Motorola Google Nexus 6 vs Sony Xperia Z3

Although once a pioneer in cell phones, Motorola, together with Google, has begun almost like a fresher in the smartphone business. On the other hand, Sony too join the smartphone business a bit late, but now has an impressive Xperia smartphone line up. Therefore, we have picked up two handsets from these companies, namely Motorola Google Nexus 6 and Sony Xperia Z3, for this comparative review.

BUILD
Motorola Google Nexus 6 measures 159.3x83x10.6mm and weighs 184g, whereas Sony Xperia Z3 is a visibly much smaller device that measures 146x72x7.3mm and weighs about 152g. Besides, Google Nexus6 is accessible in two distinct hues, midnight blue and cloud white, where as Sony Xperia offers four color options to choose from including dark, white, copper and gold.

DISPLAY 

Motorola has a screen size of 5.96inch with a capacitive touch screen accompanied by Corning Inc’s Gorilla Glass 3, where as Sony comes with a relatively smaller display screen size of 5.2 inch with a capacitive display followed by Triluminos display. Moreover, Nexus6 has a significant leg up with 1440 x 2560 pixels over Xperia Z3 that has 1080 x 1920 pixels. Both the devices come with waterproof and dust tight display. On the whole, at the display front, Xperia Z3 with bigger screen and sharper pixels acquires a leg up over Google Nexus6.

PROCESSOR & OS 

Both the devices have 3GB RAM and run on Android v5.0 (lollipop) OS. Considering the processor, Google 6 is powered with 2.7 GHz Quad-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 805, which is slightly more powerful than Xperia Z3 powered by 2.5 Ghz Quad-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801. In spite of the fact that both the contraptions run on the same OS, Google Nexus6 gives a relentless rivalry to Z3. Furthermore, Sony Xperia Z3 provides 16GB internal storage, which is expandable up to 128 GB with a microSD card. Nexus 6, on the other hand, provides much higher 32 GB internal storage, but provides no option to expand, which is a relative weakness.

CAMERA & BATTERY

On the camera front, Sony’s Xperia Z3 takes a lead with a whopping 20.7 megapixels (rear) camera that in case of Motorola’s Nexus 6 is only respectable 13 megapixels. However, the front camera in both cases is 2.2 megapixel. However, the battery capacity advantage lies with Google Nexus 6 that has 3220 mAh battery, slightly more powerful than Xperia which comes with 3100 mAh battery.

OTHER FEATURE & PRICE 

In terms of connectivity, both the gadget bolsters 802.11 a/b/g/n/air conditioning Wi-Fi guidelines. They also support 3G/ 4G, NFC and GPS. However, Motorola can disappoint buyers by not supporting FM, something that Sony does. Considering the Bluetooth facility Google came up with v4.10, which is a slightly advanced version than Xperia v4.00. Both the gadgets are accessible on a few India-specific e-business sites and cost about the same, around INR 38000-40000.

BOTTOM LINE 

Both the devices are comparable on most accounts. On one hand, Motorola Google Nexus 6 has a favorable position because of wider screen size with sharper pixels, higher battery capacity and a propelled processor, which offers better viewing experience and faster data processing. On the other hand, Sony Xperia Z3 takes the attention because of its much stronger rear camera, expandable storage option and FM facility, which could work better for people with larger data storage requirements.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 4 can beat Motorola Google Nexus 6

Samsung and Motorola are among the most dominant smartphone companies today. Over the years they have shown their creativity and superiority through their products. It would be interesting to see how their products compare with each other. Therefore, we have picked their two smartphone models  Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Motorola Google Nexus 6 for the direct spec-to-spec contest to help consumers make a smart decision while buying their smartphones.

