# Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus announced



## editor (May 17, 2016)

Now made by Lenovo, the new new Moto G handsets have just been announced. Prices are up a bit (£169/£199) but it looks like you're getting a very decent handset for the dosh. 








> *Moto G4 key specs*
> 
> 5.5in IPS screen, 1920×1080, 400ppi, Gorilla Glass 3
> 1.5GHz octacore Snapdragon 617 processor
> ...



Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus Android handsets announced


----------



## editor (May 17, 2016)




----------



## Jon-of-arc (May 17, 2016)

I'd go for the plus, if I was looking at a new phone (which I'm not - my 16 gig 3rd gen is barely 9 months old). Can't see what the advantage would be of the standard one over my current phone, but wouldn't mind a fingerprint scanner and double memory.


----------



## dweller (Jun 1, 2016)

wish it was still an all plastic affair as that metal finish on things tends to flare up an allergy I have.

Also I can't believe they didn't put the fingerprint reader where the M is usually on the back.
That square on the G4 plus is fugly


----------



## Puddy_Tat (Jun 1, 2016)

I've recently come to the end of a contract and was thinking in terms of the moto g (in part due to the long running thread)

do i go for the moto g (if i can find one - was doing a bit of research on line this weekend and a lot of places have them 'out of stock') or is this better?


----------



## dweller (Jun 2, 2016)

Puddy_Tat said:


> I've recently come to the end of a contract and was thinking in terms of the moto g (in part due to the long running thread)
> 
> do i go for the moto g (if i can find one - was doing a bit of research on line this weekend and a lot of places have them 'out of stock') or is this better?



this has got a bigger screen than the last one, which in turn was bigger than the previous. 
5.5" screen phones are pretty hard to operate single handedly. my 2014 moto G was 4.7" screen a handy size for pocketing.
this latest one comes in several varieties one which has a better camera and the fingerprint reader 
but it is quite a bit more expensive than the basic model.
It has a gyroscope which is missing in the last moto g. 
It has 2gb ram which is a plus and a faster processor.
However the last moto g is apparently more waterproof. 

I decided to give the latest moto g a miss and have just gone for a refurb Samsung Galaxy Note 3 which has a huge 5.7" screen
 a 32gb rom 3gb ram NFC and fast processor 
 and cost me just a tenner less than a new moto g4 (16gb edition)
Hopefully it will do the job!


----------



## Puddy_Tat (Jun 2, 2016)

dweller said:


> this has got a bigger screen than the last one, which in turn was bigger than the previous.
> 
> 5.5" screen phones are pretty hard to operate single handedly. my 2014 moto G was 4.7" screen a handy size for pocketing.


 
thanks.

my current is a samsung mini (can't remember what model) which i like because it's a nice pocket size, but the keypad is too damn small to use comfortably.



dweller said:


> this latest one comes in several varieties one which has a better camera and the fingerprint reader


 
not that fussed about the camera - if i know i'm going to be taking photographs, i take a camera with me.  think i might take about a dozen pictures a year with the mobile

hmm at fingerprint reader.



dweller said:


> It has a gyroscope which is missing in the last moto g.


 
it has a what?

isn't that like a spinning top kinda thing?


----------



## dweller (Jun 2, 2016)

Puddy_Tat said:


> thanks.
> 
> my current is a samsung mini (can't remember what model) which i like because it's a nice pocket size, but the keypad is too damn small to use comfortably.
> 
> ...


ha ha most people won't need a gyroscope sensor but it is needed if you want to try out google cardboard virtual reality, 
 or that app where you can see what constellations are in the night sky


----------



## kebabking (Jun 14, 2016)

dweller said:


> ha ha most people won't need a gyroscope sensor but it is needed if you want to try out google cardboard virtual reality,
> or that app where you can see what constellations are in the night sky



i've got the Moto G3, and my night sky constellation app works fine...

whether its the phone or the app doing the business i care not, but i promise you it works fine.


----------



## tangerinedream (Jul 26, 2016)

I've got a g3 (2gig ram version) and cyberfairy a g4. Both of them are excellent, battery life is noticeably better on g4, camera is fractionally sharper as well, though both of them are decent (certainly a *huge* improvement on original moto G which I also had and loved) 

The g4 is also fractionally faster but then I've got more shit on mine and the g3 still hasn't suffered from slow down at all and is lovely and smooth pretty much all the time. 

The g4 is a little unwieldy to me, but it's a very nice screen.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Aug 11, 2016)

Just received an email about the new Moto G 4 Play.....4play....foreplay...really?!  Anyway

from £130 - looks good - more at  Moto G (4th Gen.) Play | Motorola and Moto G Play - Android Smartphone


----------



## tangerinedream (Aug 11, 2016)

That looks somewhere between the Moto E and the current moto G4.


