Motorola Moto G4 vs Moto G4 Plus vs Moto G3: What’s the difference?

The king of budget smartphones – the Moto G – has been updated, again. There isn’t just one model marking the fourth generation of the handset though, instead Lenovo-owned Motorola announced two – the Moto G4 and the Moto G4 Plus.

The Moto G has come a long way since it originally launched at the end of 2013 in terms of design, but each succeeding model has continued to offer excellent value for money.

The question is, will the new Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus also do this and what do they bring to the Moto G table? We have put the new 2016 Moto G models up against the third generation of Moto G from 2015 to see what the differences and similarities are. Here’s how they compare.

Motorola Moto G4 vs Moto G4 Plus vs Moto G3: Design

The Motorola Moto G (2015) measures 142.1 x 72.4 x 11.6mm and weighs 155g. It features a plastic interchangeable rear with a camera lens and the signature indented “M” symbol centralised and joined together with a metal bar.

The front has speakers above and below the display, both of which have metal detailing. The Moto G third generation is also IPX7 certified meaning water resistance up to one metre for 30 minutes.

The measurements and weight for the Moto G4 have yet to be detailed, but the Moto G4 Plus measures 153 x 76.6mm with a curve from 7.9 to 9.8mm so the G4 is likely to be the same or very similar. The G4 Plus weighs 155g, like the third generation so we’d expect the same for the G4.

The new models also see more refinements in design with the rear metal bar on the rear reduced to just house the camera lens and flash, while the signature “M” sitting below. On the front, you’ll find just one speaker at the top of the display. The Moto G4 Plus features a fingerprint sensor within a square button below the display, while the standard Moto G4 offers capacitive buttons only below the display.

Motorola Moto G4 vs Moto G4 Plus vs Moto G3: Display

The Motorola Moto G third generation has a 5-inch LCD display offering a 1280 x 720 pixel resolution for a pixel density of 294pp. It is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3.

The Motorola Moto G4 and G4 Plus both increase the display size to 5.5-inches so you get an extra half an inch of screen on the two new models. The original Moto G was 4.5-inches so the fourth generation variants see a big step up in comparison to the 2013 model.

They also both increase the resolution to Full HD, meaning a pixel density of 400ppi, which should mean sharper and crisper images on the new models. The 2015 Moto G didn’t have the best display so hopefully the new models will offer an improved experience.

Both the Moto G4 and the Moto G4 Plus are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3 like their predecessor.

Motorola Moto G4 vs Moto G4 Plus vs Moto G3: Camera

The Motorola Moto G (2015) features a 13-megapixel rear camera with an aperture of f/2.0, autofocus and a dual-LED flash. The front camera sits at 5-megapixels with an aperture of f/2.2. There was some image noise in low-light shots but the third-generation of Moto G significantly improved its camera offering compared to previous models.

The Motorola Moto G4 also has a 13-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front camera. It isn’t currently clear whether it is the same as the third generation. The Motorola Moto G4 Plus ups the resolution to 16-megapixels on the rear, but sticks with 5-megapixel front snapper.

The G4 Plus offers both phase detection autofocus and laser focus though so you get a few extra features with the G4 Plus in comparison to both the G4 and the third generation Moto G.

Motorola Moto G4 vs Moto G4 Plus vs Moto G3: Hardware

The Motorola Moto G third generation has a 1.4GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor under its hood with Adreno 306 graphics and it is a pretty smooth performer based on our experience.

The base level Moto G offers 8GB of internal storage with 1GB of RAM but there is a 16GB model with 2GB of RAM available too, for £50 extra. Both offer microSD support for storage expansion. In terms of battery, the Moto G third generation features a 2470mAh capacity, which saw us through the day without any complaints.

The Motorola Moto G4 and the Moto G4 Plus both have a 1.5GHz octo-core processor and they come in 16GB or 32GB models, with 2GB or 3GB of RAM. MicroSD is also on board again, this time with storage expansion up to 128GB compared to 32GB.

Both new models of Moto G also come with a 3000mAh battery, which is a nice bump from their predecessor. They also both have TurboPower charging on board, which will give you six hours use from 15-minutes of charge.

Motorola Moto G4 vs Moto G4 Plus vs Moto G3: Software

The Motorola Moto G third generation arrived on Android Lollipop as this was the latest Android software at the time of launch. It has since been updated to Android Marshmallow, which is what the G4 and G4 Plus launch on.

Motorola devices offer a close to vanilla Android experience, with only a few additional apps rather than a complete software overlay like Samsung and LG devices have. The Moto G4 and G4 Plus will follow this path so expect a close to stock Marshmallow experience.

Motorola Moto G4 vs Moto G4 Plus vs Moto G3: Price

The Motorola Moto G third generation hit the shelves with a starting price of £159. The model offering 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage had a slightly higher price tag of £209, as we mentioned.

The Motorola Moto G4 will start at £169, while the Moto G Plus will start at £199 and be available exclusively through Amazon.

Motorola Moto G4 vs Moto G4 Plus vs Moto G3: Conclusion

The Motorola Moto G third generation is a great device that is brilliantly refined compared to its predecessors. Based on the numbers though, it looks like the Moto G4 and especially the Moto G4 Plus, will be just as good if not better.

As you would expect, the Moto G4 and G4 Plus improve on performance, battery capacity, display size and resolution, as well as design. The G4 Plus also offers a fingerprint sensor and a higher resolution camera.

The price does go up for the Moto G4 and G4 Plus, especially the latter, in comparison to the third generation of Moto G, but you still get quite a few improvements for the extra cash. It depends on what your budget allows for, but if you can stretch to the £200, the Moto G4 Plus wins on the numbers compared to the Moto G4 and Moto G third generation.