After much anticipation and teasing, the new Moto G4 and the G4 Plus have finally gone official. The company has released the handset starting at Rs 13,499 in India. Given the kind of competition it faces in the mobile industry, it's only fair that we compare it with one of the best phones in the Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 category. Yes, we're talking about the Redmi Note 3. While the Xiaomi offering already has a distinct advantage in terms of pricing, we cannot rule out the 2016 Moto G just yet.
Key features
The two devices come with near identical specs sheet under the hood, so some of the highlight features are pretty identical. Xiaomi earlier in the year made a lot of spash regarding offering a fingerprint scanner in this category and the Moto G4 Plus to offers the same as well. The earlier version of Moto was splash proof and we were expecting that the company will probably make Moto G4 to be waterproof and dustproof but that is not the case so.
Design
The design on the Moto G4 Plus is pretty identical to previous gen models as the company has stuck with the plastic exterior. The Redmi Note 3, on the other hand, houses a superior metal body which gives it a very premium look. It can be unanimously agreed that the Redmi Note 3 wins this contest quite comfortably.
Camera
The Moto G4 Plus is sporting a 16MP rear camera with laser focus and a 5MP front camera. The Redmi Note 3, however, comes with a 16MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera, with both sensors featuring an aperture size of f/2.0. This is another area where the Xiaomi and the new Moto G are on level footing. We shall be reviewing the cameras of both the phones and will share the camera review in detail shortly.
Performance
The Redmi Note 3 is packing the six-core Snapdragon 650 processor (four Cortex-A53 cores and two Cortex-A72 cores) while the Moto G4 2016 comes with the octa-core Snapdragon 617 processor (4+4 Cortex-A53 cores). For the uninformed, this seems like the Moto G is the better offering, but speaking strictly in terms of performance, the Snapdragon 650 is the superior model here.
Battery
This is another area where the Redmi Note 3 trumps the Moto G without skipping a beat. The handset comes with a 4,050mAh battery, while Moto's latest is featuring a 3,000mAh unit. Needless to say, standby and usage times will be significantly higher on the Redmi Note 3 compared to the new Moto G.
Other features
The Moto G4 Plus (2016) is available in two configuration - 16GB storage + 2GB RAM and 3GM RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The Redmi Note 3 is sold in the same configuration options. Both smartphones offer expandable storage, so the limited onboard storage shouldn't be a big concern for potential buyers.
Pricing and availability
The Moto G4 Plus will be available for Rs 13,499 exclusively via Amazon India starting today. The Redmi Note 3 is available for Rs 9,999 (2GB RAM + 16GB storage) and Rs 11,999 (3GB RAM + 32GB storage) via Amazon India and mi.com. Amazon holds a flash sale for the smartphone every week (including today at 2PM), while mi.com will be selling the device on an open sale today at 2PM.
