Moto g4 play review in Spanish (full analysis)

The fourth generation of the Moto G is completed with the arrival of the Moto G4 Play, one of the most interesting models in the line. This smartphone inherits the design of the other Moto G4, but it is very different inside, bringing a more modern processor, a 5-inch screen and a renovated camera.

We are grateful for the trust in Moto Lenovo for the transfer of the product for its analysis.

Moto G4 Play technical features

Unboxing, Design and screen

Moto gives us a presentation with a white box and on the side we have some screen-printed letters that indicate the exact model it has inside. Nothing differentiates to highlight.

Once we open the box we find:

Smartphone Moto G4 Play. Quick Start Guide Card Extractor Mini USB Cable

The design of the Moto G4 Play is similar to that of the other Moto G4s, which is both good and bad. The body is completely made of plastic and has a centralized camera at the rear, and presents a slight protrusion, almost imperceptible. The back has the same slippery texture as the other family members, but its smaller size leaves the strongest footprint.

A curious detail is that it does not have a speaker at the back or at the base, different from what we are used to. The company took advantage of the same audio output, on top of the Moto G4 Play, for all purposes, be it to listen to phone calls or watch videos. The volume level is very high, but the quality does not go beyond what is expected.

The 5-inch LCD screen follows the pattern of past generations of the Moto G: it is very good in the category. The resolution of 1280 × 720 pixels makes the definition impeccable for an intermediate smartphone, the brightness is strong and the viewing angle is wide.

Colors are balanced, and Lenovo lets you adjust shades to suit your personal tastes (by default, it comes in Intense, showing more vivid colors).

Hardware and battery

We are in the year 2016, but it seems that there is still a lot of Snapdragon 410 (introduced in 2013) in the action of the manufacturers. The Moto G4 Play is a smartphone with the popular Qualcomm chip. Not that that's a bad thing: it does really well in everyday use, and the 2GB of RAM contributes a lot to the performance. There are no lags when switching between apps quickly, or navigating multiple Chrome tabs, tasks that are a sacrifice for smartphones with less memory, like other models.

Another positive point is that the storage capacity of the Moto G4 Play is the minimum to get a good experience on Android, (16 GB) . However, some manufacturers still insist on offering half of that, which is constantly causing inconvenience after installing only a few basic applications. Anyone who wants can expand the memory with a microSD of up to 128 GB. It also allows you to install up to two SIM cards without any problem, in case you have Nano SIM you must separately purchase an adapter.

In games, the Adreno 306 offers a good experience. The Snapdragon 410 processor GPU works well with the 1280 × 720 pixel screen, and maintains graphics with a constant frame rate. Heavy games like Asphalt 8: Airborne and Unkilled can be run without noticeable performance issues.

The 2, 800 mAh battery in the Moto G4 Play is also good. It is a little smaller than that of the other Moto G4s, but since the hardware is also simpler, the result is good. With this battery you can achieve about 2 hours of music streaming and an hour and a half of browsing (between social networks, e-mails and web pages), ending with 50% of the level at the end of the day and with the brightness in automatic.

Whoever reaches 0% battery before the end of the day will at least be well equipped with the 10-watt fast charger, which takes no more than two hours to fill the Moto G4 Play's battery.

Camera

The Moto G4 Play's 8-megapixel camera is not much different from that of the third-generation Moto G, which had even a higher resolution. It is a mid-level camera suitable for the price range, which suffers from the common problems of basic smartphone cameras, but manages to do well when lighting works.

By common problems, it is understood that the focus is not as good as that of top-of-the-range models, especially in low-light conditions, which may make you have to take several photos until the Moto G4 Play manages to get the image right. Also, with nothing special f / 2.2 lens aperture, the shutter speed is constantly slower, sometimes resulting in blurry scenes. But for a terminal of these specifications and prices we can make good captures.

These are shortcomings that are even expected, but since the Moto G4 Plus brought a very good camera, it was left the impression that Lenovo could raise the level of its smaller model a little too. Either way, it's a mold-breaking camera and should satisfy most buyers.

Software and performance

The more or less pure Android of the Moto line is also present in the Moto G4 Play. There are no deep interface tweaks, no pre-installed useless apps - basically, in addition to Google's standard package, it comes with Lenovo software differentials and FM radio and digital TV apps.

The outstanding software of the Moto line is present in Moto G4 Play, but in an inconspicuous way. There is no support for Moto Voice, which allows voice commands to be given even when the phone is in standby mode, or gestures that really improve the experience of use, such as those used to open the camera application quickly. The only gesture available is to decrease the size of the screen, which becomes unnecessary for a 5-inch device.

WE RECOMMEND YOU Asus Maximus IX Extreme Review in Spanish (Complete Analysis)

At least Lenovo kept its own Moto Screen application, which shows previous notifications with the smartphone in standby mode. It is a resource that competitors like Samsung and LG have adopted, and in fact help a lot, instead of turning on the screen at all times (and using up the battery) just to see who sent you a message on WhatsApp.

Final words and conclusions about Moto G4 Play

The Moto G4 Play does not have better quality / prices than those of 2013 or 2014, but it is still very good for its range and is positioned among the best. And it is a very safe purchase: it does not have great functions, but what it does, it does well. The performance is good, the battery lasts a long time, the storage capacity is sufficient for most people, the screen is of excellent quality and the camera is satisfactory.

Moto G4 Play hardware is considered minimal for a full Android experience. It is capable of running almost any application without suffering, without disturbing the user with slow multitasking and without displaying boring messages of full storage, as is the case with slightly cheaper smartphones or also Chinese smartphones.

We recommend reading the 5 best Android smartphones of the moment.

For those with previous generations of the Moto G, there will be no relevant differences in this update to the Moto G4 Play. The processor is identical to that of the third-generation Moto G, the display has a similar level of quality, and the camera remains only within what is expected of the Moto G.

Perhaps the 2 GB of RAM will give an extra for those who still have a Moto G with 1 GB. Still, this update is only worth it if it's for a Moto G4 or Moto G4 Plus.

For a price according to what it offers, the company delivers a good product. If the level of the Moto G rose to the fourth generation, with higher prices, at least the good quality in the simplest model was maintained.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ Long battery life	- The camera is only acceptable within the category
+ Consistent performance in daily use	- Outstanding Moto line software absent
+ Good quality screen, with high definition and strong brightness