Moto G - 3 Generation

The smartphone industry has a specifications
problem and the tech press must share a large
part of the blame. We are living in a world
that's obsessed with octa-core processors, 13-
megapixel cameras, and gigabytes of RAM, but
we don't spend enough time talking about the
thing that really matters - how it feels to use a
phone on an everyday basis.
In a bizzaro alternate reality where the iPhone 6
launch happened in India and Apple hosted a
Q&A at the event, we bet the first question Tim
Cook would have been asked is how the
company expects to sell a flagship phone that's
"just" dual core with "only" 1GB of RAM.
Thankfully, most sensible people don't judge
the iPhone based only on its specifications -
Apple has never even officially acknowledged
half of them, unlike most other manufacturers
who alternate between talking about the "price
to specs ratio" and the "experience" depending
upon which device they are talking about and
whether they are the segment leader at that
point or playing catch-up.
However, when it comes to entry-level
smartphones, people rarely look beyond
specifications. There seems to be an
expectation that the customer in this segment
is someone who doesn't care about things like
stability and user experience, worrying only
about how good the phone's spec sheet looks.
That's not to say that specifications of a device
don't matter at all and can be completely
disregarded. For the longest time entry-level
smartphones came with sub-par hardware, so
now that you can get a sub-Rs. 10,000 ($170)
phone with specifications that were found on
flagship level smartphones not too long ago,
it's natural that people are excited.
This excitement, though, often tends to slip into
the territory of unhealthy obsessions, where
many have been happy to disregard the
unpredictability of the latest Mi, Yu, and other
self-proclaimed flagship killer only because
they pack premium specs - the actual everyday
experience of the end user be damned. At the
same time, smartphones that trade
specifications for a stable, if unglamorous, user
experience find few takers even within the tech
press. The flat response to last year's Android
One smartphones is perhaps the best example
of this phenomenon.
The rise of companies like Lenovo (which
incidentally now owns Motorola), Xiaomi, and
Micromax has been rightly hailed, but the fact
is that they have a long way to go in terms of
matching the stability of software that
companies like Apple , Motorola , HTC , and for
all its bloat even Samsung, consistently
manage to ship devices with. Some of these
upstarts use paying customers as beta testers,
saving money on actual testing, which allows
them to undercut the competition in terms of
price. Suddenly, devices by companies that
follow a more traditional approach and respect
their users' time and money start looking
expensive in comparison.
Which brings us to the Moto G 3rd gen . The
smartphone boasts of relatively modest
specifications when compared to the likes of
the Lenovo K3 Note and Xiaomi Mi 4i , but
packs in other goodies like water resistance
that can potentially be a lifesaver (the phone's
life) and a software experience that's extremely
stable compared to some of the other
smartphones at this price point. We used the
Moto G 3rd gen as our primary smartphone for
the best part of one week and found it to be a
reliable companion. Let's look at the various
aspects of the phone in detail.
Design and display
The Moto G 3rd gen has a design that's
quintessential Motorola, but it still has a unique
touch. While the smartphone doesn't exactly
stand out from the crowd in terms of looks, the
in-hand feel is really good and wouldn't be out
of place on a more expensive device. The
textured back strikes the right balance between
design and functionality - it looks good and
provides enough friction to offer a secure grip,
without being rough like the finishes we've seen
on some other smartphones.
The back of the Moto G 3rd gen is removable
but the battery is sealed off to allow for the
IPX7 water resistance, probably the standout
feature of the device considering its price
point. If you are spending your hard-earned
money and buying a smartphone, picking one
that can stay safe in the rain and survive
accidental spills, over one that has a full-HD
display or an octa-core processor is a good
trade off to make in our book. Motorola claims
the Moto G 3rd gen can survive underwater at a
depth of 3 metres for up to 30 minutes, which
sounds like enough of a safety net for most
day-to-day usage scenarios - just don't go
swimming in the deep end with this
smartphone in your pocket.
In the time that we spent with Moto G 3rd gen
we kept thinking the phone was 'tiny' and had
to remind ourselves we were actually using a
device with a 5-inch display. That's as much a
testament to our familiarity with large screens
as it is to the excellent screen-to-body ratio of
the Moto G 3rd gen. Motorola has retailed the
720p display on the new Moto G, which means
it is not sharp as some of the other
smartphones we've seen in this price bracket.
You are unlikely to look at the screen and go
"wow", but it doesn't suffer from any pixelation.
The display, which comes with Corning Gorilla