----------



## Orang Utan (Aug 11, 2016)

The Moto E is a terrible phone.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Aug 11, 2016)

Orang Utan said:


> The Moto E is a terrible phone.



Why so?  Compared to what?


----------



## Orang Utan (Aug 11, 2016)

Throbbing Angel said:


> Why so?  Compared to what?


It just doesn't work properly. Freezes all the time.
It's only acceptable if you compare it to a brick. It works better than a brick.


----------



## Orang Utan (Aug 11, 2016)

cheap phones are a false economy. i guess that's no shocker.
i want my iphone back


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Aug 11, 2016)

Orang Utan said:


> It just doesn't work properly. Freezes all the time.
> It's only acceptable if you compare it to a brick. It works better than a brick.





Orang Utan said:


> cheap phones are a false economy. i guess that's no shocker.
> i want my iphone back



Ah right - I have the original Moto E - had it about 22 months - no issues like those you describe - was annoyed by the limitations Android 5 brought but the phone works, is speedy, has locked up around 4 or 5 times in the 22months I have had it.  For £50 I was and still am very impressed, to be honest.

There's obviously summat up with your phone or summat you've installed - or maybe it just doesn't like you - or your housemates are fucking with it when you're not looking


----------



## tangerinedream (Aug 11, 2016)

I dunno, I think a cheap phone will do fine for a lot of people. Depends what you want to do with it. 

Fwiw, I think the Wileyfox Swift is more phone for the money and it's a £5 cheaper than the G4 play. 2gb of ram makes a big difference.


----------



## tangerinedream (Aug 11, 2016)

Orang Utan said:


> cheap phones are a false economy. i guess that's no shocker.
> i want my iphone back



There's a whole world of phones between the Moto E and an iPhone.


----------



## purves grundy (Aug 17, 2016)

Think I'm gonna get one of these G4 things tomorrow. My S4 is done for.

From S4 to G4...


----------



## Hollis (Aug 18, 2016)

Just upgraded from the 2nd Generation to G4.  All seems fine. Main difference is the larger screen which means I'm happy using the kindle reading app on it.


----------



## de_dog (Aug 25, 2016)

Got my G4 today, from a 1st gen Moto G, just waiting on a number port and then I'll give some first impressions.

Headline: it's big.


----------



## de_dog (Sep 4, 2016)

Ok, _big_ is a bit of an understatement. It's unwieldy, falls out of my pocket and is difficult to use with one hand. For me, the buttons are inaccessible. #shouldhaveheldonefirst
It has a silvery bumper and other detailing along with a pleasantly textured back which does help with grip. The overall size demands two hands though.

The screen is really good, responsive, bright and sharp. I've done some cardboard VR stuff and it works - very capable for a phone of this price. On the inside, you can feel that there is some oomph missing. Nothing major, just some lag and the odd stutter - mostly in line with a similar feeling with the original Moto. Acceptable.

The camera(s) and SD card slot are all a massive upgrade for me, I'm sure they have all kinds of new specs and numbers but I get nice bright pictures and crisp clean video. Better than expected.

I was on the iPhone 3GS for 6 years with an initial cost of ~£500.
The Moto G lasted 2 years and cost ~£130
My airtime costs are always pruned to the absolute minimum.
This one was ~£150 and my early impression is that it might not last the distance.

More as we have it.


----------



## Puddy_Tat (Sep 4, 2016)

i went for the 3rd generation one, and it seems ok so far.

it's just at the limit of size to fit in a standard shirt pocket, which is an important design consideration.

i did look at a g4 and decided it was too damn big.


----------



## de_dog (Sep 4, 2016)

Couldn't find a 3rd generation and I needed to get it quickly. I'm sure I'll get used to it.


----------



## Hollis (Sep 4, 2016)

I can't say I've found the size a problem really!  It fits fine in a jeans pocket.  Though maybe I am stuffing it in my bag more often.. as said I like the size for reading.  Never use to read books on a mobile, happy with this one.


----------



## purves grundy (Sep 4, 2016)

Yeahh... I got one a couple of weeks ago, fucking ace. Equal in size to my old S4, quarter of the price (iirc) but a zillion times more usable.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 3, 2017)

2GB / 16GB G4_Plus winging its way to me along with a Giffgaff SIM and a 128GB Micros SD 

Poor old Orange MonteCarlo (ZTE Skate) needs to be pensioned off after 5 years of solid service - mostly as a media player - perhaps I will strip it down and use it as a handlebar-mounted GPS.
The headphone socket getting _*really*_ bad was the final straw - but it hasn't been a proper "smart" phone for a long time.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 4, 2017)

Throbbing Angel said:


> Just received an email about the new Moto G 4 Play.....4play....foreplay...really?!  Anyway
> 
> from £130 - looks good - more at  Moto G (4th Gen.) Play | Motorola and Moto G Play - Android Smartphone




Bought one of these before Xmas for £79.01 thanks to some codes on HUKD - great phone for the money.

