Motorola Moto G (Gen 2): A Worthy Successor?

When Motorola came back to India with the Moto G, it totally rewrote the rules of the budget segment. Expectations have been high since then, and the Moto X and Moto E which came next had the same effect on their respective market segments. Now, Motorola has launched the new Moto G or the Moto G (Gen 2) as the company calls it, at Rs. 12,999 (16GB). The new device was unveiled amidst much fanfare at an event in New Delhi on Friday, alongside the unveiling of the new Moto X and the Moto 360 smartwatch.

Flipkart, the exclusive online partner of Motorola in India, confirmed that it has sold around 1.6 million Moto handsets in India since February, confirming the popularity of Motorola smartphones - Moto E, Moto G, and Moto X - in India. Market research even suggests that the Moto G has been responsible for Motorola overtaking Nokia (now operated by Microsoft) to become the fourth-largest smartphone vendor in India in such a short time.

The new Moto G (Gen 2) has been priced smartly to take on fresh competition in the segment. The sub-Rs. 15,000 segment include smartphones such as the Xiaomi Mi 3, which has been breaking records with its Flipkart flash sales, and the Asus ZenFone 5 , another popular option.

We got a chance to play with the Moto G (Gen 2) at the event, and sum up our first impressions below.

Build, design and display
The Moto G (Gen 2) looks a lot like the Moto X (Gen 2), which is not a bad thing at all considering the price difference of both the handsets. Maybe Moto X (Gen 2) owners might be annoyed that it doesn't feel premium enough.

The phone is tall and sleek, with measurements of 141.5x70.7x10.99mm compared to its predecessor's 129.9x65.9x11.6mm. At 149 grams, the new Moto G (Gen 2) is slightly heavier than the older version (143 grams).

The new curved edges give the device a better overall feel that makes it easier to hold. The Moto G (Gen 2) is slightly taller and wider than the Moto G, which can be attributed to the bigger display on the new device. The physical power and volume buttons are on the right, just like on the Moto G. Overall, the phone definitely feels like an upgrade to the original, which the company touted with the line "Exceptional phone, exceptional price".

One of the biggest upgrades to the Moto G (Gen 2) is the 5-inch HD (720x1280-pixel) IPS LCD display. This means there's a reduction in pixel density as compared to the 4.5-inch Moto G, though this is hardly visible to the naked eye. The front of the handset now sports dual speakers at top and bottom that offer acceptable sound clarity. The front camera is placed right in the centre of the panel. The rear of the Moto G (Gen 2) is one place where it looks just like the older version.

Specifications and performance
The new Moto G (Gen 2) is powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset with a 1.2GHz quad-core CPU as the original Moto G. It comes with 1GB of RAM.

As of now, Motorola has launched only a 16GB version of the Moto G (Gen 2), with no word on the availability of an 8GB model. One of the biggest upgrades is the addition of a microSD card slot, with support for cards of up to 32GB. This takes care of the biggest fault we had found with the Moto G. The phone also supports dual Micro-SIMs.

Motorola's Moto G (Gen 2) handled multitasking easily in our limited time with it, and we noticed that the preloaded apps opened and closed quickly.

Camera and software
The second-generation Moto G features an 8-megapixel autofocus rear camera with LED flash and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. The cameras are both upgrades over the older model's 5-megapixel and 1.3-megapixel ones. When we tried it out, the camera app opened right away and we were able to take pictures without any shutter lag.

The Moto G (Gen 2) runs Android 4.4.4 KitKat out-of-the-box, and the company has confirmed an Android L update is on the way. The device has a number of Google apps preloaded, including Gmail, Google+, Google Drive, Google Photos, Keep, Hangouts, Search, Google Maps, Play Games, Play Movies, Play Movies, Play Books, and Play Newsstand. The Moto G (Gen 2), much like the older version, uses on-screen navigation keys.

Overall the look and feel of new Moto G's interface is very much as it has been on Motorola's recent devices.

There are also three of Motorola's own apps on the new Moto G - Motorola Migrate helps move the contents of an old Android phone to the new handset; Motorola Assist helps users silence the device while driving or otherwise occupied; and Motorola Alert lets people close to you know when you are in an emergency situation.

Final words
The Moto G, priced at Rs. 12,999 (16GB), will be going on sale at midnight on Friday via Flipkart. Motorola has worked on all shortcomings we noticed in the first-generation Moto G, most importantly the limited storage space and below-par camera performance, and so we can expect the new Moto G to be just as successful if not more.

You can expect more detailed observations and testing when we review the Moto G (Gen 2).

