Moto G: Hands-on the World's Best Smartphone at $179

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The Moto G isn't the fastest phone in the world, but its price gives it an edge few others can even come close to.

Motorola today announced the Moto G, which quickly and easily claimed the title of being the world's best smartphone at under $200. The entry-level 8 GB model is just $179 while the 16 GB model is $199. These prices are for off-contract, unlocked phones sold through Motorola; carriers will have their own pricing according to plans and markets.

Today at Google Toronto, we got to go hands-on with Motorola's Moto G phone. The Moto G will actually be launching in Canada this month, ahead of the U.S. release in January 2014. In Canada, Telus and its flanker brand Koodo will be selling the 8 GB model for $200 with no contract commitment required.

Check out our hands-on videos below:

Moto G Hardware

[UPDATE: due to a miscommunication, the battery capacity of the Moto G is a more down-to-earth 2070 mAh.]

Moto G Android 4.3 Software

Follow Marcus Yam @MarcusYam. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.

Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
19 Comments Comment from the forums
  • LordConrad
    Please stop encoding your videos in Adobe Flash, most phones and tablets no longer support it.
    Reply
  • clonazepam
    Good job, Jane. If I had one criticism though, it'd be to avoid using the word "cheap" and try something like "inexpensive". For some, cheap comes across as negative. Cheers
    Reply
  • Marcus Yam
    For the Flash challenged, here are the same videos from our YouTube channel:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzrl83IHqDA
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjZCIXv01Ik
    Reply
  • JD88
    Makes you wonder why the Moto X does not have a removable back cover that can be changed out.

    Very nice phone.
    Reply
  • bharatwd
    This phone sucks.........please check its radiation levels before buying this phone......very high compared to samsung or apple.........
    Reply
  • bharatwd
    To add to my previous comment, im shocked how each smartphone review on every site neglects this part of the phone specs....why dont sites mention their SARS rating? dont consumers deserve to know the truth? There is enough research to show that phones, especially "smartphones" are prone to cancer, especially over long usage.........but just because its a trillion$ industry, doesnt mean its OK to neglect its health risks.........what shocks me most is how parents give smartphones to little kids.....has anyone wondered what will happen to them after 20-30 yrs of usage? we dont even have enough sample groups to check that state........as we r the generation of guinea pigs.............my advice.....please dont use smartphones unless u really need to.............im in IT n i still avoid it.....
    Reply
  • frillybob101
    Smart phones use non ionizing radiation your fine guys...
    Reply
  • nitrium
    11929232 said:
    Please stop encoding your videos in Adobe Flash, most phones and tablets no longer support it.
    By "most" I guess you really meant to say "Apple"?.
    For those using Android just DL and install the .apk from Adobe's website: http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/archived-flash-player-versions.html
    Flash video working fine on my Nexus 7 (2013) running Firefox.
    Reply
  • Innocent_Bystander-1312890
    " "smartphones" are prone to cancer"... uh-oh... I think my Lumia is up for her yearly checkup....
    Reply
  • schultzter
    11929718 said:
    11929232 said:
    Please stop encoding your videos in Adobe Flash, most phones and tablets no longer support it.
    ... install the .apk from Adobe's website...

    You forgot the lengthy explanation of how to enable installation of 3rd party APK's. Flash on mobile is dead and on the desktop it's dying, HTML5 is the new king!
    Reply