Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Moto X Pure Edition comparison
Samsung's Galaxy S7 has been unveiled in Barcelona, but how does the new flagship stack up against the Moto X Pure Edition and its big ol' 5.7-inch display? Read on for our comparison between the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Moto X Pure Edition.
Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Moto X Pure Edition: design and build quality
Make no mistake, the Samsung Galaxy S7 is a very good-looking gadget. Samsung's Galaxy S7 rocks a stunning glass and metal design and curves in all the right places, and the build quality seems as strong, if not stronger, than on the S6.
The camera bump present on the Samsung Galaxy S6 has been slimmed down for the newest member of the Galaxy family, which is good news. Meanwhile, the forward-facing camera makes itself at home on the far right of the top panel.
Samsung's Galaxy S7 rocks a stunning glass and metal design
The design of the Samsung Galaxy S6 made it one of the most stylish smartphones around when it arrived back in April last year, and the Samsung Galaxy S7, while not making any huge changes, builds on the strong aesthetic.
Customization is the name of the game for the Moto X Pure Edition smartphone, which can be tinkered with via the brilliant Moto Maker store. Whether you're after a bamboo shell or a genuine leather option, the web store has all bases covered. The result is an experience that allows smartphone owners to truly make their phone feel like their own.
The Moto X Pure Edition sits nicely in the hand and although it doesn't take too many risks from a design perspective, it's a good-looking piece of kit.
Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Moto X Pure Edition: display
The Samsung Galaxy S7 features a 5.1-inch screen with a 1,440 x 2,560 display. Again, it's no great improvement on the S6, but then the S6 still has one of the best displays in the Android world.
The Moto X Pure Edition features a 5.7-inch 1,440 x 2,560 display that really pops nicely as you're navigating the phone's menus. Viewing angles are very good, as we mentioned in our full review. Visibility is impressive too, even in bright outdoor settings.
Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Moto X Pure Edition: processor and storage
Depending on where you live, the Samsung Galaxy S7 comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 or Exynos 8890 processor and the Adreno 530 GPU.
On top of that, the Samsung Galaxy S7 offers 4 GB of RAM, 32 or 64 GB of internal storage, as well as microSD card support.
The Moto X Pure Edition arrives with slightly less RAM than the S7, at 3 GB. Despite the difference, the Moto X Pure Edition is still a top performer, coping well with the stresses of multitasking and heavy use.
A Snapdragon 808 powers the Moto X Pure Edition, and three different models offer 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB of storage. A microSD card slot is on hand to expand that further.
Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Moto X Pure Edition: camera
The Samsung Galaxy S7 includes a 12 MP camera. On the front of the device is a 5 MP front-facing camera.
While the megapixel count of the Samsung Galaxy S6 is higher, at 16 MP, Samsung claims to have improved the camera's performance on the S7 through a wider aperture and dual-pixel technology. This results in faster focusing and much stronger low-light photography.
There's no reason to doubt that the S7 will have one of the best cameras available on any smartphone.
The 21 MP rear camera of the Moto X Pure Edition sits flush with the back of the smartphone and the picture quality is more than enough to keep photo fanatics happy.
We found the Moto X Pure Edition's main camera a joy to use in our full review, and it's one of the best snappers ever produced by the smartphone company. The technology is accompanied by rear flash with f / 2.0 aperture lens.
In our experience, the images taken with the camera are nice and sharp with top-notch color balance. On the front of the device is a 5 MP shooter, which takes reasonable snaps.
Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Moto X Pure Edition: software
Android 6.0 Marshmallow comes equipped on the Galaxy S7 right out of the box. On paper, the smartphone looks like it'll offer up a very nippy user experience, so we're expecting a glorious lag-free OS. Our brief hands-on experience confirmed this. Even the S6 remains a top performer one year on, so the S7 will surely have absolutely no difficulties with even very intensive tasks.
The Moto X Pure Edition has plenty of tricks up its sleeve
The Moto X Pure Edition runs the latest build of Android 6.0 Marshmallow now, although on launch the smartphone was running on Android 5.1.1.
The Moto X Pure Edition has plenty of tricks up its sleeve, including Moto Voice functionality and Moto Assist. Only four of the 32 pre-installed apps on the Moto X Pure Edition are from the smartphone's makers, so it's reasonably bloat-free.
Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Moto X Pure Edition: battery
The Samsung Galaxy S7 features a 3,000 mAh battery, a 200-mAh boost over the S6. This, coupled with Marshmallow's battery-saving feature, Doze, should mean a noticeable improvement in battery life, but we will have to wait to run benchmarks on the device to know this for certain.
