The Moto G falls short of exacting standards

The Moto G doesn’t have to contend with the type of premium devices that meet my standards, though, and compared to the (admittedly fun) clear plastic shelled Asha phones like the 503, uninspiring , and Nokia’s low-end Windows Phones, the Moto G looks truly premium, even if it doesn’t quite live up to expectations.

Motorola has taken a leap in the right direction here, bringing aspirational qualities to a new price range, but it hasn't performed a miracle. Instead, it’s boiled down the elements of great design to sell it to the masses. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Redefining what a cheap smartphone can be  marked playing cards With the Moto X, Motorola proved a phone can be more than the sum of its parts. The Moto G proves the opposite. On paper it’s competitive with many $500 or $600 devices, and performance is stunning — unheard of at this price range. From afar its clean design begs to be picked up, but it doesn’t quite offer the same reassuring quality you’ll get from more expensive devices. It’s like walking around IKEA, lusting after beautifully designed furniture that looks just as good as the best Scandinavia has to offer, only to take home a creaky bookcase with a cheap veneer. It’s the lust for reasonably priced, beautiful things that keeps people coming back to IKEA, and that same ethos — aspirational yet affordable — makes the Moto G a winner.

At $179.99, it’s pitted against a sorry band of phones impossible to recommend to all but your most mortal enemies. The experience offered by Motorola here is almost incomparable to the Ashas, BlackBerrys, and Firefox OS phones out there. Bring Windows Phone into the equation and it’s admittedly a slightly different story, as Microsoft and Nokia have worked hard — far harder than Google — to make sure Windows Phone runs smoothly on low-end devices.

There’s something reassuring about Nokia’s dense little Lumia 520, and if build quality is more important to you than performance and apps, Nokia’s handset is worth a look. To me, though, the 520 just isn’t in the same league. It’s a little sad that, at this price range, users will have to choose between top-notch build quality and raw speed, with the combination of both saved for ultra-expensive smartphones like the iPhone 5S, HTC One, and Lumia 1020. 

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The Moto G is a very solid phone. All of its issues, like the somewhat shoddy casing, a mediocre camera, and limited on-board storage, can and will be overlooked at this price. For years, Samsung, LG, HTC, and other Android manufacturers have generally been putting a $200 price tag on junk like the pitiful Galaxy Fame. Yes, compromises have been made to get the Moto G down to $179.99, and I’d like to see a manufacturer put a half-decent camera on a cheap phone. But this phone truly redefines what a low-end smartphone can be, and is the best attempt yet to turn “the next billion” into smartphone users.