GSMArena team, 22 September 2014

Baby steps

Motorola Moto G (2014) review: Baby steps

2. Unboxing, design and build quality, handling

Unboxing

The new Moto G offers a retail package in line with is low price tag. All you get with the device is a wall charger and a couple of booklets.

The retail package of the new Moto G

This year, Motorola has decided to omit a microUSB cable from the retail package and replace it with a wall charger. This shouldn't be a deal breaker for most of you as you probably have a cable from an older device already, but if you don't, you should factor in its price.

Like the first generation Moto G, the second iteration has a number of additional accessories available at launch. They include a flip case that replaces the battery cover, stereo headphones, and external battery packs.

Some of the available accessories

Design and build quality

Moto G (2014) has retained the design of the model it replaces. The only major difference between the first and the second generation are the gray strips above and below the newcomer's display, which house the stereo speakers.

Moto G (2014) in the flesh

The above considered, the Moto G is a decent looking bloke. The interchangeable back panels allow you to change the device's appearance and have it your way - from understated like the unit we tested, all the way to impossible to miss color combinations.

The back covers allow you to change the appearance of your Moto G

Build quality of the Moto G is exceptional, especially considering the price range it inhabits. The device is made of high-quality polycarbonate with matte finish, while its front is entirely covered by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Its body is splash resistant too, though it is not IP certified.

Physical measures of the new Moto G are 141.5 x 70.7 x 11 mm and it tips the scale at 149 grams. As expected, the second generation has grown significantly over its predecessor (129.9 x 65.9 x 11.6 mm).

Moto G (2014) sized up against last year's model

Thickness of the new Moto G is slight letdown, especially considering the unchanged battery size over last year's model. However, the presence of dual stereo speakers does somewhat make up for the substantial waistline.

Handling

Despite the thicker profile, handling of the new Moto G is easy thanks to its curved back. The latter follows the natural shape of the human palm and offsets the noticeable thickness of the phone.

Handling the Moto G (2014)

The soft-touch plastic body of the smartphone enhances grip. You are unlikely to accidentally drop it.

Display

Moto G (2014) packs a 5" IPS display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. The display has grown in size over last year's model, but has retained the same resolution. The result is a lower, but still near-Retina pixel density of 294 ppi.

Motorola Moto G 2014

The display of the Moto G (2014) is a quality unit, despite the lower sharpness over last year's solution. It impresses with good color reproduction, stellar contrast, and wide viewing angles.

The display of the Moto G (2014)

Compared to the 2013 model, however, the Moto G (2014) display is noticeably darker.

Display test	50% brightness			100% brightness
Display test	Black, cd/m²	White, cd/m²	Contrast ratio	Black, cd/m²	White, cd/m²	Contrast ratio
Motorola Moto G 4G	0.42	387	916	0.7	651	929
Motorola Moto G (2014)	0.24	253	1039	0.43	413	968
Sony Xperia M2	0.33	325	989	0.64	643	1000
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime	0.25	194	785	0.56	426	756
Apple iPhone 6	0.17	207	1230	0.61	740	1213
LG G2	0.1	149	1522	0.45	667	1495

Sunlight legibility is good, especially considering the price range the smartphone inhabits. It is not as reflective as one would expect.