Glass 3 protection, has decent viewing angles
and we didn't experience any problems in
terms of legibility outdoors under bright
sunlight.
Software, performance, and battery life
The Moto G 3rd gen runs near-stock Android
5.1.1, which means that it scores over its rivals
in terms of day-to-day performance. While
some love octa-core processors, we prefer a
stable, non buggy experience, even if it's
running on relatively modest hardware. The
likes of Lenovo and Xiaomi, as well as Indian
brands such as Micromax's Yu have often
traded specifications for the sake of
experience, but that's something that you can't
accuse Motorola of doing.
Admittedly the company has played it safe by
sticking to near-stock Android, but if that's
something that people are happy with, why
change a winning formula? This stock Android
connection has allowed the company to ship
OS updates faster than Google's own Nexus
devices get them, so if you value always being
on the latest Android version, you have another
reason to purchase a Motorola smartphone like
the Moto G 3rd gen.
The Moto G 3rd gen comes with the Moto
Display feature earlier seen on the Moto X
(Gen. 2) , which means you can see the time
and other notifications on the lock screen
without waking the phone up. The smartphone
detects when you pick it up and automatically
shows this information without you having to
do anything, which is a nice touch. However, it
can be a little overenthusiastic at times, as we
noticed every little bump in the road kicked off
Moto Display when the Moto G 3rd gen was
lying on its back on the passenger seat while
we were driving.
We tested the 2GB RAM/ 16GB storage model
(Rs. 12,999), and given the fact there's a
difference of only Rs. 1,000 between the two
variants, we have to question why the lower-
end (1GB RAM/ 8GB storage) model exists at
all, and if it will find any takers. Our strong
recommendation is that you get the higher end
version. The Moto G 3rd gen comes with 4G
support on both SIMs, and we enjoyed high-
speed data connectivity on Airtel's 4G network.
Call quality and performance of the loudspeaker
were satisfactory.
We didn't experience any performance issues
even when playing games such as Asphalt 8,
and the phone didn't heat up during extended
gaming sessions. However, we could feel the
screen warm up a bit when using 3G for
extended periods under the sun and this could
be a problem for some. The phone's settings
suggest USB OTG support, but we couldn't get
our drive to work with the Moto G 3rd gen .
( Update 2nd August 2015 : We tried to use the
same drive once again with the same Moto G
unit and this time it worked just fine, so make
what you will of this. It's also worth pointing
out that we haven't noted any issues with the
drive itself.)
The Moto G 3rd gen also supports quick
gestures to switch on the flashlight (shake the
phone twice) or open the camera app (twist
your wrist twice while holding the phone), which
some might find useful.
In terms of battery life, we got 10 hours and 46
minutes of continuous SD video playback,
which is about average for a phone powered by
a Snapdragon 410 SoC. While a single charge
of the Moto G 3rd gen might not get you
through a heavy day of usage if you are largely
outdoors on 3G or 4G networks, you should be
able to get through a day without much
problem if you connect to Wi-Fi networks at
home and at work, with cellular data used only
when you are commuting.
Camera
The Camera app that ships with the Moto G 3rd
gen is in autofocus mode by default, which
means you take pictures by tapping the screen.
You can go to the app's settings and switch on
the focus and exposure controls, and a reticule
comes up on screen that you can slide around
to focus on particular objects. There's also a
dial that you can use to adjust exposure
settings. This is a welcome addition, but it's
not as intuitive as the usual tap-to-focus
convention (admittedly you can use a third-
party app if that's what you prefer). The app
also has an HDR mode, though you can't use it
in combination with the focus and exposure
controls.
In terms of image quality, the Moto G 3rd gen
captures good detail outdoors and in well-lit
conditions. However, the low-light performance
could have been better. The front camera is
more than adequate to keep the selfie-
obsessed happy.
The Moto G 3rd gen can record full-HD videos
and slow-motion videos at 720p. In terms of
quality, the regular videos look fine but the
slow-motion ones seem a little grainy even
when shot in daylight.
Verdict
If you are buying a smartphone to impress
others, the Moto G 3rd gen probably isn't for
you because there are no standout
specifications to boast about. Having said that,
casually dunking your phone in a glass of water
while talking to your friends would be sure to
catch their attention. On a serious note, though,
we are happy to see water resistance make an
appearance at this price point, and it's about
time this feature became standard across all
smartphones.
That's not the only reason we recommend you
get the Moto G 3rd gen - while the camera and
battery performance are indeed at an
acceptable level, we particularly liked the
overall stability and experience that the
smartphone offers; something we believe users
at every price point deserve.

