Motorola Moto G (2nd Gen) detailed review

If you go to the Moto G (2nd Gen) page on Flipkart and read the specifications, you may wonder why Motorola has launched this device. This is something you can understand only after holding the phone in your hand. In fact, that’s exactly what I said in my first impression of the device. The new Moto G is better than the old version. While more changes would be welcome, Motorola seems to have taken a safer offer to keep prices low.

Construction and design

The new Moto G has a 5-inch display and had the same polycarbonate back that was original. The phone looks like a larger version of the original and that’s it, but Motorola has made it look more like the original Moto X. The new phone doesn’t look thin and heavy Also, it has a thinner bezel, which further reduces the size. The device could easily have been much larger and harder to use, but the new Moto G is quite comfortable in hand and in the pocket. From the back it looks exactly like the original Moto X.

Click image to enlarge.

Also, as before, the curved back gives better grip to the smartphone and makes the design more ergonomic. The build quality is impeccable overall and the white version of the Moto G looks pretty good and looks very strong.

Display and UI

The 720p HD display in the new Moto G is actually the biggest weakness of this smartphone. While Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection does its job and makes the screen stronger and more premium, it’s not the brightest screen you have. That made me even more surprised, despite the poor visibility of sunlight on the new Moto G. The older version wasn’t the best either, but it was probably a bit better, albeit very little.

The good thing about screens though is the extra real estate. This makes for great and good video watching. That is, unless you’re watching videos with your friends, because viewing angles aren’t the best either I didn’t expect Motorola to put a full HD screen in it, but I didn’t see it coming.

On the UI front, the new Moto G stock runs Android 4.4.4 KitKat. Motorola has promised Android L updates on both the new G and Moto X devices. The UI runs smoothly on the smartphone and I haven’t seen it backwards.

Performance

The new version of the Moto G runs on the same 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core SoC and 1 GB RAM as the older generation. It also has an Adreno 305 GPU and continues to perform well on the Motorola older. Before you ask, yes, it doesn’t compare to the Xiaomi Mi3, which has a lot more Snapdragon 800 SoC and 2 GB RAM.

The Moto G doesn’t disappoint in terms of performance though as you can get out of it. The UI doesn’t show any lag and high end games like Asphalt 8 and others run quite smoothly on it. I haven’t seen any crashes on the device, be it games or other apps.

One thing I really wanted from Motorola for the new device was a big battery though. Although the company has taken the same 2070 mAh battery as the old one. Although it’s not disappointing and I got 10-12 hours from it quite easily, I wonder if the decision to buy a bigger battery could not have been made easier.

The camera

One of the upgrades of the new Moto G is the 8 MP camera on the back, as opposed to the 5 MP on the old one. There is also a 2 MP front camera for selfies, video chats Although like the old camera, its rear camera is average. While the 8MP sensor is better than the old one, it’s certainly not the best camera on a smartphone in this range. The camera is a bit better than the old one. It also fails in low light conditions.

Moto G (2nd Gen) clicks outdoor lighting and low light. Click image to enlarge.

Same picture taken with Moto G (2nd Gen) (left) and Moto G (right). Click image to enlarge.

Storage

Motorola made a big mistake in the first Moto G’s lack of extra storage. The company has modified it with a new one, which has 16 GB of internal storage and can be expanded up to 32 GB. The rear has dual-SIM slots with microSD card slots.

The last row

The new Moto G supports Motorola’s tradition of offering good value for the price it is asking for. The company has lost money on the old price. 1000 and to be honest, it was. The new Moto G is a performer and a good phone to buy for Rs 12,999 but the competition is now much tougher than before.

For the brand conscious, you can still buy this phone, but it is no longer the best in the class. The Xiaomi Mi3 is the best in the class right now, when the Micromax Canvas Nitro comes in close seconds. What the Moto G has in both these devices is its history and brand recognition.

Buy Moto G (2nd Gen) from Flipkart for Rs. 12,999 / –