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Motorola Moto G 2nd Gen Smartphone Review

Update Lite. Motorola's Moto G2 mid-range smartphone had picked up a good rating in our test, but it did not feature LTE. The manufacturer has eliminated this drawback in its new edition, and has installed the latest, supposedly faster Android Lollipop instead of KitKat. However, there might just be unexpected modifications in the screen and storage.
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G (Picture:Motorola)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G (Picture:Motorola)

For the original German review, see here.

Motorola's newcomer bearing the fairly long name "Motorola Moto G 2nd Generation 4G", is a slightly modified revision of Motorola's Moto G2 mid-range smartphone with impressive ratings (84%) that we tested in October 2014. However, the differences are limited (officially). While the older model, equipped with GSM and UMTS (3G), was powered by Android 4.4 KitKat, the 4G model features LTE and the latest Android 5.0.2 Lollipop. However, the second SIM card slot has been axed. The OS update is particularly interesting since it gives us the opportunity to check the speed advantage confirmed by so many benchmarks, and the supposedly longer battery life of Lollipop compared to the former version based on a comparison with two virtually identical devices.

The identical core components of both siblings consist of the entry-level Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8226 SoC with four ARM Cortex-A7 cores and a maximum of 1.2 GHz and an Adreno 305 graphics unit. Otherwise, it includes all the standard features for the 200 Euros (~$218) price range: one GB of RAM, a 5-inch IPS screen in HD resolution (1280x720 pixels; 16:9; 294 ppi), and an 8 MP primary camera. The first generation Moto G models were slightly smaller with a screen diagonal of 4.5 inches. Nothing has changed in terms of storage, and there is still only one version with a rather tight capacity of 8 GB that, however, can be expanded to 32 GB via an SD card.

An internationally leading mail order company and its marketplace partners sold the "old" model for approximately 170 Euros (~$185) at the time of testing. The new model costs about 20 Euros (~$22) extra including shipping. This price corresponds roughly to the bargains that we could find on the biggest German price comparison site at the same time. Motorola specifies a recommended price of 179 and 199 Euros (~$195 and ~$217) on its website.

However, what if the 3G model is fast enough, the plan does not include access to the LTE network, the network coverage is simply underdeveloped or the user does not want to use mobile Internet very often? In that case, the only added value of the Moto G 2nd Generation 4G would be the newer operating system. However, that was only true until mid-February this year because the Lollipop update for the Moto G2 without 4G has now been rolled out for this country. Nevertheless, the differences between Lollipop and KitKat are a topic in this test update. What speed and battery life advantages can Google's latest OS tease out of the hardware?

We will not go into details about casing, connectivity, GPS, phone features and voice quality, cameras, accessories, warranty, touchscreen, emissions or speakers within the framework of this update, and would refer to the review of the Moto G2. However, we will look at the differences in the screen despite identical hardware. Some of the comparison devices that we had used in the G2 test have been replaced by similarly low-priced, more up-to-date models with a comparable size, which also allow comparing the Snapdragon 400 with other SoCs.

Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G (Moto Series)
Processor
Graphics adapter
Qualcomm Adreno 305, Core: 450 MHz
Memory
1024 MB 
Display
5.00 inch 16:9, 1280 x 720 pixel, capacitive touchscreen, IPS, Corning Gorilla Glass 3, glossy: yes
Storage
8 GB eMMC Flash, 8 GB 
, 5.5 GB free
Connections
1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm combo audio jack, Card Reader: micro SD max. 32 GB, Sensors: motion sensor, light sensor, proximity sensor, compass, GPS, Glonass
Networking
802.11 b/g/n (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.0, GSM quad-band (850/900/1800/1900), UMTS quad-band (850/900/1900/2100), LTE- quad-band (800/1800/2100/2600)
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 11 x 141.5 x 70.7 ( = 0.43 x 5.57 x 2.78 in)
Battery
0 Wh Lithium-Ion, 2390 mAh, Battery runtime (according to manufacturer): 24 h
Operating System
Android 5.0 Lollipop
Camera
Webcam: 8.0 MP, AF, LED flash, videos @720p/30 fps (rear); 2.0 MP (front)
Additional features
Speakers: front-facing stereo speaker, Keyboard: virtual keyboard, Motorola Alert, Motorola Migrate, QuickOffice, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
150 g ( = 5.29 oz / 0.33 pounds), Power Supply: 42 g ( = 1.48 oz / 0.09 pounds)
Price
200 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

