Gadgetory

hi this is Brian Bennett for seen it and right now we're taking a first look at the motorola moto g google play edition this phone is almost identical to the original moto g in every way components screen design etc what the new GPE version of the Moto G brings to the table is Android 4.4 KitKat software installed right out of the box I know that Google who now owns Motorola has promised a timely KitKat update for the Moto G it can take frustratingly long for the KitKat over-the-air update to hit your device hey I'm still waiting for my previous Moto G test unit to receive the street be advised however that the Moto G GPE is not a Nexus device so you get the basic android kitkat experience not the special Google Experience launcher which is installed on the Nexus 5 the Moto G GPE uses the same physical design as the motorola moto g that's good because the phone is solidly crafted very compact and is comfortable to hold and operate in one hand despite its large 4.5 inch screen you can also swap out the boring black back plate for a colored one like the blue one I have here the battery is embedded and not removable you're also stuck with the moto g's on board reservoir of storage since there's no SD card expansion slot another drawback to the phone is it's confusing stock Android camera app which lacks in HDR mode the original motorola moto g has that ability plus a photo app that's more intuitive to navigate even so the moto g's 5 megapixel camera takes ok not great photos anyway and like the first moto G the Moto G gpe is 3g only and can't connect to fast 4G LTE networks still the GSM phone is unlocked and sold directly through the google play market off-contract I'm Brian Bennett for cnet and you've just taken a first look at the motorola moto g google play edition smartphone you