The Moto G is an Android smartphone developed and manufactured by Motorola Mobility, at the time a subsidiary of Google. Released on 13 November 2013, the phone was initially aimed at emerging markets, although it was also available in developed markets as a low-price option.

Moto G
ManufacturerMotorola Mobility
TypeSmartphone
SloganExceptional phone, Exceptional price
SeriesMoto
First releasedNovember 13, 2013
SuccessorMoto G (2nd generation)
RelatedMoto X (1st generation)
Moto E (1st generation)
Compatible networksGSM Model:
2G:
GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)

3G/LTE:
Global GSM Model (XT1032):
UMTS/HSPA+ up to 21 Mbps (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz)

US GSM Model (XT1034):
UMTS/HSPA+ up to 21 Mbps (850, 1700 (AWS), 1900 MHz)

Asia GSM Model:
UMTS/HSPA+ (850, 900, 1700 (AWS), 1900, 2100 MHz)[1][2]

US LTE Model (XT1045):
UMTS (850, 900, 1700 (AWS), 1900, 2100 MHz)
4G LTE Bands 2, 4, 5, 17 (1900, 1700, 850, 700 MHz)

European LTE Model (XT1039):
UMTS (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz)
4G LTE Bands 1, 3, 7, 8, 20 (800, 900, 1800, 2100, 2600 MHz)[3]

Brazil LTE Model (XT1040):
UMTS (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
4G LTE Bands 4, 7, 28 (1700, 2600, 700 MHz)[4]

CDMA Model:
CDMA/EVDO Rev A (850, 1900 MHz)
Dimensions129.9 mm (5.11 in) H
65.9 mm (2.59 in) W
11.6 mm (0.46 in) D[5]
Weight143 g (5.0 oz)
Operating systemOriginal: Android 4.3 "Jelly Bean"[6]
Current: Android 5.1 "Lollipop"[7]
System-on-chipQualcomm Snapdragon 400
CPU1.2 GHz quad-core Cortex-A7
GPUAdreno 305
Memory1 GB RAM[6]
Storage8 GB or 16 GB
Removable storageYes, on LTE model (microSD)
Battery2070 mAh Li-ion battery (Non-removable)[8]
Rear cameraMP, 3.5mm focal length, f/2.4 aperture with LED flash and Touch Focus
Front camera1.3 MP
Display4.50 in (114 mm) vertical LCD with Corning Gorilla Glass 3
1280×720 px (329 ppi)
ConnectivityGPS / GLONASS, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, Micro-USB
Codenamefalcon, peregrine (LTE)
Websitemotorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/answers/prod_answer_detail/a_id/97433/p/30,6720,9050

After six months on the market, the Moto G became Motorola's best-selling smartphone ever, and was the top selling phone in Mexico and Brazil.[9]

The Moto G was succeeded by the second generation Moto G in September 2014.

Specifications

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The phone features a 4.5 inch LCD IPS screen and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor clocked at 1.2 GHz, paired with the Adreno 305 GPU running at 450 MHz clock speed.[10] The original operating system was Android 4.3 "Jelly Bean", with later updates to 5.1 "Lollipop".

The phone is closely related to the Moto X that was released three months prior, although there are some key differences despite their similar appearances. The Moto G is not able to have active notifications, quick capture, and touchless control like the Moto X due to the Moto X using a special processor that would be cost-prohibitive for the Moto G. In addition, the Moto G has a removable back cover so that users can customize the phone, instead of the Moto X's sealed back that is held on with an adhesive.[11]

The original Moto G did not support LTE, due to the standard's lack of adoption in emerging markets at that time.[11] On 13 May 2014, Motorola unveiled an updated variant of the phone, the Moto G LTE, which added LTE support, a gyroscope,[12] and a MicroSD card slot.[13] By January 2015 the Android 5.0.2 "Lollipop" OTA update started rolling out and in September 2015, version 5.1 rolled out in India. As of March 2015, Motorola has been slowly upgrading handsets.[14][15] Motorola started releasing the 5.1 update for Google Play Edition on April 2, 2015.[16] In the United Kingdom, the 5.1 update started on June 12, 2015.

Availability

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The Moto G was released first in Brazil and some parts of Europe. It was released in Canada and the United States on 22 November 2013 and 2 December 2013 respectively. In India, the Moto G was released on 6 February 2014 in an exclusive deal with e-commerce company Flipkart.[17][18] The Moto G Google Play edition is a global GSM model available unlocked from Google Play. In the United States, the Moto G was available for Verizon, Republic Wireless, Boost Mobile, Sprint (Sprint Prepaid), Cricket Wireless, U.S. Cellular, Straight Talk and Consumer Cellular customers.

