LG Nexus 5 vs. Motorola Moto G: unexpected comparison results
This story began about a month ago. I told my friend who was in the process of choosing a smartphone that I had Moto G in my hands . He wanted a moderately compact and moderately exotic device, so, in my opinion, the Motorola model would suit him perfectly. A friend's answer surprised me: “What kind of Motorola is for 200 bucks (of course, in the USA, it is much more expensive here - author's note) when you can buy Nexus 5 for the same headstock? After all, there is Full HD and Snapdragon 800. "
At the price, my dear friend, of course, got excited: Nexus 5 with 16 GB of memory costs $ 349 in the USA. In Russia, they mysteriously transform into the official 17,990 rubles. So, if you wish, instead of one “Nexus” you can buy almost two copies of Moto G, imported into the country by “gray” suppliers.
Moto G and LG Nexus 5
However, in my opinion, comparing Moto G and Nexus 5 is very worthwhile. Both devices are among the cheapest in their classes, while offering a very serious set of options and the most current version of the Android operating system - 4.4.2 KitKat. As far as I know, many buyers today choose for themselves a new smartphone precisely from these two options - for the reasons described just above.
I actively used Moto G for about three weeks, LG Nexus 5 for about a week. As a result, I have to once again say that the quality level of a modern smartphone is not always determined by the notorious “Full HD and Snapdragon 800”, as well as the amount of RAM, megapixels and other numbers.
In other words. I like Moto G much more than the more expensive LG Nexus 5. It seems like Google had a hand in both devices (the first one was released during the period when the search engine was owned by Motorola, and the second one was created in LG under the strict control of Mountain View comrades), but at the exit very different products came out.
The devil - he, as you know, does not like large forms. And Moto G is better in the little things.
With the Motorola model, I found out that a small smartphone with a 2070 mAh batteryIt can easily work up to two days. Yes, there is Highscreen Boost 2 SE , which has to be recharged at times less. But this is a separate case, but the usual "average" Android-backgrounds live with me no more than a day. Moto G successfully broke this “record”.
But the LG Nexus 5 asks for an outlet by the evening of the first day. Probably a combination of Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 and a 2,300 mAh battery is not the best. For comparison: a Sony Xperia Z1 smartphone with the same hardware and approximately the same 5-inch display has a 3,050 mAh battery.
Well and personally to me from this Snapdragon 800? Especially since my favorite Asphalt 8 (a good toy, I recommend) and on the Moto G with its Snapdragon 400, and on the Nexus 5 comes with maximum graphics settings. In the speed of the Android interface between these devices there is no difference at all. So ... The
resolution of the screen is 1920 x 1080 pixels, of course, the advantage is serious. In theory. In practice, the Moto G’s 4.5-inch HD screen (1280 x 720) is noticeably more “juicy” than the LG Nexus 5. This is all good taste, and maybe I just like the color rendering of the Motorola display. And you, it is possible, more like the screen of the LG Nexus 5. But, choosing exactly "by picture" and not "by numbers", I would stop at the first option.
I noticed for a long time that, as a rule, cool speakers are used in Motorola phones and smartphones. (I have a Motorola E770v in my collection, and he screams in such a way that I can’t even believe how such a small phone can be so loud.) No, I don’t listen to music from my cell phone at the entrance, sitting on the courts and eating seeds. I just need the trill of a bell to be heard from any corner of a one-room apartment. Moto G with its loud and at the same time clean “singing” provides this. Nexus 5 with its hissing sound - no. It is quieter than one and a half times.
About body plasticI’ll also say, although the situation here is not simple. LG Nexus 5 is white, black, and more recently, red. The first version has a glossy finish, the second with a rubber coating, and the third is hard and slightly rough. I have exactly the red Nexus 5 (at the very end of the post I will give some explanations). So after Moto G with its slightly velvety plastic, the LG product in the red version is perceived as ... well, like an inexpensive toy, or something. And the matter is not only in a less pleasant coating, but also in the ratio of dimensions and weight. This is actually an important parameter from the field of industrial design, affecting the perception of things. So the noticeably larger Nexus 5 weighs 130 g, and the small Moto G - 143. The latter has a better ratio.
It is also worth adding a curved "back" that fits perfectly into the palm of your hand. The flat Nexus 5 in my hand is less comfortable. That is, you can live, but the Moto G is really nicer. And due to the less slippery coating, the Motorola smartphone does not slip out of my hand at all (I already dropped the Nexus 5 once, it's good that it was on the blanket).