Motorola Moto G (Gen 2)

Rs. 12,999

KEY SPECS

Display

5.00-inch

Processor

1.2GHz

Front Camera

2-megapixel

Resolution

720x1280 pixels

RAM

1GB

OS

Android 4.4.4

Storage

8GB

Rear Camera

8-megapixel

Battery capacity

2070mAh

Motorola Moto X (Gen 2): An Impressive Upgrade

Less than six months after the release of the Moto X in India, comes its successor, the Moto X (Gen 2).

Motorola announced the successors to the Moto G and Moto X at an event on Friday, alongside the Moto 360 smartwatch. In an attempt to cash in on the popularity of both smartphones, has launched them under the same names as their predecessors, not "Moto G2" and "Moto X+1" as rumoured in several leaks.

While announcing the handset, the company stressed that the new Moto X offers "pure style and pure performance", but the pricing of the Moto X (Gen 2) in India has not been disclosed yet. Motorola confirmed that the smartphone will be made available by the end of the month, and so the pricing will be announced at that time. Interestingly, the previous generation Moto G, Moto X, and Moto E will remain available on Flipkart, presumably till stocks last.

Compared to first generation Moto X, the Moto X (Gen 2) looks and feel solid. We got to spend some time with it at the launch event in New Delhi, and here are our thoughts.

Build, design and display
At first glance, the black Moto X (Gen 2) that we played with looked like an elongated version of the Moto E with a curved metal frame. The new dual front speakers reminded us of the budget Moto E time and again.

The second-generation Moto X measures 140.8x72.4x9.97mm and definitely appears taller and sleeker than the original Moto X, which measured 129.3x65.3x10.4mm. However, the new version is a bit heavier at 144 grams compared to 130 grams.

Much like the old Moto X, the new smartphone's front is completely bereft of buttons and branding. There are sensors and a visible front camera. The back has been completely reworked and sports a prominent new Motorola "M" logo. The physical buttons for power and volume are placed on the right similar to the Moto X, and were reachable with our thumb. Motorola wants to stress the Moto X (Gen 2)'s new design elements, including its curved housing and durable materials.

The second-generation Moto X features a 5.2-inch (1080x1920 pixels) full-HD OLED screen with a density of 423 ppi, and also boasts of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for protection. The new Moto X's screen is marginally bigger than the 5-inch one on the Moto G (Gen 2). The screen looked crisp and readable during our limited time with the device.

Specifications, software and performance
One of the biggest upgrades in the second-generation Moto X lies under the hood. The smartphone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC) clocked at 2.5GHz. Notably, flagships such as the Sony Xperia Z2, Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One (M8) use the same processor.

The Moto X (Gen 2) has been launched in two storage variants, 16GB and 32GB, but there is no microSD card slot for expansion. Motorola has not revealed whether it will release both variants in India.

Motorola has also upgraded the Moto X's 10-megapixel camera to a 13-megapixel unit, which now has an f/2.25 lens and supports 4K video recording. There is also a dual-LED ring flash around the lens. There is a 2-megapixel front-facing camera capable of full-HD (1080p) video recording.

The images we managed to take in well-lit conditions looked brilliant and colours looked vivid. However, camera performance will have to be tested more thoroughly during our full review. We expect that 4K video recording will be another big selling point of the handset, if priced and marketed well in India.

The new Moto X runs Android 4.4.4 KitKat out of the box, and the company has confirmed it will roll out an Android L update in due course. Like the previous generation Moto X, the new device uses a stock build of the OS without any additional UI skinning.

Notifications on the Moto X (Gen 2) can be expanded by pulling down with two fingers. The notifications area also offers quick shortcuts for the brightness, Wi-Fi, airplane mode, Bluetooth, and location settings. The new Moto X comes preloaded with multiple Google apps and also includes three of Motorola's own apps - Motorola Migrate, Motorola Assist, and Motorola Alert.

The new Moto X also retains one of the highlights of the first-generation device, the Active Display, which the company has renamed to Moto Display. There is also a feature that enables users to create their own prompts for voice commands.

While we didn't get a chance to run benchmarks on the Moto X (Gen 2) at the event, the Moto X (Gen 2) handled whatever we threw at it, and the performance seemed good.

Final words
The Moto X (Gen 2) is expected to go on sale by the end of this month. The company did announce the US pricing of the device which is $499.99 (roughly Rs. 30,200) for an unlocked unit. We will have to wait for the Indian price to be announced by Motorola before commenting on whether or not it offers good value for money.

Considering it comes with upgraded processor, a full-HD screen, better camera and sturdier body, the Moto X (Gen 2) looks like a huge improvement over its namesake.