3G variants

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Version Description Alternate Designations
XT1031 United States (CDMA Version) XT1028 for Verizon, XT937C for TracFone
XT1032 Global GSM (UMTS Single SIM) XT1008 for Moto G Forte
XT1033 Asia, Brazil, Colombia (UMTS Dual SIM) XT1035 on FCC
XT1034 United States GSM (AWS Version) XT939G for TracFone

[19] Wind Mobile in Canada distribute an AWS version that appears to be using a modified XT1032 baseband.

LTE variants

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All LTE variants have 8 GB storage and microSD card slot that supports cards of up to 32 GB.

Version Region LTE bands
XT1039 EU, UK, Spain, Germany, Australia, Brazil 1, 3, 7, 8, 20 (800, 900, 1800, 2100, 2600 MHz)
XT1040 Brazil, Colombia, Canada[20] 2, 4, 5, 17 (700, 850, 1700, 1900 MHz)
XT1042 United States, Europe
XT1045 United States

Critical reception

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  • Digital Trends – Editor's Choice Award[21]
  • IT Pro Portal – Best Buy Award[22]
  • Trusted Reviews – Product of the Year at the 2013 TrustedReviews Awards[23]
  • Trusted Reviews – Best phone under £250 of 2013[23]
  • Expert Reviews – Best budget smartphone up to February 2014[24]
  • PC Advisor – Best budget smartphone up to May 2014[25]

References

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  1. ^ "Motorola". Motorola. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
  2. ^ "Motorola". Motorola.in. Archived from the original on March 11, 2014. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
  3. ^ "Global Certification Forum - LTE Devices - XT1039". Global Certification Forum. Archived from the original on October 12, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  4. ^ "The official Motorola online shop in Brazil operated by B2W Digital Company". Archived from the original on May 6, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  5. ^ "Motorola's Affordable Moto G: $179 Off-Contract". AnandTech. November 13, 2013.
  6. ^ a b Ram, Anand (November 13, 2013). "Moto G aims to be the $200 smartphone you actually want". CBC. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  7. ^ "Motorola Moto G - Full phone specifications". GSMArena. October 5, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  8. ^ Seifert, Dan (November 13, 2013). "Motorola's latest is Google's move to take over emerging markets". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  9. ^ Byford, Sam (September 30, 2013). "The Moto E is shockingly cheap and surprisingly good". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  10. ^ Aguilar, Mario (November 13, 2013). "Motorola Moto G: $180 (Off Contract!) of Android KitKat Goodness". Gizmodo. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  11. ^ a b Motorola announces the $179 Moto G, a lot of smartphone for not a lot of money Yahoo! News (November 13, 2013)
  12. ^ "The Verge Moto G LTE specs". The Verge. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  13. ^ "Motorola adds LTE to Moto G, introduces an even cheaper Moto E". The Verge. May 13, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  14. ^ "Moto G (1st Gen.) - Android™ 5.0 Lollipop - Release Notes".
  15. ^ "With the update rolling out, the first-generation Moto G becomes the most affordable smartphone to run Android 5.0 Lollipop in India". NDTV.
  16. ^ "Android 5.1 Lollipop Update Rolling Out For Moto G Google Play Edition". Android News. Archived from the original on April 6, 2015. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  17. ^ "Motorola launches Moto G smartphone in exclusive tie-up with Flipkart". The Economic Times. February 6, 2014. Archived from the original on March 19, 2014.
  18. ^ "Moto G's bet on Flipkart worked, Motorola plans more launches via e-stores". Tech2. August 25, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  19. ^ "Moto G Versions, US, Canada, International. - Post #67". forum.xda-developers.com. November 27, 2013. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  20. ^ "Moto G™ LTE | mobile". Archived from the original on October 23, 2020.
  21. ^ Motorola Moto G Review | Digital Trends Reviews. Digitaltrends.com (November 21, 2013). Retrieved on 2014-05-23.
  22. ^ Motorola Moto G review. ITProPortal.com (November 20, 2013). Retrieved on May 23, 2014.
  23. ^ a b Johnson, Luke. (December 20, 2013) Motorola Moto G named 2013 TrustedReviews Product of the Year - News. Trusted Reviews. Retrieved on May 23, 2014.
  24. ^ Moto G review - is it still the best budget smartphone?. Expert Reviews (February 21, 2014). Retrieved on May 23, 2014.
  25. ^ The 11 best budget smartphones 2014: What's the best budget smartphone?. PC Advisor (May 22, 2014). Retrieved on May 23, 2014.
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