Moto G4 Handsets Designed to Entice Buyers With Strong Model Options

Motorola is hoping to regain some of its former glory with new Moto G4 smartphones. The G4 Plus, in particular, has the right mix of features and pricing to gain notice.

To its credit, Motorola didn’t skimp on the size and quality of its Moto G4 Plus display, which is 5.5 inches and features a full-HD resolution. It’s also important to note that the screen has Corning’s Gorilla Glass to protect it from accidental spills.

Motorola just can’t quite get itself away from customization. Like the many other devices it sells, the Moto G4 Plus comes with support for Moto Maker, the company’s full-service customization tool. So, users can swap colors, materials and much more to effectively create a fully customized version of their smartphone.

Motorola made a smart move by delivering solid security with the G4 Plus. The smartphone comes with a fingerprint sensor that’s designed specifically to be used to unlock the handset. In budget-friendly smartphones like this, it’s an uncommon feature, so it’s nice to see Motorola deliver it in the G4 Plus.

Like most other Android-based smartphones, the G4 Plus comes with ways to expand storage size, even if the initial storage out of the box isn’t enough. The smartphone comes in 16GB and 64GB models, but its storage is expandable, thanks to support for a 128GB microSD card. So, the device should be sufficient for most storage needs.

Motorola’s TurboPower technology is back in the G4 Plus. With TurboPower, users can get up to 6 hours of additional battery life after just 15 minutes of charging. In addition, Motorola says that the G4 Plus’ 3,000mAh battery can last 24 hours on a single charge before it needs to be plugged in.

Despite plans to sell the G4 Plus at a much lower price than higher-end competitors, Motorola didn’t skimp on the device’s camera. The rear-facing camera is 16 megapixels and comes with phase detect auto-focus. On the front of the phone, customers will find a wide-angle 5-megapixel lens designed for selfies.

To make the G4 Plus appealing to customers all over the world, Motorola’s smartphone is unlocked. What that means is the device will run on any carrier at any time in any country. For those who travel or simply want the flexibility of going from one carrier to another, that’s a nice feature.

Although Google sold the company, Motorola still seems to have an allegiance to its old owner. In addition to running on Google’s Android 6.0.1, the G4 Plus comes with free storage via Google Photos. In fact, users can store their photos at full image quality on Google Photos for free for two years before needing to pay for storage.

While some of its features are high-end, the G4 Plus is severely lacking in the power department. While the device has an octa-core processor, it’s the relatively underpowered 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 variety. On the graphics side, it’s a similar story, with the smartphone boasting a 550MHz Adreno 405 GPU.

So, what does all of this say about the G4 Plus? It’s designed for customers on a budget and those who don’t want to spend several hundred dollars just to get a smartphone. In fact, the device is expected to launch for less than $200 (final pricing was not available at the time of this writing). It’ll be available sometime in “mid-summer 2016.”