After a rather confusing ‘unveiling,’ it looks like the new Moto G devices are finally official – the Moto G4 Play, the Moto G4, and the Moto G4 Plus. This new naming scheme should be easier to follow and understand. The upscale Moto G4 Plus will be coming to Canada sometime in “early summer,” which is looking like the first or second week in June. The Moto G4 Plus will sell about $400 outright – much like the old Moto X Play – and on contract, $0 – $50. It will sell as an unlocked device at various retailers, and the some carriers – looks like it will be available at Virgin, Koodo, Telus, Rogers, Wind Mobile and SaskTel. The cheaper, Moto G4 Play will also hit Canada later this summer at several Canadian carriers and will retail for $150 to $200 outright. It packs a smaller, 5-inch display, and lower specifications.
The Moto G4 and G4 Plus are very similar, and you would be hard-pressed to tell them apart on the outside. The Moto G4 Plus that is coming to Canada sports a 5.5-inch FHD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and 401 pixels-per-inch (PPI). The G4 Plus will be running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow on a Snapdragon 617 octa-core processor with a quad-core A53 clocked at 1.5 GHz and a quad-core A53 clocked at 1.2 GHz. The model sold in Canada will have 2GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable internal memory. The primary camera is 16MP with an aperture of f/2.0, and comes with both phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and laser autofocus, which Motorola claims makes focusing very fast. The G4 Plus has a dual-tone LED flash and auto-HDR. The front facing camera (FFC) is 5MP with an aperture of f/2.2 and auto-HDR for selfies and video chatting.
The Moto G4 Plus has the usual suspects – WiFi, Bluetooth v4.1, GPS, an FM Radio, and a microUSB port v2.0 for charging and data transfer. It seems rather strange that the new Moto G4 models do not use the newer reversible Type-C plug. It was also assumed Moto would use the dimple on the back for its fingerprint sensor, but instead, chose to place it on the front. It is not a home button – only for the fingerprint sensor, which Moto claims works fast. Another oversight is the lack of NFC, which means no mobile payments. A non-removable 3,000 mAh battery that has fast battery charging supplies the power, while it measures 153 x 76.6 x 9.8 mm and weighs in at 155 grams.