Design & Colour

With a silver casing on all sides, small curved edges and a leather-based back panel, Note 4 has an elegant look which has a stylus along with the device. Nexus 6 with a metal casing on the sides, proper curves on the edges and a slightly bulging and dull-finish back panel has a youthful look. Also, both the devices come in different colors: Note 4 is available in Frost White, Charcoal Black, Bronze Gold and Blossom Pink while Nexus 6 is available in Midnight Blue and Cloud White. Since design and colour choice are a matter of personal preference, we leave the judgement to the customers.

Shape & Size

Generally speaking, both the devices are bigger looking. Specifically, Google Nexus 6 with dimensions such as 159.26x 82.98x10.06mm weighs 184g, while Galaxy Note 4 with dimensions of 153.5X78.6X8.5mm weighs 176g. While both have large display screens, there is minor difference in the screen size. Nexus 6 comes with 5.96 inch screen size with an AMOLED display where as Samsung’s Note 4 is 5.7inch, slightly smaller, but with a Super AMOLED display, which enables the user to view their smartphones without any difficulty from glaring lights and from wider angles. Both the devices have a resolution of 2560x1440. With comparable screen size and same resolution, the technology differentiator provides Note 4 a slight leg up.

Processor & OS

Both Google Nexus 6 and Galaxy Note 4 have a 3GB RAM and are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 2.7GHz Quad-Core processors. However, the difference shows up in the operating system (OS). While Samsung’s Note 4 runs on Android 4.4 Lollipop and can be upgraded to Android 5.0.1 Lollipop, Google Nexus 6 already running on Android 5.0 Lollipop is upgradable to Android 5.1.1. Also, Nexus 6 users would be enjoying an early Android M OS developer preview due to Google’s association with the smartphone. Moreover, Note 4 has an internal memory of 32GB that is expandable to 64GB through microSD, where as Nexus 6 has no expandable memory but is available in two variants with either 32 GB or 64GB internal space. Therefore, the only differentiator is relatively better operating system (OS), which provides Nexus 6 a leg up.

Battery & Cameras

Both the devices have a battery capacity of 3220 mAh. However, the main difference appears at the camera front that works in the favour of Galaxy Note 4, which has a 16MP primary (rear) camera and a 3.7MP secondary (front) camera for selfies. On the other hand, Google Nexus 6 has a 13MP primary camera and 2MP secondary camera. Both the smartphones have Smart Optical Image Stabilization that counter-balances camera shake and automatically extends exposure time in dark settings. Additionally, Note 4 also has the ability to perform split-screen multitasking that means the user can open and shift between applications with much ease.

Other Features

Both the devices have Wi-Fi capabilities (802.11 a/g/b/n/ac), Bluetooth v4.10 and single SIM slot, and support only Nano-SIM. In terms of connectivity, both devices are available in 2G, 3G and 4G, depending on the market.

Bottom Line

Both the devices are comparable in terms of RAM, processing power, battery capacity and several other features including connectivity. However, Nexus 6 comes with a slightly bigger screen size and the advantage of receiving OS updates earlier than the other brands. On the other hand, Galaxy Note 4 acquires a definite leg us in terms of Super AMOLED display technology and better cameras with split-screen multitasking feature.

For the price indication, we looked at the cost tag for the two devices in the Indian market, where Nexus 6 with 32GB costs around Rs.44,000 and with 64GB costs Rs.49,000. On the other hand, Galaxy Note 4 costs around Rs.42,000. Therefore, considering the specs and the price in the Indian market, we think Galaxy Note 4 has a sure leg up over Nexus 6, unless one has a specific preference for design and updates.  

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Moto E 2nd Gen (3G) vs Obi Hornbill: New making things tougher for old

Motorola has made a great come back as a global smartphone player. However, the competition in the smartphone industry only gets tougher by every passing day. Obi Mobiles, co-founded by ex-CEO of Apple and Pepsi, John Sculley, that launched its first range of smartphones less than a year ago, is attracting attention and may potentially become a challenger. Therefore, we decided to have a spec to spec analysis of products of these two players, i.e. Motorola Moto E 2nd Gen (3G) and ObiHornbill S551, to see how the new player living up to the standards set by an older player.

