Google Announces Moto G Google Play Edition
by Brian Klug on January 14, 2014 2:09 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Motorola
- Mobile
- Moto G
We've already taken a look at the international Moto G, and today Google surprised us with the formal announcement of a Google Play edition Moto G based on that same international hardware. I was impressed with the international Moto G and think it's a great device for shoppers who want a device that feels great in the hand, isn't overly large, but still performs very well in every day tasks.
The Google Play edition Moto G like others eschews some software features in favor of an entirely Google-derived experience. Motorola arguably has the closest to stock implementation of Android right now, but if you want something even more of an expression of Google's vision, the Google Play edition Moto G probably makes sense. Pricing for the Moto G is what you'd expect – $179 for the 8GB version and $199 for the 16GB version. There's only one hardware version, essentially the UK GSM version with quad band GSM/EDGE and quad band single carrier HSPA+ on 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz. The handset will work on AT&T in the US and T-Mobile in markets that have WCDMA running on 1900 MHz (essentially markets that have T-Mobile LTE).
Of course the tradeoff with Google Play edition devices is that although they run the OEM's kernel and have a stock build of Android on top, it eschews the software preloads and often many of the OEMs custom additional functions. Google has listed these nicely on a support page as usual:
FM RadioMotorola AssistMotorola Boot ServicesMotorola CameraMoto Care/HelpMotorola ConnectMotorola Device ID
One more thing to note is that the Moto G doesn't run the Google Experience launcher, that's still exclusive to the Nexus 5. We're looking forward to getting our hands on the Moto G GPe as soon as possible and taking a closer look at what's different versus the device we've already looked at.
Source: Google Play, Google Support
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19 Comments
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anandreader106 - Tuesday, January 14, 2014 - link
+1 on the FM radio!I use TuneIn Radio Pro when I take public transportation and a FM radio could save me a ton of data usage.
dexterkarthik - Tuesday, January 14, 2014 - link
Will it work on GSM bands in India?r3loaded - Tuesday, January 14, 2014 - link
India's GSM/UMTS bands are identical to Europe's so yes. LTE is a whole different matter though...psuedonymous - Tuesday, January 14, 2014 - link
Note also that like other Nexus devices (and anything else running stock KitKat), installing the 'com.google.android.launcher' stub APK is all you need to do to switch to the new launcher.
blzd - Tuesday, January 14, 2014 - link
Only available to those who could already buy this directly from Motorola for the exact same price. Let's expand that market a little bit now Google.coachingjoy - Tuesday, January 14, 2014 - link
G is one great product. It's cores are clocked correctly so it doesn't throttle down. Know it's maxed out on memory just wish it could take 2GB.Rocket321 - Friday, January 17, 2014 - link
Motorola since being acquired by Google are really making some amazing handsets. With the US carriers looking to move away from subsidies, the handset cost is going to be a lot more visible to the general population that it was before and I think Motorola should have a slam dunk with the Moto G bringing great features at a low MSRP.The one think that holds me back, and I find myself saying it to friends and family is "if it only had LTE." I truly hope Moto addresses LTE at the <$200 price point with a G 2. Also, an upgrade to A53 cores would make for a great next gen of this phone later this year. GPe is just icing on the cake although I'm in agreement with others that the stock moto experience may be preferable. With that said, other GPe devices (S4, One) have had roms available to flash between so it seems the choice is up to the consumer which is the right way to do it.
Davidjan - Sunday, January 19, 2014 - link
Great edition, love it. Will use Meenova MicroSD reader to expand storage: http://goo.gl/2iJ6gfhockey - Sunday, February 9, 2014 - link
Motorola mobile phones are known for their innovative design and high level of performance. They have become really hot these days with its astounding features which bowl over the mobile users completely.