Motorola Moto G has been very successful around the globe in the budget Android smartphone league, the device offers numerous capabilities and all this comes with just a little customization from Motorola over the Stock Android 4.4.2 KitKat. The performance it offers for its price range is definitely worth mentioning and its only true android rival is the Samsung Galaxy Grand 2, the successor to the Galaxy Grand that did wonders in the Asian market last year. The Galaxy Grand 2 is well packed and updated over its predecessor may it be an updated processor,  720p HD Display or half gig more RAM there is quite a lot it offers to the customers looking for a “not so expensive” HD Quad-Core Android Smartphone with a display over 5 Inches. Here we compare Samsung’s Galaxy Grand 2 to Motorola’s Moto G and try to find out which might be a better smartphone for you.
Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 (Major Specifications)
- Display :Â 5.25 Inches TFT 720p HD Display (280 ppi)
- Processor & GPU :Â Quad-core 1.2 GHz (Snapdragon) with Adreno 305 GPU
- Operating System :Â Touchwiz skinned Android 4.3 Jelly Bean
- Storage & RAM :Â 8GB In-Built, Expandable via MicroSD 64GB & 1.5 GB RAM
- Camera :Â 8 Megapixel Primary (1080p @30fps) and 1.9 Megapixel Secondary
- Battery :Â Li-Ion 2600 mAh
- Additional Features :Â Â Samsung Hub, S Health, Group Play, S Travel, S Translator, Samsung Link, and Story Album
Motorola Moto G (Major Specifications)
- Display :Â 4.5 Inches IPS LCDÂ 720p HD Display (326 ppi) Gorilla Glass 3
- Processor & GPU :Â Quad-core 1.2 GHz (Snapdragon) with Adreno 305 GPU
- Operating System :Â Android 4.4.2 KitKat
- Storage & RAM :Â 8/16 GB In-Built, Non-Expandable & 1 GB RAM
- Camera :Â 5 Megapixel Primary (720p @30fps) and 1.3 Megapixel Secondary
- Battery :Â Li-Ion 2070 mAh (non-removable)
Note :Â Both Smartphones have a Dual SIM variant which is market dependent.
1. Design, Build & Display
When it comes to design the Galaxy Grand 2 shows itself in moods of a typical Galaxy Phone, the poly-carbonate construction isn’t something new at all, although the new Faux-Leather rear panel does give it a premium feel over the Hyper Glazed Galaxy Grand. Moving away from the construction elements, the Galaxy Grand 2 is all over a well sized smartphone for a 5.25 Inch TFT HD display it has, though Samsung hasn’t included a Corning Gorilla Glass to protect it. The Display produces a pixel density of 280 ppi which is identical to the first edition of the Galaxy Note Series, while the display isn’t a  Super AMOLED unit, the Brightness, Colors and Sunlight viewing is far more than something called above Average.
The Moto G on the other hand is a very well constructed device, it comes with a rugged and strong feeling, Motorola also included a water proof coating over it, do keep in mind that this wont’t make the Moto G a water proof device but if you accidentally spill water over it then it can take it quite well. The device sports a 4.5 Inch IPS LCD HD display which is not small by any means, but if you are looking for something over 5 Inches then this might not be your deal, though you get a higher pixel density at 326 ppi which will make the screen sharp enough to take on most images and videos. There is also a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for protection, while the Colors, Brightness and Sunlight viewing is just a little better when compared to the Galaxy Grand 2.
