Motorola has just announced two new Moto G4 smartphones. The Moto G is a popular device range that both traditionally pushes the specification that we consider entry/mid level and provides timely Android OS updates. Thus it is an important defining device in the Android smartphone market.
Interestingly Motorola has split its Moto G4 offering by providing two versions of the new smartphone. However, despite one being suffixed the 'Plus' model, they are both the same physical size, with the same screens. The Plus model simply offers enhanced specifications in a number of key areas.
At the time of writing Motorola hasn't updated its (UK) website with the devices, it is currently just showing just a simple placeholder image, but some reports from the launch event in India (GSM Arena, Engadget) have already been published, and contain enough info to provide the essence of what Moto's 2016 G series offer.
Starting with the screen, both devices offer a 5.5-inch screen with 1080p resolution protected by Gorilla Glass 3. Other common specs are the Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 chipset, a 3,000mAh battery with fast charge support, and microSD expansion capacity. The OS installed is Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow.
Differences start to begin with RAM and storage quotas. The Moto G4 Plus model will be available in several configurations including 2GB, 3GB and 4GB of RAM and 16GB, 32GB and 64GB of built-in storage. The regular G4 has 2GB of RAM, and either 16GB or 32GB of storage. Another important difference is in the included biometric scanners; the G4 Plus has a fingerprint reader in the home button, the G4 doesn't.
If smartphone cameras are important to you then the choice between G4 Plus and G4 will be black & white. Starting with the vanilla G4, this model sports a 13MP main camera with 1080p video capture and gets the same 5MP wide-angle selfie-cam as the Plus model. Meanwhile, Moto has big claims for the G4 Plus model – it is said to offer a better DxOMark photo quality rating than Apple's pricy iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus smartphones.
The Moto G4 Plus main camera sports a 16MP main camera with OmniVision PureCell Plus sensor (with 1.3µm pixels), behind an f/2.0 aperture lens system. Furthermore, this pro-mode with manual control camera uses hybrid focus (laser + phase detection).
According to Engadget, the UK pricing for the Moto G4 will start at £169 for the regular model and £199 for the Plus model. Availability in Europe and India is scheduled for June.
