| Moto G4 | |
| Codename: | G4 Play: harpia G4/G4 Plus: athene |
| Brand: | Motorola |
| Manufacturer: | Motorola Mobility |
| Slogan: | Never miss out on what matters most |
| Series: | Moto |
| Status: | Discontinued |
| Predecessor: | Moto G (3rd generation) |
| Successor: | Moto G5 |
| Related: | Moto E3 Power Moto Z |
| Os: | Original: Android 6.0.1 "Marshmallow" Current: Android 7.0 "Nougat" (8.1 "Oreo" on G4 Plus) |
| Size: | G4 Play: 144.4mm H 72mm W 9.9mm DG4, G4 Plus: 153mm H 76.6mm W 9.8mm D |
| Weight: | G4 Play: 137g G4, G4 Plus: 155g |
| Display: | G4 Play: 5.0" (127 mm) 1280 x 720 (294 ppi) 720p G4, G4 Plus: 5.5" (140 mm) 1920 x 1080 (401 ppi) 1080p with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Storage: | All 3 models are expandable via microSD card slot |
| Memory Card: | microSDXC up to 128 GB |
| Type: | Smartphone (G4 Play) Phablet (G4 and G4 Plus) |
| Form: | Slate |
| Rear Camera: | 13 MP (16 MP on Moto G4 Plus), f2.0 aperture, dual CCT dual tone flash, 1080p video recording @ 30fps, and slow motion record |
| Front Camera: | 5 MP, f2.2 |
| Connectivity: | Micro USB, 3.5 mm headset jack |
| Sound: | Front-ported loud speaker, 2-Mics |
The Moto G4 is a line of Android smartphones manufactured by Motorola Mobility, a subsidiary of Lenovo. It is the successor to the third-generation Moto G, and was first released in Brazil and India on May 17, 2016, with other markets following.
In comparison to the previous single Moto G models, the G4 fragmented the line into three models, with the base model joined by the Moto G4 Play and the Moto G4 Plus with an upgraded camera and a fingerprint reader.
The Moto G4's hardware design was refreshed featuring a "water repellent nano-coating" on the motherboard and a camera protrusion. However, unlike the previous generation Moto G3, the Moto G4 Plus does not feature IPX7 certification. The G4 was available in black and white-colored versions, with different rear-cover and accent-colors available for custom order via MotoMaker. The G4 has a removable back cover which exposes SIM card slots and a MicroSD card slot. The G4 includes a 5.5-inch 1080p display, an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 system-on-chip, and 2/3 GB of RAM. The Moto G4 includes either 16 or 32 GB of internal storage expandable via MicroSD. It has a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. The Moto G4 also supports 802.11n Wi-Fi connectivity and an FM radio receiver.[1]
The device shipped with Android 6.0.1 "Marshmallow".[2] Motorola stated that the Moto G4 line would receive occasional security patches.[3] On December 29, 2016, Motorola began rolling out an update to Android 7.0 "Nougat".[4] In September 2017, Motorola stated that the Moto G4 Plus would receive an update to Android 8.1 "Oreo" although no estimated date was given. An Android 8.1 update was released in February 2019.[5]
Official alternative Android-ROMs[6] for all three G4 models were released by LineageOS, and their support originally was set to end[7] with the final version 14.1 (corresponds to Android 7.1) in September 2018. However, several new unofficial community releases were released afterwards.
On April 1, 2021, the G4 Play was added back[8] to the officially supported list of devices offering an update to Lineage 17.1 (Android 10).
A port of postmarketOS for the G4 Play exists under the code name motorola-harpia.[9]
The Moto G4 is available in a standard model, as well as the Moto G4 Play and Moto G4 Plus. The Play is a low-end model with reduced specifications, as well as an 8-megapixel camera and 720p display. The Plus model is a high-end version that features a 16-megapixel camera with dual-tone flash and infrared auto-focus, as well as an integrated fingerprint reader, up to 4 GB of RAM, and up to 64 GB of internal storage.[10]
The G4 and G4 Play were also sold as part of Amazon.com's Prime Exclusive program, which offered a discounted version of the phone to Amazon Prime subscribers, subsidized by the display of personalized advertising on the lock screen. Due to this, the Prime Exclusive models of the device are ineligible for Motorola's bootloader unlocking program.[11] [12] [13]
| Stat | Moto G4 Play[14] | Moto G4[15] | Moto G4 Plus[16] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | XT1604 (Europe[17]) | XT1607 (USA) XT1609 (Verizon) | XT1625 (USA, India[18]) XT1622 (Europe) | XT1640 (Brazil) XT1641 (Canada, Mexico) XT1642 (Spain, Australia)[19] XT1643 (India) XT1644 (Canada,[20] USA, India,[21] Europe) | |
| Processor | Snapdragon 410 at 1.2 GHz | Snapdragon 617 at 1.5 GHz | |||
| Processor Cores | 4 cores | 8 cores (4x 1.5 GHz ARM Cortex-A53, 4x 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex-A53) | |||
| GPU | Adreno 306 GPU | Adreno 405 GPU | |||
| RAM | 1 GB | 2 GB | 2, 3 or 4 GB | ||
| Storage | 16 or 32 GB | 16, 32, or 64 GB | |||
| WiFi/Bluetooth | 802.11 b/g/n (2.4 GHz) Bluetooth LE 4.1 | 802.11 b/g/n (2.4+5 GHz) Bluetooth LE 4.2 | |||
| Display Resolution | HD (1280 x 720) | Full HD (1920 x 1080) | |||
| Display Size | 5", 294 ppi | 5.5", 401 ppi | |||
| Rear Camera | 8 MP (CMOS) f/2.2 1080p30 video | 13 MP (CMOS) f/2.0 1080p30 video w/ slow-motion | 16 MP (OmniVision - OV16860 - PureCel) [22] f/2.0 PDAF and laser autofocus 1080p30 video w/ slow-motion | ||
| Front camera | 5 MP f/2.2 | 5 MP (OmniVision - OV5693 - CMOS BSI) f/2.2 720p30 video | |||
| Sensor | Proximity Light Accelerometer | Proximity, Light Accelerometer | |||
| NFC | No | ||||
| Battery | 2800 mAh removable | 3000 mAh non-removable w/ TurboPower charging[23] | |||
| Fingerprint reader | No | ||||
The Moto G4 was lauded as a top budget smartphone, with Android Central concluding that it "represents the ideal experience for an inexpensive Android phone and is a fantastic value."[24] CNET called the G4 an "unbeatable bargain."[25] Others noticed that, unlike the third-generation Moto G, the price of the G4 did not make it much cheaper than more powerful phones.[26]