A few weeks ago I got a bit carried away, I accidentally bought two Nexus 5 in the crazy initial rush to buy one before the all of the stock disappeared, I didn’t need one, I didn’t really want one, I suppose I just felt obliged to buy one. I’m grateful I’m in a position to just spend £600 without a seconds thought. It’s just thinking back I wonder quite what was going on in my head and since the release of the Motorola Moto G I wonder if the Nexus 5 is a bit of a dud.
After an enormous amount of eBay time I’ve finally whittled my daily phones down to one Nexus 5, a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and a Nokia Lumia 1020. I fear though that a Motorola Moto G will soon be joining them though, again I don’t really know why. I guess it’s just to satisfy a slight sense of inquisitiveness and to see whether the Nexus 5 is a dud compared to it.
Is there a point to £500+ phones any more? Do we really need to spend that much money to get a decent smartphone? What are the Nexus 5 and the Moto G lacking by comparison? Let’s have a little look shall we?
Samsung Galaxy Note 3
Good Points
- Large glorious screen.
- Expandable memory.
- Removable battery.
- USB host and TV out.
- Decent camera in certain conditions.
Bad Points
- Large device.
- Android 4 4 update will probably be a few months in the making.
- Cost is still rather high.
- Samsung software optimisation is rather jarring at times.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is a cracking device, with an astounding spec sheet, a truly amazing feature list, but a 5″+ device isn’t for everyone. Many people something a bit smaller and many people are put off by the Samsung Touchwiz Nature UI skin they apply.
Google Nexus 5
Good Points
- Android 4.4 installed out of the box.
- Future updates will arrive pretty promptly.
- Decent 1080p display.
- Decent camera in the right conditions.
- Easily unlocked and rooted.
- Great value for the spec.
Bad Points
- Missing things like USB host and TV out with a bit of time tinkering.
- Non expandable memory.
- Non removable battery.
- The camera can be a little temperamental.
The Nexus 5 is how Google envisage Android, it is how a flagship device SHOULD be done and as such the spec list is pretty much on a par with the Note 3 with only a few things missing that would no doubt bump the price up.
Motorola Moto G
Good Points
- Great value for the spec.
- Android 4.4 to follow soon.
- Nice range of accessories.
- Yellow backplate available.
- Easily unlocked and rooted.
Bad Points
- Smaller lower spec device.
- Non expandable memory.
- Non removable battery.
- Low spec means high end games are a no no.
The Motorola Moto G has shook up the low end Android market, it’s offering something that supplies a great Android experience at a budget price. When compared to the other low end devices from the competition the Moto G seems to be ahead by quite a way.
So what do I do?
So it seems like a stupid question but which should I use? The Moto G is basically a lower spec Nexus and the Nexus 5 is basically smaller stock Android version of the Note 3 that is missing a few bells and whistles. Maybe it’s just the prospect of the white or yellow cases for the Moto G, after all “yellow is the new white”. once again I’m at a crossroad in my life and I just can’t decide. I guess I’ll just get a Moto G and be done with it. Then sell something else.
Anyway thanks for reading my thoughts.