Moto G4 is a line of Android

smartphone A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whi ...

s manufactured by

Motorola Mobility Motorola Mobility LLC, marketed as Motorola, is an American consumer electronics manufacturer primarily producing smartphones and other mobile devices running Android. It is a subsidiary of the Chinese multinational technology company Lenovo.;; ...

, a subsidiary of

Lenovo Lenovo Group Limited, often shortened to Lenovo ( , ), is a Chinese multinational technology company specializing in designing, manufacturing, and marketing consumer electronics, personal computers, software, business solutions, and related se ...

. They are the successor to the third-generation Moto G, and were first released in

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and

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on May 17, 2016, with the other markets following. In comparison to the previous singular Moto G models, the G4 fragmented the line into three models, with the base model joined by the Moto G4 Play and the Moto G4 Plus with an upgraded camera and a fingerprint reader.

Specifications

The Moto G4's hardware design was refreshed featuring a "water repellent nano-coating" on the motherboard and a camera protrusion. However, unlike the Moto G3, the previous generation, the Moto G4 Plus does not feature IPX7 certification. The G4 was available in black and white-colored versions, with different rear-cover and accent-colors available for custom order via MotoMaker. The G4 has a removable backcover, removing which exposes SIM card slots and a MicroSD card slot. The G4 includes a 5.5-inch 1080p display, an octa-core

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617 system-on-chip, and 2/3 GB of RAM. The Moto G4 includes either 16 or 32 GB of internal storage, expandable via

MicroSD Secure Digital, officially abbreviated as SD, is a proprietary non-volatile flash memory card format developed by the SD Association (SDA) for use in portable devices. The standard was introduced in August 1999 by joint efforts between SanDi ...

. It has a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. The Moto G4 also supports 802.11n Wi-Fi connectivity and an FM radio receiver. The device shipped with Android 6.0.1 "Marshmallow". Motorola stated that the Moto G4 line would receive occasional security patches. On December 29, 2016, Motorola began rolling out an update to Android 7.0 "Nougat". In September 2017, Motorola stated that the Moto G4 Plus would receive an update to Android 8.1 "Oreo", although no estimated date was given. An Android 8.1 update was released in February 2019.

Alternative Android-ROMs

Official alternative Android-ROMs for all three G4 models were released by

LineageOS LineageOS is an Android-based operating system for smartphones, tablet computers, and set-top boxes, with mostly free and open-source software. It is the successor to CyanogenMod, from which it was forked in December 2016, when Cyanogen Inc ...

, and their support originally was set to end with the final version 14.1 (corresponds to Android 7.1) on September 2018, though several new unofficial community releases were released afterwards. On April 1, 2021 the G4 Play was added back to the officially supported list of devices as part of the initial release of Lineage OS 18.1 (Android 11). A port of

postmarketOS postmarketOS (abbreviated as pmOS) is an operating system primarily for smartphones, based on the Alpine Linux distribution. postmarketOS was launched on 26 May 2017 with the source code available on GitHub before migrating to GitLab in 2018. I ...

for the G4 Play exists under the code name motorola-harpia.

Models E4

The Moto G4 is available in a standard model, as well as the Moto G4 Play and Moto G4 Plus. The Play is a low-end model with reduced specifications, as well as an 8-megapixel camera and 720p display. The Plus model is a high-end version that features a 16-megapixel camera with dual-tone flash and infrared auto-focus, as well as an integrated fingerprint reader, up to 4 GB of RAM, and up to 64 GB of internal storage. The G4 and G4 Play were also sold as part of Amazon.com's ''Prime Exclusive'' program, which offered a discounted version of the phone to

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subscribers, subsidized by the display of personalized advertising on the

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. Due to this, the Prime Exclusive models of the device are ineligible for Motorola's

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unlocking program.

Model comparison

Reception

The Moto G4 was lauded as a top budget smartphone, with Android Central concluding that it "represents the ideal experience for an inexpensive Android phone and is a fantastic value."

CNET ''CNET'' (short for "Computer Network") is an American media website that publishes reviews, news, articles, blogs, podcasts, and videos on technology and consumer electronics globally. ''CNET'' originally produced content for radio and televi ...

called the G4 an "unbeatable bargain." Others noticed that, unlike the third-generation Moto G, the price of the G4 did not make it much cheaper than more powerful phones.

References