Moto G4 vs. Moto G4 Play vs. Moto G4 Plus — Which one is right for you?

Specs

	Moto G4	Moto G4 Play	Moto G4 Plus
Dimensions	153 x 76.6 x 7.9-9.8 mm (6.02 x 3.01 x 0.31-0.38 in)	144.4 x 72 x 8.95-9.9mm (5.69 x 2.83 x 0.35-0.39 in)	153 x 76.6 x 9.8 mm (6.02 x 3.02 x 0.39 in)
Weight	5.47 ounces	4.83 ounces	5.47 ounces
Screen	5.5-inch	5.0-inch	5.5-inch
Resolution	1,080 x 1,920, 401ppi	720 x 1,280, 294ppi	1,080 x 1,920, 401ppi
Storage	16/32GB	16GB	16/32/64GB
SD Card Slot	Yes	Yes	Yes
NFC Support	No	No	No
Processor	1.5GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 617	1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410	1.5GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 617
RAM	2GB	2GB	2/3/4GB
Connectivity	Wi-Fi, GSM, CDMA, HSPA+, EVDO, LTE	Wi-Fi, GSM, CDMA, HSPA+, EVDO, LTE	Wi-Fi, GSM, CDMA, HSPA+, EVDO, LTE
Camera	Front 5MP, Rear 13MP	Front 5MP, Rear 8MP	Front 5MP, Rear 16MP
Video	1,080p	1,080p	1,080p
Bluetooth	Yes, version 4.1	Yes, version 4.1	Yes, version 4.1
Fingerprint Sensor	No	No	Yes
Water Resistance	No	No	No
Battery	3,000mAh	2,800mAh	3,000mAh
Charger	Micro USB	Micro USB	Micro USB
Quick Charging	Yes	Yes	Yes
Wireless Charging	No	No	No
Color Options	TBD	TBD	TBD
Availability	TBD – Motorola	TBD – Motorola	TBD – Motorola
DT Review	TBD	TBD	TBD

Storage and power

Let’s get one thing out of the way — the Moto G4 Plus is the “best” phone on the list. There’s no question about it. Lenovo is obviously attempting to offer a Moto G at multiple price ranges, and the best of the bunch is a pretty good smartphone.

As far as storage goes, we can see a clear progression from the Moto G4 Play to the Moto G4 Plus. The Moto G4 Play offers a meager 16GB of storage, which really isn’t enough for those who aren’t heavily invested in cloud services. That being the case, the Moto G4 Play isn’t right for you if you want space for music and video storage. The Moto G4 Plus, on the other hand, is available in either a 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB configuration, meaning it’s perfect for those who want to be able to download a good deal of content. RAM is just as variable. Both the standard Moto G4 and the Moto G4 Play offer 2GB of RAM. To be clear, 2GB isn’t a horrible amount, especially for a budget device. The fact that the Moto G4 Plus goes up to 4GB, however, really brings it into flagship territory.

Let’s remember, however, that no device in the Moto G4 lineup is really intended to be a flagship device. The processor on the Moto G4 Plus is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 — a great processor, to be sure, but not flagship-level. The device can certainly handle a lot, but not everything. The standard Moto G4 utilizes the same processor, however the Moto G4 Play opts for a Snapdragon 410, which can handle even less. If you’re simply looking to make calls, browse social media, watch a few videos, and maybe read a Digital Trends article in Google Chrome, you’ll be fine with any of these phones. For the mobile gamer, however, either the Moto G4 or the Moto G4 Play would be a better choice.

Winner: Moto G4 Plus

Battery life and charging

Battery life looks to be an interesting aspect of the Moto G4 lineup. The Moto G4 and the Moto G4 Plus have the same battery capacity (3,000mAh) on paper, and that should play out as such in real-life, especially given their display is the same size and resolution. The Moto G4 Play, however, only packs a 2,800mAh battery. At first glance, you might think that this means that the device will exhibit shorter battery life, but in reality, it will likely tout a similar battery life to the Moto G4 and G4 Plus given its smaller display and lower resolution. All three of the devices also offer turbo-charging, so if you run out of juice before the day’s done, you should be able to plug it in for a few minutes to get a quick burst of power.

Winner: Tie

Camera

The camera junkies among us may want to stick to the higher-priced Moto G4. The Moto G4 Play probably won’t meet your needs with its 8-megapixel sensor, which is less than the 13-megapixel sensor on the Moto G (2015). The standard Moto G4 contains the same sensor, while the Moto G4 Plus brings things up to 16 megapixels. In this case, it’s really a case of you get what you pay for — the more you can spend, the better camera you’re going to get.

Winner: Moto G4 Plus

Display

As previously mentioned, the Moto G4 and the Moto G4 Plus offer the same display size and resolution. In fact, they venture into phablet territory, boasting 5.5-inch displays and 1,080p resolutions. Neither sports the 2K display found on most modern flagships, but they’re certainly not bad either. The Moto G4 Play, again, brings things down a little with a 720p display.

To be honest, it’s somewhat disappointing to still see a smartphone with 720p resolution, though, its understandable that Lenovo wanted to cut down on costs for the cheapest of the three devices.

Winner: Tie between the Moto G4 and G4 Plus

Design

As far as design goes, the three devices are very similar. In fact, the standard Moto G4 and the Moto G4 Play feature nearly the same design, with rounded edges and a more refined look than last year’s models. Only the Moto G4 Plus deviates from the design of the other two devices — although it merely looks like a larger version.

The big difference between the Moto G4 Plus and the Moto G4 is that the former includes a fingerprint scanner — a first for the Moto G4 lineup. Not even the Moto X has a fingerprint scanner! The fingerprint scanner on the front of the Moto G4 Plus does somewhat detract from the minimalistic look of the device, sure, but it’s a fair trade for enhanced security.

Winner: Moto G4 Plus

Software

There isn’t too much to say on the software front. All three devices run Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, and all three will likely get an update to Android N shortly after it’s made available. Motorola devices generally offer stock Android, and it seems as though that will continue under Lenovo’s guidance, at least in the near future. If Android as Google intended it and quick updates are your thing, any of these three devices is a good choice.

Winner: Tie

Price

The price for the three devices hasn’t yet been revealed, however, it’s likely that the standard Moto G4 will fall somewhat inline with the Moto G (2015), which starts at $180. The Moto G4 Plus will surely cost more than that, and the Moto G4 Play a little less.

Winner: TBD