Motorola launches new Moto G for Rs 12,999: Here’s everything you need to know

Motorola today announced the new Moto G – successor to one of our favourite budget smartphones. Motorola has upgraded to a larger, 5-inch display and an 8MP rear camera and a 2MP one on the front, which is a jump from the previous Moto G’s 5MP rear shooter and 1.3MP front camera. It’s a dual SIM phone available in 8GB and 16GB versions. The 16GB version is priced at Rs 12,999 – cheaper than the original Moto G. You can buy it through Flipkart from midnight onwards.

The 5-inch display is protected by Gorilla Glass to shield it from scratches. Like the previous Moto G, the latest iteration has a water -resistant coat to prevent water droplets entering inside the LCD. However, it’s not fully water-proof, so it can’t be submerged in water like the Sony Xperia Z2. You can swap the back panel with colourful shells, although the battery is still non-removable. We’re excited to see the addition of a microSD card slot in the new Moto G, which will allow users to boost the storage up to 32GB.

Disappointingly, Motorola has chosen to retain the same chipset on the Moto G with a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor paired with 1GB of RAM. It would have been nice to see it run on an updated Snapdragon 401 or Snapdragon 600 SoC, but this should be fine for most uses including heavy app-use and gaming. That said, pure Android gives an incredibly smooth performance, which could give the Moto G an upper hand over handsets running modified versions of the OS even though they may be equipped with faster processors. Moreover, Motorola has promised an Android L update (comes with Android 4.4.4 KitKat out-of-the box), which will provide a cleaner interface and better multitasking abilities. The new Moto G has the same 2070 mAh Li-Ion battery we saw on the Moto G, which Motorola claims can last throughout the day.

Motorola has added several add-ons with its latest offering including a built-in digital TV tuner and app that lets you watch TV programmes on the go. You can also record a program while watching it, or schedule a recording to be viewed later. There’s Moto Assist which comes with handy personalisations depending on what you’re doing. For example, when it knows you’re in the car, Assist automatically connects your music to Google Play, and can help respond to messages by letting the sender know you’re driving. Also, Moto Voice lets you give voice commands to the phone for taking selfies or posting updates on social media.

According to Motorola US blog, Moto G will go on sale today in India along with France, UK, Brazil, Spain, and Germany. It will be available in more than a dozen countries and through several carrier partners around the world.