Look and Feel: 

In spite of having different overall dimensions, Moto E (137.9x 69.2x 8.6mm) and Obi Hornbill (146.8x73.3x 8.2mm) weigh the same 145gm. That makes Moto E a bit smaller and thicker looking device than Obi’ Hornbill which has greater length and breadth but is thinner. Moto has a very compact look with curved edges and a dull back-panel finish, where as Hornbill has a rather extended and posh look with sharp edges and metallic finish on the left and right side-panel. Moreover, while Moto E has a colour choice of black or white, Hornbill is available only in white. 

Display: 

The display screen size in Moto E is 4.5 inch, one inch lesser than Hornbill’s 5.5 inch, which means larger images and more comfortable viewing experience with Hornbill. At the resolution front too, Moto E with 960x540 Pixels is slightly behind Hornbill that has 1280x720 Pixels. In terms of display technology, Moto comes with IPS LCD display that allows wide angle viewing without any light hindrances but at the expense of extra power, where as Hornbill TFT IPS screen with capacitative touch HD. 

Under the Hood:

Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.2GHz Quad-Core processor, Moto E is relatively behind compared to Hornbill’s Mediatek MT6582 1.3GHz Quad-Core processor. In terms of RAM and Storage both smartphones have a 1GB RAM, internal memory of 8GB that is expandable memory up to 32GB through microSD. However, Moto E has a significant advantage when looking at the operating platform, as it runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop where as Hornbill runs on 4.4.2 Kitkat.

Battery & Cameras: 

Battery capacity and cameras are two two key features that customers are often concerned about. At the battery front, the difference is rather minor, where Moto E takes lead with 2390 mAh battery capacity, where as Hornbill follows closely behind with 2200mAh battery. However, on the front of cameras, Hornbill takes a big leap forward with its 13MP primary camera in comparison to Moto E’s 5MP. On the secondary camera front, Moto E with its outdated VGA cameras falls way behind Hornbill that comes with 5MP secondary camera, offering the possibility of much higher quality selfless. 

Other Features: 

Both Moto E and Hornbill have Wi-Fi capabilities (802.11 a/g/b/n), Bluetooth v4.0 and single SIM slot. Hornbill supports both Regular and Micro SIM cards while Moto E supports only Micro SIM cards.

Key Indicator	Obi Hornbill S551	Moto E (2ndGen) (3G)	Comparative Advantage
Dimensions	146.8x73.3x8.2mm	137.9x69.2x8.6mm	Customer choice
Screen Size	5.5 inches	4.5 inches	Advantage Hornbill
Resolution	1280x720	960x540	Advantage Hornbill
Camera (P)	13 megapixels	5 megapixels	Advantage Hornbill
Camera (S)	5 megapixels	VGA	Advantage Hornbill
OS	Android 4.4.2	Android 5.0	Advantage Moto E
Battery Cap	2200 mAH	2390 mAH	Advantage Moto E

Bottom line: 

Both the smartphones have the same RAM and storage capacity, but there are key differences. Moto E has an upgraded Operating platform and a relatively better battery capacity, where as Hornbill has larger dimensions, larger screen size, bigger processor, superior primary and secondary cameras. To get a sense of costs, we looked at the prices of the two devices in the Indian market, where Moto E costs around INR7000 where as Hornbill at around INR9000. Customers preferring an upgraded OS may like Moto E while those more interested in viewing experience, cameras and processor may prefer Hornbill.

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MotoG (8GB) vs Octopus S520: Which is a smart buy in Kenya?

