Motorola just unveiled their new phones for 2015 in their XGX event, where it was very clear that the focus with new devices was on great end user experience and affordable prices.
If Apple has proven one thing, it is that you don’t need the latest and greatest to sell phones but good overall experience is what matters more than specs on paper, and great specs don’t always translate into great real world experience.
Though, we have come a long way in smartphones when it comes to hardware. We can now get smart phones with Quad-Core processors and 2GB ram for as low as Rs.6000.
Motorola mobiles doesn’t want to compete on specs but wants to give the users cohesive experience, great service and phones that can be your companion by being there for you when you need it and being smart when you are busy, like having presets for office and home, or reading out texts while you are driving, along with other thoughtful additions to stock Android.
Motorola also admitted that camera has been a pain point in pervious Motorola phones, which were never upto the mark compared to flagships from Apple, Samsung and LG etc. Motorola has gone to great lengths to solve this issue and its evident in this year’s phones in which they had a 3rd party independent Camera review company DXOmark review it ahead of the launch. DXOmark rates the latest Moto X flag above iPhone 6, on par with Note 4 and just a notch below Galaxy S6.
If Motorola’s claims about the camera are true we might just have some of the best devices in the market covering a wide range of budget.
Let’s talk about the actual devices which were just launched.
Motorola Moto G 3rd Generation
Price: Rs.11999 for the 8GB Version and Rs.12999 for 16GB version.
Processor: Gets an upgraded chipset in the form of 64bit Snapdragon 410 which is great considering 2nd Gen Moto never had any real complaints about its performance. Now, it just got better with the 3rd Gen.
Screen: Stays the same at 5 inch sporting 720 x 1280 pixels and no real complaints here since a 1080p would put too much strain on the CPU/GPU and the performance would take a hit.
Battery: Gets a 20 % bump to a respectable 2470mAh and Moto G right from the first one never really had any real complains about bad battery life and this would make it even better.
RAM: The 8GB version still comes with 1GB and 16GB version is being bumped to 2GB ram. This was one of the most needed changes on the Moto G and it’s great to see a 2GB variant. It would have been better if the base model was 2GB RAM also but at Rs.11999 and Rs.12999. It’s a great deal regardless.
Camera: Camera gets a bump to a 13MP and Motorola was very proud to announce that they have used the same camera module as the one from Nexus 6 and has promised great camera even at budget.
This makes moto G 3rd Generation as one of the best camera phones in this price range.
Last but not least, the new Motorola Moto G 3rd Generation is also IPX7 certified – water resistant up to 1 meter and 30 minutes makes this quite an unbeatable package, especially considering the solid build quality with service we have come to expect from Motorola, and near stock Android with promise of fast updates.
Motorola Moto X Play
Price: Estimated to be around Rs.17,999 for 16GB andabout Rs.19,999 for 32GB.
Processor: Powered by a 64bit Octa-Core Snapdragon 615, which is a bit disappointing but since its considered as mid-range chip with a moderate GPU, but considering the mid-range price tag and Motorola’s emphasis on over all experience instead of specs on paper it should suffice for almost everyone, if not all.
Screen: 5.5 Inch 1080 x 1920 Full HD Display with 74.4% screen-to-body ratio will ensure pretty large screen, while keeping the phone size in check.
Battery: Motorola has gone all out herepowered by a massive3630 mAh battery. This will ensure that Moto X play will be best in class when it comes with battery life and overall performance in this price segment.
RAM: 2GB ram on both models running on a near stock Android phone should ensure seamless multi-tasking even for the most demanding users.
Camera: 21MP main camera which should be a top 3 performer in this price range if not the absolute best. We will have to wait for some proper reviews before we can come to a conclusion on the capabilities of the camera sensor.
Overall Moto X Play looks like one of the best mid-range devices to hit the market. With sufficient processing power, great full HD screen, along with 2GB ram and class leading battery life should make this a tempting offer even for the most demanding users.
All boils down to how fast it will launch in India and how well it is priced with respect to tight competition from Xiaomi in this price segment. Motorola seems to be banking over all user experience with stock Android and best in class battery life to sway the buyers.
Motorola Moto X Style
Price: Estimated to be around Rs.26,999 for 16GB and about Rs.29,999 for 32GB.
Processor: Powered by a 64bit Hexa-Core Snapdragon 808, same one used in the latest flagship by LG,the LG G4, is guaranteed to be top end performer with none of the heating issues from the Snapdragon 810. LG G4 already has zero complaints about performance and considering the Moto X Style runs mostly stock Android, it should make the Moto X Style one of the best performing android devices among the flagship models.
Screen: 5.7 Inch 1440 x 2560 pixels Quad HD Display with 74.9% screen-to-body ratio will ensure a pretty small device even with a large screen. This was showed during the event where the Moto X Style had a smaller over all foot print than the iPhone 6 Plus which has only a 5.5 inch Screen.
Battery: Powered by 3000 mAh battery just like the LG G4. As long as it is well optimized by Motorola even with QHD screen it should have no issues lasting a full days usage.
We will have to wait for the launch to see how well the battery fares against the competition.
RAM: 3GB ram on both models running on a near stock Android phone should ensure seamless multi-tasking even for the most demanding users.
Camera: 21MP main camera which Motorola has gone to great lengths to talk about during the unveiling of the device. Motorola has promised the camera will be best in class. Independent camera reviewing website has rated it as top 3 camera in mobile right now slightly behind Galaxy S6, tied with Note 4, and better than iPhone 6, all of which are known performers and stand out as best camera phones in the market right now.
Thanks to this we know for a fact that camera has capable hardware but how well Motorola has done with the software we will have to wait for the launch to test it and in find out.
Overall Moto X Style is turning out to be one of the top flagships this year, with hardware matching the LG G4 in every aspect and cost estimated to be significantly lower than other flagships. Overall, the Moto X Style is a very attractive device for everyone looking to upgrade to a new phone.
This brings Motorola in a very strong position as the only OEM with attractive devices at every price point who can compete with Xiaomi and Lenovo in budget and mid-range price point and also have attractive flagship devices which can compete head to head with the likes of Galaxy S6, LG G4 , iPhone s6 etc.
India is not a one size fits all nation. People have budget constraints and want the best bang for the buck with that budget. Easy names, limited models and a placement in every price range exhibits a great market understanding from Motorola this is almost like the Maruti of early 2000’s.