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If you're still rocking a Moto G4 Plus, you'll be pleased to know that Motorola is finally rolling out Android Oreo to your device. It was only 18 months ago that the company issued a statement promising the update, and it seems it is just now getting around to it. Better late than never, right?
The LineageOS custom ROM used to support just about every phone imaginable, but lately the project has been going for quality over quantity. Oreo (15.1) builds have to fulfill stricter requirements to receive official status, and now Lineage is dropping support for 30 unmaintained phones and tablets.
B&H is running a massive year-end sale right now, fittingly named the 'Mega Deal Zone.' We already covered some of the offerings here, but there are also seven Motorola phones on sale. That includes the Moto G5S Plus, Moto G4, and last year's Moto Z Play.
Yesterday we published an article criticizing Motorola for not updating the Moto G4 line to Android Oreo, as numerous marketing materials had promised this update. Motorola seems to have had a change of heart, and will now be updating the Moto G4 Plus (yes, just the Plus) to 8.0 Oreo.
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- Motorola has decided to update the G4 Plus to Oreo, but not without a bunch of catches. Check our post for the full details.
You know who everyone hates? Liars. Nobody likes being promised something, only to have it taken away without explanation. At launch, Motorola advertised Android N and O updates for the Moto G4 line, but to the shock of many G4 owners, none of these phones were listed in the company's official Oreo update list. In fact, all mention of this promise has been wiped away. Motorola, this is bullshit.
The launch of the new Moto G5 and G5 Plus a couple of months ago meant two things. Firstly, there's a new budget king in town, with the Moto G range always offering incredible value for money. Secondly, you should now be able to pick up the last generation devices for less, giving you even better bang for your buck. You can now find the largest in the 2016 lineup, the Moto G4 Plus, at B&H for as low as $150 for the option including 16GB storage and 2GB RAM ( off), and $200 for the beefier option with 64Gb storage and 4GB RAM(0 off).We saw the 64/4GB version for the same $200 at Amazon recently, but that sold out in a snap. This is definitely the cheapest we've seen the lower spec model, though, as we previously reported it at a low of $160. Both phones are unlocked US variants in black (the white colorway remains more expensive). You're going to have to be quick as the B&H deals expire at just before midnight on the 17th June. You can also get the higher spec Moto G4 Plus at the same price from Amazon, but you'll need to be a Prime member, or willing to take the risk of the 30-day trial (be careful to cancel it in good time if you do). There weren't many left in stock on Amazon at the time of writing, so expect them to sell out fast.For your money, you'll be getting the best budget phone of 2016, with a near stock version of Android 7.0 Nougat (after updating). It's still perfectly capable today, so if you're in the market for a cheap Android handset hurry up and grab one of these while you can. If you need more persuading, check out our review.Source: B&H 16/2GB, 64/4GB, Amazon 64/4GB
The guys at Droid Life spotted a pretty great deal today in the form of the G4 Plus @ $200 over on B&H. While we were checking it out, we also noticed that it's the same price over at Amazon. Both B&H and Amazon might be claiming that this is a $100 off, but if you look at price histories on Amazon and most other retailers, it's closer to a $60 savings. Nonetheless, that's almost a quarter off, making it a pretty nice price for the phone. And, by $20, the lowest price we've ever seen for it.Now, the G4 Plus isn't super new, and Lenovo's track record with updates is a bit hit-and-miss these days. This device did see Nougat, though. And, on release, we called it the best budget phone you can buy. The date might be different, but even with Lenovo's update history, our opinion hasn't substantially changed. It's still a great phone, but it is worth keeping in mind that the just-released G5 is cheaper, and for a bit more you can pick up an older mid-range or flagship. If you do go for the G4 Plus, with 4GB of ram and 64GB of storage, you aren't likely to run into too many issues with apps bumping out of memory or finding yourself short of space.At the time of writing only 10 hours remain for this sale at B&H, and Amazon might bump things back up after it ends. So, if you are interested, you had best hurry.