We have previously discussed the identical casing in the course of the test of the model without 4G. However, we have replaced some newer model smartphones for the following size comparison. The optionally available covers in various colors can be seen in the picture.

144.8 mm / 5.7 inch 72.1 mm / 2.84 inch 8.6 mm / 0.3386 inch 156 g0.3439 lbs141.5 mm / 5.57 inch 70.7 mm / 2.78 inch 11 mm / 0.4331 inch 150 g0.3307 lbs141.5 mm / 5.57 inch 70.7 mm / 2.78 inch 11 mm / 0.4331 inch 150 g0.3307 lbs142.2 mm / 5.6 inch 72.3 mm / 2.85 inch 9.4 mm / 0.3701 inch 157 g0.3461 lbs143 mm / 5.63 inch 72 mm / 2.83 inch 7.5 mm / 0.2953 inch 125 g0.2756 lbs139.9 mm / 5.51 inch 69.8 mm / 2.75 inch 9.99 mm / 0.3933 inch 158 g0.3483 lbs140.2 mm / 5.52 inch 72.4 mm / 2.85 inch 8.8 mm / 0.3465 inch 146 g0.3219 lbs138.1 mm / 5.44 inch 70.6 mm / 2.78 inch 10.7 mm / 0.4213 inch 137 g0.302 lbs139.5 mm / 5.49 inch 71.4 mm / 2.81 inch 9.2 mm / 0.3622 inch 140 g0.3086 lbs128.9 mm / 5.07 inch 65.8 mm / 2.59 inch 9.1 mm / 0.3583 inch 126 g0.2778 lbs148 mm / 5.83 inch 105 mm / 4.13 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 1.5 g0.00331 lbs
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G

Connectivity

Software

Our review sample of the Moto G 2nd Gen 4G came with Android Lollipop 5.0.2. Although Motorola is no longer a Google subsidiary, the update policy is still exemplary. An upgrade to the brand new Lollipop 5.1 has been announced. Like in the precursor, there are no manufacturer-specific modifications in the user interface. However, it is just the pure Vanilla Android, which is also found in the Nexus' devices, that has a special charm for many users including the tester. In any case, there is no doubt that it runs smoother than, for example the overloaded and colorful TouchWiz UI by Samsung.

The innovations and modifications of Lollipop compared to KitKat are now an old hat so we will not go into details at this point. Instead, we would refer to the in-depth Lollipop article including benchmarks that our colleague Florian Wimmer wrote for us.

Cameras & Multimedia

Again, we refer to the review of the precursor, but offer an additional picture comparison with new shots here.

Image Comparison

Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.

Scene 1Scene 2Scene 3
click to load images

Virtual Keyboard

Some modifications have been made to the preloaded Google keyboard, which now comes in the Material Design. The most important improvement in the new version is input via swiping. The row with the three suggested words, which used to show the button for voice inputs when searching Internet or browsing is no longer shown, however, it does appear when doing "real" text inputting, such as in a word processing app or writing emails.

The settings are now accessed by pressing the comma button, and the emojis via long pressure on the enter button. In case there are problems with readjusting, understandable, illustrated instructions can be found here (in English). We can give the keyboard a few more points than for the KitKat keyboard in the Moto G2 since the modernization can facilitate inputting and provide a better overview.

