Lenovo has just released the fourth generation of what is arguably the most popular mid-range smartphone on the Android market. Building on the success of previous versions, Lenovo has tried to offer users a bit more choice than before when it comes to buying the Moto G. This year, with the Moto G4, there are actually 3 different versions of the phone with the simple vanilla Moto G4 as a mid-tier model, a Moto G4 Plus that packs some very nice hardware upgrades to the same body, and the slightly lower-end Moto G4 Play. One of the reasons owners looking to upgrade a previous-gen Moto G4 might go for the new G4 Play is that, while the other two models in the fourth-gen lineup have grown in size to pack on a display. Larger than 5.5 “, the Play version stays with the same 5” screen that its predecessors have had for the past two generations. What this means is that while the new Moto G4 and G4 Plus are identical on the outside and may share cases, the designer cases for the Moto G4 Play cannot be shared with either sibling.
Best value for money: Moto G4
For people who don’t want the latest and greatest in hardware specs and are just looking for a very capable mid-range device with no major glitches or shortcomings at a great price, the Play is great value. You can buy the phone and get a couple of designer cases for the Moto G4 Play and still save some money over the standard Moto G4 and even more with the Moto G4 Plus. So what will Play owners give up by opting for the budget version of the G4? First off, Play has a slower Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, the Model 410. It’s still quad-core though and should have more than enough muscle for everything but the most cutting edge games. The display is still a 720p screen rather than a Full HD 1080p version. However, this is not a huge sacrifice because at 5 “the screen still runs at a ppi that is almost touching 300.
Save on the phone, spend on personalization.
Young consumers who don’t need the highest performance from their phones, but who want to customize them to their heart’s content, would do well to pick up a perfectly capable phone at a great price, like the G4 Play, and then spend the money. They saved on accessories like cases and phone cases. If previous generations of the Moto G are anything to go by, the market should soon be flooded with designer cases for the Moto G4 Play, as well as its more expensive siblings, the standard G4 and G4 Plus. While Lenovo plans to offer the Moto Maker customization service for the Moto G4 for the first time in the model’s history, it remains to be seen if this option is available with the G4 Play.
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