The Moto G4 Plus from Lenovo follows the popular G series, offering a perfect balance between good features and reasonable price.
The whole series is known for dependable software updates. The G4 comes after Motorola was acquired by Lenovo and marks the debut of the new brand. You can still see the classic logo on the G4, which is an improved version on the G4, having a better camera as well as software.
Design/Feel
It is still a typical Moto smartphone, with metal frames combined with rubber cover, offering excellent ergonomics along with grip. It comes with a 5.5 inches of full HD, TFT screen display and offers good legibility in sunlight. Protection is offered using the Gorilla Glass 3 and it feels slim in the hand being 7.9 mm in thickness. At the bottom, there is the fingerprint sensor, which is a slightly raised portion, capable of recognizing your fingerprint from different angles. It works effectively most of the time.
Specifications
A Qualcomm Snapdragon, 617 SoC, an octa core chip, clocking at 1.5 GHz, powers the G4. It has 3GB RAM with storage of 32 GB, with another version having 2 GB RAM and a storage of 16 GB, offered at a reduced price. Other specs include a 4G, LTE, with Bluetooth 4.1, an FM radio, but no NFC. Just like other Moto G phones, it runs on the nearly stock Android version, Marshmallow, 6.0.1.
Moto Action/Display
Moto Display and the Moto Actions features show the time along with a notifications preview. With Moto Action, you can trigger different gestures.
Snappy Performance
It does not have any unnecessary bloatware, so the G4 performs snappily. Normally, 1.2 GB RAM is used up, so there is a lot to spare. There are no lags during animation or while switching from one app to the other.
Photos/Videos and Music
Photos replace the gallery application and the smartphone is able to handle full HD videos quite well. Through Google Photos application, users can edit or trim photos and videos. The Play Music application handles Music, but it does not offer support for FLAC files.
Camera – The Highlight
The G4 comes with a 16 MP camera having an aperture of f/2.0 and a PDAF for Autofocus Detection. With laser autofocus feature helps lock on objects that are nearby. The camera application has been completely overhauled, with tap to focus and the slider feature for exposure. Long tapping helps lock focus and there are several shooting modes, such as slow motion, panorama, and professional mode. The last one is useful for taking pictures in dim light, as users can adjust the shutter speed, the while balance as well as the focus, the ISO and so on.
Battery
As for the battery, the G4 offers support for TurboPower, which is useful for quick charging and topping up.
Summing Up
The Moto G4 comes as a pleasant upgrade for the series, in terms of the features and the performance. It has the SoC upgrade, enabling the latest Android version to run smoothly. The fingerprint sensor, an upgraded camera and an enhanced battery life make it an excellent option for the price.