The Moto X Pure Edition features a 3,000 mAh battery that supports turbo charging, perfect for folk looking to juice up their smartphone for a couple of minutes before hitting the road.
In our experience, the battery of the Moto X Pure Edition charges delightfully quickly, although that charge doesn't last for long. In our full review, we found the need to charge daily is pretty much guaranteed, and high screen brightness sees the battery life take a big hit.
Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Moto X Pure Edition: Specs
Take a more detailed look at our comparison between the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Moto X Pure Edition by checking out the table below.
| Samsung Galaxy S7 | Moto X Pure Edition | |
| SCREEN | 5.1 inches | 5.7 inches |
| RESOLUTION | 1,440 x 2,560 pixels | 1,440 x 2,560 pixels |
| RAM MEMORY | 4 GB | 3 GB |
| PROCESSOR | Snapdragon 820 / Exynos 8890 | Snapdragon 808 |
| STORAGE | 32 / 64 GB | 16 GB / 32 GB / 64 GB |
| MAIN CAMERA | 12 MP | 21 MP |
| FRONTAL CAMERA | 5 MP | 5 MP |
| BATTERY | 3,000 mAh | 3,000 mAh |
Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Moto X Pure Edition: Verdict
Prior to its launch, the Samsung's Galaxy S7 was one of the most exciting Android-powered smartphones in recent memory, and Samsung appears to have done a good job of justifying the hype.
The S7 offers a delicate improvement on one of the world's greatest smartphones. While it's far from a quantum leap in design or technology, it finesses a proven formula, and it sits as the device to beat in 2016 – for the Moto X Pure Edition as much as any other phone.
That said, the Moto X Pure Edition provides a great overall experience. It's a smartphone that proves worthy of consideration when sat beside the S7. While it's let down slightly by the battery life, the Moto X Pure Edition is a great all-rounder.
The Galaxy S7 finesses a proven formula, and it sits as the device to beat in 2016 – for the Moto X Pure Edition as much as any other phone
Do you think the Moto X Pure Edition really can offer an experience as enjoyable as the Samsung Galaxy S7? Let us know by dropping a comment below.
I am so sad my Moto X took a fatal fall. It was an amazing phone
While i understand the general consensus is that you can flat out buy the other phone for cheaoer and it does have a larger screen, the s7 does have advantages such as wireless charging and a unique camera for night time photos. Honestly id like to see a comparison between the two for the latter. On a device payment plan through sprint, this phone is $20 cheaper than Verizon for a 3gb plan as a price point. $77 before taxes.
This feels less like a comparison and more like general specs
Specs don't mean anything here. Samsung has bloatware, and no SD card. Put a 128 GB fast SD card, and let it do its magic (internal extension formatting) and vualla you have unlimited storage.
Samsung is a hype. I had the original Moto and now the pure, while my wife went for the shiny Samsung. I'll take the Moto ANY DAY.
AND Are you kidding? Moto pure costs half ! Not a little less, half ! I got the Moto, and a nice tablet, and I still paid less than what j paid for my wife's shiny toy (close to 800).
The S7 and S7 edge have SD card support.
I've had Samsung phones, the Moto X Pure for $350 is a killer deal compared to S7 or S7Edge. Buy two Moto X's for the price of one S7.
Moto X pure is slightly lower in cost and not having bloatware is definitely something to think about. But the hard thing to decide is if the water resistance of the S7 is worth the higher price tag along with bloatware.
I just feel the need to point out that the Moto X Pure is also highly water resistant.
I am a long-time Samsung devotee. It all started with a really great 1080p Samsung plasma TV that I bought about ten years ago.
That said, I recently made the change to Moto phones running pure Android and I will never look back. After three Samsung smartphones over the course of six years I am sick to death of Samsung's bloatware, poor cell reception, lackluster cameras, and absurdly expensive price points.
Bring on the Moto!
nice
its nice sharing...!!!!
Looking from afar, I have thought this whole Samsung GS7 release has been all a bit ho hum, that is dull - the GS7 seems just like your article, one of finesse/evolution rather than anything interesting - the LG g5 is way more innovative. Looking forward to seeing HTC One M10 (still rocking my HTC One M7) , and even more so the Huawei P9 as Huawei seem to be producing some great devices at really good prices.
Moto X's Stock Marshmallow over S7's Touchwiz any day