Display

Regardless of whether Motorola has installed another screen in the review sample or if the reason is found in production deviation – the fact is that the screen in our current review sample has an edge on its precursor in some aspects. The maximum brightness (center) is 19% higher than that of the G2. Although 417 cd/m² is only midfield when comparing all smartphones that we have tested over the past twelve months, it is a good placing within the field of our identically priced comparison devices, where some rivals can only surpass it slightly by at most 14%.

411
cd/m²
424
cd/m²
414
cd/m²
409
cd/m²
417
cd/m²
426
cd/m²
410
cd/m²
424
cd/m²
421
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 426 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 417.3 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 96 %
Center on Battery: 417 cd/m²
Contrast: 745:1 (Black: 0.56 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.11 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 3.64 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
Gamma: 2.64

However, the improved brightness has an impact on the black level, which is 40% brighter with a poor 0.56 cd/m², and thus worse than that of the 3G precursor. The 15% lower contrast of the new model also contributes to this. Since the contrast is the result from the ratio of maximum brightness to black level, the stylish Wiko Ridge 4G can significantly outshine its rivals within this field with a black level of 1311:1.

Then again, the color reproduction is slightly better than that of the G2, as the review sample's low DeltaE rates prove. Although the differences are not significant, the results confirm that Motorola's newcomer has very good color accuracy and is superior to its rivals. Although we have just praised the Wiko Ridge 4G, it is in second place in this test. Only HTC's Desire 510 with a bluish cast scores worse with disastrous results of up to DeltaE of 15 units.

CalMAN Grayscale
CalMAN Grayscale
CalMAN ColorChecker
CalMAN ColorChecker
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps
CalMAN Color Management
CalMAN Color Management
Screen
Brightness middle (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
417 cd/m²
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
349 cd/m²
HTC Desire 510
355 cd/m²
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
336 cd/m²
LG L Bello
421 cd/m²
Honor Holly
472 cd/m²
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
426 cd/m²
Wiko Ridge 4G
459 cd/m²
Honor 3C
474 cd/m²
Microsoft Lumia 535
431 cd/m²
Brightness (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
417 cd/m²
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
348 cd/m²
HTC Desire 510
371 cd/m²
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
339 cd/m²
LG L Bello
411 cd/m²
Honor Holly
455 cd/m²
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
415 cd/m²
Wiko Ridge 4G
434 cd/m²
Honor 3C
449 cd/m²
Microsoft Lumia 535
424 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
96 %
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
96 %
HTC Desire 510
80 %
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
92 %
LG L Bello
94 %
Honor Holly
87 %
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
90 %
Wiko Ridge 4G
90 %
Honor 3C
90 %
Microsoft Lumia 535
90 %
Black Level (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
0.56 cd/m² *
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
0.4 cd/m² *
HTC Desire 510
0.37 cd/m² *
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
0 cd/m² *
LG L Bello
0.5 cd/m² *
Honor Holly
0.77 cd/m² *
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
0.83 cd/m² *
Wiko Ridge 4G
0.35 cd/m² *
Honor 3C
0.7 cd/m² *
Microsoft Lumia 535
0.64 cd/m² *
Contrast (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
745 :1
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
873 :1
HTC Desire 510
959 :1
LG L Bello
842 :1
Honor Holly
613 :1
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
513 :1
Wiko Ridge 4G
1311 :1
Honor 3C
677 :1
Microsoft Lumia 535
673 :1
Colorchecker dE 2000 (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
3.11 *
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
3.74 *
HTC Desire 510
12.13 *
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
5.19 *
LG L Bello
6.75 *
Honor Holly
8.23 *
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
5.98 *
Wiko Ridge 4G
9.69 *
Honor 3C
3.59 *
Microsoft Lumia 535
3.6 *
Greyscale dE 2000 (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
3.64 *
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
4.52 *
HTC Desire 510
14.77 *
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
3.75 *
LG L Bello
5.63 *
Honor Holly
8.84 *
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
6.03 *
Wiko Ridge 4G
10.8 *
Honor 3C
3.46 *
Microsoft Lumia 535
3.71 *
Gamma (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
2.64
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
2.63
HTC Desire 510
2.42
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
2.36
LG L Bello
2.12
Honor Holly
2.12
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
2.48
Wiko Ridge 4G
1.82
Honor 3C
2.58
Microsoft Lumia 535
2.4
CCT (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
7115
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
7336
HTC Desire 510
17097
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
7152
LG L Bello
7472
Honor Holly
6819
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
7983
Wiko Ridge 4G
9063
Honor 3C
7437
Microsoft Lumia 535
6878

