Motorola Rolls Out A Trio Of Updated Smartphones: Moto G, Moto X Style & Moto X Play

The development of a third-gen Moto G and Moto X was a secret to no one, but I’m not sure anyone unrelated to Motorola realized that they’d be landing so soon. In fact, the timing is quite convenient on account of OnePlus having announced its much-hyped OnePlus 2 just last night.

Also surprising is the fact that we’re dealing with three models, not two. At the top is the Moto X Style, and below it, the Moto X Play. Continuing tradition, the new Moto G sits right below the Moto X line.

Let’s start from the bottom. The third-gen Moto G has two variants; the first of which costs $179 and includes 8GB of storage and 1GB of RAM. The beefier model bumps the storage to 16GB and RAM to 2GB, but I’m unable to find a price. Key specs include a 5-inch display with 1280×720 resolution (294 ppi), a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 quad-core (1.4GHz) with Adreno 306 graphics, a 2,470mAh battery, 13 megapixel camera at the back, a 5 megapixel one up front, and 802.11n Wi-Fi. An omission that continues from the first- and second-gen Moto G is NFC.

At the top of the pile, and priced at $399, is the Moto X Style, or “Pure Edition” in the US. This phone features a large 5.7-inch screen boasting a 1440p resolution (520ppi), Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 808 (1.8GHz) CPU with Adreno 418 GPU, 3GB of RAM, 16~64GB of storage, a 3,000mAh battery, a mammoth 21 megapixel rear camera and 5 megapixel front, NFC, 4K video capture (30 FPS), and 802.11ac Wi-Fi. Part of what makes this model “Pure” is the fact that it comes unlocked – always a great perk.

The Moto X Play is a bit of an interesting specimen, as it’s not going to be available in the US. Instead, it’ll be available to their neighbor up north, as well as select European countries. It’s similar to the Style/Pure edition, but scales things down a wee bit. The SoC feature a Snapdragon 615 CPU (1.7GHz) and Adreno 405 GPU, and scaling-down from the Style, it features “only” 2GB of RAM (I use quotes because 2GB is plenty for most). Other things knocked down a peg include the display, which is 5.5-inch / 1080p, the video capture capabilities (no 4K), and the Wi-Fi, which is 802.11n. The beefy 21 megapixel camera at the back remains.

Impressively, the Play has the largest battery of all three, coming in at 3,630mAh. I guess that’s where the “play” comes in; you’re free to play outdoors, keeping away from a charger longer than you normally would.

Overall, quite a nice out-of-nowhere launch from Motorola. While it’s a pity the Moto X Play won’t make it to the US, the other options look extremely competitive in their respective price ranges.