Samsung Galaxy Note 3 v Motorola Moto X phone: Release Date, Hardware Specs, Price, and Features Showdown

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is about to be launched across the U.S. on AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile. How does it stack up against another major Android smartphone that recently hit the market? Here we compare the Samsung Galaxy Note 3's specs, release date, availability and price, and features against the Motorola Moto X phone.

Display

If you want a phablet-sized display, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is the way to go. It comes with a 5.7-inch touchscreen, which is larger than its predecessor's 5.5-inch display, while being slimmer and lighter than the Samsung Galaxy Note 2.

The Moto X phone's display isn't going to bring you the same screen real estate, coming in at 4.7-inches. The Moto X's resolution doesn't match the Galaxy Note 3's Full HD 1920 x 1080p, offering only 1280 x 720p resolution.

Size

For the smaller screen, you also get a smaller handset, which some people might prefer. The Moto X measures 129.3 x 65.3 x 10.4mm, while the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has 151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3mm dimensions.

It's worth noting that the phablet-sized Galaxy Note 3 is actually slimmer than the Moto X phone, and Samsung has worked to keep the bezels on the Note 3 as slim as possible to prevent an extreme case of smartphone gigantism. Similarly, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is only 38 grams heavier than the Moto X phone, coming in at just over a third of a pound.

Power (Processor and Battery)

For the relatively light weight, you'll get a state of the art quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, clocked at 2.3GHz with 3GB of RAM (the 3 gigs of RAM is first for smartphones).  Meanwhile, the Motorola Moto X sports a relatively tame dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro, clocked at 1.7GHz with 2GB of RAM.

For intensive business, graphics, or multitasking work, the Galaxy Note 3 is your go-to phone, while the Moto X will still be a fast, new smartphone for general use.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 requires a big battery to keep everything running, but with a 3,200 mAh battery, you'll get up to 21 hours of talk time and 420 hours standby. The Moto X's smaller 2,200 mAh battery still allows for 13 hours of talk time and an incredible 576 hours of standby, because of the lower-powered specs on the phone.

Camera and Storage

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 needs a lot of storage to reach its full potential as a workhorse smartphone, but it has that in spades. You can get up to 64GB of internal storage, plus another 64GB of microSD media storage, if you've got the cash. The Moto X continues Google's shunning of the microSD card slot, while only providing up to 32GB of internal storage on its best model.

The camera on the Galaxy Note 3 is one of the reasons why it needs so much storage, shooting 1080p video at 60 frames per second (international versions of the device can shoot 4K video), and up to 4128 x 3096 pixel photos with its 13-megapixel camera. The Moto X phone has a still-decent 10-megapixel camera, which can shoot 1080p at 30fps and HDR video, but if you're going for the highest resolution shots between the both, go for the Galaxy Note 3.

Other Features

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is notable for its new S Pen, which has been beefed up to become a multitasking monster. Other features of the Galaxy Note 3 include Samsung Knox security and, of course, the TouchWiz UI and Samsung-specific software seen in the Galaxy S4. Some may not find the latter a particular advantage, as features such as Air Gesture and Smart Scroll have been both praised and derided by critics.

Moto X has a lot to offer in the "other" category, starting with the fact that you can customize your phone's front and back panels, accents, and other features, resulting in dozens or hundreds of individualized phones to choose from.

The other big "other" feature is Google Now hands-free. A little like the much-hyped Google Glass smartglasses, which aren't available to the general public yet, the Motorola Moto X responds to "OK Google Now" (or a customized phrase) without having to touch a button. That's a completely new feature that you'll probably see in smartphones to come, but it's only available on the Moto X right now.

Price and Availability

The Moto X is available on AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon, along with other minor carriers. The "design your own Moto" feature, however, is only currently available on AT&T. The Moto X phone generally costs about $200 for a two-year contract, though Sprint offers it for $100 and T-Mobile requires you to buy the full cost of the phone, $599.99, in order to user it.

Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will cost around $300 with a two-year agreement, while T-Mobile is going to offer it for $200 up front, with two years of $21 monthly payments. In any case, it's a more expensive phone, and without a contract will cost you $725. 

Overall, if you're interested in customization and new bells and whistles, the Moto X may be the way to go (especially if you can get it for Sprint's low price). Otherwise, you're getting a lot more phone for an average of $100 more with the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. That device's release dates are Oct. 1 for AT&T, Oct. 2 for T-Mobile, Oct. 4 for Sprint and Oct. 10 for Verizon.