Budget phones are getting better and better these days. You can now get features which were previously available only on premium devices, for affordable rates. So for this showdown I want to compare one of the best budget handsets to date, the Moto G4 Plus to Nokia’s comeback handset – also a middle-range offering.
Yes, it looks like a new Moto G5 Plus is on its way, but if the rumors are right the phone shouldn’t see significant upgrades. Anyway the Moto G4 Plus is a handset known for its spectacular battery life and given Nokia’s legacy of releasing devices with long life cycles, this spec shootout is more than warranted. So read below to see how the two devices compare against each other:
Display
5.5-inch with 1920 x 1080 resolution vs 5.5-inch with 1920 x 1080 resolution
The two phones have very similar displays, both protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. However, the Moto G4 Plus is a bit more curvaceous than the Nokia 6 which features more pronounced edges. Anyway, when it comes to display it all depends on your aesthetic likes and dislikes.
Computing power
Snapdragon 430 vs Snapdragon 617
Adreno 505 vs Adreno 405
4GB of RAM vs 2GB/3GB/4GB of RAM
In our review of the Moto G4 Plus we found the phone runs extremely smooth. The higher-end version (4GB of RAM) in combination with light stock Android software makes using the phone a real breeze – browsing the web, emails, texting or light game play – there’s nothing the phone can’t handle.
Now the Nokia takes advantage of the Snapdragon 430 which is made up of eight 1.4GHz Cortex-A53 cores. While both chips are designed to deliver performance at affordable prices, you’ll find the Snapdragon 617 works a bit better.
For example, the X6 LTE with Cat 4 speeds in the Snapdragon 430 are a little slower than the X8 LTE with Cat 7 speeds found in the Snapdragon 617. However, the former does get Adreno 505 treatment.
The Moto G4 Plus comes with several RAM options, so if you have a limited budget you can choose a lower variant. When it comes to the Nokia 6 you only get 4GB of RAM. Take it or leave it!
Cameras
16MP/8MP vs 16MP/5MP
Both phones come equipped with a main camera of 16MP capacity. The Moto G4 Plus’s snapper take advantage of phase detection & laser autofocus and dual-LED (dual tone) flash while the Nokia 6’s offers phase detection autofocus plus dual-LED flash.
In the selfie department, users are probably going to like the 8MP snapper on the Nokia 6 better than the 5MP one sitting on the front of the Moto 4G Plus.
Software
Android 7.0 Nougat vs Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Being launched in 2017, the Nokia 6 runs Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box, but the Moto G4 Plus should get Nougat treatment soon, too.
Even so, the stock Android version on the Moto G4 Plus will make a lot of users having. Motorola’s version of Marshmallow is almost untouched aside from a view additional Moto apps and feats (like Moto Actions – with which you can control a few aspects of your phone via movement).
Battery
3,000 mAh vs 3,000 mAh
We are yet to see how the Nokia 6 behaves in real life, but given that it features the same battery capacity as the Moto G4 Plus and runs the optimized Android 7.0 Nougat, we can speculate the phone will enjoy a long life cycle.
On top of that the Nokia 6 takes advantage of a lower-end processor which shouldn’t put too much of a strain on the battery. So we expect the phone to be quite a lot like the Moto G4 Plus in the battery department.
Other features
64GB of internal storage vs 16GB/32GB/64GB
The Moto G4 Plus offers more options in terms of internal storage for those who are on a more limited budget. Don’t forget the phone has a microSD card slot which allows for memory expansion up to 256GB. The Nokia 6 has one too.
Pricing
$245 vs $269
The Nokia 6 will only be available in China for the time being, while the Moto G4 Plus is available on Amazon. The premium version (4GB of RAM + 64GB of internal storage) costs $269, but the 2GB of RAM + 16GB of internal storage option can be yours for $229.99.
Wrap-up
It seems to me the two phones are on-par on many aspects, although the Moto G4 Plus should run a bit smoother. We’re yet to see how the cameras compare (the Nokia 6 should ship out to consumers soon), but in theory the results should be quite similar. However, I should note the Moto G4 Plus is not a phone that distinguishes itself in the camera department, but rather for being snappy and long lasting. As for the Nokia 6P, all the right ingredients for a decent mid-ranger are here complete with FHD display, a hefty 4GB of RAM and Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box.
The Moto G4 Plus is a no brainier over the shitty Nokia garbage. But personally I wouldn’t buy any of these loser phones not when an extra £100 will get a OnePlus 3T which is pretty much a flagship phone and obviously superior to these budget phones.
Problem with the One Plus phones is that they don’t work on many carriers being quite band limited. Moto phones, in contrast, run on many more carriers and therefore make much better world phones for travelers. And the OnePlus 3T has some skinning and bloatware. And costs approximately 2x what the G4 Plus costs. But perhaps more significnatly it’s only onehundred and change less than the unlocked Galaxy S7 which is an all around better phone despite the chubby Samsung bloatware/skin. Were OnePlus to support a broader range of bands and cut prices about 33%, they would have the best phones going. Alas, a band or ten short and and about $100 over on price. Close, but no cigar.
There’s a problem with you’re point, I’m not American and there for don’t give a shit about wether the OnePlus 3T works on all US carriers and the OnePlus 3T has no bloatware either and is more customisable than the shitty Motorola or the lousy Nokia crap and it’s basically stock Android with more options and the price of the OnePlus 3T is justified with it having flagship specs with only the camera while good is not quite as good as the S7 Edge but better than a lot of its competitors in its price range and the performance will be better than these shitty low end phones. It’s my fault if you’re so broke you can’t afford what is pretty much a flagship and o won’t settle for anything less.
Waiting for Nougat on my g4 for the USA.. wonder how much longer it may take
Expect the upgrade in mid-February. They hit some wrinkles in the India roll-out and want to make sure the US roll-out goes more smoothly. Moto has guranteed you’ll get Nougat – they promise it on the Moto website for the G4 series. So no fear of them changing their mind.
I’m running both a G4 Plus 4/64 and a G4 Play 2/16, and really like both phones. I use the G4 Plus for travel since it has enough screen real estate to act as a laptop replacement to an extent (spreadsheets, word processing, etc.), and also is better for Netflix offline on the plane. The G4 Play, though, is pretty amazing for the small $129 price. It’s a better fit in the back pocket and the hand than the larger G4/Plus, isn’t ridiculosuly slower in normal business and personal communications tasks, and it fits entirely in the in-dash cubby of my Anroid Auto equipped vehicle, and cuts down on cable mess and clutter on road trips.
I really wish Moto would cook up a phone with the G4 Play dimensions and the G4 Plus guts and specs. As the Stones said – you can’t always get what you want.
How do you know mid february? The CPU in this phone takes a lot of power. If taking video for too long, the CPU cores often throttle enough to not have smooth video recording, and the last minute or so of each video has no audio.. and this is not in a hot environment.
But fast enough for the price. Really nice screen for the price.