Motorola's smartphones aren't nearly as popular as Samsung's, but for the last three years, the company has been delivering high-quality Moto X flagships that are among your best choices. Let's compare the new Moto X Style (Pure Edition in the U.S.) and Samsung Galaxy S6.
Size
Two years ago, the original Moto X was noticably smaller than Samsung's then-flagship, the Galaxy S4. Well, Motos have ballooned since then, and the tables are now turned: the Moto X Pure Edition is 8 percent taller and 7 percent wider than the GS6.
The Galaxy S6 is much thinner: by 39 percent. The Moto X does have a rounded back, though, while the GS6's back is flat, so those numbers are slightly misleading.
Weight
The Galaxy S6 is 23 percent lighter.
Build (frame)
Both phones have aluminum frames.
Build (back)
Sticking with the Moto X's build your own theme, you can choose from five different backings when ordering your Moto X Pure Edition.
The GS6 is Samsung's most impressive design to date (by far), with a Gorilla Glass 4 back.
Colors
Going off of Motorola's back and accent listings, it looks like there will be 216 total color combos for the Moto X. By comparison, that makes the GS6's four options look pretty tame.
Display size
The new Moto X gives you a 25 percent bigger screen than the Galaxy S6 gives you. If you want a bigger variant of the GS6, though, Samsung should have something to show off very soon.
Navigation keys
Apart from when Android's Immersive Mode kicks in, though, the Moto X will reserve a bottom section of its screen for navigation keys. Samsung uses physical and capacitive buttons below its screen.
Display resolution
Both handsets have ultra-sharp Quad HD displays. The GS6's smaller size, though, gives it the pixel density advantage.
Display type
For the last two years, Motorola used AMOLED panels for its Moto X flagships, but, in what could potentially be a cost-cutting move, this year it opted for TFT.
Fingerprint sensor
Samsung put a touch-based fingerprint sensor in the Galaxy S6.
Battery
The Moto X has the higher-capacity battery, but the GS6's battery results are pretty good. We'll have to put the Moto X through the paces before we can say anything about its battery life.
Removable battery
Both of those batteries, by the way, are sealed shut.
Wireless charging
If you pick up a wireless charging pad, you can juice up the GS6 just by dropping it on top.
Fast charging
Both handsets have their own versions of fast charging (which usually only has an effect when the battery level starts out very low).
Storage
The Galaxy S6 gives you the better storage options, doubling the three respective tiers on the Moto X. Just remember that the Moto X is much cheaper (at full retail) to start with, so it still gives you more storage bang for your buck.
MicroSD
In this category, these two traded roles this year: a microSD card in a Moto X flagship is a first, as is no microSD in a Galaxy S flagship.
Processor
The Galaxy S6 is an incredibly fast and zippy phone. We have a hard time imagining the Moto X will give you anything to worry about here, with its Snapdragon 808 CPU (also seen in the speedy LG G4).
RAM
Both handsets give you 3 GB of RAM.
Camera megapixels
The Moto X's rear camera wins on megapixels, but the Galaxy S6 has an excellent (and incredibly quick-launching) camera that will be tough to beat.
Camera aperture (rear)
The GS6 wins out by a hair in rear camera aperture.
Front flash
Here's something new: the Moto X has a front-facing flash, so your selfies won't have to take a backseat to lighting conditions.
Water resistance
It isn't as powerful as the water resistance we saw in last year's Galaxy S5, but the Moto X has some light water and dust resistance (rated for sprays and splashes, though, not full submersion).
Software
The Moto X runs stock Android Lollipop, while Samsung has its TouchWiz UI (which is more scaled-back than in years past) sitting on top of the same core OS.
Release
The Moto X Pure Edition will launch in the U.S. this September.
Starting price (full retail)
Motorola is going all-in on value pricing this year, as its high-end flagship will start at an impressive US$399 full retail. That's $250 cheaper than an off-contract GS6 rings up for right now.
Starting price (on-contract)
Carriers will also sell the Moto X using their usual methods (contracts and installment plans), but we don't know what they'll ask for it yet.
For more you can hit up Gizmag's full review of the Galaxy S6.
