How Moto X Style and Moto X Play stack up against rival flagships

Motorola's new handsets cost a lot less then rival flagships. Photo: Motorola

Motorola’s new handsets cost a lot less then rival flagships. Photo: Motorola

Motorola today announced two new additions to its flagship Moto X lineup in the Moto X Style and the Moto X Play. Both handsets deliver flagship specifications and high-end designs that are customizable through Moto Maker, and they cost a lot less than their rivals off-contract.

But how exactly do Motorola’s new devices stack up against those rivals? Find out in our handy comparison chart below.

The Style and Play are big improvements over last year’s Moto X. They both feature a “best-in-class” 21-megapixel camera, fast-charging technology, and refined designs that are fully customizable. The Style also offers a larger, sharper Quad HD display and Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 808 processor.

Please scroll the table left and right to see all of its contents

Moto X Style Moto X Play OnePlus 2 Galaxy S6/S6 edge HTC One M9 LG G4 iPhone 6 iPhone 6 Plus Xperia Z3+
Operating System Android 5.1.1 Lollipop Android 5.1.1 Lollipop Android 5.1.1 Lollipop Android 5.1.1 Lollipop Android 5.1 Lollipop Android 5.1 Lollipop iOS 8.4 iOS 8.4 Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
Display 5.7-inch LCD (2560 x 1440) 5.5-inch LCD (1920 x 1080) 5.5-inch LCD (1920 x 1080) 5.1-inch Super AMOLED (2560 x 1440) 5-inch Super LCD3 (1920 x 1080) 5.5-inch LCD (2560 x 1440) 4.7-inch Retina HD (1334 x 750) 5.5-inch Retina HD (1920 x 1080) 5.2-inch LCD (1920 x 1080)
PPI 520 401 401 576 441 538 326 401 424
Processor Hexa-core Snapdragon 808 Octa-core Snapdragon 615 Octa-core Snapdragon 810 Octa-core Exynos 7420 Octa-core Snapdragon 810 Hexa-core Snapdragon 808 Dual-core Apple A8 Dual-core Apple A8 Octa-core Snapdragon 810
RAM 3GB 2GB 3GB, 4GB 3GB 3GB 3GB 1GB 1GB 3GB
Storage 32GB, 64GB + microSD 32GB, 64GB + microSD 16GB, 64GB 32GB, 64GB, 128GB 32GB + microSD card slot (up to 128GB) 32GB + microSD card slot (up to 128GB) 16GB, 64GB, 128GB 16GB, 64GB, 128GB 32GB + microSD card slot (up to 128GB)
Camera(s) 21MP (rear) + 5MP (front) 21MP (rear) + 5MP (front) 13MP (rear) + 5MP (front) 16MP (rear) + 5MP (front) 20MP (rear) + 4MP (front) 16MP (rear) + 8MP (front) 8MP(rear) + 1.2MP (front) 8MP(rear) + 1.2MP (front) 20.7MP (rear) + 5.1MP (front)
Other IP52 water-repellant nano-coating, stereo speakers, Moto Maker IP52 water-repellant nano-coating, stereo speakers, Moto Maker Fingerprint scanner, USB Type-C, interchangeable covers Fingerprint scanner, heart rate monitor, IR remote, wireless charging BoomSound speakers, IR remote Laser auto-focus, wireless charging, IR remote Touch ID, Lightning, Apple Pay Touch ID, Lightning, Apple Pay Water-resistant, front-facing stereo speakers
Dimensions 153.9 x 76.2 x 11.06mm 148 x 75 x 10.9mm 151.8 x 74.9 x 9.85mm 143.5 x 70.6 x 6.9mm 146.8 x 73.3 x 8.2mm 148.9 x 76.1 x 9.8mm 138.1 x 67 x 6.9mm 158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1mm 146 x 72 x 6.9mm
Weight 179g 169g 175g 140g 157g 155g 129g 172g 144g
Battery 3,000mAh 3,630mAh 3,300mAh 2,550mAh 2,840mAh 3,000mAh 1,810mAh 2,915mAh 2,930mAh
Price (MSRP, off-contract) From $399 From $299 From $329 From $679 $649 $649 From $649 From $749 $599

On paper, the Qualcomm chips packed into Motorola’s latest devices don’t look as good as the high-end Snapdragon 810 featured in handsets like the HTC One M9 and the Xperia Z3+. But we can’t ignore the overheating issues that have plagued the latter since it made its debut.

If you’re looking to avoid that, then, choosing another Qualcomm chip, or going with Samsung’s Exynos 7420 in the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, is going to be your best option. There’s another reason why you should consider Motorola’s handsets over pretty much everything else.

Moto X Style Gallery

Motorola uses near-pure Android firmware, which is free from third-party user interfaces and bloatware. The company does pack in some additional features, like Moto Voice and Moto Display, but they’re welcome ones, and other than that, its software is exactly what you would find on a Nexus.

The only other handset here that offers that is the OnePlus 2, but again, it’s got that Snapdragon 810 chip, and a lesser camera. The OnePlus 2 is considerably cheaper, though, so that could make it a winner depending on your budget.

Moto X Play Gallery