Motorola today introduced a powerful, low-cost, no-contract, unlocked smartphone for $179 (8GB) or $199 (16GB) that aims to provide the features and quality of high-end smartphone at a third of the cost. The premium-quality phone offers a 4.5-inch HD display, the newest Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor featuring a quad-core CPU, with Android 4.3 Jellybean. More importantly, Motorola is guaranteeing an upgrade to Android 4.4 KitKat at the beginning of 2014, so the phone doesn’t become obsolete and can continue to run the latest apps.
Moto G offers color customization with a removable curved back cover and 19 customization options, including interchangeable Motorola Shells and Flip Shells in seven colors as well as Grip Shells in five colors.
The Moto G is built on pure Android, which should make it work well with Google services — Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, Chrome and Hangouts, plus 65GB of storage on Google Drive. Motorola also claims all-day batter-life, a high quality 5-megapixel camera, along with FM radio capability.
Another consumer-friendly feature is Motorola Migrate, which should wirelessly transfer your photos, videos, SIM contacts and even your call and text history from your old Android phone to a new Moto G.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VunSqD1MOjE
Price and Availability
In the US, Moto G will be sold on Motorola.com, with no contract, no SIM lock and an unlockable bootloader for $179 with 8GB of storage and $199 for 16GB. Moto G will also be available through various carriers and retailers.
Moto G goes on sale this week in Brazil and parts of Europe and will be available within the next few weeks throughout Latin America, Europe, Canada and parts of Asia. It will be available in the US, India, the Middle East and more of Asia in early January. Moto G will be in more than 30 countries with 60 partners by 2014.
Specifications
Operating system
Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean)
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with 1.2 GHz quad-core CPU
Capacity
8 GB standard
16 GB version available
Two years 50 GB storage free on Google Drive
Dimensions and weight
Height 129.9 mm
Width 65.9 mm
Depth 6.0-11.6 mm (curve)
Weight 143 grams
Display
4.5 inches diagonal (11.3 cm)
1280 x 720 HD, 329 ppi
Connectivity
Micro USB
3.5 mm headset jack
Battery
Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion, 2070 mAh
Mixed usage up to 24 hours
Rear camera
5 MP at 4:3 and 3.8 MP at 16:9 (user-configurable)
LED flash
4X digital zoom
Slow motion video
Burst mode
Auto HDR
Panorama
Tap to Focus
Front camera
1.3 MP
Video capture and playback
720p HD video (front and rear)
Capture 30 fps (MPEG4, H.264)
Playback 30 fps (MPEG4, H.263, H.264, VP8)
Audio playback
AMR-NB, AMR-WB, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, MP3, PCM, FLAC, MIDI, QCELP, EVRC, OGG/Vorbis
Networks
GSM Model: GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSPA+ up to 21 Mbps
CDMA Model: CDMA/EVDO Rev A
Wi-Fi
802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth Technology
Version 4.0
Location services
GPS, GLONASS
In the box
Moto G in black
USB cable
Quick start guide