Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Moto G Review: Aint nothin’ but a G-thang

Very few Phones manage to strike the difficult balance between value and performance. So, with that in mind, when one comes along claiming to achieve this, it makes it all the more exciting.


moto g review


Key Features
  • 4.5-inch display
  • 1.2GHz quad-core processor
  • 5 megapixel camera
  • Android Jelly Bean operating system
  • Removable back covers

Moto G Review


Moto G Review: Design & Hardware

At first glance the Moto G is nothing special. As the maiden UK product of Motorola and Google’s joining, it’s got a familiar appearance and could easily be confused for a mini Nexus. That’s not to say it’s unpleasant – it fits nicely in the hand and looks sleek – there’s just nothing groundbreaking to get excited about.

moto g review
 moto g specs

However, the designers do have something up their sleeves, and the early 2000s staple of a changeable back cover makes an appearance, which is good for adding a bit of colour and style.

The handset’s 4.5-inch display forms the focal point, and it’s near edge-to-edge size means it’s expansive, roomy and bigger than it appears. There’s no full HD resolution, but 329 ppi makes for bright and bold images, whilst video also follows suit. It won’t rival the best visuals available on the market, and this is a phrase you’ll read a lot, but when placed next to its budget competitors, it certainly stands out.

Similar can be said of the processor, a powerful 1.2GHz quad-core effort that makes mincemeat of almost anything put in front of it. Even the most demanding of games is no challenge for it, and the Moto G can easily be considered a viable multimedia device as a result. It may be standard fare for most flagships, but for the price its performance is impressive.

Moto G Review: Software & Multimedia

Like the Moto X, the Moto G offers Android in stock form and proves attractive because of it. It’s only Jelly Bean for the moment, but an update to KitKat has been guaranteed already, so you don’t have to worry about being left behind. True to form menus are minimalist and sleek, and will appeal to those chasing a simple mobile experience.

moto g review
 moto g specs

There’s little Motorola influence in terms of software, but Assist is a useful update on the previous Actions app. Here you can set rules for your phone that automatically apply at certain times, such as silent mode after 8pm and vibrate off whilst in a meeting. It’s not exactly groundbreaking stuff, but it’s nice to see the American firm having a hand in functionality.

Elsewhere it’s quintessential Google, with standouts provided by the Google Drive and Quickoffice integration. It’s really easy to get your hands on saved documents, edit them and forward them on, which is good news for those wanting to do work. Other than that, it’s business as usual.

If you’re looking to become the next David Bailey, though, the Moto G may not be the best smartphone for you. At 5 megapixels it’s not a world beater, and you should look elsewhere if you want stunning images all the time. But, if you’re happy with point-and-shoot basics it’s excellent, with an innovative wheel navigation making control easy. There’s adjustable focus as well, giving you complete authority over your shots. Throw in 720p recording and you’ve got a basic camera that ticks a lot of boxes.

Moto G Review: Performance & Verdict

Even though there’s plenty of functionality on offer, the Moto G will stick around a lot longer than most flagships. The battery’s not the biggest at just 2070mAh, but the cell phone is frugal with its performance and will last at least a day on full charge. Of course this will decrease if you smash gaming and streaming, which is a distinct possibility, but even then it never dips below average.

It may seem like we’ve been overly critical of the Moto G, but in fact all we’ve done is highlight its strengths. Whilst it may come up a little short when compared to Android flagship phones, the fact that it even comes close is astonishing. This is a device that costs four times less than most leading devices, but performs only slightly below them.

On its own the Moto G is a loveable and supremely capable phone that ticks every box in its own way. For the price you get everything you could want from a budget phone with plenty more on top and, if you’re in the market for a smartphone but don’t want to spend the earth, you’ve just found it.

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