Moto G

Just about a week ago, I finally caved and bought the Moto G. While the circumstances that led to me getting the Moto G was pretty abrupt, I did not regret my decision at all. After all, this is a device I have been eagerly waiting to be released locally ever since its announcement.


First Impressions:

The Moto G I bought was an 8GB, Global GSM model, the cheaper of the lot. First impressions were really good. Good build, good feel, nice heft to the device. This does not look or feel like a 179 USD phone at all. The volume rocker and the power button are all located on the right hand side of the device. They are nicely protruded, and gives a nice solid click when pressed. My only complain though is that it is a tad loose, apparent by the rattling sound it makes when you shake the device.

The Package:

The box that the device came in is remarkably small, and it should be, considering the box only contains the phone, some manuals, and a USB cable (oddly in white). No wall plug included, which is probably a way to keep the cost of the device low. This should not be a huge deal for most, considering micro-usb has been the standard plug for phones for quite a while now. If not, one can simply charge it off their laptop/desktop.

Look and Feel:

The device looks remarkably similar to the Moto X (which is a good thing), and your average non tech-savvy user probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. The device is actually slightly heavier and thicker compared to the Moto X, but not in a dramatic way. Definitely still extremely pocketable. The front of the device inherits the clean design of the Moto X, with no branding whatsoever, leaving behind a clean black slate on the front.

The back houses a nice curve that allows it to sit firmly in ones’ grip. The dimple that houses the Motorola branding is a nice design touch as well. I find my index finger resting on that dimple every time I pick up the device. The matte black case that all Moto G comes with has a decent feel to it. Fingerprints and oil tends to be extremely prominent though, and is rather hard to clean off with a simple wipe. Which brings me to the part of the Moto G I like better than the Moto X, the replaceable back shells.

The coloured shell seems has a nicer feel to it, and seems to clip onto the phone tighter than the original. Of course there are other types of cases as well such as a flip case.

Screen:

Power on the device, and I was greeted by one of the best 4.5” 720p panels I have seen on a smartphone. The display is not just good for its price, but it is good. Period. It is not only comparable, but in fact, I think it has a better looking display compared to most phones with a 720p display. Colour reproductions are nice and accurate, viewing angles are good, and sunlight visibility is good. Really, there isn’t really any complain about the screen personally. The use of Gorilla Glass 3, the latest offering from Corning is a nice addition too. In short, if Motorola had to skim somewhere to keep the cost down, the screen is definitely not it. Which is brilliant, considering the screen is probably the thing we spend the most time looking at on a phone.

Camera and Speakers:

Sadly, when it comes to the multimedia department, this is where the cost cutting becomes apparent. The speaker while loud, lack clarity especially at higher volumes. The camera is a 5MP shooter capable of recording up to 720p video only. The images it produce in bright daylight are decent enough, but when it comes to dimmer conditions, the camera really struggles to keep details, plus you would need pretty steady hands too if you want to avoid using the camera flash.

Here are some sample shots:

Performance:

This is pretty subjective actually. The average consumer seems to use a lot more apps than I do. I don’t use Line, SnapChat, Vine, Viber, WeChat, etc. I install only what I absolutely need, not what I might use once every blue moon. I didn’t even bother installing FaceBook since I so rarely use it. If there is something that the default app does, I don’t bother looking for alternatives.

So for a user like myself, 1GB of RAM is more than sufficient for my needs. The only game I have installed on my phone is Ingress, and even that isn’t exactly the most graphically intensive game, so the 1.2Ghz quad core SnapDragon 400, and Adreno 305 chugs along nicely for me.

Storage:

Is 8GB enough? For me it is. While I do worry about long term use, for the time being, I still have 3-4 GBs of storage free after loading everything I need on the device (which are basically apps). My music collection lies within Google Play Music, and I only store a playlist offline to save data. I don’t store movies on my phone. My workflow pretty much revolves around the cloud these days on Dropbox and Google Drive (oh did I mention, you get 50GB free for 2 years).

Though for many, 8GB might not be enough, and the lack of Micro-SD expandability might drive them elsewhere (HTC Desire 601).

Battery Life:

With the above point in mind, that I don’t use that many apps (meaning less background processes), my battery life has been really good. Easily lasting me a day of mix use.

But as with performance, mileage may vary with different users.

Conclusion:

The Moto G is a game-changer. It is not just a phone that is good for its price. It is a good phone, period. Motorola has proven that cheap, doesn’t necessarily means nasty. They proved that a phone could be cheap yet cheerful. The Moto G has raised the bar not just for budget devices, but flagship devices as well. If a budget phone could be this good, the flagship devices needs to be so much better to justify twice or thrice the cost of a Moto G.

It is easy to fault the device for things it is lacking (such as the camera, the lack of storage expandability, the lack of 4G/LTE, no removable battery), but those could be just as easily forgiven for its price. If you could live with those compromises, the Moto G is one of the best devices for those on a budget.