Moto G4 and G4 Plus

[nj-morris]

Considering the HTC 10 has just been released, all of the first batch of phones in 2016 have been released, and now we're entering the stage of the budget friendly flagships from certain OEMs, namely OnePlus and Motorola.

These will be the first Moto phones released under the Lenovo brand. Here's what we can expect:
-Fingerprint scanner on the front (leaked)
-Metal body (probably an option in Moto Maker)
-Snapdragon 820
-5-inch X3 (leaked)
-Bigger version (probably 5.7-inch X5)
-Affordable

Would this appeal to you?

 

[ozaz]

Fingerprint scanner - vital.

I'm more interested in the 5" than the 5.7", but of course, they need both.
I'd be even more interested if they released a 4.7" like the first gen Moto X: Android desperately needs more high quality sub-5" phones.

What would be most appealing is a convincing policy for timely software and security updates.

 

[r6mile]

I just bought a Moto X Play and am very pleased with it (I think it goes under the different name in the USA).

 

[LovingTeddy]

I just bought a Moto X Play and am very pleased with it (I think it goes under the different name in the USA).

It would be Motorola Droid Maxx 2 exclusively at Verizon

 

[sunnyj]

I own the Moto X Pure and for me it's almost a perfect device. All I want added for this years phone will be a rear fingerprint scanner and the Snapdragon 820 SOC.

 

[epicrayban]

They'll be entering a market packed with greater options and offerings than ever before. There's something for everyone. I think HTC and Samsung offer nice counter devices. Lg is offering something unique. And others will offer great affordable options.

What can Motorola offer? We shall see where lenovo takes them.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

They'll be entering a market packed with greater options and offerings than ever before. There's something for everyone. I think HTC and Samsung offer nice counter devices. Lg is offering something unique. And others will offer great affordable options.

What can Motorola offer? We shall see where lenovo takes them.

A great price.

 

[epicrayban]

A great price.

My thoughts, too.

 

[lowendlinux]

I like Motorola phones a great deal after getting this N6 I hope they make a big spash

 

[nj-morris]

They'll be entering a market packed with greater options and offerings than ever before. There's something for everyone. I think HTC and Samsung offer nice counter devices. Lg is offering something unique. And others will offer great affordable options.

What can Motorola offer? We shall see where lenovo takes them.

As others have said, if Motorola can match the likes of the phones from Samsung, HTC and LG at a much lower price, it would go very strongly.

 

[nj-morris]

http://m.pocketnow.com/2016/04/21/june-motorola-launch-event

6th June event confirmed. Anybody excited?

 

[MadeTheSwitch]

http://m.pocketnow.com/2016/04/21/june-motorola-launch-event

6th June event confirmed. Anybody excited?

After getting my S7, no. They are too late to the party for me. I liked my original Moto X, but I have moved on from Motorola.

 

[Savor]

Improve the cameras and they will do well.

The future of smartphones might be coming from the cheap budget phones. Like Motorola's mantra last year with the Moto E, a smartphone shouldn't be luxury. These aren't diamond necklaces. They should be accessible and a choice to everyone. Even iPhones lose value eventually since every phone can be disposal and something to use to stay connected to the Internet or with people.

I realized I can't have a single smartphone. I need to rotate 3-5 smartphones like the old days. I can only do this if I have several phones on rotation where a couple of them are dirt cheap. If the cheap, "foot stamp" phone breaks, I can go get another one. Still cheaper than having an iPhone fixed or any flagship.

I didn't realized these $30 Microsoft Lumia 640 and Motorola Moto E (2nd gen) surpass my original iPhone, iPhone 4, and Google Nexus One quite easily. The latter has a poor camera and display is bleh, but trumps my phones I used primarily from 2008-2012 easily with quad core, LTE, GPU, and price. The Lumia 640 smokes every phone I ever had when it comes to rear camera. Practically iPhone 5 level or better for only $30! Basically on par with Galaxy S4 or better. That's insane.

You will be surprised how much better these 2015 dirt cheap phones have surpassed flagships easily from a half decade earlier. The real beauty and value is coming from phones in the sub-$100 to $200 segment. The line between wants and needs are being blurred by it.

 

[nj-morris]

Improve the cameras and they will do well.

The future of smartphones might be coming from the cheap budget phones. Like Motorola's mantra last year with the Moto E, a smartphone shouldn't be luxury. These aren't diamond necklaces. They should be accessible and a choice to everyone. Even iPhones lose value eventually since every phone can be disposal and something to use to stay connected to the Internet or with people.

I realized I can't have a single smartphone. I need to rotate 3-5 smartphones like the old days. I can only do this if I have several phones on rotation where a couple of them are dirt cheap. If the cheap, "foot stamp" phone breaks, I can go get another one. Still cheaper than having an iPhone fixed or any flagship.

I didn't realized these $30 Microsoft Lumia 640 and Motorola Moto E (2nd gen) surpass my original iPhone, iPhone 4, and Google Nexus One quite easily. The latter has a poor camera and display is bleh, but trumps my phones I used primarily from 2008-2012 easily with quad core, LTE, GPU, and price. The Lumia 640 smokes every phone I ever had when it comes to rear camera. Practically iPhone 5 level or better for only $30! Basically on par with Galaxy S4 or better. That's insane.

You will be surprised how much better these 2015 dirt cheap phones have surpassed flagships easily from a half decade earlier. The real beauty and value is coming from phones in the sub-$100 to $200 segment. The line between wants and needs are being blurred by it.

This year's Moto G looks amazing so far. Big screen (5.5 inches), fingerprint scanner. The two things that make a phone in my opinion. Just add a good camera (last generation was pretty great for the price), 32GB storage option and a metal frame and it would definitely hit the nail on the head.