2. Processor, Memory & Software
Samsung has moved away from the Broadcom chip-set in the Galaxy Grand to a Qualcomm MSM8226 Snapdragon 400 Quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7 CPU and the graphics are handled by a Adreno 305 GPU. The CPU-GPU combo offers decent performance and is quite capable, the device can run games that are not light at all like the Asphalt 8 without any issues . YouTube buffering and Full HD Video playback is also smooth and fast without any dropping frames or lags. The RAM amount of the Galaxy Grand 2 totals to a 1.5GB but the general availability is around 800-900MB after the necessary processes from Android and Touchwhiz after a fresh boot, the multi-tasking experience is decent but there is a visible lag when switching between heavy applications like the Camera, Video Player or Games, even Facebook at times. The internal storage is 8GB (around 4GB for the user) and there is a Micro SD card slot supporting up to 64GB of expansion. The Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 comes with all the Samsung Touchwhiz goodies, Multi-Window, My Magazine and other Samsung propriety applications are all included. You also get Android 4.3 Out of the Box, and according to leaks the Android 4.4.2 KitKat update is on its way sometime next month, one must know that the Touchwhiz UI does offer numerous features but it also consumes many resources, hence causing occasional lags and stutters when using the Galaxy Grand 2.
The Moto G also has a Qualcomm MSM8226 Snapdragon 400 Quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7 CPU with Adreno 305 GPU, hence there is none to a little difference in any task you perform on both Smartphones so you don’t have to worry about that at all. The RAM amount on the Moto G totals to a 1GB out of which you get around 500-600MB  for a general availability after a fresh boot, but there are no Touchwhiz processes here so the experience is slightly smoother overall then the Galaxy Grand 2. Multi-tasking isn’t the smoothest if not slow on the Moto G, heavy applications will take time to switch between, so the difference in amount of RAM isn’t really visible on actual usage. There are two variants of the Moto G at 8GB and 16GB of internal storage, sadly Motorola didn’t include a Micro SD card slot making it impossible to carry huge chunks of data on the Moto G. The Moto G comes with Android 4.4.2 out of the box (Dual SIM model comes with Android 4.3, but update is available) and hence with all the optimizations of KitKat make it a quality experience. Now you will miss all those home baked goodies from Samsung in the Moto G as it’s nearly identical to Stock Android 4.4.2 but that’s not really an issue if you don’t really use them day to day like most users.
3. Camera & Battery
The Galaxy Grand 2 has a 8MP Rear and 1.9MP Front camera units which are identical to the Galaxy Grand but it doesn’t mean you don’t get anything new here, the new software in the Galaxy Grand 2 is feature rich and inspired by the Galaxy Camera interface, hence you get more options and modes to choose from.  There is also a considerable upgrade in the quality of images produced and you also get Full HD Video recording [email protected], however there is still not 720p recording from the front shooter. The battery unit is 2600mAh in capacity which provides a full day operation on general usage, you also have an option to replace it with a spare unit if you are extra needy.
The Moto G has a 5MP Rear and 1.3MP Front camera units, these are definitely inferior to the Galaxy Grand 2 both on paper and performance, the software also is very simple and dull, there aren’t enough settings to tweak here.  The images produced aren’t good enough either, but are worth looking at from a “Non-Software optimized 5MP unit”, the other limitation in the Camera section is absence of Full HD Video Recording capability, you can go up to a maximum [email protected] and are still going to end up with below average results. There is no chance that you get a 720p recording from the front 1.3Mp shooter either. The battery on the Moto G is a 2070mAh unit but the performance is comparable to the Galaxy Grand 2, so a full day on general usage isn’t something to worry about here. The battery is non-replaceable so that might come as another disappointment.
4. Price
Price is the only factor that makes this comparison somewhat “strange”, as the Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 retails at 22,900 INR in India while the Motorola Moto G is priced at 12499 INR for a 8GB and 13,999 INR for a 16GB model.
5. Conclusion
Unlike most comparisons leaving the choice up to you, I would go ahead and say that the Moto G is a better Smartphone here, the Stock Android 4.4.2, compact form factor, better build and the price it comes for aren’t just something you ignore. The Galaxy Grand 2 does manage to beat it for Expandable storage and Camera but that’s not really worth 8000 INR more it comes at, additionally Samsung’s identical build and everlasting new launches don’t let a mid-range galaxy devices shine out from the competition.
Lets us know what you think about these two smartphones and if you are going to get one, then which is it going to be ? in the comments section below.
Deals from Flipkart on Moto G & Galaxy Grand 2
