Motorola Moto G Review

Introduction

When the first rumors about the upcoming budget phone by Apple, the colorful Apple iPhone 5C surfaced on the web we were all excited to see what the company has to offer. The launching of the bright-colored plastic iPhone 5C was much anticipated, but the price of the device set it in the mid-range category and not so much in the qualification “budget smartphone.” When Motorola announced that it is planning to release an affordable variant of the flagship Motorola Moto X that will be distributed internationally, some of us expected the same story – a great device that comes at normal for the category price. On 13th of November Motorola finally introduced its newest handset in the mobile world Motorola Moto G. it is colorful, it sports attractive design with curved shapes but apart from the iPhone 5C it is really affordable. In fact, as Motorola reveals the new smartphone costs three times less than the high-end models offered this year. The main advantages of the new model smartphone except its irresistible price are the attractive curved design with ergonomic shape, the vibrant and sharp 4.5-inches display, its fast processor with Snapdragon CPU and the great battery life.

Design and Display

One of the most impressive things about the Motorola Moto X is its unique curved design that feels absolutely great in the hand. However the flagship is launched in the US only, at least for now which doesn’t give the chance to most users outside the States to try on the new device. Moto G arrives right on time to satisfy the needs of users and to bring them a closer to Moto X experience. It boasts similar design to its sibling. It is not eligible for the Moto Maker tool but the owners of Moto G can customize the device by changing its removable back-plates painted in different colors. They are dubbed Motorola Shells and come in 19 different variants, including purple, turquoise, red, and yellow, blue, black and white. The phone is relatively thick in the middle and it is a bit on the heavy side of the devices in this category, weighing 143 grams. The power and volume buttons are located on the sides of the device. There is also a micro USB slot for charging. Motorola Moto G features near-edge-to-edge display.

The new handset by Motorola arrives with a 4.5-inches TFT LCD display with a resolution of 1280x720p. The pixel density of the Moto G is 329ppi. Motorola claims that it is the sharpest display of smartphone of this category and according to those who have already tested it, the company definitely can be proud with the screen of the Moto G. It brings clear and bright picture with vibrant colors and great quality even in strong light. The high resolution of the display provides a superior visual experience for watching videos, reading and browsing through the web. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 with enriched protection with nano waterproof coating against scratches and splashes that can happen to the phone in everyday usage.

Hardware

Motorola Moto G is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor ticking at 1.2GHz paired with 1GB RAM. The powerful CPU assures excellent multitasking and switching through apps, better than its rivals in the same class. According to Motorola, Moto G is faster and smoother-working device compared to some of the flagships today, like Samsung Galaxy S4 for example. The built-in storage in the model provides two options for users – 8GB or 16GB. No microSD slot is available, so users that want more memory for their files should rely on cloud storage that Moto G assures in abundance – 50GB in Google Drive free of charge for the next two years. The GPU is Adreno 305.

Among the most impressive features of Motorola Moto G is its long battery life thanks to the battery with 2070mAh capacity working under the hood. Motorola claims that the smartphone can work at full power during the whole day.

Camera

Motorola Moto G is packed with two cameras. The primary shooter lies on the back of the phone with 5MP. It features 4x digital zoom and improvements like slow motion video, auto HDR, panorama mode and burst mode. The front facing shooter has 1.3MP and it can record 720p video. The camera app arrives with improved user interface and many improvements. Users have the possibility to take photos by tapping on a random place on the screen.

Software and Connectivity

Motorola Moto G runs on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update. Many were a bit disappointed by the absence of the newest Android 4.4 KitKat, but Motorola was in hurry to reveal that the Moto G will get the update in the beginning of 2014. The operating system is almost stock Android, which means that Motorola provides as pure Android experience as possible for users which relatively small number of apps and additions by the company over the platform. One of the additions is the Moto Assist feature with the capability to manage the settings manager according to user’s usage patterns. In Moto G you will not see the characteristic for Motorola’s devices Active Notifications and Touchless Control.

In terms of connectivity, Motorola Moto G supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS navigation and 3G, HSPA+ connectivity. The new handset does not support 4G LTE connectivity and NFC.

Availability and Price

Motorola presented the Moto G as the affordable modern smartphone that will be available to every customer that is looking for a cheaper than $200 device that boasts a great package of specs, innovative software and hardware. The price of unlocked smartphone is $179 for Moto G with 8GB and $199 for the 16GB model. The handset will be released internationally, in more than 30 countries until the end of the year. The first markets that already got the Motorola Moto G are Brazil, UK and other countries in Europe. The next markets are Canada, some Asian markets and Latin America. The phone will be releases also in the US, Asia, India and the Middle East in the beginning of the next year. Motorola will launch a dual-SIM version of Motorola Moto G in some markets, including Brazil and Europe.

Conclusion

Motorola Moto G is modern, attractive, unique and impressive smartphone with everything that mobile users need today. It brings the quality of Motorola’s devices, the convenience of the pure Android platform, an experience similar to Moto X and the possibilities for users to customize their devices. In some way the interchangeable back plates provide even more opportunities for users to change the phone the way they like it, as often as they want. Some retailers already include in the offers for Motorola Moto G different back plates for free. Moto G works with Snapdragon 400 processor and stands out with great performance for its class. It features a sharp display with 720p resolution and decent 5MP camera that will surprise you with the excellent quality of pictures especially in well-lit environments. Motorola Moto G is designed entirely with the thought for the best device for users that can work all day long with the reliable battery and brings everything they need for work and entertainment in the mobile device. The price of Moto G is three times cheaper than the current high-end models on the market.