If you have been following this blog, you would probably have read my impressions of the Moto G. If you haven't I highly recommend you read that article
here before reading this one.
With the holidays and Christmas coming up, get ready to get confused on which gifts to give but under a budget of about 200$. Stop worrying! Today, I bring you two "budget" phones but they won't feel like budget phones in the hand: Moto G and Nexus 4. Yes, the Nexus 4, last year's Google flagship phone is this year's budget phone.
I will compare these two products which are essentially Google's as Motorola is now owned by Google. This comparison will follow a similar pattern to my
iPad Mini vs Nexus 7(2013) article.
Size:
As you can see from the picture, the Moto G is much smaller than the Nexus 4 and fits comfortably in hand. This doesn't meant that the Nexus 4 is hefty, but if you have small hands or come from an iPhone, I would recommend the Moto G due to its size if specifications don't matter to you.
Weight:
The weight of both the phones is pretty much neck-and-neck so it doesn't even matter because you cannot fell a difference of 4 grams in your hands.
Build and feel in hand:
It is quite obvious that the Nexus 4 is "prettier" than the Moto G. The Moto G doesn't have the rugged back of the Moto X but it sports the same dimple below the camera which seems to be Motorola's signature now.
Display:
The Nexus 4 offers a screen bigger by 0.2" but the Moto G's pixel density is higher. It all depends on what you want: sharpness or size.
Software:
Moto G just received the kitkat update and this means that none of the phone come with 4.4 out of the box but they have an OTA ready.
Storage:
Both the phones come in an option of either 8 or 16 GB of internal memory with no SD Card slot for expandable memory.
Connectivity:
Both the devices come with Wi-fi b/g/n support but the Nexus 4 also supports dual band Wi-fi. LTE is not officially supported on any of the devices but there is a hack for the Nexus 4 to enable LTE. Bluetooth 4.0 is present on both but only the Moto G supports Bluetooth LE(Low Energy).
Battery:
Despite the similar battery capacities — 2070mAh for the Moto G, 2100mAh for the Nexus 4 — there’s a night-and-day difference in longevity between the two devices. I never had any trouble getting a full day — and then some, more often than not — out of the Moto G, but the Nexus 4 has never wowed me with its battery life. Much of the difference in longevity is likely down to the CPUs being used in the phones. The Nexus 4’s Snapdragon S4 Pro is powerful, but power-hungry, while the Moto G’s Cortex A7 cores don’t perform as well in demanding apps, but are supremely efficient.
Processor:
On paper, the Snapdragon S4 pro used in the Nexus 4 is better but in day-to-day life or even in heavy games, you will only be able to notice a minor difference in performance.
RAM:
The Nexus 4's 2 GB RAM is definitely better for multitasking.
Cameras:
The Nexus 4's 8MP camera compared to the 5MP camera on the Moto G is definitely better for shutterbugs. But, I would warn you not to expect great pictures from budget phones.
Prices:
The Moto G starts from 179$ for the 8GB variant and 199$ for the 16GB variant while the Nexus 4 starts from 199$ for the 8GB model and 249$ for the 16GB model.
Extra things:
The Nexus 4 has a support for wireless charging if you have a thing for it. Moto G has a removable and replacable back cover with multiple color options. The Moto G also packs other extra features like Motorola Assist and Trusted Bluetooth. You can read the full specifications of both the phones
here and
here.
Conclusion:
As I always say, it all depends on what suits the best for you. At the end, it is your choice and the person you are gifting to has to live with it :P In my opinion, the Nexus 4 is definitely better but you do pay for it.
If you are an Apple user coming to Android, the Moto G would be a good kick starter.
So that's it guys, hope to see you soon. If you liked this article, please also read my other articles below and share it with your friends who love Android too! Also, if you want to make sure you are one of the first persons to get notified when we write more awesome stuff like this, add me in your circles, +1 or follow the blog via e-mail!