Asus ZenFone 2

Specification

ZE551ML

Processor 64-bit Intel Atom Z3560/Z3580
Quad Core Processor (Running
at 1.8/2.3GHz) PowerVR Series
6 - G6430, with OpenGL 3.0
support

Operating
System
Brand-new ASUS ZenUI with
Android 5.0 Lollipop

Memory LPDDR3 2GB/4GB RAM/Micro
SD card support, up to 64GB

Storage 16GB/32GB/64GB eMMC ASUS
WebStorage 5GB (lifetime)

Display 5.5-inch, 1920 x 1080 (Full HD),
403ppi IPS display/400nits
brightness/ Corning® Gorilla®
Glass 3

PixelMaster
Cameras
Front: 5MP, f/2.0-aperture, wide-
angle (85-degree) lens with
Selfie Panorama
Rear: 13MP, f/2.0-aperture, 5-
element, auto-focus lens with
dual-color Real Tone flash
PixelMaster features: Low Light
mode / Backlight (HDR) mode /
Enhanced Beautification mode /
Manual mode / Zero shutter lag

Network LTE speed: Category 4
maximum: 150Mbit/s / DL:
50Mbit/s
4G band: FDD LTE:
1/2/3/4/5/7/8/9/17/18/19/20/28/29
TDD LTE: 38/39/40/41(Network
support varies by country)

Battery 3000mAh lithium-polymer, Fast-
charging technology

Sensor Accelerometer, proximity,
ambient-light, gyroscopic, digital
compass and Hall-effect sensors

Navigation GPS / A-GPS / GLONASS

Wireless 802.11ac, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth
4.0, NFC

Ports 3.5mm audio jack, dual micro-
SIM, micro USB (support OTG)

Color Glacier Gray / Osmium Black /
Glamour Red / Ceramic White /
Sheer Gold

Dimensions 152.5 x 77.2 x 10.9 ~ 3.9 mm

Weight 170g

Motorola Moto G 4G (2015) Launch Brazil With Android Lollipop

When Motorola launched the original Moto G, the
company tried to make the device as low-cost as
possible while still offering enough performance and
features that appeal to customers in emerging
markets. LTE chips still add significant cost to a
device, so early on, Motorola decided to put a 3G
modem inside the Moto G. However, due to high
demand for LTE support, Motorola later went back on
its decision and launched a more expensive LTE
version a few months later.
Motorola launched the 2nd-generation Moto G last
fall, and now the company is launching a 4G LTE
version, as well. As expected, the device doesn't
come with major changes other than LTE support,
although it does get a much-needed increase in
battery size. The new Moto G 4G gets a 2,390 mAh
battery, compared to the original Moto G 2nd gen,
which had the same 2070 mAh battery as the smaller
1st-gen Moto G.

Adding a bigger screen but keeping the battery size
the same has led to criticism of the Moto G 2nd gen,
and that's likely the reason for the change. Motorola
didn't put a bigger battery in the first Moto G 4G, so
LTE must not have a significant impact on battery life
compared to 3G on that device.
The other specs for the Moto G 4G (2015) are the
same as for the Moto G 2nd-gen. It has a 5-inch
720p screen, quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex A7 CPU from
Qualcomm (the Snapdragon 400 -- still no Cortex
A53-based Snapdragon 410, unfortunately), 1 GB of
RAM, microSD support, 8MP rear camera, 2MP front-
camera, FM radio and dual-SIM support. There won't
be an 8 GB version, so the device comes with 16 GB
by default. The phone will run Android 5.0.2 out of
the box, which should make potential customers
happy. (Motorola has already started updating older
Moto Gs to Lollipop, so it wouldn't have made much
sense to release the latest model with KitKat,
anyway.
The Moto G 4G has only started selling in Brazil so
far, on Motorola's local website, for a price of R$
899, which is $336 USD. That's significantly more
than a regular Moto G 2nd gen, although that price
includes the upgrade to LTE, more storage, a larger
battery and VAT and high Brazil tax imports.
Despite higher prices than in the U.S. or even Europe,
previous Moto G models have been popular with
Brazilians because they are still great, relatively low-
cost options. Motorola hasn't said yet when the Moto
G 4G will be available in other countries, but we don't
anticipate that it will be much longer.

