Motorola Moto G

It is November 2013, and Motorola (now a Google company) has just done the unthinkable: they have released a budget phone that doesn’t feel like a compromise. The Moto G has arrived in the UK for a staggering £135, and it is single-handedly rewriting the rules for what an entry-level smartphone can be. It is a solid, well-built candybar with a curved back that fits perfectly in the palm, and it features a water-repellent nano-coating that makes it surprisingly durable. For the British student or budget-conscious shopper, this isn’t just a bargain; it’s a technical revelation._x000D_
_x000D_
The technical headline is the screen. While most phones at this price point ship with low-res, washed-out displays, the Moto G features a 4.5-inch 720p HD IPS display (1280 x 720). At 329 PPI, it actually has a higher pixel density than the iPhone 5s. It is bright, sharp, and protected by Gorilla Glass 3. Powering the device is a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor and 1GB of RAM. Because it runs a ‘Stock’ version of Android 4.3 (with a guaranteed update to 4.4 KitKat), it feels incredibly fast. There is none of the manufacturer bloatware that usually bogs down mid-range Androids; it just works, smoothly and reliably._x000D_
_x000D_
On the connectivity front, it’s a 3G-only device (HSPA+), which is the only major technical concession. It features a 5-megapixel camera with an LED flash on the rear and a 1.3-megapixel camera on the front for selfies. While the camera won’t win any awards, it’s perfectly functional for social media. Under the hood, it features a 2,070 mAh battery that, thanks to the efficient processor, can easily last a full day and a half. The Moto G is a landmark bit of tech because it democratised quality. It proved that you didn’t have to spend £500 to get a beautiful screen and a fast, clean Android experience. It is the definitive ‘people’s phone’ of 2013.