Moto G is a premium handset at smart price

Moto G
Specs: 4.5-inch display; 5MP camera; Android KitKat; 1.2GHz quad core processor; 1GB RAM; 8GB internal storage; no expandable memory card slot; dual SIM

Price: Rs 12,499 for 8GB, Rs 13,999 for 16GB

Motorola has returned to the Indian smartphone market with its budget phone - Moto G. While the company is gearing up for the launch of its much-acclaimed Moto X in India, we take a quick look at the new MotoG.

Design & Hardware: It is a budget phone with the look and feel of a premium handset. The 4.5-inch 720p LCD panel is better than its peers and dares to compete against the last year's flagship devices. The display is rich and the text is crisp. The touch response is good and the device can be used with one hand. The sides are smooth with necessary controls and it is slightly curve at the back. The matt finish back panel is removable giving access to the two SIM card slots. It has got a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 1GB RAM and 8GB internal storage.

Software & Performance: The Moto G excels in almost every department. Although at the time of manufacturing it ran Android Jelly Bean, the KitKat version is already available for upgrade. The Moto G has got a neat, simple user interface. There is a shortcut icon in the notification bar giving access to shortcuts like WiFi, Settings, airplane mode and others. The main app tray lists the preinstalled and downloaded apps. There is a Moto Migrate app preinstalled that helps in transferring old data from an Android smartphone. Unfortunately, it failed to work for me. The phone was with me for seven days and it didn't slow down even once. However, at times it did lost data connectivity. I was able to enjoy heavy graphic games and could run multiple apps at a time.

Camera & Storage: It has a 5MP rear camera with LED flash. The camera interface is neat and intuitive. In nicely lit surroundings or during day time, the camera did a decent job in capturing details and colours. Just like others, the camera performance was not very good at nights. The Moto G has two variants - 8GB and 16 GB. I will recommend you to go for the latter as there isn't any expandable memory card slot.

Dual SIM: This device has got two SIM slots but these work on standby. For instance, if a call is active on SIM 1, the SIM 2 is not reachable. The company is working on a software that will let the phone intelligently decide which will be the best SIM for outgoing calls over a period of time.

Battery: The non-removable battery on the Moto G was impressive as it lasted me over a day on a single charge.                                       
Why we recommend it?

Much superior and smartly priced.