing voice commands, just to name a few.
The Galaxy S6 on the other hand, comes with Samsung’s typical Touchwiz interface, and while it is a significant departure from stock Android, it is a much cleaner and toned down build of Touchwiz this time around. There is a lot less bloatware, and Samsung also got rid of a lot of unnecessary features. Those that were useful are retained however, such as multi-window, and motion gestures, like swiping your palm over the screen to capture a screen shot, or flipping the phone over to mute a call. Things may not aesthetically be very different from previous iterations of Touchwiz, but if you aren’t a fan of the look, you can now easily change it via the built-in theme store. The theme store is extremely robust, with a lot of options to choose from, and is probably one of the best features of this new version of Touchwiz.
If getting timely updates is of concern, the safer bet would be on the Moto X Pure Edition to get the official update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow first, but hopefully, we won’t be waiting too long for either of these devices to get updated.
Specs comparison
| Samsung Galaxy S6 | Moto X Style (Pure Edition) | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display Quad HD resolution, 577 ppi |
5.7-inch IPS LCD display Quad HD resolution, 515 ppi |
| Processor | 2.1 GHz octa-core Exynos 7420 processor Mali-T760MP8 GPU |
1.8 GHz hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor Adreno 418 GPU |
| RAM | 3 GB | 3 GB |
| Storage | 32/64/128 GB | 16/32/64 GB expandable via microSD up to 128 GB |
| Camera | 16 MP rear camera with LED flash, OIS 5 MP front-facing camera |
21 MP rear camera with dual LED flash 5 MP front-facing camera with wide angle lens and front-facing flash |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth 4.1 NFC GPS+GLONASS |
Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac Universal LTE bands Bluetooth 4.1 NFC GPS+GLONASS |
| Battery | 2,550 mAh | 3,000 mAh |
| Software | Android 5.1.1 Lollipop | Android 5.1.1 Lollipop |
| Dimensions | 143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8 mm 128 grams |
153.9 x 76.2 x 11.1 mm 179 grams |
| Colors | White Pearl, Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum, Blue Topaz | Moto Maker Coated Silicon Rubber Horween leather and natural wood Metallic accents Engraving |
Gallery
Conclusion
So there you have it for this in-depth look at the Moto X Style (Pure Edition) vs Samsung Galaxy S6! When picking up any new smartphone, price always has an important role to play, and we’ve seen a big surge in devices that continue to offer great specifications and features at affordable price points. Considering that the Moto X Pure Edition features a large Quad HD display, great front-facing speakers, a pretty decent camera, and a lot of customization via Moto Maker, its $400 starting price makes it one of the best bang for your buck devices of 2015.
The Galaxy S6 is clearly the more expensive of the two, by a big margin, but it offers a few useful like extras, like a fingerprint scanner, wireless charging, and more powerful specifications. It is up to you as to whether these features are worth the extra cost, and if they are, then the Galaxy S6 will certainly not disappoint. However, if you are looking for a smartphone that provides a lot of value for not a lot of money, look no further than the Moto X Pure Edition.
The best electric toothbrush
By Casey Johnston
This post was done in partnership with The Sweethome, a buyer’s guide to the best things for your home. Read the full article here.
We put in almost 100 total hours of research, including interviewing experts, evaluating every model on the market, and testing 10 toothbrushes ourselves in hundreds of trials at the bathroom sink, to find that the best toothbrush for most people is a simple $50 model called the Oral-B Professional Deep Sweep 1000.
Sling TV launches official Chromecast app on the Play Store
Internet-based television service Sling TV has today launched its official Chromecast companion application on the Play Store. Users of the service will now be able to stream both live and on-demand content to the big screen from their Android smartphones and tablets.
To celebrate the release, Sling TV is giving away a free two-month trial of its “Best of Live TV package” to anyone who downloads and installs the application. All you have to do to redeem the promotion is head over to the official Chromecast offer page.
Here’s what Sling TV had to say:
“Starting today, Sling TV supports Google’s Chromecast, making it even more convenient for customers to stream the best live and on-demand programming to their TVs using their Android smart phones and tablets, iPhones and iPads. And don’t worry, Windows and Mac casters, we’re working on future compatibility for your laptops as well.”
If you don’t own a Chromecast, Sling has you covered too. If you register and pre-pay for a three month subscription to the “Best of Live TV” bundle, it will send you a shiny new Chromecast free of charge.
Source: Sling
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Google publishes factory images for latest Android security update
Google has published the factory images for its November security update for the Nexus 5, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6, Nexus 6P, Nexus 7 and Nexus 9. The upgrade eliminates seven core vulnerabilities in the Android operating system, including the latest critical exploit which “could enable remote code execution on an affected device through multiple methods such as email, web browsing, and MMS when processing media files.”