I'm not a gamer/heavy but it is used every day for email, mp3/podcast player, Twitter, Chrome, SMS, Telegram plus practical stuff like bus times via an app and the Met Office for Weather checks. Battery easily lasts all day or two or more for me.

Good low-cost option - great Sat Nav with Google Drive/Maps too.


----------



## cypher79 (Jan 4, 2017)

I picked up a turbo charger for a tenner for my G4....it will charge up to 75% full in half an hour, battery gets pretty hot in the process though.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 4, 2017)

cypher79 said:


> I picked up a turbo charger for a tenner for my G4....it will charge up to 75% full in half an hour, battery gets pretty hot in the process though.



I didn't know they were a thing - I can't even find a case for mine - nowhere local seems to have them - other G4 models, sure, no problem


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 5, 2017)

What a difference 

I stuck a giffgaff SIM in, but I'm in no great hurry to actually use it as a phone.

The sound quality is eluding me slightly - contrary to reviews, the speaker is plenty loud enough, but my earphones sound a bit muddled and distant ... my other phone has "Dolby" settings ... 

Also when I USB it, I don't see any folders - it just shows up as a "music player"

EDIT :-

Moto G3 folder empty when connected to PC: how to fix? - Android Forums at AndroidCentral.com


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 6, 2017)

So apps can't be moved to SD card in this version of Android ...

The headphone sound quality is not very good at all - levels rather low and sounds compressed - and I found a review which said there were issues with the G3 ... hopefully it's just a power supply problem - so I reckon I will need to sort myself out with an external amp.
The speaker is plenty loud enough, but I think it may be distorting.


----------



## tangerinedream (Jan 8, 2017)

gentlegreen said:


> So apps can't be moved to SD card in this version of Android ...
> 
> The headphone sound quality is not very good at all - levels rather low and sounds compressed - and I found a review which said there were issues with the G3 ... hopefully it's just a power supply problem - so I reckon I will need to sort myself out with an external amp.
> The speaker is plenty loud enough, but I think it may be distorting.



You should be able to format your SD card as internal memory though. (though it does meaning you can't just pull out the SD and use in other devices I think)


----------



## tangerinedream (Jan 8, 2017)

The camera on the the G4+ is really very nice.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 8, 2017)

That sounds just the ticket 

Currently Android is using 12 GB and my apps are taking 7 of the remaining 11 ..
Touch wood there isn't much else I could conceivably need.

One annoyance is that they didn't fit a magnetometer in this phone - making automatic star-watching less easy - not that I do that very often - though I did find myself looking out for the ISS last night.


----------



## tangerinedream (Jan 8, 2017)

gentlegreen said:


> That sounds just the ticket
> 
> Currently Android is using 12 GB and my apps are taking 7 of the remaining 11 ..
> Touch wood there isn't much else I could conceivably need.
> ...





They always seem to leave _something _out of the moto g.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 11, 2017)

I seem to be getting used to the headphone sound on this phone.
If anything there's better stereo separation than on my ZTE - I will still be looking into a headphone amp - and bluetooth.
One bonus is that my bluetooth remote control now works so I will be re-engineering it so I can adjust things from my handlebar.

Battery life is pretty awful - but then I've been tending to drop off to sleep with youtube on auto ... and fiddling with it while it is charging will consistently send it doolally.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 21, 2017)

I was nearly up to the limit of my 16GB app storage 

So I've reformatted my 128GB SD card as internal and gained a couple of GB ...



In anticipation of the Nougat upgrade I probably need to delete some apps ....


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Mar 3, 2017)

I got one today and very pleasantly surprised. My Note 4 died and after much soul searching decided I couldn't justify an S7 or Oneplus 3. Was expecting it to be a significant down grade from my Note, but it's really nippy and the screen is much better then I expected.

It also means that I can go on to a £12 month contract rather then keep forking out £35. All in all a very pleasing result.


----------



## gentlegreen (Mar 3, 2017)

Just found out that some of my colleagues are getting Sony Xperias.
I hope I'm not left stuck with the Nokia Windows phone.
It would be interesting to see how it compares.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Mar 5, 2017)

So a few days in I'm still quite impressed for the price. Camera definitely isn't as good as my Samsung, but what's nice is that signal is far better. Like that Cast is now on the swipe down menu. Like that when on Bluetooth connected to my car stereo it disables the lock screen. Not liking having to swipe up before entering the code. Anyone know a way round it. 

Phoned EE to not renew my contract. Got offered 10gb, unlimited texts and mins for £15 to get me to stay. Which is rather nice!


----------



## gentlegreen (Mar 24, 2017)

Oo er Nougat has arrived ...

The message says there's no going back  ....