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Although the Moto G5 is the new kid on the block, and one of the best budget phones around, its brother from yesteryear should not be forgotten. Best Buy currently has the 16GB Moto G4 Plus, in both colors, for $159.99 right now as part of its Deal of the Day. That's a nice $90 off of the $250 full price.This is, by far, the lowest we've seen the Moto G4 Plus, even beating out the time when Amazon had it for $190. For $160, you get a 5.5" 1080p display, Snapdragon 617, 2GB of RAM, microSD slot, 16MP camera, 3,000mAh battery, and a fingerprint sensor.The 64GB black model is also on sale, but for a paltry $15 off. Remember that this deal is only good through today before Best Buy moves onto the next thing. Be sure to pick one of these guys up if you're interested.Source: Best BuyThanks: Shane
The Moto G5 Plus was recently released, and is possibly the best budget phone you can buy. But if the $229.99 price tag for the G5 Plus is a little too high, you can now get the last-generation G4 Plus for just $189.99 on Amazon.Despite being a budget phone from a year ago, the G4 Plus is still a pretty decent device. It has a Snapdragon 617 processor, a 5.5" 1920x1080 IPS display, a fingerprint scanner, and a microSD card slot. The model on sale has 16GB of storage with 2GB of RAM.Motorola isn't great when it comes to updating its phones, even on the company's flagships. Nougat just started rolling out to the G4 Plus in the United States, but I wouldn't be too sure on a future Android O update (at least officially).Still, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better phone under $200 with full support for all major US carriers. You can buy it at the link below.Source: Amazon
The Moto G lineup includes some of the best phones you can buy on a budget. But Motorola places a higher priority on the G4 in India than the US, considering devices over there received Android 7.0 Nougat almost three months ago. Now the company has finally started rolling out Nougat to the G4 and G4 Plus in the United States.
Motorola started pushing Android 7.0 Nougat to the Moto G4 and G4 Plus in some markets, but not everyone has it yet. OTA updates are nice, but developers also want to have access to the open source code for system updates. At least that's available to everyone now in the form of a kernel source download.
CyanogenMod has seen better days as an organization, but the team behind the open-source Android custom ROM doesn't seem to be slowing down its prodigious output. In the last week new nightly builds have been added for no less than ten new phones and tablets, including notable models from Motorola, Samsung, OnePlus, and Amazon. All of them now have CM 14.1 (based on Android 7.1.1 AOSP code) builds available.
The budget smartphone segment in America seems to be a shrinking one of late (well, at least of good options), but we've rounded up the best we think the market has to offer consumers right now in the $250-and-under segment. The selected phones are presented in no particular order.
Tis the season for timely Android OS updates. Most of the phones that get bumped to the latest version of Android before the end of the year are flagships and other high-end devices, but it looks like Motorola may be bucking the trend a bit with the latest G-series phones. Reports from a small number of users in India indicate that the Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus are seeing over-the-air Nougat updates.
Motorola's recent high-end phones have been a bit disappointing, but the budget-friendly Moto G4 is a solid device thanks to its clean software, unlocked support for GSM and CDMA, and long battery life. Even when it's not on sale, this phone is a good deal. You don't even have to pay full price today, though. Amazon is selling all the Moto G4 and G4 Plus variants for as much as $70 off the usual price.The cheapest Moto G4 you can get from Amazon is the "with offers" variant. That means you get Amazon's lock screen ads, and there are more Amazon apps pre-loaded. The 16GB version of that phone is $129.99, and $10 more gets you 32GB of storage. Those would usually be $150 and $180. The regular Moto G4 without ads is $179.99 for 16GB and $174.99 for 32GB—yes, the 32GB is cheaper right now. Regular prices are $200 and $230.
The G4 Plus adds a fingerprint sensor, a better camera, and higher storage options. This phone does not come in a "with offers" version. The 32GB/2GB RAM G4 Plus is on sale for $199.99 and the 64GB/4GB is $229.99. Those are usually $250 and $300 phones. If you need a good cheap phone (or just a spare phone) these are good ones to pick up.Source: Moto G4, Moto G4 Plus
Android Nougat is still relatively new, and very few phones have officially been upgraded to it thus far. However, in the past few hours, we've been seeing reports by multiple tech sites that the mid-range Moto G4 and G4 Plus are now receiving Android 7.0 Nougat in various countries; this is completely false. While the G4 Plus has received a Nougat soak test, the software has not officially been released in any region yet.
Motorola picked a pretty busy day to release its list of phones that are slated to be upgraded to Android 7.0 - make of that what you will. After previously confirming that the new Moto Z , Moto Z Droid, and Moto G4 lines would be upgraded to Nougat "starting in Q4," a more complete list was published to the company blog today. The list is fairly predictable, with some notable exceptions.
It's a frequent woe of Android users: you buy that fancy, top-of-the-line phone in the summer or fall, and you just know it's going to take the manufacturer months to get around to releasing the updated software that Google pushes out soon. They tend to issue press releases or Twitter posts promising support for the new update, though dates are typically either absent or vague. Such is the case with Motorola's commitment to Android 7.0 on its latest phones.
The Moto G4 and G4 Plus haven't been out for long, but you can already pick them up in less-than-new conditions at pretty steep discounts. Currently, Best Buy is offering up refurbished 16GB Moto G4s for $139.99 and 16GB G4 Pluses for $179.99.