* ... smaller is better

The Motorola's Moto G2 had an average outdoor suitability, but now the 4G model does somewhat better with its higher brightness. It is still true that almost nothing can be recognized in direct sunlight, but there are hardly any restrictions when the device is shaded, e.g. with the body, which is easily possible.

Although the screen in the Moto G 2nd Gen 4G is slightly brighter than that of its precursor, the following two screenshots remain representative.

Outdoors
Outdoors
Viewing angles
Viewing angles

Performance

What effect does the supposed speed advantage of Lollipop have over KitKat using identical core components? If we believe our benchmarks, the advantage of the newer OS version is unfortunately kept within limits. Surprisingly, Smartbench 2012  sees the precursor even 55% ahead of the current Moto G. However, we suspect that was an exception. Leaving aside marginal differences within the frame of measuring inaccuracies, the review sample managed only a slight advantage of 8% in the popular AnTuTu Benchmark v5. The significant performance advantage in the storage benchmark AndroBench 3 of up to 618% depending on the single test (Random Write 4KB) is striking. We seriously doubt whether these extreme differences are related only to Android 5.0.

The advantages of the smartphones with the older Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916 (Cortex A53; 4x 1.4 GHz; 64-bit) that is incorporated in the frugal but not faster Adreno 306 GPU are interesting. The superiority of the new A53 cores over the older yet still very economic A7 architecture of the Snapdragon 400 (32-bit) becomes evident when considering the slightly higher maximum clock rate of the 410 SoC.

We did not experience any really annoying delays in the practical test. However, the handling of an old yet still stronger Nexus 4 (Snapdragon S4 Pro; 4x 1.5 GHz; Krait cores; Adreno 320; 2 GB of RAM; 1280x768 pixels; Android 5.0) was noticeably smoother.

