Moto G vs the competition: budget smartphone battle royale

Google-owned Motorola’s recently-launched Moto G marks the company’s push for the global market, with emerging markets being a big focus. This bodes well for Indian users as well, as the company has announced that the new device will be hitting the market in January.

The device definitely has a lot going for it. The first point in its favor is the price tag, with the 8GB variant setting users back $179 (Rs 10,500 approx), while the 16GB model will cost $199 (Rs 12,000). For the price, the Moto G comes with a solid set of specifications that should fit in nicely with the category. There is no mention yet on how much the company officially plans to sell the phone in India, though, and it is hoped that Motorola keeps the mid-range market in mind while pricing its device.

Another reason why price and comparative features are essential is the kind of competition that the Moto G will be facing. Quite a few players already have a considerable presence, including Micromax’s Canvas 4. Other models like Karbonn’s Titanium S5 and the Xolo Q1000S have also managed to make a comfortable niche for themselves. Companies like Lenovo and Lava also have handsets like the A850 and the Iris 504q respectively that are worth considering. We decided to take a look at each model to see the key strengths that users can consider before picking up their new handset:

More from News & Analysis

What is the US HIRE Bill and why is India’s $250-billion IT sector worried? Is the internet dead? What's this theory that OpenAI's Sam Altman says might be true?

4.5-inch 720p display and a 5-megapixel camera

While the Moto G currently comes with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, Motorola has announced that the latest flavour of Android, version 4.4 KitKat, will come to the new handset in January 2014. The smartphone comes with a 4.5-inch TFT LCD panel, which may be seem a bit small for the phablet crazy among us, but makes up for it with 720p resolution. The handset bears a strong resemblance to the Moto X in terms of design, with a speaker grille on top along with the front facing camera being prominent examples. Under the hood, the handset is powered by quad-core Snapdragon 400 CPU and an Adreno 305 CPU, which should be enough for most Android graphic tasks.

The camera, at least on paper, could be the biggest tradeoff, as the Moto G comes with a 5-megapixel primary shooter. There is no way to evaluate its performance yet, and we will have to wait for more samples to pass the final verdict. On the connectivity front, standard options like Wi-Fi, GPS, GLONASS and Bluetooth have all been integrated. While the handset comes with 8GB and 16GB internal memory variants without a microSD card slot, Motorola has packed in 50GB of free storage in Google Drive for two years. The company has also offers a 2,070 mAh battery, which is rated for 24 hours of mixed usage. The Moto G can supposedly outlast the iPhone 5s in terms of talk time by 30 percent, although we will have to wait to see how well the phone holds up in real world usage.

S4 look-a-like?

Micromax has been making considerable headway in the Indian mid-range market. The Canvas 4, priced at Rs 17,499, is a decent competitor in that segment, although the design similarities between the handset and Samsung’s Galaxy S4 cannot be overlooked. The handset packs in a 5-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels. Under the hood, the device comes with a quad-core MediaTek MTK6589 processor clocked at 1.2GHz coupled with 1GB of RAM. The handset offers users 16GB of internal memory which can be expanded via a microSD card.

The device runs on Android 4.2 and weighs in at 158g. In terms of connectivity, the device comes with the usual list, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and A-GPS support. On the photography-front, the handset sports a 13-megapixel primary shooter with an LED flash as well as a 5-megapixel front shooter. The Canvas 4, in comparison to the Moto G, comes with a slightly smaller 2,000 mAh battery. Check out our review of the handset to find out more.

While the price is slightly cheaper than other offerings in the segment, the Canvas 4’s response was lukewarm after the launch, with many users being left disappointed that Micromax had packed in almost the same specifications as seen in the previous Canvas HD and neglected to add a 1080p display to the handset.

Decent phablet for the price point

Launched in July, the Karbonn Titanium S9 was priced at Rs 19,990, although retailers like Snapdeal are currently offering the handset for Rs 15,143. Slightly bigger than the Canvas 4 and the Moto G, the S9 comes with a large 5.5-inch display with an HD resolution of 1280x720 pixels. Under the hood, the handset runs on a quad-core MediaTek MTK 6589 chip clocked at 1.2GHz coupled with 1GB of RAM. Users will get 16GB of internal memory, expandable up to 32GB via a microSD card slot.

Like the Canvas 4, the S9 will come with Android 4.2 right out of the box. It offers a 13-megapixel camera integrated with an LED flash as well as a 5-megapixel front-facing shooter. Connectivity options include support for 3G, 2G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The dual-SIM handset packs three sensors- an accelerometer, a proximity sensor and an ambient light sensor, all of which are standard offerings in smartphones today. Rounding up the offering is a massive 2,600mAh battery, the largest we’ve seen so far in this list.

