Home » Sunday » Technology
Moto G comes with small sacrifices
Print Edition
You’re not getting the best or the latest technology with Motorola’s US$179 Moto G smartphone. What you do get is a great price for something close.
Motorola bills the Moto G as the phone for the rest of us — the ones who can’t afford US$500 to US$700 for a high-end smartphone. That’s a big deal overseas, where carriers don’t subsidize phones with two-year service contracts the way they do in the United States. But even in the US, more people are moving to contract-free plans and ones that offer frequent upgrades, meaning the full retail price is what’s going to matter.
The Moto G started shipping in the US this week, initially for the GSM networks used by AT&T and T-Mobile. I spent the past week testing the Moto G, comparing the phone primarily with its more expensive cousin, Motorola’s US$500 Moto X. I also put it up against another lower-cost phone, Google’s US$349 Nexus 5, as well as the premium, US$649 iPhone 5S from Apple.
Where the Moto G fell short was in its camera, battery life and inability to access faster 4G LTE cellular networks. For everything else I tested, the Moto G stood up well.
Motorola, which is owned by Google Inc, doesn’t skimp in equipping the Moto G with a speedy processor. Apps launch almost as quickly as they do on the phone’s pricier rivals. The Moto G runs a fairly recent version of Google’s Android system, with a promised upgrade to the latest, Kit Kat, early next year.
The Moto G also has a decent screen. It’s about as sharp as the Moto X’s and the iPhone’s, enough for 720p video, though the Nexus and various Samsung phones do better by offering full, 1080p high definition. The Moto G’s screen measures 4.5 inches diagonally, which is larger than the iPhone’s but small for Android. Colors aren’t as rich as on the Moto X’s display, but if I want a superb visual experience, I’d turn to a tablet, a TV or even a movie theater. For a phone, the Moto G’s screen delivers video quite well.
The Moto G doesn’t win points on size and weight. Although the screen is smaller than the Moto X’s 4.7-inch display, the phone overall is a tad bulkier and 10 percent heavier. The Moto G has a larger frame surrounding the screen — something phone makers have been trying to shrink.
Other shortcomings
Cellular access. The Moto G delivers 3G performance at best. Many parts of the world are moving to 4G, but Motorola points out that many of its target markets are still upgrading to 3G. Even in the US, many regions lack 4G. If I’m doing a lot of things requiring top-notch speeds, I’m better off finding a Wi-Fi network anyway.
Battery life. The Moto G has 6 percent less battery capacity than the Moto X. I got about up to eight hours of streaming video on Hulu with the Moto G, compared with nine to 10 hours on the Moto X. Although the Moto G has a removable plastic back, the battery can’t be exchanged with a spare. That said, eight hours for streaming video is a lot, and you can stretch it to a full day with more moderate use.
Camera. The main camera has a resolution of 5 megapixels, less than the 8 megapixels on the iPhone and the Nexus and the 10 megapixels on the Moto X. There’s more to a good camera than the pixel count, but the pictures I took with the Moto G weren’t particularly good, especially in low light. They are passable for selfies and Facebook posts, but you’ll want a better camera for keepsakes.
The US$179 price gets you 8 gigabytes of storage, half of what most phones offer. Pay the extra US$20 for a 16 gigabyte model.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
