Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini vs. Moto G 2014 – Specifications, Features And Price Showdown

The Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini was released in July, whereas the Moto G 2014 has recently been released in September. Readers who are interested in the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini or the Moto G 2014 should check out the specifications, features and price comparison.

Display, Exterior And Size

The Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini features a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED display packed with 720 x 1,280 pixels resolution. The Moto G 2014, on the other hand, comes with a relatively bigger 5.0-inch IPS LCD display but the resolution is same as the Samsung handset. In addition, the pixel densities of Motorola and Samsung handsets stand at 294 ppi and 326 ppi, respectively.

When it comes to the exterior, Samsung has used the same dotted/perforated plastic rear seen in the 2014 flagship Galaxy S5. In addition, the Galaxy S5 Mini features a glossy but fake metallic frame encircling the sides of the smartphone. Overall, the handset looks identical to the Galaxy S5, barring the apparent size difference, opines Tech Radar. Meanwhile, the Moto G 2014 model looks like a replica of the 2013 variant. Despite this, the size of the smartphones vary with 4.5-inch (2013) and 5.0-inch (2014) displays. Moreover, Motorola has utilised the same plastic material for the chassis and the interchangeable back panel option remains intact. Apparently, the quality of the build material has improved tremendously, making the 2014 Moto G variant a desirable replacement for the 2013 version, writes Phone Arena.

Speaking of size, the thickness and the weight of the Moto G are 0.43-inch and 149 g respectively, while the Galaxy S5 Mini is 0.36-inch thick and weighs 120 g. As a result, the Samsung device is both thinner and lighter than the Motorola handset.

Hardware, Software And Memory

The Moto G is powered by a quad-core (Qualcomm Snapdragon 400) Cortex-A7 processor, clocked at 1.2 GHz. On the other hand, the Galaxy S5 Mini is powered by a quad-core (Samsung's Exynos 3) Cortex-A7 processor, clocked at 1.4 GHz. Furthermore, the Galaxy S5 Mini houses a 1.5 GB of RAM, whereas the Moto G settles for 1 GB.

While the compact device from Samsung runs on Android v4.4.2 KitKat with TouchWiz UI on top of it, the Moto handset runs on Android v4.4.4 KitKat. However, there is a planned Android L upgrade scheduled for Moto G 2014 upon release. As far as the memory goes, Motorola offers 8 GB and 16 GB of internal storage, whereas Samsung provides 16 GB storage. Nonetheless, both the handsets support microSD card. The expansion limits of Samsung and Motorola smartphones stand at 64 GB and 32 GB, respectively.

Camera And Battery

Interestingly, both the handsets sport the same 8 MP primary camera unit with LED flash. In addition, the secondary units of the Galaxy S5 Mini and Moto G 2014 are 2.1 MP and 2 MP, respectively. Coming to battery configuration, the Moto G houses a Li-Ion 2070 mAh unit, while the Galaxy S5 Mini comes equipped with a similar Li-Ion 2100 mAh battery unit.

Misc

1. Both the phones support Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and microUSB. While the Galaxy S5 Mini supports 4G LTE, Infrared port and NFC, the Motorola Moto G doesn't.

2. Speaking of colour, the Samsung handset comes in black, white, blue and gold, whereas the Motorola smartphone comes with black and white front panel choices. However, the back panel is alterable as mentioned earlier with umpteen colour choices via Moto Maker.

3. Similar to the bigger Galaxy S5, the mini device from Samsung also houses a fingerprint scanner. In addition, the device also comes with a heart-rate monitor and features water- and dust-resistant exterior i.e. IP67 and IP68 certified.

4. Both the handsets house micro-SIM. Additionally, one of the variants of the Galaxy S5 Mini dubbed Galaxy S5 Mini (Duos) supports dual-SIM. Same is the case with Moto G 2014, the device goes by the name Moto G Dual-SIM 2014.

Price

The Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini (16 GB, 4G LTE) variant is priced at AU$449.95. Even though this is a compact device, the price is quite high because of the added features like fingerprint scanner, water/dust proof body and 4G connectivity support, to name a few.

Meanwhile, the Moto G 2014 (8 GB) is priced at AU$268 by the Australian retailer GoodGuys. However, the 16 GB variant of the Moto G is not widely available at this point.

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