By 
When Motorola announced that the Moto G would be coming to us for as little as $180 off contract, we assumed carriers would look to subsidize it and make it free with a two year commitment. At the very least, we didn’t expect anyone to offer it for an off-contract price that’s even cheaper than the original MSRP, but that’s exactly what Verizon has done.
You can now buy the Moto G for $100 without having to sign a two-year contract. You might be thinking that you’re not in for a treat at that price, but you’d be sorely (or pleasantly) mistaken. Take a look:
- 4.5-inch 1,280 x 720 display
- 1.2GHz quad-core processor (Qualcomm Snapdragon 400)
- 1GB of RAM
- 8GB of internal storage
- 5MP rear camera
- 1.3MP front camera
- 2,070mAh battery
- Dimensions: 130 x 66 x 6-11.6 mm
- Weight: 143 g
Verizon’s version will come with Android 4.3 out of the box, though an upgrade to 4.4 KitKat is expected sometime shortly. You might think Verizon is crazy for offering the phone at such a steep discount, but the months of wireless service they’d sell to potential results would more than make up for it. Sold? Verizon has the goods right here.
Prepaid phone and also the same price as Best Buy.
This phone is lacking 4G capability though…right?
No 4G.
Correct, no LTE.
T-Mobile should do this for Verizon Customers who get out of jail free. At a minimum swap their moto g out for a T-Mobile phone…
wish it was gsm
The GSM version is still a steal for $179 / $199 8GB/16GB. Just buy it, you won’t be sorry.
So I’m guessing you can’t just buy this and activate it on an existing line – I would like to just have one as a backup phone.
Adding the phone to your cart on Verizon Wireless, they make you select a prepaid plan otherwise you can’t checkout and buy. At BestBuy.com, however, you can add to cart and (I assume) buy.
So, does anyone know if buying from Best Buy, one can swap their SIM from a current on-plan verizon phone into the Moto G and activate it?
From what I’ve heard talking with Best Buy, you can buy it without a prepaid plan. As far as activating it on Verizon’s network, I’ve heard that you can only do that after it has been on a prepaid plan for 6 months, which apparently applies to all Verizon prepaid phones. As far as the SIM card, since this is a 3G only phone there isn’t one. Everything to do with this phone, activation, data use, etc., would be how it was pre-LTE. In other words, *228 to activate, EvDo for data speeds.
The only reason to pick one of these up other than for use on prepaid, is for use as a media player and web surfing, like an iPod touch.
I’d love to see GSM (unlocked) versions for $149.00. If it happens, I’ll buy a few for family members. I could care less about CDMA versions. Being locked into a carrier, they are pretty much useless and disposable…
Are you saying GSM unlocked 8GB, or GSM unlocked 16GB? The former is currently $179 and the latter $199. It’s not a bad price for what you get.
Ideally, I think the 8GB version should be $149.00 and the 16GB version should be $169.00. Still, at $199.99, it’s a decent 3G phone.
Just curious how you arrived at those numbers. I could say ideally the 8GB should be $8 and the 16GB should be $16. And I’ll take a dozen.
I arrived at those numbers based off of what’s currently available from other manufacturers at a similar price, current market prices of older generation phones with similar or slightly better specs and what I feel is a fair market value for a budget pre-pay smart phone. I’m not saying the Moto G isn’t a “good deal” compared to other offerings here in the US. I’m saying that it would be a “better deal” and sell a lot more at units at $149 and $169 versus $179 and $199. FYIY, I can buy re-manufactured SG3s all day long for ~$220, so it’s really hard to justify a Moto G at $199.00.
Fair enough. It’s a little tricky though. Presumably they still need to make some profit. It’s not clear to me that a remanufactured GS3 is worth $50 more than a new G. For some people it would be. Another data point, this week I saw GS3 prepaid version at Wal-Mart has been reduced to $299. Big posters on the way into the store. A much better price point than what they had before, but still sounds high to me. Phones I see in the $200 range seem like they universally can’t keep up, although the lines will presumably grey in the next few months. Galaxy Light on paper seems like it could be a somewhat close competitor, and some sellers do push it for $149. That does perhaps support your claim. Official price is closer to $200. But I stopped paying attention when I read the word KNOX.
I gotta agree with you, they are priced just right. Those numbers he is throwing out there don’t make sense, for the bang you get when you buy the Moto G.
Can you buy this and activate it on Straight Talk?
Probably not. The GSM version can. Costs more up front, but probably still a win. Verizon Prepaid plans for this phone start at $50/month.
Not necessarily, where I live StraightTalk is CDMA running on Verizon’s network, so where they run CDMA it’s possible. But it’d depend if ST is willing to allow a Verizon prepaid on their system. It’s also possible that they have an agreement with Verizon barring their phones on ST’s system. StraightTalk’s phone selection is one of the big drawbacks around here.
3G only? Wtf, no
Isnt this prepaid only?
Yes.
What are the average downloads speeds people are getting on VZW’s evdo network.. I do understand its not like AT&T’s and T-Mobiles hspa+ offering. But thinking of this for a second fun line for basically some web browsing and irc use.
let me guess….no lte?
verizon only?
blah
good deal for those with older phones that do not want to lose unlimited.
has SIM slot ?? I can use it in Colombia ?
Nope. Check out the GSM model.
Si lo queres usar en Colombia compralo directamente de la pagina de Motorola por $170 us dollars. Compra el modelo GLOBAL. Pero te recomiendo que veas a el ASUS ZenFone 5 super mejor