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The Moto G might not be the flashiest new device unveiled by Motorola last week, but it holds an important place in the company’s product line. Priced to sell, the Moto G offers something almost no other Android phone can: solid hardware from a trusted manufacturer for below $200 off-contract. Along with the Moto X, Motorola has updated the Moto G for 2014. Here’s everything you need to know.
What’s new?
Motorola has updated their Moto G for 2014 in several ways, but the most obvious is a larger screen. Whereas the first generation Moto G has a display measuring 4.5 inches, the latest model sports a 5-inch 720p screen. Naturally, the increase in display size makes for a slightly larger handset with a bit more heft to it. Many other aspects of the phone have remained the same, including an identical Snapdragon 400 SoC and Adreno 305 graphics as well as 2070mAh battery. One spec that did see a bump was the Moto G’s camera, which increased from 5MP to 8MP.
What hasn’t changed, however, is the price. Buyers can still grab the Moto G for the appealing off-contract price of $179.99. We repeat: this is the price of the phone outright without the aid of carrier subsidies or other discounts.
Specs
We’ve already briefly discussed the updated specs of the Moto G above. Below, find a complete rundown of the low-cost handsets technical details.
- Android 4.4.4 (KitKat)
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 1.2 GHz quad-core CPU, Adreno 305 450MHz GPU
- 1GB RAM
- 8GB & 16GB versions
- Supports up to 32GB microSD
- Dimensions: Height: 141.5mm Width: 70.7mm
- Weight: 149 grams
- 5.0” 720p IPS HD display at 720×1280 (294 ppi)
- Gorilla Glass 3
- 2070 mAh battery (mixed usage up to 24 hours)
- Rear Camera: 8 MP (4:3) 6 MP (16:9) (LED flash, 4x digital zoom, HDR, panorama, burst mode, slow motion)
- Front Camera: 2 MP + 720p HD video
- Water repellency
- Micro USB, 3.5mm headset jack
- FM Radio
- Dual SIM with Intelligent Calling
Moto G carrier compatibility
The Moto G is currently available in two variants, a global GSM model and a US GSM model. The latter is compatible with both AT&T and T-Mobile’s GSM and HSPA+ networks, though all variants of the phone lacks support for LTE. Motorola released a 4G LTE version of the original Moto G several months after the device initially launched. The company did not comment on potential availability of an LTE-ready version of the 2014 Moto G.
Likewise, Motorola did not announce a CDMA-compatible version of the second generation Moto G, so Sprint and Verizon customers are out of luck for the time being.
US GSM Model:
- GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
- UMTS/HSPA+ (850, 1700 (AWS), 1900 MHz)
Global GSM Model:
- GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
- UMTS/HSPA+ (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz)
Unboxing, Hands-on, & more
We’ve already had our chance to check out the new Moto G firsthand, and we came away impressed with what Motorola was able to accomplish for the price. See our initial hands-on and unboxing videos below. We were able to get a decent feel for the handset, and Moto has gone above and beyond what we saw with the first generation. We’ll have a full review in the coming days; stay tuned.
Motorola Shells & Accessories
Unlike the Moto X, the Moto G is not privy to the straight-from-the-factory customization options available by way of Moto Maker. Like the last generation of Moto G handsets, however, Motorola is making available a variety of interchangeable back covers, including new folio covers that feature added screen protection. These backs start at $14.95 for the standard colored shell while the flip shell model sells for $29.99.
Availability
The Moto G is available now for $179.99 off-contract. It can be purchased direct from Motorola’s site. We might expect Motorola to launch both CDMA-compatible and 4G LTE-ready versions of the handset somewhere down the road. It took a few months for these secondary editions of the first generation Moto G to launch, and we have no reason to believe the same won’t be true in this case.
Will you buy the Moto G 2014?
The Moto G has quietly become Motorola’s top-selling smartphone of all time thanks in no small part to its ridiculously affordable pricing and global-ready carrier compatibility. The Moto G launched alongside the Moto 360 smartwatch on Friday, September 5th, but didn’t receive quite the same attention. While the Moto 360 quickly went on backorder, the Moto G is ready for the taking. With solid specs and a tempting price tag, is this your next Android phone?
[polldaddy poll=8298977]
Did Motorola change the firmware for the camera or are we still going to be taking horribly $hitty pictures and choppy video recording lacking any detail whatsoever like the original Moto G (compared to other cheap 5/8MP phones).
I’d buy one in a heartbeat for my wife if they would have a Verizon version
That was my plan too. Hopefully soon for Verizon. I contacted their customer service and they never responded.
I’m going to buy 2 of these as christmas presents for the kids. They currently have the samsung vibrant from T-MO, rooted with 4.2, so this is going to be great for them.
I might even get one for the in-laws since this is cheap but full featured.
Just out of curiosity, did they root it themselves? That would be quite awesome.
The older one rooted them, and the younger one got his hand-me-down, so it’s already rooted. The older kid has been on XDA since he was 12.
That is quite awesome :)
I saw in a random forum that mentioned battery life on the new one was worse than the old. If you don’t care about the camera or speakers, and you like the smaller size of the old one, I think the old one might be a better phone.
Yes I just dont get motorolas logic or lack of it, bigger screen but same battery ? Give us just 200mAh and we would have been happy.
I’m not getting one personally but my mom is going to soon. She’s on Straight Talk so that price for a decent unlocked Android phone is just what she’s looking for.
Buy The all new Moto G 2nd Generation for Rs 12999 exclusively on flipkart http://bit.ly/MOTOG2ndGen
Cant understand why did they not release the new Moto G with LTE or why could not they release with & without LTE models on the same day?
Does anyone know when the new Moto G with LTE would release (as that’s a deal breaker)? Or is there any other phone with similar specs for under $200 which also has LTE?
Probably because they didn’t want to piss off current owners of the G LTE, and to keep the price of the new Moto G low for developing countries. But I think that instead of adding the bigger screen and AC Wifi, they should have added LTE instead. AC Wifi is not really needed. N is plenty enough and AC was meant for large businesses and schools. Also, it would leave Motorola with only one model to support, and that would help with updates and bug fixes.
I also wish they added NFC. I know this phone was meant for people with low income, therefore will sell well in huge developing countries, but you have to remember that the OG Moto G went on sale in the UK and US first, and if it was really meant for developing countries, why would they include AC WiFi in it.
I agree. In that case they should have given a timeline as to when the 4G version would be made available