Motorola has announced a new Moto G smartphone for 2015. Details of the phone spread earlier than expected, after the device was revealed at an event in New Delhi, India, which took place shortly before the larger scale event scheduled for New York, London, and Sao Paulo. Here’s what’s new in the Moto G 2015.
Like its predecessor, the phone has a 5-inch touchscreen with a 720p resolution, surrounded by a slightly updated body shell with a new-look, grippier rear panel, and an IPX7 rating. Previously suggested in several rumors, this means the mid-range phone will be able to withstand a dip in about a meter of water for 30 minutes. For the first time, Moto G will be included in Motorola’s Moto Maker customization store.
Powering the new Moto G 2015 is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 410 processor, a quad-core 64-bit chip running at 1.4GHz. Motorola will offer two versions of the phone, one with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage space, and another with 8GB of internal memory and 1GB of RAM.
A 13-megapixel camera is fitted to the back of the Moto G 2015 — the same sensor found in the Nexus 6 — and is equipped with an improved lens, an IR filter, an f/2.0 aperture and a dual-tone color-balancing flash unit. Around the front is a 5-megapixel selfie camera. The Moto G 2015 has 4G LTE connectivity, and runs the latest version of Android Lollipop, complete with various Motorola apps. A MicroSD card slot completes the spec list, along with a 2470mAh battery that Motorola says will last for at least a day.
The Moto G 2015 will be on sale around in 60 countries around the world starting from July 28, and Motorola says it’ll cost “less than a third of the cost of flagship phones,” at $180. In the U.S., the phone will be available through Motorola’s store on Amazon, and through BestBuy.com today, and in-store with the latter on August 2.
Next page: All the rumors leading up to the Moto G 2015 official launch
There are rumors Motorola is working on a new version of the popular Moto G smartphone, and it may be released in the near future. If so, Motorola won’t be sticking with an annual refresh cycle, having announced the second-generation Moto G after summer 2014. Here’s what we think we know about the Moto G 2015 so far.
Updated on 07-27-2015 by Malarie Gokey: Added in unboxing pictures, more news about Moto maker options, and possible release dates for the Moto G in the UK.
July 28 launch may be followed by a July 29 sale date
Motorola will hold a launch event on July 28 in New York, where it’s expected to reveal a variety of new devices, and the Moto G 2015 may be among them. One day before the expected launch date, Android Authority’s source at Three UK revealed that the Moto G may go on sale July 29 — just one day after the official launch. The leaked retailer memo states that only 800 Moto G’s will be available in stores on that date, however.
This year’s iteration is reported to start at BRL 899, or around $287. This relatively steep price shouldn’t be cause for concern for regions like the United States and the United Kingdom, however, since smartphones are usually more expensive in Brazil relative to other regions. As such, we fully expect the Moto G 2015 to be priced similarly to iterations before it, which means the phone could hover around the $180 to $200 mark.
Moto G’s design stays stylish
Now that scores of leaked pictures have appeared online, we have a pretty good idea of what the new Moto G will look like. The latest leaked images show an unboxing of what appears to be the Moto G.
Earlier on, we got a hint that Moto Maker customization options may exist for the Moto G. In late July, just a day before the expected launch date, Android Authority received a tip from the retailer Three UK about how Moto Maker customization will work in its stores. Apparently, users will be given a voucher to redeem online, enabling buyers to design their Moto G to suit their style.
Evan Blass, a well-connected insider with a proven track record, first indicated that the Moto G will join the Moto 360 and second-generation Moto X on Moto Maker, Motorola’s online device designer. You’ll be able to choose from a combination of colored backplates and insets, he implies, all of which appear to be plastic.
Blass tweeted a sample of the options:
An example of what could be the 2015 version of the Moto G was obtained by laptopmedia.com, and the device can be seen in a series of high quality hands-on photos. The images are very similar to previous leaks, and show off a textured back cover and a new design around the rear camera lens. Interestingly, the design closely resembles the rear panel spotted in Moto X 2015 leaks.
In late July, a Swiss retailer posted listings and images for both the black and white versions of the phone. All images confirm earlier leaks, but this is the first time we are seeing the black version as a press render.
The Moto G has always been a fine-looking phone, especially considering that it’s supposed to be a budget device. We’ve seen leaked press renders of the device in white, and now a set of pictures taken of what appears to be a working Moto G have popped up online.
The images show a purported third-generation Moto G. It seems to retain the same silver grills on the top and bottom and — save the redesigned volume rocker and textured back cover — it’s very similar in appearance to last year’s model.
Several leaked press renders were spotted previously by Nowhereelse.fr, which reveal the third-generation Moto G’s design. It looks a lot like the last Moto G, and that’s a good thing. The back is slightly curved to fit the user’s hand, and it’s very minimalist.
The white color option is shown with a cool texture. There’s also a slim silvery inset on the back of the device, where the camera module is positioned. A Motorola logo sits at the tail end of the silver inset.
