Motorola's flagship phone has gotten bigger every year – to the point where this year's Moto X Style (or "Pure Edition" in the U.S.) is more a rival to the iPhone 6 Plus than to the smaller iPhone 6. Let's break down how the two phablets compare.
Size
The iPhone 6 Plus is 3 percent taller and wider than the Moto X Pure Edition.
The thickness comparison isn't going to feel quite as pronounced as these specs would suggest, since the Moto X has a rounded back while the iPhone is uniformly thick. But the iPhone is still the much thinner device, technically by 56 percent.
Weight
The iPhone 6 Plus, despite being a little bigger, is 4 percent lighter than the Moto X.
Build (sides)
The Moto X has an aluminum frame, while the iPhone's unibody casing is all aluminum.
Build (back)
In addition to the standard silicone backing for the Moto X, you can also choose from natural wood and leather options.
Colors
Going off of Motorola's listings for back and accent options, it looks like you'll be able to order the 2015 Moto X in any of 126 total color combinations. The iPhone ships in space gray, silver and gold options.
Display size
You might think of the iPhone 6 Plus as having a huge display (and it is pretty darn big), but the Moto X's screen is 7 percent bigger.
Motorola has kept its foot on the gas pedal with screen size. The new model's display is 20 percent bigger than the 2014 Moto X's screen, and 47 percent bigger than the one on the original Moto X.
Display resolution
There isn't much to nitpick about with the iPhone 6 Plus' excellent display, but the Moto X will offer plenty of eye candy, with its ultra-sharp Quad HD resolution.
Display type
Motorola switched from AMOLED to a TFT LCD with this year's flagship.
Fingerprint sensor
The iPhone has Apple's excellent Touch ID fingerprint sensor. Motorola didn't put any biometric sensors in its new handset.
Storage
These are the internal storage tiers you'll need to choose from.
MicroSD
Only the Moto X, though, lets you complement that internal storage by popping in a microSD card.
Processor
You can't draw any conclusions about how the two phones' performance will compare just by looking at cores and clock speeds. Apple's mobile chips may look mid-ranged on paper, but the A8 is a beast – pairing with iOS to deliver silky-smooth performance.
Based on other Snapdragon 808 phones, like the LG G4, we'd be surprised if the Moto X gave you anything to worry about in this department.
RAM
The Moto X triples the iPhone's 1 GB of RAM.
Battery
The Moto X has a slightly larger battery, but we'll have to wait to see what that means for battery life.
Fast charging
Motorola says that, when used with the included "Turbo Charger," the new Moto X can rack up 10 hours' worth of battery life in just 15 minutes of charging.
... and the fine print states that those 10 hours come from "an average mixed use profile that includes both usage and standby time on a 4G LTE network."
Removable battery
Neither phone lets you swap batteries.
Camera megapixels
The Moto X's rear camera takes much higher-resolution shots, but unless you're zooming in close or printing posters, that doesn't tell you a lot about camera quality.
Camera aperture (rear)
The Moto X's rear shooter has the wider aperture.
Dual LED flash (rear)
Both handsets have dual LED rear flashes, which can help to make flash shots look a bit more lifelike.
Front flash
Here's something we aren't used to seeing: the Moto X has a flash on its front, so no lighting conditions will get in the way of your next big selfie.
OIS
It looks like Motorola skipped Optical Image Stabilization on the new Moto X.
Water resistance
The Moto X's IP52 rating means it's protected against water sprays (less than 15 degrees from vertical) and dust ingress. In other words, most rain and sink splashes should be safe.
Software
The Moto X Pure Edition lives up to its name, running stock ("pure") Android Lollipop. The iPhone 6 Plus will run iOS 8 for a bit longer, before jumping to iOS 9 (likely in September).
Release
Unless you insist on having an Apple phablet right now (or unless you find a deal), this isn't a great time to buy the iPhone 6 Plus. If Apple sticks with its pattern from the last few years, we'll see new models (iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus?) this September – the same month the Pure Edition releases in the U.S.
Starting price (full retail)
Motorola is playing the value card more than ever this year, as the Moto X Pure Edition starts at just US$399 full retail. Without a contract or installment plan, you'd have to pay nearly twice that to get your hands on the iPhone 6 Plus.
Starting price (on-contract)
Motorola is selling the Moto X directly to U.S. consumers, with an unlocked model that runs on all the major carriers. But carriers will still sell subsidized versions of the Moto X. If you can afford it, you'd be wise to hand over that $400 for the unlocked model: no matter what it costs on-contract, you'll likely pay much less in the long-run buying full retail.
Stay tuned for more from Gizmag on the new Moto X Style/Pure Edition. You can also revisit our iPhone 6 Plus review from last year.
