Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Edit 9/18/14: fixed error about SIM cards and wifi specs Also, here is a useful link to information about SD card usage in android: https://forums.motorola.com/posts/7e59cc7baf Edit 9/21/14: Yesterday I used my phone indoors with standard usage. The screen brightness was manually set between around 20-40% the entire day. When I plugged in the phone when going to bed, I had 14h and 45 min of battery time, and 5 hours of screen on time. I still had 20% battery left. The battery is as awesome as before! (Note: Because this global version is the same as the US version, and only differs by having different 3G bands, I've copied my review from the US version.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Moto G was a huge hit for Motorola in 2013, as it provided many people with a fast, new smartphone at an extremely affordable price. Now in 2014, Motorola has updated the Moto G with its second iteration. There are many similarities with the first generation, and a few important changes/improvements. Similarities: -Same screen resolution, 1280x720 -Same CPU, Snapdragon 400 (1.2ghz quad core) -Same, 3G only connectivity (no LTE in this model) -Same 2070mah battery Improvements/Changes: -Screen size changed from 4.5" to 5" -Front camera upgraded from 1.3MP to 2MP -Rear camera upgraded from 5MP to 8MP -Speaker upgraded from mono rear speaker to front stereo speakers -MicroSD card slot Disadvantages compared to first generation: -Some dislike the bigger screen -Slightly worse battery life due to bigger screen size with same battery size -Pixel density dropped from 326ppi to 294ppi While this second generation Moto G has slightly worse battery life and pixel density than the first generation, these are minute differences that will most likely go unnoticed. What does matter, though, is that the second generation Moto G builds on the successes of the first Moto G, and adds multiple improvements to make this a truly excellent low budget phone. My main complaints about the first gen Moto G focused on the poor camera performance and lack of SD card slot. Now, this and more has been improved with the second generation. Rather than an revolution, this is an evolution of the previous Moto G, making it better than ever. The first thing you notice when picking up the second generation Moto G is that it's bigger. I'll admit it, it's harder to hold this phone with one hand when compared to the first generation. However, the big beautiful screen makes up for it. While I no longer own the first gen for side to side comparison, the screen feels like it's brighter and more color accurate. The front facing speakers are a huge plus if you watch videos or your phone, as you no longer have to cup your hand around the back of the phone to "reflect" the sound towards your face. Probably as a result of them facing you all the time, the speakers also seem to be louder. This also brings around an advantage if you use the speakers to play music, since you no longer have to put the phone face down for the sound to remain unmuffled. The cameras are also a HUGE improvement. As a a college student, I use the front camera quite a lot to communicate with friends. The previous front facing camera (FFC) was very splotchy and muddy. The new FFC honestly feels like it's better than the rear facing camera on the first gen. Although I didn't use the rear camera on the first gen very often, the one in this phone seems to have better color reproduction and dynamic range. To put the camera upgrade into perspective, it's roughly like going from an iPhone 4 to an iPhone 5. All these improvements are available for the same MSRP ($179.99) as before, which is an excellent deal; especially considering the fact that the phone now has a Micro SD card slot, the 8GB onboard memory poses less of an issue. I will keep this review updated if I face anything that changes my opinion of this phone; but for now, it deserves a 5/5.