Motorola Launches Moto G: 10 Amazing Features Of The Premium Budget Smartphone

| Updated: Friday, November 15, 2013, 13:03 [IST]

Motorola has launched its budget Moto G handset after much anticipation and excitement. The company has priced the phone at $179 (Rs.11,300 aprox) for customers in the US. The company also confirmed that the handset will be coming to India in January 2014. And for all those of you who are wondering if the handset will have Android KitKat. No, not initially at least. But Google has promised to give it a KitKat update during January 2014.

Have a look at the specifications of the handset. It will use a 4.5 inch 720p display that will deliver 329 pixels per inch, which happens to be better than screen on the iPhone 5S. There's a Snapdragon 400 SoC with a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor thats coupled with 1GB of RAM. For imaging, it calls upon a 5-megapixel camera in the rear and a 1.3 MP camera in the front. The handset can shoot 720p video. There will be an 8GB option ($179 or Rs.11,300) and a 16GB option ($199 or Rs.12500 aprox).

There's no mention of 4G/LTE, but the handset has Wi-Fi. The phone, apart from boasting 19 options, seven color choices for changeable back covers and matching accessories, will also feature a water-repellant coating, meaning that it can handle a few splashes of water.

The Moto G will launch in Brazil today. Fans in the UK, Canada and other parts of Europe will be able to grab a handset in coming weeks. Those in the US and India will see the device in stores during early January 2014.

Moving away from the specifications, the handset has ten brilliant features that's beyond the hardware. Go through the slider to check them out. Quite honestly, Gizbot is more excited about these features than the low pricing of the handset.

Click Here For The New Motorola Moto G Smartphone Launch Event Gallery

Strong Focus on the Basics

Instead of adding widgets and 'competing' Google services and widgets like other manufacturers, Motorola says that the software team at the company has spend a lot of time focusing on the basics. The result? They claim that the phone has faster boot up/start up times than the Galaxy S4 from Samsung. How much faster is Motorola's handset? About 5 seconds, according to the company. They also added that you will be able to receive calls, make calls and exit apps way faster on the Moto G when compared to the Samsung S4. So as far as the basics are concerned, you're going to have one very fast phone if you pick the Mogo G.

Motorola Migrate

As soon as you pop open the box of a new Moto G and start the handset up, an app dubbed as 'Migrate', will help you instantly transfer all the essential data from your old phone, like contacts and others, onto your new phone without much fuss.

Powerful Imaging App

Motorola believes that imaging apps on cameras get in the way of enjoying those beautiful moments since they fill your screen up with buttons and dials. So with the Moto G, the company has loaded a new app that has nothing on the screen. All it shows is the image that you're clicking, serving as a view finder. So by clicking anywhere on the screen, you get to snap a picture. Hold your finger down on the screen and the camera will click a burst of images. A few other simple will allow you to get into HDR, video and other modes. All in all, an extremely minimal camera app.

Extra Drive Storage

Owners of the Moto G will be treated to 50GB of extra storage on Google Drive. This is in addition to the already existing 15GB of free storage given to regular users. So that means there's going to be more space for all your pictures, videos and other data. All in all, that's about 65GB of online data storage for Moto G users. Yes, Google loves to pamper its loyalists.

FM App

Motorola said that it will throwing in a dedicated FM radio app so that users can tune into their favorite local radio stations for music and much more.

Dual SIM

The handset will be coming with DUAL SIM capabilities. Another important feature that will help Motorola win the appreciation of Indian smartphone users.

Changeable Back Shells

Motorola is allowing users to choose from 7 colors of changeable back shells. The colors are bright, radiant and will help your phone stand out among the crowd.

Accessories

There are a whole bunch of accessories that users will be able to pick up for the Moto G and some of them have even been designed to match the handset's color and design. There are earphones from Soul, portable speakers from JBL and much more.

Assist

The phone will come with Motorola's nifty Assist app. It suggests actions to automate tasks, based on how you use your device. It allows you to automatically reply to texts when you're driving, silence your ringer during meetings, and more. All in all, based on your usage, the phone learns about your behavior so that it can serve your needs better, according to Motorola.

Water Repellant Coating

Motorolla has given the phone a Water Repellant Coating, meaning that the device will be able to handle a few splashes and spills. However, we don't reccomend that you take your phone with you when you go diving.

At this price point, a rather generous addition from the company.