Remember the times Motorola was a global Mobile maker and that too a leader at it? Well, the times have changed. The smartphone market is now flooded with newbies that are giving competition to the veterans. Bought by Google, Motorola has been trying hard to stay in the competition with mid-level and high-end smartphones, and has done well in the mid range category. One of the newbie in the market, Obi Mobiles, co-founded by Ex-Apple and PepsiCo CEO, John Sculley, ventured into Africa in March this year where as Motorola has a presence since 2013. Therefore, we decided to compare two of the best models from each of the companies, i.e. Octopus S520 of Obi Mobiles and Moto G (8GB variant) of Motorola.

DESIGN AND BUILD: Motorola Moto G comes in the dimensions of 141.5X70.7X6.0mm and weighs 149g where as Obi Octopus comes in the dimensions of 145X75X8.4mm (Obi’s official site doesn’t offer the weight of Octopus). MotoG is round edged and fits easy in hand and comes in multiple colours. You also get customised back shells that are interchangeable if you are looking for more colours. Obi Octopus S520, on the other hand, is a bar shaped, curved at all ends device that comes in a beautiful silver metallic cover.

DISPLAY: Motorola MotoG has a LCD capacitive screen with a 4.5’’ HD display that gives you a screen resolution of 720X1280 pixels. On the other hand, Obi Octopus S520 comes with 5” TFT IPS screen that feels more fluidic, thus gives Octopus an added advantage of better viewing angles over MotoG.

OS & PROCESSOR: Motorola MotoG runs on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean that is upgradable to Kitkat, where as Obi Octopus S520 runs on Android 4.4.2 KitKat, which gives Octopus a leg up. On the processor front, MotoG is packed with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 400 that clocks speed at 1.2 GHz supported by a quad-core CPU. Obi Octopus S520 is build with a MTk, MT6592 Octa-Core processor clocking speeds at 1.7 GHz. Moto G gets an edge over Octopus in terms of chipset.

RAM & STORAGE: Both, Motorola MotoG and Obi S520 have 1GB of RAM support and 8GB of internal storage that is expandable in Octopus upto 32GB via microSD card slot. MotoG misses on this feature that is important for people who like to store lots of music and pictures on their smartphones. However, the option of expandable memory is available for MotoG (16GB) variant.

CAMERA & BATTERY: It is the cameras where the Motorola MotoG takes the beating from Obi Octopus S520. MotoG sports a 8MP primary camera and a 2MP secondary to cater to your selfie needs where as Octopus S520 sports a 13MP primary camera built by Sony and a 5MP secondary camera for high quality selfies. On the battery front, while Motorola MotoG has battery capacity of 2070mAh that is embedded, Octopus S520 has a touch higher battery capacity of 2100mAh and is also removable.

CONNECTIVITY: On the Connectivity front, both Motorola MotoG and Obi Octopus S520 are 3G-enable devices with a WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and USB support.

  Comparison Chart 

Key Indicators	MotoG (8GB)	Octopus S520	Comparative Advantage
Battery Capacity	2070 mAh Embedded	2100 mAh Removable	Advantage Octopus
Display Screen Size	4.5’’	5’’	Advantage Octopus
OS	Android4.3Jelly Bean	KitKat 4.4.2	Advantage Octopus
Processor	Qualcomm  Snapdragon 400	MediaTek MT6592	Advantage MotoG
Expandable Memory	Not Available	32GB	Advantage Octopus
Camera	8MP- Primary 2MP- Secondary	13MP- Primary 5MP- Secondary	Advantage Octopus

PRICE: With decent specifications and nicely poised against one another, Motorola MotoG and Obi Octopus S520 are smartly priced too. Taking an indication from the Kenya market, MotoG is priced at KSh 22,499, where as Octopus S520 is priced at KSh 26,999 . Wondering why pay those extra bucks for Octopus? Because it beats MotoG on the camera, expandable memory, OS fronts and also has a lead over it when it comes to the display.  The choice is still yours.

