<p><em>The immensely popular Moto G gets a makeover for 2015<br><br><strong>by Mala Bhargava</strong></em><br><br>It's back. The smartphone that two years ago showed the world it didn’t need to join the specs race or demand a staggering price for good performance and user experience. The Moto G went on to become Motorola’s most popular phone ever, largely thanks to India, where the now Lenovo-owned company just launched the third generation of the device.<br><br>The smartphone market is now, of course, nothing like it was two years ago. In a space where the dynamics are constantly changing, the top flagship phones are being squeezed by an explosion of budget devices that combine good design, top-notch specs and shockingly low prices. So now the Moto G can’t be sure of ruling the Rs 12,999 segment it first started. But, it stands more than a good chance.<br><br>If I were to use just one word to describe the new Moto G, that word would be ‘comfortable’. As I was initialising it and setting it up, I had the feeling of meeting an old friend. And that’s no reference to the “BFF” or best friends forever campaign Motorola is running. It fit right into my hand like it belonged and didn’t feel like it was designed to impress, never mind everything else.<br><br>The design, which still has echoes of the original Moto G and hasn’t veered off into a new and unfamiliar look, is unpretentious right through. The back is a textured synthetic material which is both good to hold and easy to grip. That back comes off to let you get at the two SIM card slots — both micro and both 4G capable (one at a time), and the memory card slot. You can’t pull out the battery. In fact, the rest is all sealed up good because this phone is IPX7 rated or water resistant. That’s rare to non-existent in devices at this price though everyone keeps saying the feature should now be standard for all phones.<br><br>The water resistance depends on your closing up the back panel securely, making sure all ends are pressed down and snapped into place. Only after that can you be comfortable with making a phone call in the rain or not have a heart attack when your glass of water tips over on the phone. The device will actually live through being submerged in three feet of water for 30 minutes, but it’s not a recommended daily ritual.<br><br>Motorola has a collection of back panels and flip cases in nice colours and I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up a few to refresh the phone’s look every now and then — because otherwise, it’s not very special in the looks department.<br><br>Motorola has hit upon a great size of 5 inches so it can look like a big phone but be as comfortable as a smaller one. It’s one from a diminishing breed that let you use it one-handed without resorting to software tricks.<br><br>The screen isn’t a Quad-HD like expensive ones today. But again, there’s that word — comfortable. It’s easy on the eyes and uncompromised without being in that very crisp category. The more important thing is the way the screen responds to your touch and that’s smooth. The Moto G is more or less stock Android and still every bit a Google phone.<br><br>Lenovo has kept its hands off the Moto phones, sensibly earning trust points with customers and allowing the experience on these devices to grow incrementally from their popular base. Naturally, the Android version is the newest Lollipop 5.1.1 and the phone should be among the first to upgrade to the next version of the operating system.<br><br>For running power, the Moto G certainly doesn’t have anything equivalent to even other budget phones, let alone the over-Rs 30,000 ones, but the performance is just fine for average use. Though it won’t do brilliantly on benchmarks, the Moto G does things like play video for hours without heating up.<br><br>One thing that’s a distinct improvement over the previous Moto G is the camera set which is 13MP primary and 5MP front. You get perfectly adequate images for casual use and find yourself using a simple Google app. The camera can also be activated super quick with a double twist of the wrist, as can the torch with a karate chop action. <br><br>For those who have a 2nd gen Moto G in good working condition, there isn’t a compelling reason to upgrade except for the camera and the fact that there may be interesting exchange offers. For someone buying afresh, the Moto G is a great deal.<br><br>mala@businessworld.in<br><br>(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 07-09-2015)</p>
BW Reporters
Mala Bhargava has been writing on technology well before the advent of internet in Indians and before CDs made their way into computers. Mala writes on technology, social media, startups and fitness. A trained psychologist, she claims that her understanding of psychology helps her understand the human side of technology.
