Motorola Droid Turbo vs. Google Nexus 6: Android Shootout

Motorola's on a roll. Last year's Moto X was a cult hit, garnering wide praise despite somewhat underwhelming specs. And even as the company passes hands from Google to Lenovo, Motorola Mobility continues to impress with its latest releases, the Droid Turbo and Nexus 6. Each phone is jam packed with the latest in mobile tech, begging the question: Which Motorola superphone will reign supreme? To help answer that, we'll look at the design, spec, and software differences between the two phones.

First, the matter of network compatibility. The Droid Turbo is a Verizon exclusive, so if you're not on Big Red's network, you're out of luck. The Nexus 6 will be available on all four major carriers, including AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint. The Droid Turbo will run you the standard $199.99 with a two-year contract, while we only know the off-contract $649 price for the Nexus 6 at the moment. For comparison, Verizon lists the Droid Turbo's full price at $599.99.

Both devices share a common lineage with the 2014 Moto X. The Nexus 6 ($194.00 at Amazon) looks like a scaled-up model, while the Droid Turbo is closer in size, but trades aluminum for plastic and customizable backs for the trademark Droid Kevlar or new ballistic nylon backsides.

Size will likely be the determining factor here, and it will dominate any discussion of the Nexus 6. At 6.27 by 3.27 by 0.4 inches (HWD) and 6.49 ounces, the Nexus 6 is monstrously big—it even makes the Galaxy Note 4 ($307.97 at Amazon) look reasonable by comparison. Past a certain threshold, though, one-handed use is out of the question, so perhaps the bigger-is-better mantra will prove beneficial for the Nexus 6. The Droid Turbo isn't petite by any measure at 5.65 by 2.89 by 0.33-0.44 inches (HWD) and 6.2 ounces, but it fits far more comfortably into normal hands and pockets.

Joining the ranks of the LG G3 and Note 4, the Nexus 6 and Droid Turbo feature Quad HD 2,560-by-1,440-pixel displays. They both also use AMOLED in lieu of LCD, making for deeper blacks, better contrast, and richer colors, but sacrificing color accuracy and white balance. By virtue of its smaller, 5.2-inch display, the Droid Turbo holds the sharpness edge at 565ppi, to the Nexus 6's 5.96-inch, 493ppi display. If you like to use your phone as a mini TV, it's hard to argue with the Nexus 6's expansive display and stereo front-facing speakers; the Droid Turbo has a mono front-facing speaker.

With both phones rocking the same quad-core 2.7GHz Snapdragon 805 processor, performance differences will boil down to software. Motorola's excellent touchless voice controls and notifications are two features that make stock Android better without any bloat. They're missing from the Nexus 6, but that phone also comes equipped with Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box, while the Droid Turbo will be at Verizon's mercy in terms of an update from the current Android 4.4 KitKat.

Motorola has an embarrassment of riches on its hands, with three incredible phones that will have to contend with one another as well as those coming from Samsung, LG, and HTC. Between the Nexus 6 and Droid Turbo, assuming you can choose either, I'd guessing most people would be happier with the more reasonably sized Droid Turbo. It's equally as powerful and Motorola has shown a commitment to speedy updates, which is one of the biggest draws for the Nexus line. Be sure to check out our full Droid Turbo review for an in-depth breakdown, and stay tuned for our Nexus 6 review.