YugaTech Asks: Moto G or high end local smartphones?

The Motorola Moto G is yet to arrive here in the Philippines, and surely a lot of people are waiting for it – mainly because of its high-end internals paired with the affordable price tag of just $179PHP 10,505INR 15,170EUR 170CNY 1,303 to $199PHP 11,678INR 16,865EUR 190CNY 1,448. We managed to nab one in Singapore for just Php9,000USD 153INR 13,001EUR 146CNY 1,117, a price that is a lot lower than the prices of the local brands’ flagship phones – usually slightly above the Php10k mark (first impressions here).

MOTO G LOCAL

Local flagship phones on the other hand are spec monsters. They come at prices up to Php13,000USD 222INR 18,780EUR 211CNY 1,613 and they pack 1080p displays, 18 megapixel rear cameras & 8 megapixel front-facing cameras, quad-core CPUs to octa-core ones and they have attracted quite a number of loyal fans. However, there are certainly a lot of people not ready to jump into the local smartphone bandwagon.

Since the Moto G has a similar price point with the Nexus 7 (not to mention they’re both Google products), then it might be safe to assume that when it arrives here, it’s going to be at most Php13,000USD 222INR 18,780EUR 211CNY 1,613 also for the 16GB variant. That one packs a 720p display, a Snapdragon 400 CPU, 1GB RAM, the latest version of Android, a 5MP camera and a good 2,070mAh battery. Hypothetically, if you get a local flagship phone, you’re getting a 1080p display, an octa-core MediaTek CPU, 2GB RAM, 18MP+8MP shooters, a decent battery & a slightly outdated version of Android.

That leaves us with a question. YugaTech asks – if you had Php13k in hand only for a brand new smartphone, which one would you get?

Bob Freking

Bob Freking occasionally contributes articles to the website. He is a UST Graduate of Commerce & Business Administration, Major in Marketing Management, and a full-time Sith Lord with three dragons.

65 Comments

abuzalzal says:

11 years ago

None of the above.

I’d rather buy a CM Life (Php 3k) + Nexus 7 (11k)

Talking about getting the most out of your hard earned cash
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titi says:

11 years ago

titi mo tangina ka.

bawat device na nirereview dito kung laitin mo ganun ganun na lang e sa cherry mobile pala bagsak mo.

dami mong katangahan sa katawan.

Arjay T. says:

11 years ago

Im a battery conscious user that why I still use and prefers Lenovo P770 and Lenovo P780 for my business phones.

I can go on to a 2-3 days out of town business trip without the need to find a spot to charge my phone.
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RJ says:

11 years ago

I’d rather buy Moto G! Kahit may Nexus 5 na ako. Hahaha! :D
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ra says:

11 years ago

be2nta mo b nexus 5 mo kung ganun? haha :3
on-topic: probably get the thl t100 or diamond x1, for the sake of the octa-core cpu thingy. ma-test lang performance kumbaga haha :D
RJ says:

11 years ago

ay hindi ko ibebenta yung Nexus 5 ko. Gustung-gusto ko yun e. Bale yung Moto G backup/second phone ko lang. ;) Hahaha

Joey G says:

11 years ago

Been wanting to try a local smartphone but question the build quality. Another thing, is it easy to upgrade to the latest Android OS if you buy a local smartphone? Will it be pushed to you? Do a lot of local smartphones have a skin above stock Android?
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yui says:

11 years ago

a straight no, it’s tough to find custom roms for MediaTek processors, (unless there are other ways to get updates from android that I haven’t heard of).

evollove says:

11 years ago

Since the Moto G doesn’t have LTE, I think I’ll go with a local gadget. Just not the ones currently out. When and if Motorola makes the G locally available, that’s when I’d get a local phone. Who knows, 2-3 months from now we’ll see a decent local flagship. As long as CM keeps saturating the market with decently specced phones, there ought to be a diamond in the rough amongst them.
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hellomoto says:

11 years ago

Moto G FTW!
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Easy E says:

11 years ago

I’ll go for Moto G. trust issues. hehe
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Benchmark says:

11 years ago

I will go for moto g…to my opinion, para kasing sirain yung mga local phones na pumapasok dito…chambahan ba kung baga (not all naman ganun). Plus some bad after sales (base sa mga complaints ng iba).

After all, kung text, call, little games and surfing lng naman ang ginagawa, whats the specs for di ba? Well idea ko lang yun.
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Justin says:

11 years ago

Hmm… “yung mga local phones na pumapasok dito”… bakit? Saan ba sila nanggaling?
benchmark says:

11 years ago

most of them are re-branded phones from china.

cyanide_juice says:

11 years ago

Moto G hands down to compliment my OT Idol. 13K (give or take) for a device with 16GB, 2,070mAh battery and with Google written all over it is more than enough reason to choose the G over some of the local brands with the same specifications and price tag. Sana nga lang 2GB yung RAM :)
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jabroni says:

11 years ago

with 13k ..ill rather get a sony xperia sp (from an online store) …established brand+good quality+LTE+good after sales support+kitkat update(though still in plan)

but to the question b/w moto g or local handset,ill get moto g bec of same reasons ill get an xperia sp (except for LTE of course)
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eric says:

11 years ago

my thoughts too.
mak says:

11 years ago

Same here bro. If 13k yung budget. Xperia SP na lang kukunin ko. LTE and better camera and expendable memory.
Some chap says:

11 years ago

@jabroni

You’ll trade a critically acclaimed Php9k to Php10k quad core phone for a middle-of-the-road Php12k dual core phone? Sure, it has LTE, but it’s not like LTE here is that good anyway.

If you really want a good phone with LTE, go for the LG Optimus G (E975) instead. It has a quad core 1.5GHz CPU, has 2GB of RAM, has LTE, and is selling for Php14k.
evollove says:

11 years ago

I’m pretty sure that Snapdragon dual-core on the SP can smoke a Mediatek quad any day of the week. But I do agree with the Optimus G suggestion. It’s a better buy than the SP IMO.
Some chap says:

11 years ago

@evollove

The critically acclaimed Php9k smartphone I was referring to was the Moto G, not a local Mediatek-powered local device. You’re preaching to the choir. ;)