Moto G4, analysis and opinion after a month of use

The fourth generation of the Moto G family is here. Motorola has surprised with its new Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus for several reasons: its larger screen and that premium version with a fingerprint sensor.

Is Lenovo right with these changes? After a month of use I bring you a complete video analysis of the Moto G4 And I can say that, if you want to ensure the shot by buying a mid-range that will not disappoint you, the new Motorola phone is the best option.

The new Moto by Lenovo family, with the Moto G4 and Moto G4 as banners, wants to fight for the upper mid-range market

The first Moto G marked a before and after in the sector, by inventing a new range of smartphones with good features and really attractive prices. Over time more and more manufacturers jumped on the bandwagon creating that new mid-high range that dominates the market, offering a line of very complete mobile phones with knockdown prices, without exceeding the psychological barrier of 300 euros.

The new Moto G4 aims to once again be the first option when looking for a good Android phone in terms of value for money. Its credentials suggest that Motorola / Lenovo is getting its new phone right again, although there is some chiaroscuro.

On the one hand we have the size of the screen of the Moto G4 line, which increases to 5.5 inches and can qualify as a phablet. It is true that the market is increasingly pointing towards large screens, but this movement by Lenovo causes a good number of smartphone users with screens of maximum 5 inches, and who had previously opted for the Moto G line, now look for solutions from other manufacturers.

I personally don't mind that Increase in sizeThey even make the Moto G4 a more appealing option if you are looking for the first phone for a 13-17 year old child, who will prefer a large screen to a terminal that can be used with one hand. But the issue of water resistance I have really missed.

And, although the previous model did have an IPX certification that gave the Moto G resistance to dust and water, the new Moto G4 only has splash and spill resistance. There are people who may consider it more or less useful that a phone can get wet without problems, but I already told you that when you have had the previous model and it has that feature, you do not like that the new phone does not have it.

A design that follows the line of its predecessors

The Moto G4 maintains a design similar to previous models, keeping the plastic as a clear protagonist and offering very classic lines without risking when showing a new look.

It is clear that Lenovo's main premise is to reduce costs as much as possible so that manufacturing costs do not skyrocket. It is true that other Chinese manufacturers are beginning to offer terminals with metallic finishes in the same price range, the Honor 5X is a clear example, so for me this is the biggest weak point of the Moto G4.

I know that the finishes are not a determining point for many users, those who do not mind this detail, will not care that the Moto G4 does not have an aluminum body. In addition, although it does not contain metal, its finishes are quite good, especially the back cover of the Moto G4 that has a micro-dotted framework with a very soft and pleasant touch.

Its polished plastic frame with that metallic look partly dispels that plastic phone feel. In addition, the body in general resists daily jogging well. I have been using it for a month without any kind of protective case and the phone has held up perfectly.

It was to be expected that its screen with Corning Gorilla Glass protection would resist any occasional scratches, but I was surprised to see that the phone did not suffer pitting or wear after daily use.

Its front has a slightly large frames, they could have tried to save a little more space. An interesting detail comes with the front speaker that the Motorola design team has kept on the Moto G4. I love being able to play any game without plugging the audio output for three times.

The back looks really elegant both to the eye, with the Motorola logo under the camera, and to the touch thanks to that micropotted finish that I was commenting on. In addition, the rear cover, which is removable, has a protection that makes it resistant to stains. This is where we find the two micro SIM card slots as the microSD card slot. Too bad the battery isn't removable.

Su frame that simulates aluminum also offers a good touch. On the right side is where the volume control keys and the terminal's on / off button are located. The latter seems to be made of metal and offers a roughness that differentiates it from the volume control.

I personally liked the feeling of robustness in the Moto G4. The terminal is well built as well as being very light, it only weighs 155 grams. Of course, with measures of 153 x 76.6 x 9.8 mm I already tell you that it cannot be used with just one hand.

The great advantage of having such a large screen is that the Moto G4 becomes an option to consider if you are looking for a economy phablet. More if we take into account its hardware, which, as you will have seen in the video analysis, will allow us to enjoy any video game or multimedia content without problems.

Technical characteristics

As expected, the Moto G4 delivers on a note by offering itself as a Solvent phone for the day to daya, something to wait after taking a look at its technical characteristics. Motorola has bet very strongly in this aspect, integrating one of Qualcomm's most solvent solutions, the powerful Snapdragon 617, an SoC that more than fulfills its function and that, accompanied by an Adreno 405 GPU and 2 GB of RAM memory, allow moving any game in a really fluid and functional way.

In the video of the Moto G4 analysis, you will have seen that I have tried different video games that require great graphic power and I have been able to enjoy them without problems. At no time have I suffered any stoppage or lag while playing. Y No trace of overheating on the terminal.

The line that separates the most premium processors from those SoCs oriented to mid-range terminals is getting thinner and the Moto G4 hardware power It is a clear example of this.