Nokia launches N1 Android Tablet running Lollipop

In a rather surprising move, Nokia has launched a new
Android tablet. Called the Nokia N1 , the device is 7.9-inch
tablet running Android 5.0 Lollipop and Nokia Z Launcher on
top.
Here are the complete specs of the device:
7.9-inch, 2048x1536 (4:3) IPS LCD with Gorilla Glass 3 and
fully laminated zero air gap display
64-bit 2.3GHz Intel Atom Z3580 processor, PowerVR G6430
GPU with 2GB RAM
32GB built-in memory (non-expandable)
8 megapixel rear camera, 5 megapixel front camera
Dual channel 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi with MIMO, Bluetooth
4.0
The Nokia N1 will be launched in China first in Q1 2015 for
an estimated price of $249 (without taxes) and in other
markets at a later date.

Micro-USB 2.0 with a Type-C reversible connector
Stereo speakers
5300mAh battery
Unibody aluminum design; available in Natural Aluminum or
Lava Gray colors

Technical details

Height
200.7mm
Width
138.6 mm
Depth
6.9 mm
Body
One-piece design
Aluminum with surface anodization
Display
7.9 inch (4:3)
2048x1536 resolution
Gorilla® glass 3
IPS panel with LED backlight
Fully laminated zero air-gap display
Chip
Intel® 64-bit Atom™ Processor Z3580, 2.3 GHz
Memory
LPDDR3 (800 MHz), 2 GB
Audio
High Quality Discrete Audio Codec, Wolfson
WM8958E, independent audio codec
Speakers
Two 0.5 W stereo speakers
90 dB with less than 10% total harmonic distortion
(THD)
Microphone
Digital MIC Cavity resonance frequency more than 20
KHz

Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 – Best Features

Samsung Galaxy Grand 2, the second
device in Samsung’s hugely popular
Grand series, was released in
December 2013. I wrote a post about it
then describing Grand 2’s main
features and specifications. But this
post is going to be about Grand 2 also.
I recently got the chance to try out
Grand 2 over a period of several days.
And as my familiarity with this device
increased, so did my appreciation of it.
Galaxy Grand 2 is a big screen phone,
possessing many of the features found
in Samsung’s flagship phones. But
Grand 2 makes these features
available at much less the price of
phones like Galaxy S4 or Note 3. And
as long as you don’t put it side by side
with such high-end phones, it is
capable enough of giving the users the
feel of using a premium device.
So, here are some of the things that
especially delighted me in Grand 2:
Display: Grand 2 has a big 5.25” HD
(1280×720) TFT display . That is, it
has a big, bright display which can
make reading, browsing net, using
social networking sites, watching
videos easier and more fun. When you
compare the display of Grand 2 with
high-end devices like S3, S4 etc, you
will sure notice a difference. The
colours of the more expensive devices
will look brighter and the pictures
crispier and with better contrast. But
by itself, Grand 2’s display is quite a
pleasure.
Performance: Grand 2 has Quad Core
1.2GHz processor, 1.5GB (RAM) and
Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) . And these
specifications ensure that the
functioning of Grand 2 is smooth and
stable. In the ten days that I used this
device, it never once suffered a lag or
hang up. I found its operation swift and
smooth, even while multi-functioning.
Multi-Window: Grand 2 is capable
of multi-functioning through features
like multi window and pop up player.
Using multi window, the user can
easily operate two apps together. The
feature also includes easy drag and
drop capability which allows for
content to be copied and pasted from
one app to another by easy drag and
drop. The pop up player allows the
users to continue watching the video
even while using other apps like
Messages, internet browser etc.
Keyboard: I liked the keyboard of
Grand 2 a lot too. It has continuous
input, that is, words can be typed just
by sweeping the finger from one letter
to the other. What I liked best about
the keyboard is that the numbers are
displayed above the letters. So there’s
no need to keep on shifting between
letters and numbers while typing. I
didn’t have any problem with the word
prediction either.
Easy Home: Grand 2 has
Samsung’s TouchWiz launcher, of
course, both in general mode and easy
mode. I didn’t notice many differences
in the general mode. But there’s a
whole lot of difference in the easy
mode. I actually liked the simple look
of the Easy Mode in Grand 2! One
might even use it just for the sake of
variety!
Camera: Grand 2 has 8MP (HD) rear
camera with AF + LED Flash.  Front
camera is 1.9MP (HD) . Camera modes
include Best Face, Best Photo,
Continuous Shot, Sports Dual Shot,
Shake Detection . It has full HD video
recording capability. The video
recording also allows the recording to
be paused, and then resumed. There
are no special effects, however, in the
camera. The camera can be controlled
using voice commands.
Lockscreen: The Lockscreen of Grand
2 has several customization options.
The clock on lockscreen has three size
variations. Several other lockscreen
widgets can be added to operate
several functions right from the
lockscreen. The screen on the right
side of the default lockscreen is
reserved for just two widgets. One is
the Camera widget which switches the
camera On right from the lockscreen.
The other is Favourite Apps widgets on
which shortcuts to favourite apps can
be added. Only one of these two
widgets can be used at a time. Several
other app shortcuts can also be added
to the dock of the lockscreen. Also,
Grand 2 has two different unlock
effects – the ripple effect and the light
effect.
One handed Operation: Samsung
Galaxy Grand 2 is a big screen phone.
Using such a big touch screen may not
be very easy for everyone. To make it
easy, Grand 2 has the option to switch
to the one-handed operation by
reducing the size of the dial pad,
keyboard and even other screens. The
position of these can be switched to
left or right easily.
Voice Commands: Several functions
can be carried out using just the voice
commands. Four Wake Up commands
can be set up to access different apps
of the phone. S Voice can be used to
perform Search, set up Alarms, check
weather etc. Also, using voice
commands, one can control camera,
music player, radio, alarm etc.
Safety Assistance: Another feature
that I really liked is called Safety
Assistance. This feature can prove
really helpful in case of an emergency
situation. Safety Assistance can be
triggered by pressing the volume up
and down key for three, four seconds.
When triggered, it sends emergency
message, along with location details,
to pre-selected contacts. It also has
an option to send the pictures of the
surrounding. These pictures are
automatically clicked using both the
front and back camera.
My Magazine: Just sweep upwards
from the bottom of the Home Screen
and it will load up My Magazine. My
Magazine makes available three kinds
of content in one place. Using just this
one feature, users can read news
items, view content from their social
networking sites, and content stored
on the phone like their pictures etc.
Using the shortcuts available within My
Magazine, one can also access
Dialers, Messages, Camera etc. This is
one feature that I really like and wish it
was available on my phone.
Overall, I quite like Samsung Galaxy
Grand 2. With moderate usage, its
battery lasted for two days. I found the
functioning swift and smooth. It is
loaded with many great features. Over
all, for smartphone costing about
twenty thousand rupees, it has a lot to
offer.

Lenovo Vibe X2

Lenovo brought so many new devices at CES - phones, a
wrist band, tablets and laptops, and we are still digging
through the press releases just to be sure we didn't miss
anything. Of course, we will be focusing on the phones and
their accessories, but if you want to learn more about those
new cool Yogas and ThinkPads, among others, just head
over to our blog.
Lenovo Vibe X2 Pro and Lenovo P90 are the two new
smartphones introduced at CES. The Lenovo Vibe X2 Pro
keeps the cool tri-layered design, but gets a 64-bit octa-core
CPU and a better high-res selfie camera with cool external
flash (sold separately).
Lenovo P90 focuses on the camera department with a
13MP sensor with optical image stabilization and dual-tone
LED flash. The snappy Intel Atom Z3560 chipset should
offer great performance, especially with the blazing-fast
PowerVR G6430 GPU. The 4,000mAh battery should be
quite a thing, as well.
Finally, the Lenovo Vibe Band VB10 fitness accessory for
your wrist, should be an excellent companion for your
Android or iOS smartphone. It uses an e-Ink display, it's
water-proof and its battery will last you about 7 days with
the screen always turned on. How about that!