 

[epicrayban]

The Moto g is going up to 5.5" screen?! Da heck.

And I don't know how the Moto x will compete in this current landscape without some serious cheap options. They'll have to compete on oneplus' level.

 

[epicrayban]

Woah, that leak might've been right.

Motorola Moto X4 renders leak, suggest August 24th unveiling


http://www.phonearena.com/news/Motorola-Moto-X4-renders-leak-suggest-August-24th-unveiling_id80874


Rendering:

Don't know what to make of this quite yet. Interesting design? Looks thin. Looks all metal. Big camera housing. Dock pins on back? Finger print scanner... interesting. A lot of bezels...

Kinda wish they used the Moto M dimple on the back as the finger print scanner and made the front more clean or give it stereo speakers. Imagine a glass circle "M" on back as the scanner.

 

[jamezr]

another Moto X leak on ARS..

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/05/moto-x-leaks-point-to-an-all-metal-device/

 

[spinedoc77]

Nothing special about it, even if it was 2013. I'm assuming those connectors on the back might be for wireless charging, although it would be a poor solution IMO if you had to line up contacts to charge. I don't think Moto will survive for much longer with designs like these, similar to HTC's purported demise.

 

[epicrayban]

Nothing special about it, even if it was 2013. I'm assuming those connectors on the back might be for wireless charging, although it would be a poor solution IMO if you had to line up contacts to charge. I don't think Moto will survive for much longer with designs like these, similar to HTC's purported demise.

New rumor today says it's for modularity. Perhaps it can connect to a laptop like that one other MOtorola phone did way back. Who knows.

 

[spinedoc77]

New rumor today says it's for modularity. Perhaps it can connect to a laptop like that one other MOtorola phone did way back. Who knows.

Interesting! I like stuff like that, I think we need more of it. I applaud LG, for example, for having the balls to release a modular phone. It may not do well, but there is always the chance of having a great hit.

 

[ozaz]

New rumor today says it's for modularity. Perhaps it can connect to a laptop like that one other MOtorola phone did way back. Who knows.

Yeah I saw this too. Apparently 6 snap on backplate modules in the works
http://venturebeat.com/2016/05/09/m...-x-flagships-with-a-modular-backplate-design/

I'm hoping this approach allows for a relatively thin battery backplate option that spreads over the whole phone, instead of the weird bulging extended battery options LG and Apple have come up with.

This snap on backplate approach appears to be a Lenovo influence. They've done it before with the Lenovo Vibe X2.
http://liliputing.com/2014/09/lenovo-unveils-vibe-x2-smartphone-and-speaker-battery-docks.html

 

[nj-morris]

Hated that design at first, but now I'm kind of growing into it. Still think it looks impractical. Looks way too thin to fit a reasonable sized battery. The fingerprint scanner looks way too small. And if that's a speaker on the back, why Motorola? And in traditional Motorola fashion, the sensors covering the front make the white version look very unattractive.

On the flipside, build looks amazing. Can't tell if that's glass or metal on the back, hope it's metal, I'm not as fond of glass as I used to be. And those black dots at the bottom...capacitive buttons? And customisable like the ones on the OnePlus 2?

 

[epicrayban]

Yeah I saw this too. Apparently 6 snap on backplate modules in the works
http://venturebeat.com/2016/05/09/m...-x-flagships-with-a-modular-backplate-design/

I'm hoping this approach allows for a relatively thin battery backplate option that spreads over the whole phone, instead of the weird bulging extended battery options LG and Apple have come up with.

This snap on backplate approach appears to be a Lenovo influence. They've done it before with the Lenovo Vibe X2.
http://liliputing.com/2014/09/lenovo-unveils-vibe-x2-smartphone-and-speaker-battery-docks.html

Interesting stuff!

 

[nj-morris]

http://www.gsmarena.com/lenovo_moto_g_and_moto_g4_plus_unveiled_with_55_1080p_screens-news-18260.php

Moto G4 and G4 Plus just announced, and they look like absolute beasts!

Moto G4:
5.5-inch IPS LCD 1920x1080
Snapdragon 617
2GB RAM
16/32GB storage
microSD up to 128GB
3000mAh
Quick Charge
13MP camera

Moto G4 Plus:
All of the above
3GB RAM in 32GB model
4GB RAM and 64GB storage in high end model
Fingerprint scanner
16MP camera

Wow. That's all I can say. 4GB of RAM, a fingerprint scanner, and 5.5-inch screen in a mid-range phone? Your move OnePlus.

 

[MRU]

http://www.gsmarena.com/lenovo_moto_g_and_moto_g4_plus_unveiled_with_55_1080p_screens-news-18260.php

Moto G4 and G4 Plus just announced, and they look like absolute beasts!

Moto G4:
5.5-inch IPS LCD 1920x1080
Snapdragon 617
2GB RAM
16/32GB storage
microSD up to 128GB
3000mAh
Quick Charge
13MP camera

Moto G4 Plus:
All of the above
3GB RAM in 32GB model
4GB RAM and 64GB storage in high end model
Fingerprint scanner
16MP camera

Wow. That's all I can say. 4GB of RAM, a fingerprint scanner, and 5.5-inch screen in a mid-range phone? Your move OnePlus.

No pricing as yet though. I do think the drive to 5.5" will alienate some customers. I know someone who wants to update their Moto G which they love but going from a relatively compact 4.5" device to a 5.5 is simply not going to happen, no matter the specs inside.

Seems strange that the likes of Moto whose best ergonomic phones (the original Moto X and Moto G) seem to have given way to just being same big old phones that everyone else is offering.

I myself really dislike the look of the new Moto X back of the leak is accurate. The me too specs, generic design are the compete at antithesis of what made Moto X actually of interest originally. It's now just another phone in a sea of androids.