Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
The 2015 Moto G takes a slightly different approach to its predecessors, despite its initial similarities. Motorola is slowly taking the focus away from sheer value by offering more customisation and a camera that's unusually good at the price.
As the phone is a little heavy and chunky compared with some rivals, this may make it a bit of a tough sell. However, the more expensive version in particular is a pure joy to use, featuring none of the performance/camera/software issues seen in most of the rivals from LG, HTC and Sony.
There are carrier-branded and lesser-brand phones at this level also worth checking out, like the Honor 6. But the Moto G remains an obvious recommendation.
We liked
I've been full-on charmed by the Moto G camera. It simply outdoes the similarly-specced affordable phone cameras at the price, with far more consistent performance and better image quality.
The water resistance is almost as well-implemented as I could have hoped. While you need to make sure the seals are in place, most people will never need to take the backplate off. You can pretty much forget the water resistance is there, as the charge and headphone ports are water resistant by themselves.
I love the Moto G approach to software too. The vanilla Android Lollipop design plus a few Moto upgrades is a good combo, providing a very clean experience. Performance is near-flawless in the 2GB RAM version, and very good in the 1GB.
We disliked
I miss the days when we could talk about the Moto G like the bargain of the century. Those days are gone. While this phone is still among the very best, most companies offer similar specs within a similar price range.
I wish Motorola had stayed a bit more aggressive with the specs of the screen. A 1080p Moto G at the price of the 2GB RAM version would have been as aggressive as the original Moto G from 2013.
I would really have liked a bit more improvement in the speakers too. Despite appearances, the Moto G doesn't have stereo speakers, and while sound quality has improved, more finesse and warmth in the sound would have been nice.
Verdict
The Moto G carries the series' torch in style. It has shed the ultra-bargain style that used to be the main attraction, but hitting the mark in every category makes it superior to virtually all rivals.
First reviewed August 2015
