Mobile Technology

Moto X Style (Pure Edition) vs. HTC One M9

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How do HTC and Motorola's 2015 flagships compare?
Battery
Build (back)
Build (frame)
Camera aperture
Camera megapixels
Colors
Damage protection
Display resolution
Display size
Display type
Fast charging
Fingerprint sensor
How do HTC and Motorola's 2015 flagships compare?
MicroSD
Processor
RAM
Release
Removable battery
Size
Starting price (full retail)
Storage
Weight
Wireless charging
Software
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Motorola's Moto X Style (or Pure Edition if you're in the US) follows the great bang for your buck trend that we've seen since the company was under Google ownership. Let's see how this year's flagship stands up to HTC's current flagship, the One M9.

Size

Size

The HTC One M9 isn't a small handset, but the Moto X Style is a little larger in every direction, measuring 6 percent taller, 8 percent wider and 15 percent thicker.

Weight

Weight

The Motorola smartphone is also 14 percent heavier than the M9.

Build (frame)

Build (frame)

You'll find an aluminum band around the edges of the Moto X Style, while the One M9 has an all-aluminum unibody build.

Build (back)

Build (back)

Like previous Moto X smartphones, you can configure the Style with a choice of different materials on the back cover.

Colors

Colors

There are four finish options with HTC's 2015 flagship, but you'll get more choice with the Moto X Style.

Display size

Display size

HTC stuck with the same 5-inch panel size that we saw in last year's flagship.

Display resolution

Display resolution

Motorola has followed in the footsteps of LG, Samsung and its own Nexus 6, packing a quad HD panel into the Pure Edition. That makes it 18 percent sharper (going by pixel density) than HTC One M9.

Display type

Display type

The first two generations of the Moto X had AMOLED screens, but Motorola opted for a TFT panel this time around.

Fingerprint sensor

Fingerprint sensor

Neither company put a fingerprint sensor on its top tier 2015 handset.

Storage

Storage

In an unusual move, HTC is only selling its 2015 flagship in one (internal) storage tier.

MicroSD

Fast charging

Both smartphones are fitted with microSD card readers, making upgrading storage a breeze.

Processor

Processor

The One M9's processor will probably benchmark slightly higher, offering four cores clocked at 2GHz and four at 1.5 GHz. When we reviewed the HTC flagship, we found it had a tendency to run a little hot, so that could be why we've seen Motorola, and other manufacturers such as LG, opt for the hexa-core Snapdragon 808 instead.

RAM

RAM

Both smartphones give you 3 GB memory.

Battery

Battery

Given its more expansive, higher resolution display, it comes as little surprise that the Moto X Style's battery is a little larger than the M9's.

Removable battery

Removable battery

Like most of this year's flagship handsets, neither of these smartphones will let you swap out their batteries.

Fast charging

MicroSD

Both HTC and Motorola have included fast charging tech in their 2015 flagships. According to Motorola, if you use the supplied charger, you'll be able to get an extra 10 hours usage from just 15 minutes of charging.

Camera megapixels

Camera megapixels

This year's Moto X offers more megapixels on both its front and rear shooters. You won't find HTC's polarizing "Ultrapixel" camera on the 2015 handset, but the tech hasn't disappeared entirely, making its way to the front-facing camera instead.

Camera aperture

Camera aperture

The Moto X Style wins out on the spec sheet here, offering a wider f/2.0 aperture.

Accidental damage warranty

Damage protection

Interestingly, one of the M9's most compelling features is something that you'll hopefully never have to make use of. When you purchase the phone, you'll get a year's worth of Uh Oh Protection, which promises a one-time replacement if you crack the screen, cause water damage or wish to switch carriers. And if you don't use the service within a year, you'll get US$100 off the next One flagship.

Software

Software

If you like stock Android, then you'll be a fan of Motorola's pure Lollipop experience. You'll find HTC's Sense skin on the M9.

Release

Release

The Moto X Style (Pure Edition) is set to arrive next month, half a year after the M9 hit shelves.

Starting price (full retail)

Starting price (full retail)

A big selling point of the Motorola handset is its price, coming in a full $250 cheaper than the typical full retail price for the One M9. If you keep your eyes open, though, you may find cheaper deals on the nearly six-month-old M9.

For more, you can hit up Gizmag's full HTC One M9 review.

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1 comment
DonGateley
Definitely going to get a Moto X Pure as if and when it gets real. That quad res display is what could make the Google Cardboard app ecosystem meaningful.