2013 was a big year for Motorola, a very big event with one of the biggest smartphone announcements. The Moto X, the long rumored device was confirmed in August. This was their higher end device, that is super customizable. Then came in the Moto G, the more affordable phone that still offers the most important features that the buyers want. It was first announced mainly for overseas, then it came to the US via Motorola’s site, a Google Play Edition, a Verizon prepaid edition, and of course it is on Boost Mobile now. Via Boost Mobile the Moto G retails for $129.99, since it is a non contract carrier, you own the device after that. It can be paired with a $3 daily unlimited or a $55 monthly unlimited plan. With such a low price tag, the Moto G on Boost Mobile can seem very attractive, will it be your next device?
Design
When you first look at the Moto G, you will think Moto X. It was almost like an instinct for you, it still has the same great feel in the hand. While the build quality is a little cheaper and thicker, it very much so resembles it. It comes in at around 6.0-millimters at thinnest and a 11.6-millimters at the thickest. The thickest point is the height of the curve on the back of the device. It comes in at a light 143 grams, but is heavier than then Moto X. The color of the device is black, but like the Moto X it is customizable. It is not through Moto Maker, you can get different “shells”, which come in a bunch of color. The shell goes for $14.99, flip shells for $29.99, and grip shells for $19.99. That is the way to get the pop of color on the Moto G, but like the Moto X you do get the dimple with the Motorola “M” on the back.
Above the display on the Moto G, you get an earpiece, notification light, and a 1.3 megapixel front camera. For charging a micro USB port is on the bottom and a headphone jack is on the top. The power/sleep button and volume rocker are located on the right hand side. Lastly we have the Motorola logo, 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, and a speaker on the back. There is no Boost Mobile branding on the Moto G at all.
Software
For a company that is owned by Google, Motorola still has to wait like all the other companies to get the next Android upgrade. Then they put it through testing and then eventually put it out to the device. And while they are not as fast as the Nexus updates, Motorola has done a really good job getting the updates out. Having said that, the Moto G is running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean out of the box and will be upgrade to 4.4 Kit Kat in February, hopefully.
Powering the Moto G is a 1.2GHz quad core processor with 1GB of RAM. Motorola was smart to put in a Snapdragon mad processor, it really does make a difference. If you are running a lot of applications it can sometimes slow down and it did happen a few times. But for the price, it runs very well and as a $100 device, it is one of the best you can get. Usually phones at the price, don’t perform nearly half as well as the Moto G.
In terms of software customization, it looks like a Nexus device, in fact most of the customizations are from Boost Mobile. Motorola adds a few applications like, Assist and Migrate. Unlike the Moto X, Touch less Control is not on the Moto G. Assist will give you some great features, for instance silencing your phone during a meeting or while at school. Boost Mobile brings on a widget, that will help you discover some applications, Boost Zone, Boost Music, Scout, airG, and Boost Mobile. A lot of these can be removed, so fear not. In terms of applications that come pre-loaded on the device you will find Google App Suite, Google Chrome, Google Play Suite, FM Radio, NextRadio, QuickOffice, YouTube, Play Store, and more.
Hardware
In terms of storage on the Moto G, while the back of the device can come off, the 2070mAh battery is embedded and there is no micro SD card slot. The main purpose that you can take the back off, is to use the different shells. The Boost Mobile version comes with 8GB of storage inside and out of the box you get around 4.58GB available. With a purchase of the phone, you will get 50GB of Google Drive storage for two years. Connectivity wise, we have Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11 b/g/n, and 3G connectivity. No 4G LTE on the Moto G, this is their 3G device and the Moto X takes the reigns with 4G LTE.
A sharp 4.5-inch 720pHD display with Corning Gorilla Glass is on board. It has a resolution of 1280 X 720 and has 329 pixels per inch. It is a sharp and vibrant display, similar to that on the Moto X. It can get very bright and it does a good job of determining the correct brightness. Viewing angles are pretty good as well, even the view from the sides are bright.
The camera on the Moto X was an 8 megapixel and was not the best, but it is better than the one on the Moto G. A 5 megapixel camera with auto focus and LED flash are on the Moto G. Image quality is dependent on your environment, both photos and videos come out better outside. Inside the frame rate drops, as does brightness and vibrancy. The application is very simple to use and is the one on the Moto X as well. A 1.3 megapixel camera is on the front and works for selfies and video calling.
Bottom Line
Motorola and Boost Mobile have a hit on their hands with the Moto G. It is the first device from Motorola launching on Boost Mobile in a while and it is a very welcomed edition. It is by far the best 3G device on the carrier, it is also a great first time smartphone or good for your next upgrade. A nice design that is super comfortable in the hand, is what you are first greeted with. In the low to mid range smartphone lineup, a quad-core Snapdragon processor is a welcomed edition. A sharp 4.5-inch display is beautiful and an okay amount of storage is inside. It is running 4.3 Jelly Bean out of the box, with a guaranteed upgrade to 4.4 Kit Kat coming soon. It is similar to a Nexus device, in that there is little to no customization. At $129, the Moto G on Boost Mobile is a great buy and I highly recommend it. For More Information On The Boost Mobile Moto G, Please Click Here. We would like to thank Boost Mobile for providing us with a “Boost Mobile Moto G”.