While the Titanium S9, for the price, seems a fair deal, the similarities between the handset and Samsung’s earlier phablet offering, the Galaxy Note 2, cannot be discounted. The handset even follows the same button layout under the screen- Menu, Home and Back, and comes with a Flip cover. Keeping the online prices in mind, though, the S9 seems to be a good value-for-money device.

Now with a metal body

With a price tag of Rs 18,999, the Q1000S seems a slightly expensive proposition, a problem that the Canvas 4 also faced when it was launched. That being said, the full metal back and the good build quality are both points that need to be considered. On the specs-front, the handset packs in a 5-inch IPS HD display with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels. Under the hood, it comes with a quad-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz and 1GB of RAM.

Users can get 16GB of internal memory which, unfortunately, can’t be expanded. For photographers, the Q1000S comes with a 13-megapixel rear camera as well as a 5-megapixel front shooter. The handset will comes with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean running the show. Connectivity is taken care off with support for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPRS and EDGE. Rounding up the package is a 2,500mAh battery, which the company claims will give over 12 hours of talk time on 3G and 425 hours of standby time. Check out our review of the handset to know more.

Measuring just 6.98mm, the Q1000S is definitely one of the slimmest phones in the mid-range market. The metallic unibody and dimensions ensure that the handset looks really good. While the price tag seems a bit hefty, the relatively fast processor and battery should give the prospective buyer a good user experience.

Lenovo A850: 

Lags behind in the race

The A850 came with a relatively lower launch price of Rs 15, 999. The device comes with a 5.5-inch IPS display sporting a resolution of 960x540 pixels. Under the hood, the phablet comes with a quad-core MTK 6582M processor clocked at 1.3GHz coupled with 1GB of RAM. The dual-SIM model offers 4GB of internal memory, which can be expanded up to 32GB via a microSD card slot.

On the photography-front, users can get their hands on a 5-megapixel rear camera with flash and auto focus integrated as well as a VGA front shooter, a disappointing offering when you compare with other models on this list. The phablet, weighing in at a heavy 184 g, measures 79.3x9.45x153.5 mm, which might make it a bit unwieldy for some users. Support for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth as well as the standard 3G and 2G options are available.

The A850 also offers a gravitation sensor, a proximity sensor as well as a light sensor for users. Rounding up the package is a 2,250 mAh replaceable battery, which the company says will give up to 490 hours of stand by time. Overall, the device seems to lag behind the other devices in the list, especially in terms of the processor and the internal memory. The 5-megapixel camera is also another point that works against the A850.
 
Lava Iris 504Q:

Not a bad phone at all

Launched at Rs 13, 499, the 504Q gives the user a good set of features for the price tag being offered. The first thing on the list is the 5-inch HD IPS display giving a resolution of 1280x720 pixels. Under the hood, users are offered a quad-core ARM Cortex A7 processor clocked at 1.2GHz coupled with 1GB of RAM.

The handset comes with 4GB of internal memory which can be expanded up to 32GB via a microSD card slot. In terms of photography, the handset comes with an 8-megapixel primary camera with additional features like face detection, Panorama shot, HDR and a BSI sensor packed in. Apart from that, the 504Q comes with a 2-megapixel front shooter.

Like most other handsets on this list, the model runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and comes with dual-SIM support. Connectivity is taken care of with support for GPRS, Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth packed in. The handset measures 72.9x8.4x142.9mm and weighs in at 140g. Rounding up the package is a relatively small 2,000 mAh battery. Check out our review to get an in-depth look at the handset. 

All told, the Lava Iris 504q is a good device, especially considering the price at which it is being offered. That being said, a few problems do come up in the form of the lacklustre battery and gimmicky gesture features.
   
Verdict:
It all boils down to the brand that users want to pick up. While Micromax, Lava, Karbonn, Xolo and Lenovo come with pretty decent models, the Moto G wins out for a variety of reasons. The first, most crucial point is the price point. While the India price has still not been announced, the $179 tag for the unlocked model is definitely going to be a huge selling point.

An important point that most mid-range users look for is a good battery life, and Motorola has been known as the absolute master when it comes to smartphone battery life. There have been reports of Moto X users being able to use their phones for up to three days of mixed use while on 3G. Being a phone made from a relatively famous company, the Moto G is also sure to attract a robust hacking community, meaning that users should be able to get their hands on a number of custom ROMs to flash their devices with.

All in all, it looks like Motorola’s re-entry into the Indian market should kick off on a good note, given the relatively good features the Moto G comes with. A lot will depend, though, on how much the company prices its mid-segment offering, though.