Nexus 5 is known to use the Google Experience Launcher.This is such a "blotch" for Android 4.4.2 KitKat, adding, among other things, a number of interface changes. There is it only in Nexus 5 - let's say, in the available Nexus 7 (2012) I use the “bare” version of the OS. So, I don’t really like GEL. Because it has too large icons in the main menu. There is no evil in this fact itself, but the icons of some third-party applications are stretched too much to match the basic size of the GEL icons. And therefore they look fuzzy. I know that many may find this stupid nit-picking, but my eyes immediately “hooked” on the Yandex.Mart icon and realized that something was wrong with it. But simply the pictograms of embedded applications surrounding it are displayed normally, but the Yandex programs are stretched out.
Compare the clarity of the Yandex.Maps icons and the built-in Contacts system.
The difference in the size of the icons is in the LG Nexus 5 (left) and Samsung Galaxy S4. Both have 5-inch Full HD screens.
But Google Experience Launcher also has the advantage - it does not have a black background for the application menu, but exactly the same as on the desktop. Meanwhile, the Moto G with the “bare” Android 4.4.2 is just black. But the rest of the software Motorola product is in no way inferior to the Nexus. True, I'm not at all sure that he will receive OS updates as briskly as Nexus devices. Especially after the acquisition of Motorola by Chinese Lenovo.
Oh yes, and more. The screen of the Nexus 5 is blocked with animation , reminiscent of turning off the lamp TV. I have seen this before in Motorola RAZR, Atrix 2, and so on.In Moto G this is no longer, but a pity . As I understand it, this wonderful software feature was borrowed by Google from Motorola.
Finally, I will list the other points in lists that are better than Moto G and Nexus 5.
Moto G:
- You can install interchangeable panels at 15 bucks apiece. There are red, yellow, menthol, etc.
- Compactness. This is the best small device on the market. Although, perhaps, the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is also nothing.
- The price is really tasty. In Russia, however, it is no longer as low as in the United States.
Nexus 5:
- Support LTE. In Ukraine, where I live, I really did not understand even with 3G. But in Russia, LTE is relevant.
- The device will definitely get a few more next versions of Android.
- The 8-megapixel camera is noticeably better than the Moto G. The photo capabilities of Motorola are generally weak.
- Localization "in the database." Moto G will have to Russify yourself or take Google Play Edition.
Something like this. Soon I will give both the Nexus 5 and Moto G. But if in the future I want to buy one of them, then the choice will fall on the “American”. It is simply more convenient. Although weaker than "on paper".
PSI know that on one site they posted news about the announcement of the red Nexus 5. It read something like this: “LG and Google presented a bright red version of their smartphone blah blah blah.” About an hour later, an angry letter was written to the site from the Russian office of LG, demanding that the text be edited, replacing the word “bright red” with “neon red”. The request is strange at first glance, but in reality this version of Nexus 5 is really not red, but red-pink. Not the fact that she will really like it and in general will suit stern guys.
At the price, my dear friend, of course, got excited: Nexus 5 with 16 GB of memory costs $ 349 in the USA. In Russia, they mysteriously transform into the official 17,990 rubles. So, if you wish, instead of one “Nexus” you can buy almost two copies of Moto G, imported into the country by “gray” suppliers.
Moto G and LG Nexus 5
However, in my opinion, comparing Moto G and Nexus 5 is very worthwhile. Both devices are among the cheapest in their classes, while offering a very serious set of options and the most current version of the Android operating system - 4.4.2 KitKat. As far as I know, many buyers today choose for themselves a new smartphone precisely from these two options - for the reasons described just above.
I actively used Moto G for about three weeks, LG Nexus 5 for about a week. As a result, I have to once again say that the quality level of a modern smartphone is not always determined by the notorious “Full HD and Snapdragon 800”, as well as the amount of RAM, megapixels and other numbers.
In other words. I like Moto G much more than the more expensive LG Nexus 5. It seems like Google had a hand in both devices (the first one was released during the period when the search engine was owned by Motorola, and the second one was created in LG under the strict control of Mountain View comrades), but at the exit very different products came out.
The devil - he, as you know, does not like large forms. And Moto G is better in the little things.
With the Motorola model, I found out that a small smartphone with a 2070 mAh batteryIt can easily work up to two days. Yes, there is Highscreen Boost 2 SE , which has to be recharged at times less. But this is a separate case, but the usual "average" Android-backgrounds live with me no more than a day. Moto G successfully broke this “record”.
But the LG Nexus 5 asks for an outlet by the evening of the first day. Probably a combination of Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 and a 2,300 mAh battery is not the best. For comparison: a Sony Xperia Z1 smartphone with the same hardware and approximately the same 5-inch display has a 3,050 mAh battery.
