Moto G 2015 vs Moto G 2014: What’s New

Motorola has made its new Moto G for 2015 better, faster, and more powerful all for the same wallet-friendly $179 price point. There’s also another model for a few more dollars that offers even better performance and double the storage and RAM all for just $219. Read on to see what’s new, and if the new Moto G and its higher price is worth it.

The 3rd Gen Moto G for 2015 has big shoes to fill, but so far with our limited hands-on time with it, the phone is doing an excellent job. It’s hard to improve a budget device that many would consider the best phone for under $200, but this year Motorola did exactly that, and here’s what you need to know.

Read: Moto G 2015 Hands On: Budget Price, Premium Phone

On July 28th the new Moto G was announced along with this years new Moto X Pure Edition, also known as the Moto X Style, and a new Moto X Play for regions outside of the United States. Trying to improve the most popular smartphone in the history of Motorola is hard to do and below we’ll explain what’s new and why the new Moto G lives up to the hype.

At first glance the new Moto G looks almost exactly the same as the model last year, but there are actually a lot of changes. Everything from the metal design on back, build materials, water-resistant features, a new 13 megapixel camera, to specs under the hood. This is an all-new phone, one that’s certainly worth the $179 asking price.

Aside from the looks Motorola also delivered a few huge additions while keeping the price the same that should have many potential buyers interested. The Moto G 2015 is IPx7 certified water-resistant. While they don’t recommend submerging it under water, it can be put under water for roughly 30 minutes and come working just fine.

Read: Moto G 3rd Gen: 5 Things to Know

Along with water-resistant features is customization through Moto Maker. Buyers can choose the storage amount, RAM, color on the front, choose from 10 colors on back and even 10 accent colors for the aluminum bar on back and Moto logo. Then of course the battery is much larger, promising all-day battery life.

For an idea of what to expect from the new Moto G, and to see a quick comparison of it next to last years model, check out our hands-on video above. Then continue reading our slideshow below that goes over a few additional details, and breaks down what’s new for potential buyers. The new Moto G 2015 is on the left.

Display & Design

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The new Moto G 2015 vs last years Moto G are extremely similar in a lot of ways, but vastly different. They look similar, but the new model has a premium finish and design, vs the cheap plastic model released in 2014. Both of these phones have a rather impressive 5-inch 720p HD display, which isn't the best, but considering the price it has a great screen that's bright and clear. I don't notice much difference between the two, but the new 2015 Moto G appears to get a little brighter, and have more accurate colors. As far as design, the new Moto G is leaps and bounds better. They've added metal accents to the back, as shown in some of our other photos, and an aluminum ring for durability and a premium look and feel around the device. In the hand they have the same comfortable curves, but the new Moto G feels better. It doesn't look, feel, or perform like a cheap phone. For $179, it's much better than last years model.

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