Motorola together with Brightstar, one of the world’s largest wireless distribution companies, has brought the Moto G to the Malaysian market. Inspired by the flagship Moto X, the new device brings a premium smartphone experience to customers at an incredible price. Starting from just RM698 to be exact.
While I’d rather see the Moto X on Malaysian shores, it is at least reassuring to have some form of Motorola presence finally, after some spartan showing over the past year.
The Moto G is clearly a mid-range device, and Motorola is targeting consumers on a budget who still want features and specs of higher end phones. On paper at least, the Moto G meets these criteria.
The Moto G sports a brilliant 4.5-inch 720p HD TFT LCD (@ 329PPI) edge-to-edge display which Motorola touts as the sharpest in its class. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 is the processor of choice, a 1.2Ghz quad-core no less. It will not break speed records, but should certainly perform commendably.
Official press pics:
Motorola has decided to put just 1GB RAM with 8GB and 16GB storage options. Too little storage? Don’t fret. Moto G owners will get an extra 50GB of Google Drive storage free for two years (that’s on top of the standard 15GB). Offer must be redeemed within 30 days of activation.
The Moto G has a stylish design with a curved back (interchangeable). It weighs 143g and measures 65.9 x 129.9 x 11.6mm with its thinnest point being 6mm.
This latest Moto has dual-SIM support, with cellular connectivity of up to HSPA+ (21Mbps) for both SIMs.
The 5MP rear camera and 1.3MP front camera is not going to entice you, but perhaps the long-lasting, all-day 2,070mAh battery would.
The Moto G comes with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box and will enjoy an guaranteed upgrade to Android 4.4 KitKat.
Specs at a glance
- Dimensions: 65.9 x 129.9 x 11.6mm
- Weight: 143g
- Operating System: Android 4.3
- Processor: Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor @ 1.2Ghz
- RAM: 1GB
- Storage: 8/16GB
- Display: 4.5-inch TFT LCD 720p @ 329PPI
- Battery: 2070mAh
- Connectivity: Cellular: Dual SIM – UMTS/HSPA+ up to 21Mbps; Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n; Bluetooth 4.0
- Camera: 5MP 720p HD rear camera; 1.3MP 720p HD
Price and availability
Lazada offered pre-booking of the Moto G until 20 January 2014, where pre-bookers get a complimentary Motorola Flip Shell (worth RM128) and a clear screen protector (RM18). The 8GB Moto G retails at RM698 (SRP) while the 16GB variant retails at RM798 (SRP).
Moto G will be officially available for sale through major wireless operators, major retailers, consumer electronics stores and lazada.com.my from 21 January onwards. Every unit of Moto G purchase after 21 January will include an additional Motorola Shell (worth RM78) and screen protector (RM18).
For retail listing and product specifications, visit www.brightstarcorp.com.my.
Initial impressions
It’s nice to finally hold a Motorola product after quite some time (although I do hold a RAZR i currently). Solidly built with Moto X-instilled style, the Moto G should satisfy the budget-conscious consumer. It’s packed with enough kit to be considered a high value buy. The low-spec camera and somewhat bare minimum RAM is a little disappointing though.
Nonetheless, this should sell well in the crowded budget, mid-range bracket.
