It has been the strategy of several networks to bundle their consumer offers with up and coming smartphones from the high-end down to the low-end market categories.
Rather than compete with the big players, the now Chinese-owned American tech company Motorola has contented itself holding the fort in the medium to low-end smartphone categories, consistently offering smartphones that are quite easy on the budget but whose capabilities match up to some flagship handsets.
In fact, on July 12, Motorola is set to unveil its latest mid-range handsets in the US with the formal release of the Motorola Moto G4 and its companion phone, the Motorola Moto G4 Plus.
The Moto G4 is actually the fourth iteration of the Moto G, which was first released in 2013. Subsequently, it was followed by Moto G2 or Moto G (2014), and then the Moto G3 or Moto G (2015), and now the Moto G4 or the Moto G (2016).
It has become an unofficial tradition among smartphone manufacturers the world over to launch two handsets most of the time, and Motorola is not one to deviate from the current norm.
Unlike most smartphone makers that launched two smartphones where one is slightly bigger than the other, it is not the case with the Moto G4 and the Moto G4 Plus because both devices have the same screen size of 5.5 inches.
The difference can be found under the hood, and thus the price as well. When it comes out in the US next week, the Moto G4 is projected to have a price of $199.99 while the Moto G4 Plus shall be retailed for $249.99 or a price difference of $50, reports Forbes.
Universally unlocked
At such very affordable price points, the other good news for the prospective buyers of the Moto G and the Moto G4 Plus is that the mid-range smartphones shall come out universally unlocked on both GSM and CDMA networks, which means that the handsets shall not be tied to a specific carrier at all.
Normally, buyers have been accustomed to such very low price points when the devices are bundled with a two-year contract to a network. But it is not going to be the case for the Moto G4 and the Moto G4 Plus as both will be made available contract-free.
Both devices shall come out with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow for its operating system and shall also feature a microSD card slot, which has been sorely missed from flagship smartphones of late.
The Moto G4 and the Moto G4 Plus are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor and the difference is in the RAM and internal storage capabilities. The Moto G4 has a 2GB RAM and a choice between 16GB or 32GB for its expandable internal storage. On the other hand, the Moto G4 Plus shall come with 4GB of RAM, and a choice between a 16GB or 64GB internal storage, also with expanding option.
Both handsets feature a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing snapper. The two smartphones also have the same 3,000 mAh battery with charging circuit that supports Qualcomm’s fast charging technology.
The other main differences between the two Motorola smartphones are the fact that the Moto G4 Plus has a fingerprint scanner and the TurboPower fast-charger to the box, reports Pocket-Lint.
A more tempting purchase
Critics believe that at a $50 price difference, the Moto G4 Plus makes a much more tempting purchase to consumers than the Moto G4.
Some critics, however, believe that the Moto G4 and the Moto G4 Plus shall also put to the test the new Motorola company at the helm of the Chinese giant Lenovo. It would be interesting how consumers would react to Motorola’s latest smartphone offerings.