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Moto G Hands On Review and First Impressions

Moto G has officially arrived in India and the price tag is lower than what was being anticipated. The phone comes with an attractive body design and promises a premium smartphone experience at budget price point. We were present at the launch event of Moto G in New Delhi today and got to lay our hands on the device. Let’s take a look.

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Moto G Quick Specs

  • Display Size: 4.5 inch IPS LCD, 1280 X 720 resolution, 326 PPI
  • Processor: 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 400 Quad Core Processor with Adreno 305 GPU
  • RAM: 1 GB
  • Software Version: Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) with Guaranteed KitKat update
  • Camera: 5 MP camera with Dual LED flash, with Rotating Lens
  • Secondary Camera: 1.3 MP camera
  • Internal Storage: 8 GB/ 16 GB
  • External Storage: No
  • Battery: 2070 mAh battery Lithium Ion
  • Connectivity: 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP, aGPS, 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
  • Others: Dual SIM – Yes, LED Indicator – Yes, USB OTG – Yes
  • Sensors: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity

Moto G Indian Version Hands on Review, Features, Camera, India Price and Overview [Video]

Design and Build

With smooth curved body design, Moto G fits just fine in your grip. The curved back panel features Matte rubberized finish and Motorola will introduce different colored shells in the market soon. The more than modest weight of 143 grams helps by providing stronger grip.

The phone is definitely not sleek at 11.6 mm and but the thickness is not that bothering considering the form factor. The front enjoys Gorilla Glass 3 protection and the nano coating makes it splash proof. The phone looks durable and well built with no sounds when handling.

The build quality is better than what we have experienced on budget Android phones from domesic players. The Dual SIM phone will come in black color only and when bored, you can buy a new back panel for Rs. 899 (Flipkart is also offering 70 % discount if you buy today). The flip cover has been priced at Rs. 1599o

Inside the Box

Inside the box you will get headphones, charger and USB cable. You can buy a Flip cover for Rs.1,599 and you can buy extra back shells for Rs. 899.

Display

The 4.5 inch IPS LCD display with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution sports comparable brightness to other domestic players. The Display colors are very well calibrated and viewing angles were pretty wide. The display is one of the best that you can get at this price range. The Corning Gorilla Glass protection on the top makes it resistant to all kinds of abuses.

Camera and Internal Storage

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The primary camera has a 5 MP sensor with F / 2.4 aperture and will give you average performance. The camera app is not stock android and is somewhat better. By default the camera behaves as fixed focus and clicks images when you tap on the screen.

You have to choose control focus and exposure option from the menu to get a rectangular tab for focus. You can then tap anywhere on the remaining screen to click images. This requires some patience. The imaging hardware is where you make a compromise but if you don’t expect too much out of it, you will be happy.

The internal storage is fixed at 16 GB and thus it would be wiser to aim for the 16 GB variant. The 8 GB variant will provide you with 5.5 GB on the users end which won’t be sufficient for most people.

Battery and Operating System

The battery is rated at 2070 mAh, which Motorola claims will give you 24 hours of talk time. Motorola has made tall claims for the battery and with Snapdragon 400 with Cortex A7 cores designed for power efficiency we expect the back up to be more than what Domestic players are offering with their 2000 mAh rating in this price range. The battery however, is not removable.

The operating system is mostly Stock Android 4.3 Jelly bean with various preloaded apps from Motorola like Moto Assist and Motorola Migrate. The phone is guaranteed to receive Android 4.4 update which will improve the overall efficiency. The UI is similar to what you see in Nexus devices and this is something we like about this device.

Moto G Photo Gallery

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Conclusion and Overview

The phone is already a success with more than thousand pre orders in just a few hours. Fancy software, good built quality, sufficient battery backup, customization options and Snapdragon 400 branding on the chipset all makes this a very viable option in budget price range. Moto G makes a statement that cheaper doesn’t have to be outdated and feeble. You can buy the dual SIM 8 GB and 16 GB variants for Rs. 12,499 and Rs. 13,999 respectively.

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Deepak Singh

Deepak Singh

The Author spent a significant chunk of his formative years resisting technology. He now keeps an eye on where the world is heading to, and drives a passive pleasure from this indulgence. His passion to write, learn and improve drives him each day. When his day ends, he enjoys the pleasant languor and detoxifies with family. You can connect with him on and TwitterView Author posts