Moto G4 Plus [First impressions]: 5 things we love and 5 we wish to change!

Much rumors and conjectures later, the Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus were finally unveiled at a recently held event in Delhi. The phones got launched as "Moto by Lenovo", for Lenovo had already announced that it would remove the Motorola branding for next generation Moto smartphones.

The first set of devices under Lenovo's branding have a lot to offer. Moto G4 Plus is one of the most anticipated smartphone, and is crucial for the company, considering the tough competition prevailing in its price category.

With Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, LeEco 1s and 1s Eco, and many more hogging limelight for their high end specifications at compelling price, it was important for Moto to come up with a specs-heavy smartphone at a price point that suits consumers' pocket.

PROS

• Improved camera
• fingerprint scanner

CONS

• Lacks Water proofing capability
• USB Type C

The Moto G4 Plus seems to have hit the right spot, with some long-desired improvements and update in specifications. And like always, the USP remains the pure Android experience you get on Moto smartphones.

SEE ALSO: LeEco Le 1s Eco vs Moto G4: Which one gives more value for money!

There are many things we love about the Moto G4 Plus that has been priced for Rs 13,499 for the 2GB variant. However, like every coin has a flip side, so does Moto G4 Plus. There are a few features which we wish were better, while testing the phone during the event.

We went hands on with the Moto G4 Plus at its recently held launch event, and here are 5 things we absolutely loved about it and 5 we wish to change. Take a look!

Starting with the 5 Things we love about Moto G4 Plus:

It is pretty light!

Moto G4 Plus has a very few but important design changes, which results in a thinner as well as lighter smartphone. Moto G4 Plus measures in at 7.9 mm in thickness and is pretty light on hand. The front now also has a fingerprint scanner, where as the trademark Moto dimple below the camera module remains the same. Right side house volume rocker and power keys, and the bottom has a microUSB charging port. Overall, the phone looks appealing for its price.

High display resolution

Another thing we think is good about the Moto G4 Plus is that it has a bigger and better display. You get a 5.5-inch Full HD display giving you 1080p resolution, against the 5-inch screen with 720p in Moto G3. The display is layered with Corning Gorilla Glass for protection from light scratches and other damages. Overall the screen looked crisp, vibrant, reproduced colors well, and gives good viewing angles.

Fingerprint security

This time, you also get a fingerprint scanner, which is the first on a Moto G smartphone. The fingerprint scanner is a square pad placed below the display which operates only as a scanning pad, unlike many other smartphones, which have it integrated in the home key. In terms of performance, during our brief hands on, we found the scanner fast and precise.

One of the key areas, where Moto G smartphones lagged behind rivals, was the camera department. However, the company claims that it has improved the camera this time. You now get a 16MP snapper on the Moto G4 Plus, with features like phase detection autofocus (PDAF), f/2.0 and professional mode. Up front, there is a 5MP camera with 84 degree wide angle lens. In terms of performance, we found the camera impressive, however will reserve our final take for the detailed review of the phone.

SEE ALSO: Oppo F1 Plus First Impressions: A specs-heavy Android-powered iPhone 6s lookalike targeted at selfie

Promising Hardware:

The hardware composition including Snapdragon 617 octa-core chipset combined with 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM, and 3GB RAM and 32GB ROM, seem good to us. Moreover, the company gives you expandable storage option via microSD card with up to 128GB capacity. Also, the company has used a huge battery of 3000mAh capacity. The battery supports turbo charging feature that can give 6hrs of battery life with 15 minutes of charging, as per company claims. The hardware of the phone looks promising and we look forward to test the smartphone to check its performance.

5 Things we wish we could change!

The display seems reflective, and uncomfortable for single handed use!

The Moto G4 Plus has a 5.5-inch display with 1080p resolution, which does offer good viewing angles and reproduces colours well. However, we found it a bit reflective. Moreover, we found ourselves a little uncomfortable operating the phone single handedly, though, that's the case with most big-screen phones. Those who are used to of handling big-display phones are unlikely to face issues operating the Moto G4 Plus single handedly.

No Flash light with front-camera!

There is no doubt about it that Moto has improved the camera on the new Moto G smartphone, but we missed a flash light with the front facing camera. Up front you get a 5MP snapper which is good to selfies but we think it could have been better with a flash, especially considering that it is available on Samsung's recently launches J series smartphones.

Water friendly, no more!

The Moto G3 boasted water resistance where as this time the company has given away with it. Water resistance was, in fact, one of the highlights of Moto G smartphones, but Moto G4 Plus instead comes with a nano-coating to be splash free.

Doesn't have USB Type C port:

Most of the competitive smartphones in this price range come with USB Type C reversible port, whereas the Moto G4 Plus features a microUSB port. Well, we feel that the presence of reversible port would have added to the overall user-experience.

Home key placement:

We are not sure how would you feel about it, but we think that the company could have combined the home key with the fingerprint scanner. Well, it may not have made much of a difference to many, but could have been more convenient, we feel.