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Mar 24, 2017)

gentlegreen said:


> Oo er Nougat has arrived ...
> 
> The message says there's no going back  ....



Not done the update yet. I predict there will be little obvious difference.


----------



## gentlegreen (Mar 24, 2017)

"optimising 177 apps..."


----------



## gentlegreen (Mar 25, 2017)

Well I tried the "split screen" ...  ... the "close all" symbol has changed / moved ...

I wish I'd taken a snapshot of my storage usage just before - I'd archived quite a few apps recently, but I seem to have gained quite a lot of space - with the apps using more of the SD card.


----------



## paul russell999 (Mar 30, 2017)

I got the Moto G4 Play a couple of days ago. Seems pretty good. What do people use as a file manager? I used to use File Commander but the new version's full page ad every time you delete a file, or do anything, is too annoying.


----------



## Libertad (Mar 30, 2017)

paul russell999 said:


> I got the Moto G4 Play a couple of days ago. Seems pretty good. What do people use as a file manager? I used to use File Commander but the new version's full page ad every time you delete a file, or do anything, is too annoying.



ES File Explorer ime.


----------



## cypher79 (Mar 30, 2017)

I recently switched to one called Amaze as ES File Explorer went downhill imo, full of shitty ads and annoying notifications now.


----------



## paul russell999 (Mar 30, 2017)

Libertad said:


> ES File Explorer ime.


Thanks. I've installed that


----------



## paul russell999 (Mar 30, 2017)

cypher79 said:


> I recently switched to one called Amaze as ES File Explorer went downhill imo, full of shitty ads and annoying notifications now.


I will try that


----------



## dweller (Apr 6, 2017)

New MOTO G5 special amazon version with 3Gigs of Ram looks pretty nice 
Lenovo Moto G5 16GB with 3GB RAM UK SIM-Free: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Apr 6, 2017)

dweller said:


> New MOTO G5 special amazon version with 3Gigs of Ram looks pretty nice
> Lenovo Moto G5 16GB with 3GB RAM UK SIM-Free: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics



It does. Impressed with my G4 for the price, although I think the camera is lacking. If I'm feeling flush enough the G5 may well make a good present for my other half whose still using a Note 2.


----------



## dweller (Apr 6, 2017)

techradar review for the MOTO G5 

I'm still using my note 3, but if it breaks I'd consider one of these
 but may just get a note 4 .


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Apr 6, 2017)

dweller said:


> techradar review for the MOTO G5
> 
> I'm still using my note 3, but if it breaks I'd consider one of these
> but may just get a note 4 .



Note 4 is a much nicer phone then the G4, it's what I had before, but it broke. G5 shows promise though. Budget android phones may not be as good as premium ones, but the gap is certainly closing.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Aug 1, 2017)

Just got a moto G4 Play off eBay for £94 (£64 when I used some nectar points). I'm getting it for a family member in Brazil who mainly uses phone/text, facebook and whatsapp but still using my second hand Galaxy Nexus from 2011 so I'm getting her an upgrade.

I've been having a play around with it and it looks and feels pretty decent for a budget android phone. I can't seem to get it to update to Nougat though? Any suggestions? I've already done a system update but it's still on Android 6.0.1


----------



## souljacker (Aug 1, 2017)

Probably not supported. Google are tighter than apple when it comes to supporting devices.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Aug 1, 2017)

souljacker said:


> Probably not supported. Google are tighter than apple when it comes to supporting devices.



According to various things I've read online, it was supposed to be here by now?

Moto G4 Play review | TechRadar


> Just because the Moto G4 Play is affordable, don't count it out for an update to Android Nougat.
> 
> Motorola has confirmed that, along with its Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus friends, the latest version of Android is coming to the budget phone.



Confirmed: Moto G4 Play getting Android Nougat in June


----------



## skyscraper101 (Aug 1, 2017)

All in all it's not a bad little phone. Haven't used an Andoid for ages. 

FM radio. How I've missed you too.


----------



## BoxRoom (Aug 1, 2017)

I have the G4 Play too. Puzzling why no update available yet also.
Will keep my eyes peeled for any news.


----------



## Hollis (Dec 24, 2017)

My Moto G4 conked out after 18 months... Upgraded to the G5, and am distinctly underwhelmed... It's basically the same as the G4 with a smaller screen... Guess I need to get my kicks elsewhere.


----------



## Slo-mo (Dec 26, 2017)

Hollis said:


> My Moto G4 conked out after 18 months... Upgraded to the G5, and am distinctly underwhelmed... It's basically the same as the G4 with a smaller screen... Guess I need to get my kicks elsewhere.


Route 66? Or the A66, if a transatlantic flight is out of your budget?

I've read good things/reviews about the budget Vodafone own brand smartphones, but obviously you are then tied into Voda.


----------

