The third generation Motorola Moto X "Style" (or "Pure Edition" in the U.S.) and the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 were announced in quick succession recently. Both 2015 smartphones pack phablet-sized screens and unique hardware.

So which comes out on top? Here's a rundown to help you decide.

Moto X 2015 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 5

Release Date, Availability, and Price

The Moto X 2015 was unveiled in late July, and has an expected release date of September 3. The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 was announced later, in early August, but will go on sale earlier, on August 21.

Those two release dates are close enough to put the two new devices in direct competition, but there are important differences between the Moto X and Galaxy Note 5 when it comes to wireless carrier availability and price.

The Galaxy Note 5 will sell on all major carriers, including Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile, as well as others like U.S. Cellular and major retailers like Best Buy and online.

With (increasingly rare) carrier subsidies on a two year contract, the 32GB Galaxy Note 5 will cost about $250, with the price going up $100 more for the 64GB model.

But from Verizon or T-Mobile, which have dropped two year contracts with subsidies completely -- or Sprint, which will by the end of the year -- you'll end up paying off the full price of a Galaxy Note 5 in installments, if you don't opt to buy the phone in one big payment. Either way, you're looking at an average of between $700 and $750 for a 32GB Galaxy Note 5, and somewhere between $780 and $820 for a 64GB device, depending on your carrier and plan.

Meanwhile, the Moto X 2015 was designed to be purchased unlocked, costing about $400 directly from Motorola for a base 32GB model, with prices going up depending on Moto Maker customizations or higher storage models. That's still a big lump sum to pay, but it's less than the Galaxy Note 5 by nearly half.

And, the Moto X 2015 is designed to work on any wireless carrier, meaning you can change up no-contract carriers whenever it suits you and not have to replace your phone. The Galaxy Note 5 is still built to each carrier's specifications and therefore tied into the whole AT&T/T-Mobile vs Verizon/Sprint spectrum divide.

Hardware Specs

The Galaxy Note 5 and Moto X 2015 are pretty comparable in some respects.

Both phablets are very similar in size. The Moto X's dimensions are 6.06 x 3.00 x 0.44-inches while the Galaxy Note 5 comes in at slightly slimmer 6.03 x 3.00 x 0.30-inch dimensions. The Galaxy Note 5 is also a quarter of an ounce lighter than the Moto X, which weighs 6.31 oz.

Both devices come with a 5.7-inch display with quadHD (1440 x 2560p) resolution.

The Galaxy Note 5 features Gorilla Glass 4, while the Moto X 2015 sticks with the previous generation of Gorilla Glass.

Both smartphones come with a 3000-mAh non-removable battery, along with microUSB 2.0, GPS, Bluetooth, LTE, NFC, and 5-megapixel front-facing cameras (though the Moto X has a front-facing LED flash, a first for smartphones).

Both devices also run Android 5.1.1 Lollipop right out of the box, though Motorola only adds a few (great) extra features like Moto Voice and Moto Display.

The Galaxy Note 5, on the other hand, comes with Samsung's full TouchWiz UI and software suite, for better or worse. It also will come with whatever carrier's nonremovable software you buy it from, whereas the Moto X touts its no-carrier experience as "bloat free".

The camera on the Moto X beats the Galaxy Note 5 in pure megapixel count, with a new 21-megapixel shooter on the back. But it may not out-perform Samsung's critically-acclaimed 16-megapixel camera, which is one of the hardware hold-overs remaining from the Galaxy Note 4.

When it comes to storage, the Moto X has the Galaxy Note 5 beat, though. In addition to offering 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models, the Moto X also includes a 128GB expandable microSD slot, where as the Galaxy Note 5 tops out at 64GB only.

But the Galaxy Note 5 is impressive in its processing power. It's got a Samsung-made Exynos 7420 octa-core processor with 4GB of RAM that will probably outperform the Moto X 2015 in heavy use. The Moto X comes with a hexa-core Snapdragon 808 with 3GB RAM.

Conclusion

For its first time entering the Samsung Galaxy Note line's big-screen territory, the third generation Moto X "Style" is pretty compelling. It's got mostly comparable hardware and is poised to take market advantage of the fact that most two year contract subsidies are going the way of the dinosaur.

Of course, each device has unique qualities that will probably make the difference for you, ultimately. If you're a power-user that likes Samsung's phablet features -- including software and hardware that has been carefully honed through five years of Galaxy Note devices to the best big-screen experience Samsung can offer -- and you don't mind sticking with a carrier through a full contract or payment plan, the Note 5 is probably for you.

If you want the freedom of a well-built large-screened phone that can move from wireless network to wireless network -- one that doesn't offer much by way of phablet extras but is guaranteed to give you a phone with balanced features and some great hands-free extras -- and you like the idea of paying around $300 less, then the Moto X 2015 is a good choice.

Either way, you're guaranteed to end up with one of the two most promising and powerful Android devices on the market right now.