iPhone 6 Plus vs Moto X 2014: What Buyers Need to Know

When you go shopping for a new smartphone this year you might not immediately think of comparing the new Moto X 2014 and the iPhone 6 Plus, but with metal designs, large 1080P displays and smart features it’s a comparison savvy shoppers will make.

The Moto X 2014 is a major upgrade from last year with a premium design, new bigger, bolder display and improvements to voice control and notifications. Even with customization options you can’t even get close to from Apple the phone is only $99 on contract.

Apple’s new iPhone 6 Plus finally offers a huge 1080P display to users in a thin package with a curved metal design. Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus no longer features glass on the back, adding small antenna breaks to an all aluminum frame and adding a 5.5-inch display to the front of the largest iPhone to date. You’ll pay a premium for this new iPhone with prices starting at $299 for 16GB of storage.

Here’s a close look at the most important things buyers need to know about the iPhone 6 Plus vs Moto X 2014. These observations come after a week and a half using the iPhone 6 Plus and a month using the Moto X 2014.

iPhone 6 Plus vs Moto X 2014 Size

The Moto X 2014 is shorter and narrower than the iPhone 6 Plus, but it is thicker than the very slim new iPhone. A curved back on the new Moto X removes any complaints about the device being too thick, but some users will prefer the overall slim design on Apple’s new iPhone.

The size of these two devices differs dramatically in height, even though the screens aren’t that different in size. The iPhone 6 Plus is 18mm taller, which makes it more challenging to use with one hand. It is also heavier which is another factor in one-hand use.

• iPhone 6 Plus – 158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1mm – 172 grams
• Moto X 2014 – 140.8 x 72.4 x 9.9mm – 144 grams

Overall the Moto X 2014 is small enough to use with one hand for most tasks, while the iPhone 6 Plus is more of a two-hand device. Apple’s Reachability and a proper grip allow me to use the iPhone 6 Plus with one-hand for short activities, but I find myself using two-hands more often.

You can buy the iPhone 6 Plus in space gray, silver and gold. Those are your options. Shoppers can customize the Moto X 2014 with 25 backs colors including leather and wood options and pick an accent color for a personalized phone at no extra charge. The added materials sit on top of the metal frame hiding any antenna breaks like those that are present on the back of the iPhone 6 Plus.

iPhone 6 Plus vs Moto X 2014 Display

The Moto X 2014 features a 5.2-inch 1080P AMOLED display, which is slightly smaller than the iPhone 6 Plus’ 5.5-inch 1080P LCD display.

Even though the iPhone 6 Plus display is larger the difference isn’t something that stands out much while watching videos or playing games on either device. Both displays offer a sharp image with good colors and detail in the photo, so this comes down to personal preference.

• iPhone 6 Plus – 5.5-inch 1,920 x 1080  – 401 pixels per inch
• Moto X 2014 – 5.2-inch 1,920 x 1080  – 423 pixels per inch

The Moto X 2014’s AMOLED display uses less power when blacks are shown, which is how Motorola is able to deliver smart notifications on the screen when you move your hand over the display. When it senses your hand the display shows three notification icons and you can tap for more info or tap and drag to go to that app. The iPhone 6 Plus does not include this feature.

iPhone 6 Plus vs Moto X 2014 Features

With large screens and nice designs, the features are what separate these two smartphones the most. Here’s a look at some of the most important features.

• Mobile Payments – The Moto X 2014 supports mobile payments with Google Wallet and Soft Card. The iPhone 6 Plus will support Apple Pay in October with a software update.
• Security – The iPhone 6 Plus includes a fingerprint sensor in the home button linked to login, purchases and available to third-party apps. the Moto X doesn’t offer this, but it can stay unlocked when paired to a trusted bluetooth device. This can be the Moto 360 smartwatch or a Bluetooth headset.
• Speakers – Apple delivers better sound than on the iPhone 5s, but it’s still not as nice as the front facing speakers on the Moto X 2014.
• Voice Control – On the Moto X 2014 you can set up any keyword you want to start voice control. On the iPhone 6 Plus you can access Siri without your hands only when you are plugged into power.

iPhone 6 Plus vs Moto X 2014 Cameras

The iPhone 6 Plus features an 8MP camera with new larger pixels, faster focusing technology and optical image stabilization that helps eliminate camera shake and deliver better looking photos.

Motorola upgrades the Moto X 2014 camera to 13MP, adds in a nice feature that captures the image you take and one from right before you press the shutter so you don’t miss a perfect shot by one second and 4k video recording. You can launch the Moto X camera with a flick of your wrist.

Overall the iPhone 6 Plus takes better looking photos with more detail, especially in low light. The photos below show the difference.

iPhone 6 Plus vs Moto X 2014 Specs

Here’s a closer look at the iPhone 6 Plus specs and how they compare to the new Moto X specs. These specs are what enable the features listed above and the software differences listed below.

iPhone 6 Plus Specs

• Apple A8 64-bit Processor
• iOS 8
• 5.5-inch Retina HD display
• 16GB / 64GB / 128GB storage options
• 1.2MP front-facing camera
• 8MP rear-facing camera with Optical Image Stabilization
• 2,915 mAh battery
• 4G LTE
• 802.11ac WiFi
• Touch ID Fingerprint Sensor
• NFC

Moto X 2014 Specs

• 5.2-inch 1080P Display
• 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 801 Quad-core processor
• 2GB of RAM
• 16GB and 32GB storage options
• 2,300mAh battery
• 13MP rear facing camera w/ 4k video, 2MP front camera
• Dual LED Ring Flash
• Android 4.4.4 KitKat
• Over 25 customizable back options

Software

The software and options enabled by software help set these two phones apart. The iPhone 6 Plus runs iOS 8, specifically iOS 8.0.2. The Moto X 2014 runs Android 4.4.4. Both of these are the latest version of software from Apple and Google.

The video above covers the many Moto X 2014 software features including voice control and you can see the IR sensors on the front that detect gestures to answer calls. Moto Assist knows when you are in meetings and silences the phone and you can say goodnight and good morning to the Moto X to turn sleep mode on and off.

Apple adds in a lot of new features for the iPhone 6 Plus. The phone includes Reachability which allows you to tap on the home button twice to use a one-handed mode. You can see many of the new iOS 8 and iPhone 6 Plus features in the video below.

You can check out the other iPhone 6 Plus iOS 8 features in the slideshow below. This includes the ability to answer calls and respond to text messages on the iPad and on your Mac as well as much more.

iOS 8 vs iOS 7 Walkthrough - Home Screen

> 1 / 19

We start our iOS 8 vs iOS 7 walkthrough with the iPhone home screen, which is where you'll start your iOS 8 experience after an update this fall.  These screens are incredibly important as you see them anytime you turn on the iPhone or need to choose an app to launch. There is no way around using them, so Apple needs to make sure they work just right.  As you can see in the iOS 8 vs iOS 7 comparison above, there is no change between the home screen in the new iPhone software. Apple changed the status bar and some other small visual changes in iOS 7, but there are no updates for iOS 8.   We could see Apple change the home screen slightly for iOS 8 for the iPhone 6. The new iPhone will feature a larger 4.7-inch display with a higher resolution. This is something Apple may use to add more icons to the screen. Or they could stick with the current layout, it's tough to tell.

> 1 / 19