And it is that I have been surprised by the performance tests carried out on the Moto G4, which has offered me some results similar to those of a Nexus 6. Be careful, we are talking about a phone that does not reach 250 euros.

The Moto G4 has FM radio and it can be used without headphones as an antenna, as long as we are in a high coverage area, something that I loved. I do not understand how phones are still on the market without FM Radio.

I do not want to close this section without talking about front speaker of the Moto G4, which offers great sound quality inviting us to use its exceptional screen to enjoy multimedia content.

A display that meets the mark

Motorola bets very strongly in this section by offering a 5.5 inch with a quality that is light years ahead of any competitor in its range.

There is no doubt that the manufacturer wanted the user experience to be perfect. And he is absolutely right betting on a IPS panel that reaches 1.920 x 1.080 pixels and 401 pixels per inch. The screen quality of the Moto G4 is impressive, offering an excellent color representation with very natural hues and without saturation.

Its whites are perfect, which makes the Moto G4 a terminal excellent for reading thanks in part to its high pixel density. It should be noted that by setting the brightness to a minimum, you will be able to read comfortably in bed without being bothered by the screen lighting. excellent viewing angles and a great contrast, the level of brightness on the Moto G4 screen offers us a perfect outdoor vision, even in broad daylight.

Undoubtedly the best screen I have seen in a phone that costs less than 300 euros. If you are looking for a terminal with a large, quality screen at an affordable price, and you do not care if it does not have a fingerprint sensor, I guarantee Moto G4 is the best option. More if we take into account your incredible autonomy.

A perfectly optimized battery with a fast charging system

Motorola gets a really high note with the autonomy of the new Moto G4. His 3.000 mAh battery, non-removable, promises more than enough performance to support the full weight of the phone's hardware, but I didn't expect such excellent performance.

Giving a normal use to the phone I have reached two days of use without problems, something that has surprised me considering its 5.5-inch screen with Full HD resolution. I'm talking about a real use surfing the net, using social networks, listening to music for an hour a day ... putting the phone in airplane mode at night and closing the applications, the Moto G4 has endured me another full day, arriving the second night at 10 -15% so, counting that there are days that we use the phone more, we can give it an approximate autonomy of 42 hours, something surprising for a phone with these characteristics.

Additionally the Moto G4 is compatible with Qualcomm fast charging systemsToo bad there is a conventional charger in the box. In any case, I have been able to test the system with a charger that has this technology and the Moto G4 has been fully charged in less than an hour.

Moto UI, the perfect interface

There is little to say in the Moto G4 software section, thanks to the fact that Motorola continues to bet on a really clean interface, unlike other manufacturers. In this way, we find Moto UI, based on Android 6.0 M and that maintains that Pure Android experience that the public likes so much.

The interface in general it is the same as google although Motorola has incorporated a personalized touch that does not bother at all. We can see it in the clock widget for example, but I want to make it clear that it is not intrusive at all. To give you an idea, the entire Google Play package is not even pre-installed as standard.

Where will we find more differences? in Ambient Display, Motorola's excellent notification system that will show us the time and notifications on a black background when picking up the terminal. On the other hand Motorola has integrated a series of really useful and intuitive gestures. For example, if you shake the Moto G4 slightly, the camera will be activated. In the video analysis you will see how easy it is to take advantage of these options on the phone.

A 10 for Motorola in this section. There is nothing better for the user than a garbage-clean phone and the Moto G4 does the job perfectly in this regard.

Camera

Here we enter one of the most important sections in a terminal. It is increasingly important that a phone has a good camera and the truth is that the G4 Surprise again by offering excellent catches.

The main camera of the Moto G4 has a sensor 13 megapixels with f / 2.0 aperture and autofocus, along with a dual-toned LED flash and an Auto HDR mode that works really well, as well as being able to record in Full HD quality.

In well-lit outdoor environments Moto G4's camera captures high-quality photos, offering a very natural tonality and range of colors. Surprisingly, the HDR mode, activated in automatic mode, works really well without creating excessive color saturation. Ideal for those users who want to take pictures without worrying too much about which options to touch.

Of course, if you know photography you will enjoy the Manual mode that will allow you to modify different parameters such as exposure, brightness, white balance ... If you don't want problems, don't worry, the intuitive camera application will allow you to quickly capture photos with excellent quality. Even with a simple gesture of your hand you can activate the camera to take a quick capture.

Taking into account the range in which the Moto G4 moves, I can say that it has one of the best cameras seen in a mid-high range.

Examples of photographs taken with the Moto G4

Final conclusions

Motorola has surprised me a lot with the Moto G4. The manufacturer has given a new twist by offering a mid-range terminal - high at an unrivaled price. 229 euros for a phone with a 5.5-inch screen, excellent performance and a range of 2 days? Few better options you will find at that price.

Editor's opinion

Points in favor

Points against