Whenever a new device is released, most of the people grade it according to its hardware configuration and justify it's price according to it.

However, mammoth hardware configuration is not the only key strength of any device. It is also the user experience that counts. For instance, iPhone still comes with 1GB RAM, but it is able to offer a chug free usability experience, which is the key reason for building such a huge loyal fan base.

Same goes with Motorola when talking about the Android experience. Most of the Moto devices usually don't feature powerhouse configuration, except Moto X and Turbo series. 

Alongside Moto G is the first Motorola-made budget smartphone, which has largely been adored by consumers. And with every successor, the series just seems to get better and better. 

Moto G (3rd Gen) was recently launched with a few key improvisations, but will it be able to beat other similar phones in the market? Find out the answer in the extended review of Moto G (3rd Gen) below:

Build and Design

The Moto G (3rd Gen) features huge improvements over its predecessor in the design language. To be specific, the device features a fusion of Moto X 2014 and Moto G (2nd Gen), which makes the device look elegant yet ergonomic.

Unlike the last edition's smooth rubbery finish, the Moto G (3rd Gen) features a textured effect which looks better and fits perfectly in hand. The rear camera module, dual tone LED flash and the engraved Motorola logo has been housed together in chrome finished horizontal tab. The power button and volume rocker sits on the right side, while the micro USB port and 3.5mm audio out has been placed on the top and the bottom. The speaker grille has been placed on the top and the bottom of the display with a premium silver finished edge.

Measuring 142.1 x 72.4 x 11.6mm, the Moto G (3rd Gen) is a tad bigger over its predecessors' 141.5 x 70.7 x 11mm. It also weighs 6g more than Moto G (2nd Gen).

Display

Unlike its closest competitors Xiaomi Mi 4i, Meizu M2 Note, YU Yureka Plus or Lenovo K3 Note, the device doesn't features a Full HD display. The Moto G (3rd Gen) boasts a 5-inch, 720x1280 pixels, 294PPI display. Comparing the specifications straight away might makes it inferior but in real life experience the Moto G (3rd Gen) offers a decent viewing angle with nicely balanced colors and decent viewing angles.

Operating System

Moto G (3rd Gen) runs on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop operating system out of the box. Unlike its most potent competitors all the Moto phones comes with least customisation and zero bloatware making it loaded with pure Android experience with a twist.

The Moto G (3rd Gen) borrows few of the most intuitive gestures from its expensive brother Moto X series. Named Moto Display, the feature helps you see all the notifications grouped together on lock screen, tapping on which will show all the notifications in detail without unlocking the display. The feature also lets you customise the apps notifications as per your requirement.

The device also comes with several intuitive gestures and handy utilities like Moto Assist and Migrate. The Moto Assist lets you set your apps according to environment, while the Migrate helps you switch you device in the easiest manner.

Performance

Moto G (3rd Gen) comes powered by a Quad-core Snapdragon 410 MSM8916 SoC, which combines a 1.4Ghz Cortex-A53 chipset and an Adreno 306 GPU. The device has been made available in 2 RAM and storage variants -- 1GB RAM with 8GB storage and 2GB RAM with 16GB storage.

The Snapdragon 410 SoC is usually visible in last year's popular devices like Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G, Huawei Honor 4X, Xiaomi Redmi 2 and Lenovo A6000 Plus, and comparing to the latest standard the chipset feels slightly dated. However, it doesn't downgrade the performance of the device. In our real life test, the Moto G (3rd Gen) performed well while juggling between apps and browser tabs in the multitasking mode. The device also performed well while watching videos or playing games.

The built-in speaker offers amazing clarity and is sufficiently loud, and can claim to be the best in this department for the price.

Benchmarking the device with Antutu, Geekbench and Basemark OS X II we found the Moto G (3rd Gen) achieved 23,380 in Antutu, 529 single core and 1556 multi core in GeekBench and 616 in Basemark OS X II.

Camera

Moto G (3rd Gen) packs a 13MP f/2.0 rear snapper with a dual tone LED flash and a 5MP front camera for taking selfies. The device features a minimalist stock camera interface making the clicking experience easy. Both the sensors focus rapidly on the subject and clicks in a while. The auto focus ring comes with a brightness control option, which lets you control the image brightness in real time.

Battery

Moto G (3rd Gen) packs a 2,470 mAh battery, whereas its predecessors featured a 2070 mAh battery. However, in our test, the device offered almost similar battery life like Moto G (2nd Gen) by staying awake for a day in a mixed 3G + Wi-Fi consumption mode.

Conclusion

The Moto G (3rd Gen) is available exclusively through Flipkart for Rs. 11,999 for the 8GB storage edition and Rs. 12,999 for the 16GB storage edition. For the price, the device offers a butter smooth user experience, great camera, decent looks and an above average battery life.

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