With the Moto G4 Play, Motorola (Lenovo) proves once again that they are the best budget phone maker out there. I picked up the Verizon Pre-Paid version from Best Buy, but there is little difference between the two versions. As a tech reviewer on YouTube I have had the opportunity to review many phones in 2016 (all of which I paid full price for), and while the G4 Play isn’t a perfect phone by any means, the entire package makes this phone well worth your purchase at $100 through Amazon. I’ve been using the G4 Play for just over 3 weeks now, and here are my detailed thoughts so far:
Performance: 4.5/5 – For the price you pay for this phone, you will not be disappointed by the processing power of the G4 Play. The Snapdragon 410 performs very well in this phone, and combined with 2gb of RAM you get a device that can handle multitasking pretty well and gaming is also a pretty positive experience. While I didn’t test it out with super graphic heavy games, I was able to play games like Madden Mobile, NBA Jam, and Hill Climber 2 with no problem. It should be noted that the G4 Play does not include a gyroscope, so you won’t be able us the phone for VR.
Software: 4.5/5 – For my tastes, Motorola is the king when it comes to Android software (outside of Google itself), because they stick to a nearly stock Android experience, and really only add tweaks to Android that you will actually use. Motorola is also one of the best OEM’s when it comes to software updates. My only complaint lies in the fact that the G4 Play is missing some of the software shortcuts that I love about G4 and the G4 Plus. This is mostly because the G4 Play doesn’t have a gyroscope to use, but I love the double chop to turn on the flashlight, and you lose that option on the G4 Play.
Build: 4/5 – The design feels almost identical to the G4 and the G4 Plus, but just a little smaller. It is not a premium build quality, but I wouldn’t expect that from a phone that you can get for less than $100. Overall the phone feels excellent in the hand, but has a plastic backing that is reminiscent of phones like the Samsung Galaxy S4. Personally I use a case on my phones, so build quality isn’t a priority for me, but I don’t think the build quality is necessarily a selling point here.
Battery Life: 4.8/5 – The battery life of the G4 Play is definitely a highlight. I can pretty easily get 6+ hours of screen on time with the G4 Play, and for me that is pretty easily enough for me to get through a full day of usage. The one negative of the battery in the G4 Play is that it does not support any form of quick charging.
The Cameras: 3.5/5 – Neither camera is going to wow you by any means, but I also don’t think that you will be embarrassed with posting your photos to Facebook or Twitter either. The rear facing camera of the Moto G4 Play is an 8MP shooter that reminds me a lot of the camera on the iPhone 5. It will take a very quick shot, and it will look fairly decent, but as soon as you zoom in at all you will start to notice a lot of missing detail. Honestly that is to be expected with 8MP.
Conclusion: This isn’t a phone that is going to wow you in any way, however, it is a budget phone done right. The performance is solid, the battery life is great, and the software is nearly stock. In my mind Motorola is still the king of budget devices, and they’ve proven that with the G4 Play. I would also add that I think that this would be a great first smartphone for a kid (teenager) or for someone who just wants a solid smartphone but doesn’t want to break the bank to have it.