I started out wanting to do a comparison between the Nexus 5X against the Moto X Style. But while the Moto X Style’s price tag might seem a tad closer to the Nexus 5X rather than the Nexus 6P, the Moto X Style’s built quality and size is actually better compared to the Nexus 6P’s more premium feel. So in the end, I decided on a three-way instead.
Build Quality: Nexus 6P
In terms of built, I would say that the Nexus 6P takes the cake, followed by the Moto X Style. That nicely machined, full metal body just screams premium. The Moto X Style takes a middle ground by having metal sides and a softer rubberised material on the back. BUT, do remember that there are options to go for leather or wood backs which will help make the Moto X Style feels a little bit more premium. With a simple and nondescript polycarbonate shell, the Nexus 5X unfortunately doesn’t feel as expensive as the other two. While it is still solidly built, it is just not as nicely built as the other two.
Screen: Nexus 6P
The 5.7” QHD AMOLED panel on the Nexus 6P is one of the best looking panels in the market, second only to a handful of smartphones. Being a Samsung panel, the quality is definitely up there. However, that is if you prefer AMOLED panels though. If LCD is more up your alley, you might prefer the Moto X Style’s 5.7” QHD LCD panel. The colours are decent, blacks are still relatively deep, and viewing angles are decent. The same can be said for the Nexus 5X’s screen too actually, which is decent, but just not as high in resolution at FHD only.
Speakers: Moto X Style
While both the Moto X Style and the Nexus 6P has dual front firing stereo speakers, the Moto X Style wins convincingly by having better sounding speakers. To me they sounded fuller, and clearer. Which is a pretty impressive feat by Motorola, squeezing in better speakers in a smaller sized device compared to Huawei’s Nexus 6P. I don’t even want to talk about the Nexus 5X’s single front firing speaker here, which sounds unremarkable in every way.
Performance: Nexus 6P
With the most powerful processor of the lot, it’s pretty much cakewalk for the Nexus 6P’s Snapdragon 810, so I won’t go too much into it. Things become a bit more interesting with the Nexus 5X versus the Moto X Style though. While both uses the Snapdragon 808 processing package, the Nexus 5X only has 2GB of RAM compared to the Moto X Style’s 3GB. In day to day usage, the Nexus 5X feels a tad smoother with transitions, but when it comes to loading apps, and playing games, the Moto X Style feels smoother actually. I’ll still give 2nd place to the Moto X Style though, for having a bit more breathing room when it comes to RAM.
Software Experience: Moto X Style
This might not sit too well with Nexus fans, but for now, the Moto X Style wins it for me. Sometimes stock Android is a tad too bare bones. While it does get the fastest updates, the Moto X Style provides a better experience with its enhancement to stock Android out of the box. Moto Display still works WAY better than Ambient Display. Double twist to launch camera is a bit more convenient than needing to double press a specific button too. Double chop to launch flashlight actually comes in handier than one might think.
There is an exception though. A year or 2 down the road, the Nexus will almost certainly be ahead. Being a Nexus device, it will most certainly get fast updates next year, even with a newer Nexus. The same can’t be said for the Moto X Style though. Next year when there is a newer Moto X, the Moto X Style will almost certainly get updates a bit slower. Also it lacks hardware feature like a fingerprint sensor, which might not be as important now, but will become increasingly so as more app developers leverages on Marshmallow’s new fingerprint sensor APIs.
In the end, I am writing this in 2015 though, so I gave it to the Moto X Style for being better right now at this point in time.
Battery: Moto X Style
Keeping in mind the battery capacity for the Nexus 5X is 2,700 mAh, the Moto X Style at 3,000 mAh, and the Nexus 6P at 3,450 mAh, it is easy to automatically assume the Nexus 6P is the winner. But to me it’s not. To me all 3 phones lasted a day of moderate use pretty easily, but none of them would last me more than a day. While the Nexus 6P was able to last longer overall, in terms of average screen on time, the Moto X Style gave more consistent results actually. So overall, it's sort of a tie here to me.
(Nexus 5X)
(Moto X Style)
(Nexus 6P)
The tie breaker is that charging is a lot more convenient on the Moto X Style at this point in time too. Using a micro USB port, finding a charger at work or outside is super easy. But if you have either Nexus devices, you’re going to have to bring your own cable with you everywhere you go just in case. However, the table will turn 1 to 2 years later when the Type C standard becomes more prevalent. But then again, by that point in time you probably would have upgraded to another smartphone already. At this point in time, my ancient iMac still only has USB A ports, and the cables lying around my house are all USB A to micro USB.
Camera: Nexus 6P
This part is going pretty easy, the Nexus 6P has a really good camera in both good and dim lighting conditions. The 12MP shooter can be a bit slow to process HDR+ shots, but it’s worth the wait. Images in daylight is a little too saturated for my liking though. The camera is then followed by the Nexus 5X, which uses the same module, just a little slower at processing. The Moto X Style while in the last place, is actually still plenty good. In daylight, images shows nice details, albeit with a hint of over processing. Capture speeds were fast too, and auto HDR mode works really well. In low light, capture speeds were still fast, but shots doesn’t have as much brightness or details to them unlike on the Nexus 6P and 5X. It is still a perfectly capable shooter though, one I would rate just a bit behind the Nexus duo.
Worth: Moto X Style
Looking at the 32GB variant across the board, Nexus 5X at US$429, Moto X Style at US$449, and the Nexus 6P at US$499. While the Nexus 5X might seem cheaper, considering the comparisons above, the Moto X Style seems like the better buy to me. Keeping in mind that you can actually buy the 16GB Moto X Style too since you have the ability to add in a micro SD card, and integrate it into the internal memory (thanks to Marshmallow). For just a little bit more money, you are talking about a lot of plus points over the Nexus 5X. The only few things the Nexus 5X has over the Moto X Style would be faster software updates, fingerprint sensor, and a slightly better camera.
Comparing with the 6P which is only US$50 more, it is a little harder to choose between the 2. Build quality to me is pretty close, with the difference being down to preference. You are paying pretty much for the better screen, fingerprint sensor, faster updates, better camera, and better performance package. Which seems like the Nexus 6P should win this round, but let me explain why it didn’t. The Moto X Style has been around a little bit longer, which means that the actual value these days might be lower. For example, on the 17th December, Amazon sold the 32GB Moto X Pure Edition for only US$349, which is way cheaper than the Nexus 6P. Locally in Singapore the cheapest Nexus 6P you can get is the 64GB version at around US$549, which is US$200 more.
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Conclusion
The Nexus 5X is simply not worth buying if you ask me. It may be better than the Moto X Style by having a fingerprint sensor, a slightly better camera, as well as faster updates. But, the Nexus 6P is all of those things too and then some. Not to mention that with the recent discount for the Moto X Style at US$349, the Moto X Style is cheaper than the Nexus 5X but better in many more ways (see above). There is very little reason to go for the 5X.
When it comes to the Nexus 6P versus the Moto X Style, it’s a harder choice to make. At its original price, US$449 versus US$499 isn’t much difference. With faster updates, a fingerprint sensor, a better camera, a subjectively better build quality, better performance, and a better screen, the Nexus 6P is more worth it to me. It is one of the best Android phones this year for a reason.
But if you consider the discount that the Moto X Style had earlier at US$349, it makes the Moto X Style a lot more compelling for people who doesn’t really need all the bells and whistles that the Nexus 6P offers. At that price, the Moto X Style would be my choice.
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