Sunlight contrast ratio

Nokia 808 PureView
4.698
Samsung Galaxy A3
4.241
Samsung Galaxy Note 4
4.033
Apple iPhone 5
3.997
Samsung Galaxy Note 3
3.997
Apple iPhone 6
3.838
Samsung Galaxy Note Edge
3.799
Oppo R5
3.678
Samsung Galaxy K zoom
3.675
Nokia Lumia 930
3.567
Apple iPhone 5s
3.565
Samsung Galaxy S5
3.549
Nokia Lumia 735
3.547
Alcatel Idol X+
3.527
Apple iPhone 5c
3.512
Samsung Galaxy Alpha
3.509
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo
3.487
Motorola RAZR MAXX
3.42
Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III
3.419
Samsung Galaxy S5 Active
3.406
Nokia Lumia 925
3.402
Gionee Elife S5.5
3.386
Samsung I9505 Galaxy S4
3.352
Samsung Omnia W
3.301
Samsung Galaxy S5 mini
3.174
Samsung I9000 Galaxy S
3.155
Samsung Ativ S
3.129
Samsung I9190 Galaxy S4 mini
3.127
Samsung Galaxy S4 zoom
3.118
Nokia N9
3.069
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
3.023
Samsung Galaxy Note
2.97
Samsung Galaxy Premier
2.958
Sony Xperia Z1
2.95
HTC One S
2.901
Samsung I8730 Galaxy Express
2.861
BlackBerry Q10
2.856
Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II
2.832
HTC Desire Eye
2.815
Gionee Elife S5.1
2.812
Samsung Galaxy S II Plus
2.801
BlackBerry Z30
2.79
Meizu MX4 Pro
2.765
Sony Xperia ZR
2.672
Huawei Ascend P1
2.655
Sony Xperia Z3
2.618
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
2.616
Sony Xperia T3
2.609
BlackBerry Passport
2.595
Nokia Lumia 900
2.562
Motorola Moto G 4G
2.546
HTC One Max
2.537
Nokia Lumia 720
2.512
HTC One
2.504
Motorola Moto G
2.477
Sony Xperia Z
2.462
Xiaomi Mi 4
2.424
Samsung Galaxy S III mini
2.422
Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro
2.416
LG G Flex
2.407
HTC Desire 820
2.372
HTC One (M8)
2.371
Meizu MX4
2.366
Motorola RAZR i
2.366
Sony Xperia ZL
2.352
Samsung Galaxy Note II
2.307
HTC One (M8) for Windows
2.291
Oppo Find 7a
2.279
Alcatel One Touch Hero
2.272
Apple iPhone 4S
2.269
HTC Desire 600 dual sim
2.262
Nokia Asha 311
2.25
Motorola Moto G (2014)
2.233
LG Nexus 5
2.228
Nokia Lumia 820
2.193
HTC One (E8)
2.185
Oppo N3
2.181
Nokia Lumia 920
2.17
HTC One X
2.158
Nokia N8
2.144
Nokia Lumia 620
2.142
Nokia 515
2.134
HTC Desire 500
2.129
Sony Xperia C3 Dual
2.12
Sony Xperia acro S
2.119
Xiaomi Redmi Note
2.119
Nokia Lumia 1020
2.103
Oppo Find 5
2.088
Sony Xperia SL
2.078
Nokia Lumia 630
2.056
BlackBerry Z10
2.051
Huawei Ascend Mate7
2.024
Samsung I9295 Galaxy S4 Active
2.022
Apple iPhone 4
2.016
HTC One mini
2.003
Xiaomi Mi 3
2.001
Huawei Ascend P7
1.992
LG G2
1.976
OnePlus One
1.961
Oppo R819
1.957
Sony Ericsson Xperia ray
1.955
Lenovo Vibe X2
1.952
Sony Xperia Z2
1.944
Sony Xperia E3
1.943
Nokia Lumia 1320
1.941
HTC One mini 2
1.94
Samsung Galaxy Camera
1.938
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
1.935
Sony Xperia J
1.932
Acer CloudMobile S500
1.931
LG Nexus 4
1.926
LG G Pro 2
1.922
Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3
1.913
Nokia Asha 308
1.911
HTC Butterfly 2
1.905
Sony Xperia T
1.894
Nokia Lumia 830
1.887
HTC Desire X
1.878
HTC Butterfly
1.873
HTC Windows Phone 8X
1.873
HTC Butterfly S
1.867
Huawei Ascend P6
1.865
Huawei Ascend Mate
1.845
LG G2 mini
1.838
LG G3
1.82
Nokia Lumia 1520
1.813
HTC Desire 616 dual sim
1.797
Sony Xperia V
1.792
HTC Desire 816
1.783
Sony Xperia Z1 Compact
1.772
HTC Desire 700 dual sim
1.769
Sony Xperia U
1.758
Meizu MX3
1.754
LG Optimus G
1.753
Sony Xperia T2 Ultra
1.74
Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact
1.735
Sony Xperia SP
1.733
LG Optimus 4X HD
1.691
Oppo Find 7
1.691
HTC One V
1.685
BlackBerry Q5
1.682
LG Optimus Vu
1.68
Xiaomi Mi Pad 7.9
1.672
LG Optimus GJ
1.666
LG Optimus 3D Max
1.658
HTC Desire V
1.646
Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2
1.632
Samsung Galaxy Ace 3
1.622
Jolla Jolla
1.605
Sony Xperia Z Ultra
1.578
Sony Xperia go
1.577
Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 I8160
1.566
Samsung Galaxy Core
1.563
LG Optimus G Pro
1.552
Motorola Moto E
1.545
LG Optimus 3D
1.542
Nokia Asha 302
1.537
Samsung Galaxy Core Prime
1.507
BlackBerry Curve 9320
1.488
Sony Xperia M
1.473
Oppo N1
1.47
Meizu MX 4-core
1.462
Nokia Lumia 610
1.432
Samsung Galaxy S Duos
1.4
Sony Xperia M2
1.393
Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo
1.393
Microsoft Lumia 535
1.393
Samsung Galaxy Grand 2
1.38
Sony Xperia E1
1.372
Nokia Lumia 625
1.371
Gigabyte GSmart G1355
1.361
Sony Xperia L
1.351
Xiaomi Redmi 1S
1.35
Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8
1.35
HTC Desire 510
1.34
Sony Xperia M2 Aqua
1.331
Sony Xperia miro
1.324
Samsung I9082 Galaxy Grand
1.321
Samsung I8530 Galaxy Beam
1.315
HTC Desire C
1.3
Nokia X
1.291
Sony Xperia C
1.283
Nokia Asha 503
1.281
Nokia Asha 501
1.27
LG Optimus L7
1.269
Nokia Lumia 510
1.268
Samsung Galaxy Fame
1.245
LG Optimus L9
1.227
Meizu MX
1.221
Samsung Galaxy Young
1.22
Sony Xperia E
1.215
Nokia XL
1.204
Sony Xperia E dual
1.203
Asus Memo Pad 7 ME176C
1.198
Samsung Galaxy Pocket
1.18
Nokia Asha 305
1.178
Nokia Asha 306
1.175
Sony Xperia neo L
1.169
Sony Xperia tipo
1.166
Nokia Lumia 520
1.161
Samsung S6802 Galaxy Ace Duos
1.148
Samsung Galaxy mini 2
1.114

Overall, despite its lower pixel density when compared to last year's model, the display of the new Moto G is one of the best in its class. You will be hard-pressed to find a better screen on a sub-$200 smartphone.

A closer look at the device's display

Next Page » 3. Controls, battery life, connectivity

2. Unboxing, design and build quality, handling

Reviews Motorola Moto G (2014) reviewPage 2