First Impressions

[krlseidl]

I just got a G4 Play and have finished setting it up. I ordered it from Amazon for $99 on their Prime promotion. The ads they show on the wake screen are not that bad. I decided to downsize from my Moto X Pure.
This is the perfect size phone for me. I find that it is a little slower than the Pure but not so much as to be a deal breaker. I think the quality of the build is just fine. I also like that it has a replaceable battery.
Feel free to ask me any questions you might have.

 

[Golfdriver97]

Is there a break from the lockscreen ads? Or do they show up every time you wake the device?

 

[mohit9206]

1. Could you install a few graphics demanding games like Asphalt 8 and Modern Combat 5 and test how the phone handles those games at low/med/high settings?
2. Also could you charge the phone completely and use it normally as you would and post the screen on time when the battery is near dead?
Thanks.

 

[anony_mouse]

1. Could you install a few graphics demanding games like Asphalt 8 and Modern Combat 5 and test how the phone handles those games at low/med/high settings?

Deleted.

 

[Mrs._djs]

I love my G4 Play. The ads are not obtrusive, there are times when they don't show on the lockscreen at all. Some ads are full screen, some come across as just a bar like the regular notifications do.
I don't play games much, but with Internet searches, social media, texting and email my battery is lasting me 3 full days.
Charges with the cable it came with from ~20% to 100% in about 2hours.

 

[Solitary Wolf]

I'm liking it so far as a secondary smartphone. Using Free-Forward to relay text messages from my main Note 4 smartphone to this one. It's definitly a worth-while upgrade from the Moto E 2015...that 1gb was soo limieted but this 2gb of RAM and Marshmellow is a nice upgrade.

 

[1901Madison]

What kind of battery life are you getting?

 

[Inundated]

Just got my G4 Play, the Verizon only prepaid version.

I have had it for a couple of days, and absolutely love it. It is a big step up from my old Moto G 1st Gen.

 

[Inundated]

What kind of battery life are you getting?

After the first day (setup I presume), battery life has been outstanding. I am not used to seeing over a day projected in battery stats. Actual performance has been so good that I am keeping it off the charger more.

 

[Inundated]

Yes, the G4 Play is 2 GB in the United States, even the Verizon-only prepaid variant that I have.

The camera generally gets middling reviews, but my needs are low and it works for me. It is certainly better than the 1st Gen Moto G.

I also don't really need low-light pictures, so I may not be the best judge.

 

[Mrs._djs]

Camera is descent for everyday use. Moving objects (like Kids ) tend to blur. It's an upgrade from what I had before, so I'm happy with it's performance

 

[Inundated]

I would get the G4 or G4 Plus if you can afford it. But for me, the Verizon G4 Play on prepaid was the answer, and it was significantly cheaper.

 

[Inundated]

Added a 32GB MicroSD card. It appears to work great, maybe with a very minor hit to battery life (it's still great, just draining a bit faster than it did without the SD card installed).

Debating it I just keep it in the phone or only put it in if needed.

 

[Mrs._djs]

I keep my SD in all the time. Haven't noticed any difference in bettery drain.

 

[Inundated]

I keep my SD in all the time. Haven't noticed any difference in bettery drain.

I think the problem was that I used the phone more (more screen on time) right after the card was put in...not the card itself causing perceived drain.

Plus, I read a message from someone on the Motorola support forums who reported higher battery drain after putting in an SD card...they ended up doing a factory reset or something.

 

[Inundated]

I'm thinking back to that day, and I may have had Location Services turned on (high accuracy) due to an app that wanted it on. That may explain it even more.

 

[brian10161]

There are so many things that can cause it. I've even had an app just randomly start using background services and toasting my battery. For the most part now though, I haven't had any issues. Battery life on this phone is solid and I have a Mixza 128gb SD card in it. I have location on high accuracy, a pebble smartwatch paired, AccuWeather in the background with the temperature in the status bar updating every 2 hours and an Adblock VPN.

It's probably what you said though, just that it's getting used a lot more. Make sure all updates are installed and it should be okay.

 

[david61983]

Are there any touchscreen issues with this phone? I've had lots of touchscreen issues on my G4 Plus.

 

[anon(916519)]

Are there any touchscreen issues with this phone? I've had lots of touchscreen issues on my G4 Plus.

I've had none so far in two months. Surprising for how cheap this phone was.

 

[Inundated]

No touch screen issues ("ghost touch", burn in or anything else) on my G4 Play.

My working theory is that keeping brightness lower makes it less susceptible to screen issues, but that is just a theory.

And at least on this phone, I haven't seen the issues even with high brightness...