Motorola G4 Plus First Look and Review: Is Moto G's Fourth Iteration 'Too Cheap to Be Good'? Hardware, Specs and Pricing
The fourth iteration of the Moto G series, the Moto G4 Plus, is one of those "too cheap to be this good" phones. With its high-quality build and performance, it's durable and functional. It also maintained the Android experience under Google. It's one of the three new additions to the Moto G line, two of which are the Moto G4 and the Moto G4 Play.
The G4 family is actually the first line of mobile phones to be launched since Lenovo acquired Motorola. Under a new leadership and branding, the Moto G4 stands to give every rival smartphone in the market a run for their money.
First look at the G4 Plus
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Right now, we're looking at the most high-end version of the Moto series: The G4 Plus, which is more expensive than its contemporaries. It packs better hardware, upgraded camera system and a fingerprint scanner.
Now sporting a larger and brighter 5.5" full 1080-pixel HD screen display, octacore processor, and water-resistant build, the G4 Plus definitely holds up on its own in the market. However, it's $50 more than the Moto G, so it's really toeing the line into mid-range mobiles.
Build and hardware
It's 9.8mm thick, but remains comfortable around the edges. The build is slightly uninspired as it phased out the more distinct Motorola style in favor of a simpler and generic Lenovo design. This would mark as the first casualty under the Lenovo leadership.
It also boasts a robust octacore processor and a powerful 3000 mAh battery. Even with a relatively low price, the G4 Plus packs some surprising luxuries such as expandable storage of up to 128GB and a water-resistant body. Its fingerprint scanner might have been a nicety, but it ends up looking like a home button instead.
The G4 Plus also sports a better still camera at 16 megapixels, easily doubling its sibling G4 Play at 8MP. It has a phase detection sensor, which analyzes luminosity to adjust focus. Another sensor, the laser autofocus, complements the first to create focused, sharp images.
G4 Plus versus G4
However, the G4 has no NFC or near-field communications which can allow you to transact in-store. Overall, the Android experience is pretty much no-frills, bordering on the comfort zone despite the $50 hike from its baseline.
In fact, the similarities between the two are plenty: the same Snapdragon 617 processor, 5MP front camera and the same battery capacity. Still, the G4 Plus does present better opportunities for the Android user, making it one of the best smartphones out there.