Geekbench 3
32 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
343 Points
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
341 Points -1%
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
475 Points +38%
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
474 Points +38%
LG L Bello
Mali-400 MP, MT6582, 8 GB SSD
347 Points +1%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
352 Points +3%
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
473 Points +38%
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
477 Points +39%
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
354 Points +3%
32 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1156 Points
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
1133 Points -2%
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
1421 Points +23%
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
1413 Points +22%
LG L Bello
Mali-400 MP, MT6582, 8 GB SSD
1140 Points -1%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1174 Points +2%
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1426 Points +23%
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
1170 Points +1%
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1186 Points +3%
Smartbench 2012
Productivity Index (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3305 points
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
5136 points +55%
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
6053 points +83%
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
6346 points +92%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
4435 points +34%
Gaming Index (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2802 points
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
3039 points +8%
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
4259 points +52%
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
4266 points +52%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
2230 points -20%
BaseMark OS II
Overall (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
547 Points
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
525 Points -4%
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
479 Points -12%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
355 Points -35%
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
525 Points -4%
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
244 Points -55%
Microsoft Lumia 535
Adreno 302, 200 MSM8212, 8 GB eMMC Flash
391 Points -29%
System (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
866 Points
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
766 Points -12%
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
790 Points -9%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
983 Points +14%
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
921 Points +6%
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1039 Points +20%
Microsoft Lumia 535
Adreno 302, 200 MSM8212, 8 GB eMMC Flash
572 Points -34%
Memory (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
487 Points
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
350 Points -28%
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
234 Points -52%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
232 Points -52%
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
419 Points -14%
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
292 Points -40%
Microsoft Lumia 535
Adreno 302, 200 MSM8212, 8 GB eMMC Flash
593 Points +22%
Graphics (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
349 Points
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
403 Points +15%
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
367 Points +5%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
137 Points -61%
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
317 Points -9%
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
159 Points -54%
Microsoft Lumia 535
Adreno 302, 200 MSM8212, 8 GB eMMC Flash
189 Points -46%
Web (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
609 Points
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
702 Points +15%
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
778 Points +28%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
507 Points -17%
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
622 Points +2%
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
73 Points -88%
Microsoft Lumia 535
Adreno 302, 200 MSM8212, 8 GB eMMC Flash
367 Points -40%
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
11 fps
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
10.8 fps -2%
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
15 fps +36%
LG L Bello
Mali-400 MP, MT6582, 8 GB SSD
9.6 fps -13%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
7 fps -36%
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
10 fps -9%
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
6.6 fps -40%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
5.7 fps
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
5.8 fps +2%
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
5.3 fps -7%
LG L Bello
Mali-400 MP, MT6582, 8 GB SSD
4.2 fps -26%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
4.2 fps -26%
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
0 fps -100%
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3.8 fps -33%
GFXBench 3.0
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1.6 fps
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
1.8 fps +13%
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
1.8 fps +13%
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1.8 fps +13%
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
1.8 fps +13%
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
0 fps -100%
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
4.2 fps
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
4 fps -5%
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
8.4 fps +100%
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
8.2 fps +95%
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
6.4 fps +52%
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
4.2 fps 0%
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
0 fps -100%
AnTuTu v5 - Total Score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
18711 Points
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
17280 Points -8%
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
20041 Points +7%
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
21404 Points +14%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
18808 Points +1%
Vellamo 3.x
Browser (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1672 Points
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
1693 Points +1%
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
2139 Points +28%
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
1982 Points +19%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1528 Points -9%
Multicore Beta (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1394 Points
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
1376 Points -1%
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
1226 Points -12%
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
1234 Points -11%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1210 Points -13%
Metal (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
858 Points
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
623 Points -27%
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
767 Points -11%
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
799 Points -7%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
740 Points -14%
AndroBench 3-5
Sequential Read 256KB (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
73.8 MB/s
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
58 MB/s -21%
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
86.2 MB/s +17%
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
96 MB/s +30%
LG L Bello
Mali-400 MP, MT6582, 8 GB SSD
61.8 MB/s -16%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
143.8 MB/s +95%
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
103 MB/s +40%
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
130 MB/s +76%
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
79 MB/s +7%
Sequential Write 256KB (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
27 MB/s
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
13 MB/s -52%
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
7.29 MB/s -73%
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
16 MB/s -41%
LG L Bello
Mali-400 MP, MT6582, 8 GB SSD
7.2 MB/s -73%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
48.29 MB/s +79%
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
18 MB/s -33%
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
38 MB/s +41%
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
22.73 MB/s -16%
Random Read 4KB (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
13.49 MB/s
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
8 MB/s -41%
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
8.55 MB/s -37%
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
11 MB/s -18%
LG L Bello
Mali-400 MP, MT6582, 8 GB SSD
7.5 MB/s -44%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
17.73 MB/s +31%
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
17.5 MB/s +30%
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
15 MB/s +11%
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
14.71 MB/s +9%
Random Write 4KB (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
11.49 MB/s
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
1.6 MB/s -86%
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
1.05 MB/s -91%
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
1.5 MB/s -87%
LG L Bello
Mali-400 MP, MT6582, 8 GB SSD
0.8 MB/s -93%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
4.76 MB/s -59%
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2.3 MB/s -80%
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
4.4 MB/s -62%
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2.94 MB/s -74%
3DMark
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2836 Points
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
2640 Points -7%
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2648 Points -7%
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
2613 Points -8%
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1999 Points -30%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Graphics (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2412 Points
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
2197 Points -9%
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2207 Points -8%
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
2233 Points -7%
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1653 Points -31%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Physics (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
7381 Points
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
8993 Points +22%
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
8791 Points +19%
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
6470 Points -12%
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
7472 Points +1%

When looking at the browser benchmarks, the scores of the SunSpider 1.0 are particularly striking. The older 3G Moto G easily leaves its younger smartphone sibling behind by 33%. This is difficult to understand despite the deviating OS and browser versions. The other benchmarks exhibit considerably lower differences. The expected significant speed gain through Lollipop does not simply add up.