Shortly after the press renders leaked, a device that seems to be the Moto G went through the FCC’s certification process with the identifier “FCC ID IHDT56QG6.” It looks as though the device in the listing is headed to Sprint. Its dimensions seem to be very close to those of earlier Moto G handsets.
2GB of RAM and IPX7 water resistance
The earliest leak report was published by the Day Herald, and stated the Moto G 2015 will be a step up, technically, from the most recent version. A 1.7GHz Snapdragon 610 processor was listed as the phone’s power source. The octa-core chip has been around for a while, and comes with 4G LTE connectivity. It’s also suggested it’ll be joined by 2GB of RAM. Finally, the report states the phone may be released in July.
Following this, the phone made a brief appearance on the Indian online retailer FlipKart’s website, where it was listed with 8GB of internal memory and a white body shell. The ad — which called the phone the Moto G 3rd Gen — didn’t show a picture of the device, and was quickly removed.
Other possible specifications include a large 5-inch or 5.2-inch screen — making it considerably bigger than the first Moto G, but equal to the 2014 version — and a higher 1080p resolution. An equally impressive 16-megapixel camera is also rumored. None of these features should be considered official at this point, but we’d expect an almost stock version of Android Lollipop to be installed.
In late June, another set of leaks showed up online regarding what could be the third-generation Moto G. A YouTube video gave us a peak at a mystery Motorola smartphone, which it claimed was the 2015 version of the Moto G. Sadly, the specification revealed wasn’t as impressive as earlier leaks suggested. The phone was equipped with a 5-inch, 720p resolution screen, a Snapdragon 410 processor, and 1GB of RAM — all noticeably less exciting than we had hoped. A 13-megapixel camera and a 5-megapixel camera may feature on the rear and front respectively.
Following the video’s appearance, a set of images were also discovered that may show the 2015 Moto G, or at least an early prototype. The rear cover has a grippy, textured appearance, and what looks like a dual-LED flash sits below the camera lens. Another image shows the phone has the model number XT1543, and the codename Osprey.
Near the end of July, a shipping document spotted on the Zauba website — a company which often ships smartphones around the world for testing — showed a consignment of Motorola phones being sent to China and Hong Kong. Named the XT1550 Moto G, the phone apparently has a 5-inch screen, 8GB of internal memory, and 2GB of RAM, which is higher than some previous rumors stated. Both black and white models were being sent.
Around the same time, an image was published by Mobile Syrup, supposedly showing a dummy Moto G 2015 for promotional use in retail stores. The phone apparently has 4G LTE connectivity, a quad-core processor, both a 13 megapixel and a 5-megapixel camera, a MicroSD card slot, and a 2,470mAh battery. Most interestingly of all, it may have an IPX7 water resistance rating, which means it should be able to withstand a dip for about 30 minutes in a depth of up to a meter. The X signifies there’s no dust protection though.
In late July, the Moto G 2015 was listed on a Swiss retailer site with a 5-inch 1080p (1,920 x 1,080) display, 1.7GHz quad-core processor (most likely the Snapdragon 610), Adreno 405 GPU, 2GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, MicroSD slot for expanded storage, 2,070mAh battery, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and Android 5.0.
While most of these specs coincide with earlier reports, we have to question the version of Android being 5.0 since it’s likely to ship with 5.1.1. The battery listed here is identical in size to the second-generation Moto G, but does contradict the previous report of 2,470mAh.
Motorola has a lot up its sleeve
The news comes after Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing stated Motorola has many new devices in development, and promised some “very exciting products” would be released over the summer. While the Moto G 2015 wasn’t mentioned, his comments were linked to the 2015 version of the Moto X, and the Moto 360 smartwatch sequel.
Now we can add the Moto G to the list, and it’s looking like Motorola has a busy few months ahead of it, after staying relatively quiet following Lenovo’s acquisition of the company last year. We’ll keep you updated on more Moto G 2015 developments as they happen.
Previous updates:
Updated on 07-24-2015 by Robert Nazarian: Added in new hands-on images
Updated on 07-21-2015 by Robert Nazarian: Added in additional images outed by a Swiss retailer along with listed specs.
Updated on 07-21-2015 by Andy Boxall: Added further spec rumors, and an image potentially showing a water resistance feature.
Updated on 07-17-2015 by Kyle Wiggers: Added pics of a purported third-generation Moto G.
Updated on 07-15-2015 by Williams Pelegrin: Added in alleged launch information for the Moto G, with the phone possibly launching in Brazil on July 24.
Updated on 07-14-2015 by Kyle Wiggers: Added in new leaked pictures of possible Moto G casing options, which hint that Moto Maker will be available for the Moto G.
Updated on 07-13-2015 by Malarie Gokey: Added in new leaked renders of the Moto G and news of its possible arrival at the FCC.
Updated on 06-22-2015 by Andy Boxall: Added in new leaks which may show lower than previously expected spec.
Article originally published on 06-09-2015.
