When it comes to value for the money, these two are amongst the best you can get: but
which one's the phone for you?
Design is what gives you the first impression of a new device, and we have two really different
approaches here. On one hand, the slim and elegant Idol 3,
on the other the thicker but also more rugged Moto G.
While the latter sports a solid band around the sides, a replaceable back cover and a
waterproof build, the Idol 3 offers none of that.
If you value style and weight more than functionality, the phone from Alcatel is your choice, being
thinner, lighter and more compact. On the other hand, the Moto G delivers a much
more substantial feeling, especially thanks to the solid band, and I wouldn't be as worried
to drop it.
When it comes to the display, both Alcatel and Motorola made everything possible at this
price point. The 720p panels on both devices are bright and vivid, and you really can't
proclaim a winner. What is different though is the screen size:
4.7" for the Idol 3, 5 for the Moto G. This technically makes for a slightly higher
pixel density on the Idol 3, but in practice is nothing really worth noticing.
If you watch lots of movies and videos the bigger display on the Moto G could be slightly
better, but the smaller panel certainly helps the Idol 3 as for one-handed usage.
The larger front on the Moto G is not wasted space however: that big chin holds a really
loud front-firing speaker that's the best offered so far on the Moto G family. It's
somewhat strange that Motorola didn't keep the two speakers from the previous Moto G,
but as for sound quality no complaints here. On the other hand, the Idol 3 gets the lead
since it does have two. The JBL front-facing speakers on the Alcatel handset are louder,
are stereo, and they sound really really good.
Performances on both devices are simply unbelievably good.
Both of them sport a quad-core Snapdragon 410, but the Moto G adds half a gig of RAM
if you go for the 16 GB of storage model. However everyday usage shows that the actual
difference is marginal at best: they open apps fast, they easily switch between them,
and stutter is a rare occurrence in both cases. Gaming on the Moto G is really good with almost
everything you throw at it, but the Idol 3 does not lag behind.
Something that improves performances by a lot is the almost stock version of Android
on both handsets. However, none of the two companies has lost the opportunity to include
some goodies inside: while on the Moto G side you'll find incredibly useful stuff like the
Moto Display, the Idol 3 has a couple of tricks up its sleeve too, including the reversable
screen and the double tap to wake. In both cases, the little bits of customization do
not influence performances, but instead they add value to an already pretty complete package.
It's hard to say which one's faster, as they come up really close in both multitasking
and opening times, but the Moto G generally feels a little snappier.
While none of the two sides offers quick or wireless charging, and none of the two has
a swappable battery, the close-to-stock version of Android on both handsets helps with an
exceptional battery life. In both cases you can use the phone all day
long with no worries, but the Moto G takes the lead with a superb screen-on time that
reaches even 6 hours with moderate usage. However, add a bit of gaming and browsing,
and you can realistically pull out 4 hours of usage from both phones.
The weak point of both phones is hands down the camera: while the 13 megapixels sensor
on both devices seems promising, actual results are much less impressive.
Take them for a ride outdoors and you'll get some decent shots.
However, try to use them inside and it's a wholly different story.
The software on both handsets seems to help, with a bit more control given on the Idol
3 thanks to the Manual Mode. However, Motorola too included a nice goodie
with the 720p slow-mo: it may not be as impressive as the one found on the latest flagships,
but having it is always lots of fun. In the end, none of the two shines as for
image quality, and the minor differences lead me to call this a tie.
If you want SD-card expandibility, LTE and NFC support, you've got all of that in both
devices. While budget phones generally cut on on chips,
there's nothing lacking on these ones, which means you'll be able to surf the web at the
highest speeds, and also enjoy the comfort of Android Pay as soon as that comes out.
Finally, price: on Amazon.com, the 4.7-inches Idol 3 starts at 180$ for 16 gigs. The Moto
G on the other hand goes for 179$ for the 8 gigs model and 229$ for the 16 one. Keep
in mind however that the 8 gigs Moto G has just 1 gig of RAM, while the 16 gigs model
has double of that. If you choose to go for the Moto G, we warmly
recommend you to opt for the 16 gigs model, which doesn't cost too much more and comes
with double the storage and double the RAM.
At the end of the day, you can't deny that these are both amazing pieces of tech for
the price. Excellent everyday usage, excellent battery,
nice screen and audio, and just the inconvenience of an underpowered camera.
While you really can't go wrong with one of these two, my personal preference lies in
the Moto G, which feels overall more solid and probably snappier in everyday usage.
So this was our take, but what do you think? Do you prefer the thinner Idol 3, or would
you go for the rugged Moto G? Let us know in the comments below, and let's
see which one comes on top! As always thank you so much for watching,
and I'll catch you guys, in the next one!