Large, sharp 5-inch screen, sturdy build, IPX7 waterproofing, decent 13-megapixel camera, expandable memory, budget price, 4G
Limited memory expansion, battery life slightly reduced
The latest incarnation of Motorola's budget star Moto G comes with 4G and Android 5.0 Lollipop, plus some improved water protection -- and it's still a bargain for the price.
Screen and design
Earlier this year we had the Moto G 4G and if you snapped up that little beauty, then there'll be little to impress you about the latest device to bear the Moto G moniker, since it's pretty much the same. There a few small differences though. The thin, removable plastic backing is now textured to make it a little easier to grip, and the battery seems to have had a slight reduction, shrinking from 2,390mAh to 2,070mAh -- not that this is hugely noticeable in practise.
That backplate is available in a variety of colours too -- the basic shell comes in black or white, but you can augment it with lime green, navy blue, wine red, yellow, blue, turquoise or red, as well as plain old black or white. There are now also little rubberised seals next to the SIM and microSD card slots, which increase the protection to an IPX7 rating -- enough to survive an accidental dunking or a spell in the shower.
Elsewhere, we're in familiar, high-quality/low-price territory. The 5-inch screen protected by tough Gorilla Glass is a palm-sized marvel, offering a standard HD resolution of 1,280x720 but with realistic colours and detail that wouldn't look out of place on a handset costing twice the price.
Software and processor
It comes with the latest Android 5.1.1 Lollipop straight out of the box, as you might expect, and it's amazing how quickly its flat and simplistic style has caught on as the acceptable face of Android. Under the hood is the same 1.2GHz quad-core processor backed by 1GB RAM which executes its duties without fuss or fanfare. It can handle just about anything you care to throw at it, including multi-tasking and HD games, without seeming to slow down or struggle, and those additional cores mean it should handle power drain pretty efficiently too.
Our standard AnTuTu benchmark test gave it a score of 24,311, a couple of notches up from its predecessor. Its score matches the performance of several mid-range handsets for which you'll pay considerably more. Careful though -- our review model was the 16GB version which backs the processor with 2GB of RAM which will cost around £30 more than the standard version.
Camera
The 8-megapixel camera on the back comes with a wider than usual f/2 lens that allows you to switch between 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios -- useful for getting variety into your pics. It now has a dual LED flash rather than the single flash of the previous model and fast-acting autofocus -- great for capturing the moment in a hurry. Picture quality is good too -- crisp and sharp in good light, though you'll need to be a bit careful in low-light conditions.
It has just 8GB of storage on board in its standard configuration but you can beef this up by 32GB via microSD card, or you can opt for the 16GB version.
Conclusion
The latest Moto G boasts only minor changes to the recent Moto G 4G but it's a significant jump on the previous model, with improved screen and camera, waterproofing and the addition of 4G. There are other serious contenders in the budget smartphone zone of course, not least the Vodafone Smart Ultra 6, which offers a faster processor, slightly bigger display and better camera for a few quid less -- although you'll need a Vodafone contract. Whether you opt for the 8GB or 16GB version, it's still a terrific bargain.
Software: Android 5 Lollipop
Processor: Quad-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon
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: 2070mAh
Size: 142x71x11mm
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
