Motorola is growing stronger by the day. Recently, the company revealed that it has sold 5.6 million smartphones in India till date, of which 2.6 million units were sold between February and August this year.

The US-based tech giant appears keen to retain the momentum, by launching new products. Motorola's recent launch of the Moto X Play has turned many heads in the mid-range segment. But shoppers are apparently confused between the Moto X Play and the company's former flagship, the Moto X (Gen 2).

Both smartphones are priced under Rs. 20,000 and therefore, it is natural that their features would be compared. While the Moto X Play is the latest device with arguably the best specs in its price range, the Moto X (Gen 2) has its flagship appeal. If the question of which smartphone offers better value is high on your mind, the comparison below will give you some answers. 

Display

The Moto X Play features a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display with 403ppi protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The Moto X (Gen 2) also boasts of a similar Full HD resolution, but a slightly smaller 5.2-inch screen that packs 424ppi. The Moto X (Gen 2) uses an AMOLED screen, which is more battery- efficient compared to the IPS display found on the Moto X Play.

Camera

Motorola has packed impressive cameras in both the phones. The Moto X Play has a 21-megapixel rear-facing camera with dual-tone LED flash and a 5MP front snapper. Comparatively, the Moto X (Gen 2) has a 13-megapixel primary shooter with dual-LED flash and a 2MP front-facing camera. The different megapixel count in each smartphone does not translate to any variation in the quality of the image, as the sensors are likely to produce almost identical images.

Processor

Both the smartphones have different processors. The 2014 flagship Moto X is powered by a 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset while the Moto X Play gets a 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core CPU. There is Adreno 405 supporting the graphics in the Moto X Play while the Moto X (Gen 2) gets Adreno 330 GPU.

RAM and Storage

The storage and RAM are the same for both the phones. A 2GB RAM with 16GB/ 32GB storage options are found on both the Moto X Play and the Moto X (Gen 2). But the differentiating factor here is the lack of microSD card slot in the older Motorola handset whereas the Moto X Play supports microSD cards up to 128GB.

Battery

Motorola has gone that extra mile as far as battery is concerned, as it has packed a powerful 3,630mAh battery in the Moto X Play, which is expected to deliver up to two days of life on a single charge. The Moto X (Gen 2), on the other hand, will run out within a day due to its 2,300mAh embedded battery.

Software

Motorola is known to run latest software on its smartphones, courtesy its good relations with its former owner Google. The Moto X Play runs Android 5.1.1 Lollipop out of the box but the Moto X (Gen 2) runs on Android 4.4 KitKat. However, the latest Android 5.1.1 Lollipop has been rolled out to Moto X (Gen 2), making both phones equivalent.

Price

As we know, the Moto X Play and the Moto X (Gen 2) come in 16GB and 32GB variants. As for the price, the 16GB model of the Moto X Play costs Rs 18,499 and the 32GB model is priced at Rs 19,999. If you opt for the Moto X (Gen 2) model, the 16GB variant comes at the cost of 32GB Moto X Play at Rs. 19,999. The 32GB Moto X (Gen 2) is priced at Rs. 22,999.

Verdict

No matter which device you choose, there is very little to compromise. At Rs 19,999, the Moto X Play can be a wiser choice given the extra storage. The battery and camera in the Moto X Play is definitely score over the Moto X (Gen 2). On most other fronts, both the handsets stand side-by-side, which is quite impressive.