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Galaxy Note 4 vs Moto Turbo: Brand value vs specifications

Samsung and Motorola are two global players in the smartphone market. If Motorola has made a great comeback after facing near defeat, Samsung has pioneered the big screen smartphone movement. It would be interesting how the recovered Motorola is living up to the challenges put up by Samsung. Therefore, in this comparative review we decided to pick up a model from each of these two companies for a spec to spec match. The two smartphone models are Samsung Galaxy Note 4 which is a consistent refinement over its predecessors and Motorola Moto Turbo which claims stellar set of specifications. 

Let us begin with the look and feel of the two devices. In general, both the smartphones are a bit chunky and can be evidently felt in the pocket. While there is significant difference in the overall dimensions of the two devices, i.e. Galaxy Note 4 (153.5x78.6x8.5mm) and Moto Turbo (143.5x73.3x11.2mm), both the devices weigh exactly the same, 176gm. The overall dimensions reflect in the display screen size, which is 5.7” in case of Galaxy Note 4 and 5.2” in case of Moto Turbo. Since both the devices have Quad HD (1440x2560 pixels) touch screens, the quality of visuals is the same. However, the larger display screen of Note 4 may slightly enhance the overall viewing experience, where as Moto Turbo may be easier to hold and to use by one hand only. 

Furthermore, the most notable design element in Galaxy Note 4 is the metal rim, which gives it a dignified and solid look, where as Moto Turbo has introduced a new material ballistic nylon which is essentially a thicker, tougher variant of synthetic nylon. The Moto Turbo is available only in a black colour, whereas the Galaxy Note 4 is available in black, white and copper.

On the performance front, both the devices are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 2.7 GHz Quad-core processor which is among the fastest processors in the market and has 3GB RAM that allows for faster switching between various applications. However, the difference appears in the operating system (OS) and at the memory front. While Galaxy comes with Android v4.4.4 Kitkat OS which is upgradable to v5.0.1 Lollipop, Moto turbo runs on more advanced Android 5.0.2 Lollipop OS, which gives Moto a leg up over Galaxy. Also, Note 4 has an internal storage of 32 GB which is expandable to 128 GB via MicroSD, whereas Moto Turbo has a 64 GB internal storage, but without any MicroSD slot. 

Both Galaxy Note 4 and Moto Turbo boast of exceptionally powerful primary (rear) cameras. Samsung Galaxy comes with 16 MP primary (rear) camera that can record UHD 4K videos @ 30fps, where as Motorola Turbo can capture 21 MP in 4:3 screen modes and 15.5 MP in 16:9 screen modes and record UHD 4K videos @24fps with an additional feature of 720p slow motion video. However, Galaxy takes a clear lead with its secondary (front) camera of 3.7 MP which is only 2 MP in case of Moto, which means a clearer selfie with Galaxy.  

Moreover, both the devices have Wi-Fi capabilities (802.11 a/g/b/n/ac) and Bluetooth v4.0. Additionally, Note 4 comes with a single micro and Turbo with nano SIM slots. In terms of connectivity, both smartphones are available in 2G, 3G and 4G, depending on the market. However, one of the major differences between Samsung Galaxy and Motorola Turbo is in terms of battery capacity. While Galaxy Note 4 has an impressive 3220mAh battery, Moto Turbo simply outshines Note 4 with a 3900mAh battery capacity.

In conclusion, we note that both the smartphone models come with impressive specifications and have their design strengths. Besides having similar display technology, resolution and RAM, there are differences too. Galaxy Note 4 has a larger display screen, the option of expanding memory and superior secondary camera. On the other hand, Moto Turbo comes with more advanced OS, twice as large internal memory, superior primary camera and a higher battery capacity. 

Furthermore, we looked at the prices in the Indian market for the two devices, where Galaxy Note 4 is priced at around INR 58,000, whereas Moto Turbo is exclusively available on Flipkart at around INR 42,000. Moto Turbo does offer an impressive specification and price combo, unless one is willing to pay significantly more for a larger display screen and better selfie experience, besides the design and brand consideration, which are a matter of individual preference. 

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