Hit the source link below to download the factory images from the official Google Developer Blog for manual flashing. Alternatively, you can wait for the over-the-air (OTA) rollout, which should start soon.
Source: Google Developers
Come comment on this article: Google publishes factory images for latest Android security update
FreedomPop to enter the smartphone market in 2016
Trusted source Re/code believes 2016 will be the year FreedomPop finally enters the smartphone market.
Budget friendly carrier, FreedomPop, is planning on introducing an Android powered handset next year. The company has partnered with Intel for its low-cost Atom x3 chipset. Therefore one can infer that the handset will be more of a budget friendly device. Interestingly, the smartphone will apparently introduce a feature allowing it to easily swap between networks and Wi-Fi. This is very much alike to Google’s Project Fi, which was announced just this past year. Texts and calls will use a cellular connection or Wi-Fi hotspot instead of most phones which use other means. Best of all, FreedomPop is making this free.
FreedomPop’s first ever smartphone is expected to have a price-tag of less than $100, and may go on sale in the early months of 2016. FreedomPop believes it will make a great companion to its unbranded Android tablet, which is already being sold in select countries. Let’s hope it reaches the United States.
Source: Re/code
Come comment on this article: FreedomPop to enter the smartphone market in 2016
Twitter’s hearts mean the end for favorites
All social media platforms have their own special thing to express approval or agreement with content. Facebook has the Like button; Google+ has the +1 button; Instagram has the Heart (or Like) button. Twitter has never had something quick like any of those services. This morning, Twitter waved goodbye to one of its longest tenured features in order to become more like Facebook, Google+, and Instagram. The Favorite button on Twitter, indicated for years with a star, has been retired in favor of a heart to represent likes.
You can say a lot with a heart. Introducing a new way to show how you feel on Twitter: https://t.co/WKBEmORXNW pic.twitter.com/G4ZGe0rDTP
— Twitter (@twitter) November 3, 2015
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Twitter decided to move on from favorites because not everything you see can be considered your favorite. Liking something, however, is more free and can be done multiple times without seeming overdone or untrue. So, basically, Twitter wants to allow you to like hundreds of things rather than choosing them as your favorite. To me, this seems like a way for Twitter to encourage more interaction with tweets. Users will see a tweet that has many likes and view it as a piece of content offering more value or buzz. A like is something short-term compared to the long-term structure of a favorite.
Here’s how Twitter explains the value of its new icon:
The heart, in contrast, is a universal symbol that resonates across languages, cultures, and time zones. The heart is more expressive, enabling you to convey a range of emotions and easily connect with people. And in our tests, we found that people loved it.
If these hearts look familiar, that’s because the Twitter-owned Periscope utilizes them. So it only makes sense for Twitter to implement them throughout its own service and Vine as well.
The hearts, which feature a brief popping animation, are already visible on multiple platforms. Users of Twitter on Android, iOS, the web, and elsewhere can start liking tweets today.
Source: Twitter
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Rufus Cuff: a gigantic smartwatch, or a mini wrist tablet?
Last summer during E3 Bethesda revealed a “real life” Pip-Boy accessory in honor of Fallout 4, faithfully recreating the iconic design from the popular game series. While the Pip-Boy is an epic quasi-futuristic piece of kit, can you imagine anyone wearing such a device in the “real world” (outside of series fans, that is)? Rufus Labs apparently can, judging by the looks and design of its upcoming Rufus Cuff.
Billed as a “wrist communicator”, the Rufus Cuff actually surfaced back in 2014 on Indiegogo, but is now up for pre-order for new customers with a price starting at $249. So what exactly does a wrist communicator do? Basically, it’s a mini-tablet that’s attached to your wrist.
The Rufus Cuff is powered by a TI Cortex A9 processor, has a front facing camera for selfies and video conferencing, a 1175 mAh battery, a 3.2-inch TFT display, and features both GPS and Wi-. Storage options include either 16, 32, or 64GB, and the software is based on Android KitKat. There’s no cellular support here, so you will need to tether the Cuff to your phone or keep it hooked to Wi-Fi.
The big question is why anyone would want to wear this, and that’s a good question. The only thing I can come up with is that the Cuff is for those that want to stand out from the crowd. I mean, 3.2-inches isn’t exactly big and while having a device on your wrist means easy access to apps and games, getting this experience means you have to be okay with wearing such a bulky, likely heavy, device on your arm all day.
