Moto G and G Plus mix high-end tech with low-end prices

Motorola

I've called Motorola's previous Moto G the "best budget phone around". That's a big accolade to live up to, but by 

taking its already great phone and giving almost every spec a healthy boost, Motorola makes sure the two new Moto Gs might well keep their lofty title.

The new Moto G

The revamped Moto G has a 5.5-inch screen, making it rather large: half an inch larger than the previous model and a full inch larger than the original Moto G.

The last G came in a wide variety of colours, customisable using the Moto Maker online tool. There'll be different colours available for the new models. I haven't yet had confirmation of whether you can customise the phones with Moto Maker, but I'd be very surprised if they'd removed that ability.

Beyond the design, the new Moto G comes with an octa-core processor, a full-HD (1,920x1,080-pixel) display (a boost from the 720p screens on the last Moto G) and 3,000mAh batteries that Motorola reckon will deliver up to 24 hours of "mixed use".

Moto G Plus

While the standard model has a 13-megapixel camera, the Plus bumps that up to 16 megapixels, and pairs that with a laser-enabled autofocus for faster focusing for speedy snaps.

Motorola's new phones run the Android operating system. Motorola typically does little to customise Android, meaning it's typically fast and easy to use. I'm hoping the company's taken a similarly hands-off approach here. What will be on board though are Moto's "enhancements", including its voice-activation software.

The Moto G will cost a mere £169 when it goes on sale in the UK in early June. The Plus is available shortly after from Amazon and will cost £199. I'd argue that an additional £30 is a small price to pay for the higher-performance camera.

Motorola hasn't said how much the phones will cost in the US or Australia, but the Moto G's price converts to about $245 or AU$335, while the Plus' price converts to about $285 or AU$395.

Cameras aside, both phones appear to offer a really solid set of specs for an extremely reasonable price. I'm looking forward to giving these new guys the full review treatment.