Larger screen, dual SIM, sturdy build, good battery life, expandable memory, budget price, 4G
Processor same as last model, screen resolution hasn't increased
The very latest Moto G adds 4G for fast internet downloads and streaming. But the other one's still available. For about the same price. So why the difference?
Screen and chassis
The 4G-capable version of the Moto G looks pretty much the same as the other Moto G -- same sleek simplicity, same rounded back to offset its bulkiness made from tactile non-slip rubberised plastic. It's exactly the same size too, but around 6g heavier to accommodate a heavier battery and the 4G gubbins.
The screen, now expanded to 5in from the original Moto G's 4.5in has once again retained the same resolution of standard HD 1280x720, making it just a little less sharp as the pixels are spread over a greater area. It's still bright and sharp enough though, and absolutely no shame at this price point.
Software & processor
This version of the Moto G launches with Android 5.0 Lollipop (the non-4G version came with KitKat, though an update is now available) and we're fast warming to its flat 'n' fast style.
The quad-core processor hasn't been beefed up any, it's still clocked at 1.2GHz which is a perfectly decent spec for a budget phone like this. Our AnTuTu benchmark test gave it a score of 19,122 which puts it comfortably in line with several midrange phones costing considerably more. It's light on its feet and showed no sign of slowdown when opening apps or even playing HD games, which it handled without any hassle.
Photography
It's nice to see an 8 megapixel on a budget phone, especially one with a wider than usual f/2 lens and which allows you to switch aspect ratio between 4:3 and widescreen 16:9. It includes autofocus and an LED flash, plus a few extras like touch focus, face detection, HDR and panorama modes. Picture quality is pretty good overall, with a decent level of detail and the auto settings stand good for most snaps. There's also a 2 megapixel snapper on the front for video calls and selfies which is nothing exceptional, but it's certainly no embarrassment either.
There's 16GB memory on board, but you can bump that up by another 32GB via microSD card - a bit stingy all told, especially with other phones able to accommodate 128GB cards. Like the other Moto G it's available in both single and dual-SIM versions, so it's easy to keep work and play separate, or load a foreign SIM if you're going abroad.
The battery is a little bigger than the non-4G version but not by much. You can still expect to get more than a full day of steady use out of it.
Conclusion
The 4G version of the latest generation Moto G is pretty much the same phone but a teensy bit heavier and with a slightly bigger battery. Oh, and it's got 4G, for about the same price. It's a no-brainer, this is the one to go for, and despite no improvement to the original Moto G's processor, and the drop in screen resolution, it's still the budget phone to beat.
Software: Android 4.4.4 KitKat
Processor: Quad-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400
Memory slot: Yes
Display: 5in IPS LCD 1280x720 pixels
Connectivity: Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0
Ports: microUSB, 3.5mm headphone jack
Camera: 8 megapixel with autofocus, LED flash; 2 megapixel front-facing camera
Video playback: MPEG4, H.263, H.264, VP8
Audio playback: AMR-NB, AMR-WB, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, MP3, PCM, FLAC, MIDI, QCELP, EVRC, OGG/Vorbis
Radio: Yes
Battery: 2390mAh
Size: 142x71x11mm
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