Samsung Galaxy Grand 2

♢ Key Specifications
5.25-inch TFT Touchscreen
Wi-Fi Enabled
1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon Quad Core Processor
8 MP Primary Camera
Android v4.3 (Jelly Bean) OS
Expandable Storage Capacity of 64 GB
1.9 MP HD Secondary Camera
Dual Sim (GSM+ GSM)

♢ Specification

GENERAL FEATURES
Brand Samsung
Handset Color Neon Blue
Form Bar
Call Features Loudspeaker
Touch Screen Yes
SIM Type Dual Sim, GSM + GSM
Model ID Galaxy Grand 2
Camera
Secondary
Camera Yes, 1.9 Megapixel
Flash LED
Other Camera
Features Auto Focus
Primary
Camera Yes, 8 Megapixel
Multimedia
Video Player
Yes, Supports FLAC, MP3, AMR, WMA,
Vorbis, AAC, VC-1, Sorenson Spark,
MPEG-4, H.264, VP8, H.263, WMV 7 /
8, MP43
Music Player No, Supports Yes
FM with Recording
Internet & Connectivity
WAP 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
Audio Jack 3.5 mm
Preinstalled
Browser Android
Bluetooth Yes, v4
Navigation
Technology A-GPS, GLONASS, with Google Maps
Internet
Features Email
Wifi Yes, 802.11 a/b/g/n
GPRS Yes
EDGE Yes
USB
Connectivity Yes, micro USB, v2
3G Yes, 21 Mbps HSDPA
Other Features
Phone Book
Memory Yes
Call Memory Yes
SMS Memory Yes
Important Apps
Chat ON, Google Plus, Hangouts, Club
Samsung, My Magazine, Story Album,
Samsung Hub, Kies
Additional
Features
Games, Multitasking, Multi Window,
Books Reading
Display
Resolution HD, 1280 x 720 Pixels
Type TFT
Size 5.25 Inches
Dimensions
Size 75.3x146.8x8.9 mm
Warranty
Warranty
Summary
1 year manufacturer warranty for
Phone and 6 months warranty for in
the box accessories
Battery
Type 2600 mAh
Memory and Storage
Expandable
Memory microSD, upto 64 GB
Memory 1.5 GB RAM
Internal 8 GB
Platform
Operating Freq GSM - 900, 1800, 1900; UMTS - 2100
User Interface TouchWiz
OS Android v4.3 (Jelly Bean)
Processor 1.2 GHz + Qualcomm Snapdragon,
Quad Core

Sony Xperia Z4 Ultra and Z4 Compact

PhoneArena has reported that Sony will unveil an Xperia
Z4 Ultra alongside the new flagship Z4. The Ultra will
sport a much larger 5.9-inch Triluminos screen, but
have the same Snapdragon 805 processor and 4GB of
RAM as the Z4. Surprisingly, the Ultra is said to have a
16-megapixel camera with dual LED flash, instead of
the super high-resolution 20.7-megapixel sensor
expected on the Z4. Sony may also shave the Ultra’s
width down to a very slim 5.7-millimeters to make up
for its big screen size.
A later leak from Android Origin stated that the Z4 Ultra
will sport a massive 6.44-inch, Quad-HD resolution
screen. Unlike earlier rumors, this report hints that
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 processor and 3GB of
RAM will power the Z4 Ultra. Otherwise, the
specification speculations are the same. The publication
does throw in a new rumor about battery size,
estimating that it will fall between 3,500 and 4,000mAh.
A rumored Xperia Z4 Compact may join the Z4 and Z4
Ultra. Supposedly, it will be powered by Qualcomm’s
Snapdragon 810 processor and sport 3GB of RAM.
Android Origin also suggests it will have 32GB of
storage, a 20.7-megapixel camera, a 5-megapixel front-
facing camera with 1080p video recording, as well as
IP68 dust and water resistance. NFC and wireless
charging support for the 3,000mAh battery are also
possible. In other words, the Z4 Compact will be just as
powerful as the standard Z4, but with a smaller, 4.7-
inch 1080p screen.