Sunspider - 1.0 Total Score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2087 ms *
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
1406 ms * +33%
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
1265 ms * +39%
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
1173 ms * +44%
LG L Bello
Mali-400 MP, MT6582, 8 GB SSD
1424 ms * +32%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1361 ms * +35%
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1400 ms * +33%
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
1703 ms * +18%
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1582 ms * +24%
Microsoft Lumia 535
Adreno 302, 200 MSM8212, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1254 ms * +40%
WebXPRT 2013
Overall (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
188 Points
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
175 Points -7%
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
200 Points +6%
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
201 Points +7%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
181 Points -4%
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
188 Points 0%
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
160 Points -15%
Microsoft Lumia 535
Adreno 302, 200 MSM8212, 8 GB eMMC Flash
131 Points -30%
Photo Effects (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1308 ms *
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
1497 ms * -14%
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
1423 ms * -9%
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
1602 ms * -22%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1638 ms * -25%
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
1657 ms * -27%
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1610 ms * -23%
Microsoft Lumia 535
Adreno 302, 200 MSM8212, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2296 ms * -76%
Face Detection (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2793 ms *
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
3355 ms * -20%
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
3134 ms * -12%
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
112.3 ms * +96%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
4175 ms * -49%
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
3067 ms * -10%
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
4652 ms * -67%
Microsoft Lumia 535
Adreno 302, 200 MSM8212, 8 GB eMMC Flash
5996 ms * -115%
Stocks Dashboard (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2626 ms *
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
2614 ms * -0%
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
2080 ms * +21%
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
2006 ms * +24%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
2050 ms * +22%
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
2182 ms * +17%
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2105 ms * +20%
Microsoft Lumia 535
Adreno 302, 200 MSM8212, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2571 ms * +2%
Offline Notes (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2475 ms *
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
2427 ms * +2%
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
2016 ms * +19%
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
1895 ms * +23%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1992 ms * +20%
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
2166 ms * +12%
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2847 ms * -15%
Microsoft Lumia 535
Adreno 302, 200 MSM8212, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2835 ms * -15%
Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2057 Points
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
2217 Points +8%
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
2717 Points +32%
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
2555 Points +24%
LG L Bello
Mali-400 MP, MT6582, 8 GB SSD
1831 Points -11%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
2020 Points -2%
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1447 Points -30%
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
2399 Points +17%
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1485 Points -28%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
16415 ms *
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
14332 ms * +13%
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
14555 ms * +11%
LG L Bello
Mali-400 MP, MT6582, 8 GB SSD
16674 ms * -2%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
15355 ms * +6%
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
18882 ms * -15%
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
14599 ms * +11%
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
17907 ms * -9%
Microsoft Lumia 535
Adreno 302, 200 MSM8212, 8 GB eMMC Flash
27175 ms * -66%
Google V8 Ver. 7 - Google V8 Ver. 7 Score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
2068 Points
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
2759 Points +33%
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
2798 Points +35%
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1820 Points -12%
Microsoft Lumia 535
Adreno 302, 200 MSM8212, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1141 Points -45%

* ... smaller is better

Energy Management

Power Consumption

For some reason, the new Moto G consumes less power in most load scenarios than the older model. Let us find out whether this is reflected in battery life.

Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4GMotorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Power Consumption
-16%
Idle Minimum *
0.4
0.6
-50%
Idle Average *
0.8
1
-25%
Idle Maximum *
1.3
1.2
8%
Load Average *
2
1.9
5%
Load Maximum *
3
3.5
-17%

* ... smaller is better

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0 / 0.1 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 0.4 / 0.8 / 1.3 Watt
Load midlight 2 / 3 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Voltcraft VC 940
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Battery Runtime

The battery runtimes in the essential Readers Test (read-script, only Wi-Fi on, minimum brightness) has not changed compared with the KitKat precursor. On the other hand, 24% more are possible under high load using maximum brightness (load). The results of the real-life Wi-Fi tests cannot be compared directly since we have modified our test procedure. That is too bad because the Moto G2 very clearly outran its rivals by an astonishing 904 minutes.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
19h 41min
WiFi Websurfing
8h 19min
Load (maximum brightness)
4h 33min
Battery Runtime
Reader / Idle (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
1181 min
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
1195 min
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
1280 min
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
1452 min
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
950 min
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
986 min
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
823 min
Microsoft Lumia 535
Adreno 302, 200 MSM8212, 8 GB eMMC Flash
948 min
WiFi v1.3 (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
499 min
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash
512 min
Wiko Ridge 4G
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB iNAND Flash
495 min
Load (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB eMMC Flash
273 min
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
221 min
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
262 min
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
221 min
LG L Bello
Mali-400 MP, MT6582, 8 GB SSD
276 min
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
211 min
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
205 min
Microsoft Lumia 535
Adreno 302, 200 MSM8212, 8 GB eMMC Flash
127 min
WiFi (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G 2. Gen XT1068
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8226, 8 GB SSD
904 min
HTC Desire 510
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
570 min
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 SM-G357FZ
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB SSD
594 min
LG L Bello
Mali-400 MP, MT6582, 8 GB SSD
522 min
Honor Holly
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash
363 min
Honor 3C
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 8 GB eMMC Flash
587 min
Microsoft Lumia 535
Adreno 302, 200 MSM8212, 8 GB eMMC Flash
376 min

Pros

+ LTE
+ Android 5.0 Lollipop, update to 5.1 announced
+ Non-slip casing
+ Removable back covers
+ Decent stereo speaker
+ Useful cameras
+ Good battery life
+ Bright, very color accurate screen
+ Decent Wi-Fi reception
+ Gaming suitable
+ Splash-water proof
+ FM radio

Cons

- No dual-SIM (in contrast to the precursor)
- Middling performance
- Non-removable battery
- Pressure-sensitive casing
- Tight internal storage
- GPS sluggish and sometimes inaccurate
- 720p videos only
- No power supply included

Verdict

In review: Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G. Review sample courtesy of Motorola Germany
In review: Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G. Review sample courtesy of Motorola Germany

The same verdict applies to Motorola's Moto G 2nd Gen G4 as for the Moto G2 UMTS model. The significant modifications are LTE, the brighter but overall only marginally better screen (production deviation?), and the storage's considerably faster transfer rate that is barely reflected in the overall scores of the other benchmarks. Unexpectedly, and in the opinion of the tester, the significantly classier Lollipop now in Material Design and its many improvements  over KitKat, does not give the new model a speed advantage despite identical core components. Although that is disappointing, the new model only costs approximately 20 Euros (~$22) more than the Moto G2. 

Anyone who finds the second generation Moto G appealing and can live without a dual-SIM but not without high-speed LTE data transmission does not have to think twice and can grab it.

Motorola Moto G 2. Gen 4G - 04/23/2015 v4(old)
Sven Kloevekorn

Chassis
80%
Keyboard
70 / 75 → 93%
Pointing Device
92%
Connectivity
49 / 60 → 82%
Weight
92%
Battery
93%
Display
87%
Games Performance
52 / 63 → 83%
Application Performance
23 / 70 → 33%
Temperature
92%
Noise
100%
Audio
66 / 91 → 73%
Camera
69%
Average
74%
84%
Smartphone - Weighted Average

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Sven Kloevekorn, 2015-04-29 (Update: 2018-05-15)