We chanced upon the Motorola Moto G during our side trip in Singapore this week and got one for about Php9,000. Was surprised it turned out the unit was the dual-SIM version.
When the Moto G was announced in the US, it created a lot of buzz due to the customization option and the price of about $179 (8GB) and $199 (16GB). The idea seemed to have caught in the US but other countries that imported it like HK and Singapore only gets the basic black color.
While Google has also announced the Play Edition with Kitkat, the original Moto G already runs 4.3 with a guaranteed upgrade to Kitkat this January.
The unit that we bought in Singapore also happens to be the dual-SIM version which was launched in Australia and Malaysia barely a week ago. Fortunately, that’s also the version that we got.
Nonetheless, we were as excited to check out the device right out of the box. The unit came with a basic charger, USB charging cable, earphones and the unit in black version with 8GB internal storage.
The unit feels very solid on the hands, looks like it has a unibody design but the back cover can actually be removed to access the battery and the two (2) micro-SIm card slots. There’s no micro-SD card slot inside (we initially thought the other SIM card slot was a micro SD card slot).
The handset feels a bit thick on the side but since it has a curved back, the hold is comfortable and the grip is just right. The power button and the volume rocker is found ont he right side, the 3.5mm audio jack is at the top end and the microUSB port is at the bottom.
The back panel has a smooth matte finish, slightly curved towards the corners. The 5MP camera is right in the center with the LED flash just below it. The Motorola logo is further down while the speaker grills are on the left side of the camera.
To open up the cover, one needs a little bit of effort in prying open the gap along the sides. Again, there’s no microSD card slot here so if you have the 8GB version, you are stuck with very little room for installing apps and games.
The unit runs on Android 4.3 Jellybean out fo the box and Google/Motorola has promised a guaranteed upgrade to 4.4 Kitkat this month. It also uses the Vanilla UI with a few native apps pre-installed by Motorola.
Motorola Moto G XT1033 specs:
4.5-inch 720 x 1280 display, 329ppi
Qualcomm MSM8226 Snapdragon 400 1.2GHz quad-core CPU
Adreno 305 Graphics
1GB RAM
8GB, 16GB internal memory
3G/HSPA+, dual-SIM, dual-standby
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
FM Radio tuner
5 megapixel camera with LED flash
720p HD video
1.3MP front-facing camera
Android 4.3 Jellybean, upgradable to 4.4 KitKat
Li-Ion 2,070mAh battery
We ran a few tests and benchmarks and got these scores.
Moto G benchmark scores:
Quadrant Standard – 8,663
Antutu Benchmark – 17,366
Nenamark 2 – 58.0fps
Vellamo HTML 5 – 1,949
Vellamo Metal – 540
Sun Spider – 1,435.4ms
The numbers are actually pretty decent and, on average, is higher than the scores we’d see from Mediatek quad-core chips we’ve tested before.
The device is smooth and snappy, the display is bright and crisp, the body is comfortable and easy to hold. We also like the idea that it supports two SIM card at the same time. All that in under $200 and we’re sold.
Check back again in a week for our full review of the Moto G.
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metre9dmt says:
I was excited for the release of the Moto G dual-sim as everybody. Based from what I read, Moto G Dual Sim only comes with 8GB RAM. The most recent version is the Moto G LTE, is the same Moto G, but with LTE and micro-SD support, 8/16 GB RAM. Sana makinig na ang Lenovo and make this Moto G LTE 16 GB version available in the Philippines. Now Na!
Ralph says:
Sa dbgadgets.net po. 11,800 for the 16gb :)
Ralph says:
I bought this phone yesterday and damn! Sulit ang pera ko. Kaso walang usb cable ang nabili ko. Di ko lang alam kung meron ba talaga..
Mikeyboy says:
Where did you buy it and how much? Thanks
pytz says:
Gsto ko to..:)
say whut? says:
“The unit feels very solid on the hands, looks like it has a unibody design but the back cover can actually be removed to access the battery and the two (2) micro-SIm card slots.”
Ha? “UNI” body pero natatanggal yung back part? edi hindi na UNI yun? labo…
wew says:
“blah blah blah…….looks like…blah blah blah”……. “blah blah blah…….looks LIKE…blah blah blah”…”LOOKS LIKE”. basahin mo uli ung article, anlinaw oh.kaw ang malabo e.
anonymouse says:
Sir abe pwede bang malaman where exactly sa singapore mo nabili yung unit nato? Thanks!
bong2 says:
mag kano sir abe ang 16gb?? salamat?
Abe Olandres says:
Sim Lim Square
ian says:
Wait for ZenFone 5 and 6 =)
abuzalzal says:
Anlakas naman maka-patong ni KimStore…Online pa yan ha, walang lease at kung anu anong fee at ang binabayaran..Php10.5k?
mahal yata
If it’s Php9k sa Singapore it should be at least roughly Php9k din dito, this ain’t Europe!
kuya kim says:
Sa extortionist ba naman na presyo ng customs taxes dito eh nagtaka ka pa. Try mo bumili online galing sa ibang bansa; mura nga pero pag deliver, patay ka sa taxes! Na-trauma ako eh.
Abudakdak says:
Wag ka na magreklamo wala ka naman pambili ng gadgets. Tama na ung panonood mo lng ng unboxing videos sa youtube at pagbasa ng review. Ok?!
cgcastillo19 says:
Sir, sa anong shop sa singapore niyo nabili yung unit? Thanks.
jen says:
Meron yan sa kimstore, 8gb 10,400 ung price then ung 16gd ai 11,800
kiozera says:
meron din po kay hotgadgets 11,800 din po.
wew says:
wow.that price.
maide says:
Available na to sa kimstore amd widgetcity.. Dual sim version.. Search niyo nlng.. 11+k ata yung 16gb model
alan cuarto says:
tingnan ko to next week, dito ko now sa malaysia… pero parang makukulangan akp sa battery… ill just wait for the full review, how the battery performs…
Bong Nabogbog says:
bakit lagi late tayo sa mga cp at gadget release..pero sa news mabilis headline agad yung pagkabugbog sa akin.
Sam says:
Pakalbo ka muna baka matawa pa kami sayo. Korny mo!
JC Sales says:
nice ok to ha. budget phone ^_^
Alan Cuarto says:
sir.. this seems nice… im planning to buy a Lenovo P780 with a 4000mah battery.. but this one, i think is a great deal…pero ang battery nya na 2070, kaya ba 1 whole day niito?
Bong Navarro Jr. says:
I’m using a Lenovo P780 and battery life is 5/5 stars! but after reading this, I think I want to sell my phone and get a decent stock android like this one Motorola G
iniisip ko rin na great deal ito, kung lumabas ito dito sa Pinas with a Price Range of 9,000 di na ako mag dalawang isip at benta ko yung P780 ko