According to Rufus Lab’s CEO, Gabe Grifoni, they believe that having a device that isn’t “just a glorified notification center” will appeal to many in ways smartwatches don’t. Furthermore, he says “”This will replace the need for smartphones, wallets, watches, fitness trackers, everything.” A bold claim and one we doubt will come to pass.
What do you think, could you see yourself wearing such a device? Or would only a crazy person strap on such a massive device to their wrist? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Inbox by Gmail will read your emails and type out replies for you
You may not know it yet, but Google’s artificial intelligence algorithms are already changing your life.
For now, AI is still a discreet, almost invisible presence running on Google’s vast neural networks, helping with things like returning the best answers to your confusing questions, finding that funny picture you took at the beach that time, or selecting just the right thumbnail from the thousands of frames of a YouTube video. But that’s only the beginning.
AI is soon going to power another feature: reading and understanding your emails and coming up with quick replies you may want to send. Think of it as a very basic personal assistant that can deal with the pesky task of replying to your petty missives.
See also: What is machine learning?
Here’s how the Smart Reply feature, which will arrive to Inbox by Gmail soon, works. Two AIs work in tandem – one “reads” the email and turns it into an algorithm-friendly vector that represents the essence of the message. The other reads the vector and comes up with three distinct and grammatically sound replies.
The replies won’t different just in form – the AI makes sure that the meaning of the reply is distinct as well. That may sound trivial, but according to Google, making sure the AI wouldn’t just rephrase the same idea was a real challenge early on. Another challenge? Teaching the AI not to reply to everything with “I love you,” a phrase that it really favored in its early days.
Say you get an invitation to a dinner. The AI will parse it and suggest three likely responses: “I am busy, can’t make it” or “Sounds good, I’ll be there” or “I will try to make it.” Don’t worry, the app won’t send replies on its own. You will still have to pick up the preferred reply and send it, or use it as a starting point for a longer email.
At its core, this is a smarter “canned reply” type feature, that has been around for years. But the potential is great. The AI will probably one day be able to check your calendar or your hangouts messages before making a suggestion. You won’t need to check your agenda before replying, the app will do it for you.
See also: How machine learning will revolutionize the mobile experience
If you’re worried about privacy, Google says no human will ever see your messages. The AI algorithms learn by repeated trial and error, without human intervention.
Google says the feature works with longer emails, but we’ll have to see it in action to tell just how good it is.
Inbox by Gmail can be installed from the Play Store right here.
Sling TV finally gains Chromecast support
Sling TV, Dish Network’s live streaming television service, has finally gained support for Google’s Chromecast. The ability to use the live streaming service with Chromecast has been one of the most-requested features ever since Sling TV’s launch back in February, and now it’s finally here. The update is now rolling out to both Android and iOS versions of the app, and the folks at Sling TV say that Windows and Mac users will soon get the functionality on their laptops.
There are a handful of pretty great deals that come along with this news, as well. For a limited time, new customers will be able to prepay for three full months of Sling TV and receive a free Chromecast. If you need a refresher, Sling TV costs $20 per month and includes tons of the most popular TV networks such as ESPN, AMC, Food Network, A&E, History Channel and many, many more. So considering that you’ll get a free Chromecast that’s valued at $35, this seems to be a pretty great deal.
See also: Chromecast 2015 and Chromecast Audio Review
Alternatively, if you happen to be a new Sling TV customer and have access to a Chromecast, you can take advantage of a free two-month trial of Sling TV’s “Best of Live TV” package. If you’d like to redeem that offer, head over to the Chromecast offers page here.
Already a Chromecast and Sling TV user? Be sure to head to the Google Play Store link below to grab the latest version of Sling TV!
Deal: OSTraining Developer Courses for just $69, 96% off
Making your own online content is no easy task, but now we have great internet tools that can save you from spending years and thousands of dollars in school. Why not learn on your own, from the comfort of your home and for a price you really can’t say no to?
Today’s AA Deals Store offers a lifetime subscription to the OSTraining Developer Course at a mere $69. This course is said to be valued at a whopping $2,000, making the offer a 96% off discount. But what do you get for this $69 price point? The promise is that you can become a pro web developer by taking advantage of OSTraining’s expert instruction and “an enormous library of trainings”. Subscribers can watch over 2500 videos that will teach them to use WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, SEO, HTML, CSS, PHP and more.
Two additional classes are added weekly, and students are entitled to certificates of completion upon finishing each course. But the benefits don’t end in the classroom, OSTraining also has over 10,000 extensions and templates for making websites.
Want in on the deal? Just head over to the AA Deals Store and sign up for it.
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