Storage is either 8GB or 16GB. That’s not
amazing, and there’s no microSD slot, but you do get 50GB of Google Drive
space, and Google Music, its storage-saving Spotify homage, is now well polished,
and has the option to sync with your iTunes library.
The battery life from the 2070mAh cell is
the industry-standard one day of “mixed use”, providing that mixed use isn’t 24
hours of Angry Birds , recording HD video and then streaming it via 3G – oh,
that’s another compromise; there’s no 4G. You’ll need to plug it in the moment
you get home, but it should survive the commute.
Moto G is smart when it comes to the
battery, so as you go about your day,
you won’t run out of power.
The Nexus 5 that LG knocked up for Google
was an outstanding example of phone design. Rather than trying to cram
everything in without thinking of the consequences, it sat down, listed all the
features people actually need from a modern smartphone and then made sure it
did them proficiently, relative to the amount they’ll be used. Now, Google
subsidiary Motorola has done the same, at an even lower cost.
A perfect example of how is the camera.
Sacrificing megapixels presumably freed up budget, ensuring the Moto G excels in
other areas, but does the camera feel like a tacked- on compromise? Actually
no. Considering all that many younger users – one of the key target markets for
this phone – really use their cameras for is uploading heavily filtered photos
to social media, it’s absolutely fit for purpose. If you want to blow those photos
up and hang them on your walls you might be out of luck, but we’d say that’s a
pretty niche interest by now, old fella.
Touch
anywhere to take a shot, capture panoramic pictures or
record HD video with front and back cameras.
Even better, in return for this not-unduly
ruinous compromise, you get the best HD screen on any smartphone that isn’t a
full-on flagship device costing two to three times as much. You also get a very
fast Quadcore processor to keep
things buttery.
If there’s one clear issue we have with
the Moto G it’s the lack of 4G. We’re rapidly heading towards a market where 4G
will be standard regardless of price.
Interchangeable backs—called Shells—come
in a variety
of colors and types to let you be you.
However, again, for many users, that will
be a minor minus point. And when they consider they’re holding a phone with a
stunning display, Quadcore processor
and, shortly, the latest version of Android, and all that cost them less than
$265 – or presumably absolutely flap-all on contract – it’ll seem a very minor
minus point indeed.
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Specifications:
·
Operating system: Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) with
guaranteed upgrade
·
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with 1.2
GHz quad
core CPU
·
Capacity: 8 GB standard, 16 GB version available, two
years 50 GB
storage free on Google Drive
·
Connectivity: Micro USB, 3.5 mm headset jack
·
Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n
·
Display: 4.5 inches diagonal (11.3 cm), 1280 x 720
HD, 329 ppi,
Corning® Gorilla® Glass
·
Rear camera: 5 MP at 4:3 and 3.8 MP at 16:9
(user-configurable), LED
flash, 4X digital zoom, Slow
motion video, Burst mode, Auto HDR,
Panorama, Tap to Focus
·
Front camera: 1.3 MP
·
Video capture and playback: 720p HD video (front and
rear), Capture 30
fps (MPEG4, H.264), Playback 30
fps (MPEG4, H.263, H.264, VP8)
·
Audio playback: AMR-NB, AMR-WB, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+,
MP3, PCM,
FLAC, MIDI, QCELP, EVRC,
OGG/Vorbis
·
Battery: Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion, 2070 mAh,
Mixed usage up to
24 hours
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