Well and personally to me from this Snapdragon 800? Especially since my favorite Asphalt 8 (a good toy, I recommend) and on the Moto G with its Snapdragon 400, and on the Nexus 5 comes with maximum graphics settings. In the speed of the Android interface between these devices there is no difference at all. So ... The
resolution of the screen is 1920 x 1080 pixels, of course, the advantage is serious. In theory. In practice, the Moto G’s 4.5-inch HD screen (1280 x 720) is noticeably more “juicy” than the LG Nexus 5. This is all good taste, and maybe I just like the color rendering of the Motorola display. And you, it is possible, more like the screen of the LG Nexus 5. But, choosing exactly "by picture" and not "by numbers", I would stop at the first option.
I noticed for a long time that, as a rule, cool speakers are used in Motorola phones and smartphones. (I have a Motorola E770v in my collection, and he screams in such a way that I can’t even believe how such a small phone can be so loud.) No, I don’t listen to music from my cell phone at the entrance, sitting on the courts and eating seeds. I just need the trill of a bell to be heard from any corner of a one-room apartment. Moto G with its loud and at the same time clean “singing” provides this. Nexus 5 with its hissing sound - no. It is quieter than one and a half times.
About body plasticI’ll also say, although the situation here is not simple. LG Nexus 5 is white, black, and more recently, red. The first version has a glossy finish, the second with a rubber coating, and the third is hard and slightly rough. I have exactly the red Nexus 5 (at the very end of the post I will give some explanations). So after Moto G with its slightly velvety plastic, the LG product in the red version is perceived as ... well, like an inexpensive toy, or something. And the matter is not only in a less pleasant coating, but also in the ratio of dimensions and weight. This is actually an important parameter from the field of industrial design, affecting the perception of things. So the noticeably larger Nexus 5 weighs 130 g, and the small Moto G - 143. The latter has a better ratio.
It is also worth adding a curved "back" that fits perfectly into the palm of your hand. The flat Nexus 5 in my hand is less comfortable. That is, you can live, but the Moto G is really nicer. And due to the less slippery coating, the Motorola smartphone does not slip out of my hand at all (I already dropped the Nexus 5 once, it's good that it was on the blanket).
Nexus 5 is known to use the Google Experience Launcher.This is such a "blotch" for Android 4.4.2 KitKat, adding, among other things, a number of interface changes. There is it only in Nexus 5 - let's say, in the available Nexus 7 (2012) I use the “bare” version of the OS. So, I don’t really like GEL. Because it has too large icons in the main menu. There is no evil in this fact itself, but the icons of some third-party applications are stretched too much to match the basic size of the GEL icons. And therefore they look fuzzy. I know that many may find this stupid nit-picking, but my eyes immediately “hooked” on the Yandex.Mart icon and realized that something was wrong with it. But simply the pictograms of embedded applications surrounding it are displayed normally, but the Yandex programs are stretched out.
Compare the clarity of the Yandex.Maps icons and the built-in Contacts system.
The difference in the size of the icons is in the LG Nexus 5 (left) and Samsung Galaxy S4. Both have 5-inch Full HD screens.
But Google Experience Launcher also has the advantage - it does not have a black background for the application menu, but exactly the same as on the desktop. Meanwhile, the Moto G with the “bare” Android 4.4.2 is just black. But the rest of the software Motorola product is in no way inferior to the Nexus. True, I'm not at all sure that he will receive OS updates as briskly as Nexus devices. Especially after the acquisition of Motorola by Chinese Lenovo.
Oh yes, and more. The screen of the Nexus 5 is blocked with animation , reminiscent of turning off the lamp TV. I have seen this before in Motorola RAZR, Atrix 2, and so on.In Moto G this is no longer, but a pity . As I understand it, this wonderful software feature was borrowed by Google from Motorola.
Finally, I will list the other points in lists that are better than Moto G and Nexus 5.
Moto G:
- You can install interchangeable panels at 15 bucks apiece. There are red, yellow, menthol, etc.
- Compactness. This is the best small device on the market. Although, perhaps, the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is also nothing.
- The price is really tasty. In Russia, however, it is no longer as low as in the United States.
Nexus 5:
- Support LTE. In Ukraine, where I live, I really did not understand even with 3G. But in Russia, LTE is relevant.
- The device will definitely get a few more next versions of Android.
- The 8-megapixel camera is noticeably better than the Moto G. The photo capabilities of Motorola are generally weak.
- Localization "in the database." Moto G will have to Russify yourself or take Google Play Edition.
Something like this. Soon I will give both the Nexus 5 and Moto G. But if in the future I want to buy one of them, then the choice will fall on the “American”. It is simply more convenient. Although weaker than "on paper".
PSI know that on one site they posted news about the announcement of the red Nexus 5. It read something like this: “LG and Google presented a bright red version of their smartphone blah blah blah.” About an hour later, an angry letter was written to the site from the Russian office of LG, demanding that the text be edited, replacing the word “bright red” with “neon red”. The request is strange at first glance, but in reality this version of Nexus 5 is really not red, but red-pink. Not the fact that she will really like it and in general will suit stern guys.