Differences Are More Than Skin Deep in Droid Turbo, Moto X Smartphones

By Wayne Rash

The Verizon Droid Turbo (left in black) and the Moto X (right in white) look a lot alike. They’re about the same size and almost the same weight. They run the same version of Android without skins, so you have full access to Google services. The buttons are in the same place. But looks can be deceiving because they are very different phones. Just before the end of this test, the Moto X was upgraded by Verizon to Android 5.0 “Lollipop.”

The screens on both phones look great, and they’re both made with Corning Gorilla Glass 3, so they’re tough. The Droid Turbo, however, has quad HD resolution at 565 pixels per inch. Both phones have a 5.2-inch screen, but you’ll notice that the navigation buttons are outside the screen area with the Droid Turbo, which frees up a little extra usable screen real estate.

The carbon fiber look of the Droid’s Kevlar case is striking, but then so is the bamboo case on the Moto X. Located on the back of each phone is the camera and flash. The Droid has a 21-megapixel camera, while the Moto X has a 13-megapixel camera. If you look closely on the back of the Moto X, there’s a tiny microphone hole below the Verizon logo.

The only actual physical buttons on the Droid Turbo are on the right side as you face the phone. The small button closer to the top of the phone is the wake/sleep button. To the right of that in the photo is the volume control—you press the top of the button to raise volume and the bottom to lower it.

The top of the Droid Turbo holds the headset jack. This photo shows you a minor downside of the grippy rubberized back of this phone; it can collect dust easily.

The USB connector on the bottom of the phone is for a data connection and for charging the battery. With the Droid Turbo, you also get the Motorola Turbo Charger, which can provide an 80 percent charge for 8 hours of use in 15 minutes. The fully charged battery will last up to 48 hours, according to Verizon.

Like the Droid Turbo, the Moto X has a sleep/wake button on the right side near the top. There’s also the volume control farther down the phone. The bamboo back that you can see here provides a secure grip for this phone. Dust accumulation wasn’t a problem.

At the top of the Moto X are the headset jack and the opening for the SIM card (on the left in the photo). Beneath that opening is a nano-SIM, which comes preinstalled. You can open the SIM holder with a paper clip.

The bottom-mounted USB connector on the Moto X is your basic power supply and data connector. It connects to a standard power supply that charges its 2,300-mAh battery.