Motorola recently revealed the Moto G Pure, which is the cheapest phone in the new G-series. It costs $160 in the United States, which is less than the G Play ($170 MSRP). In many ways, the two phones are identical, while Pure makes certain concessions to meet its price point.
The Helio G25, the lowest level of the Helio G ladder, powers it. Eight Cortex-A53 CPU cores and a PowerVR GE8320 GPU are used in this 12 nm chip. The Snapdragon 460, an 11 nm CPU with four big A73-derived cores and a speedier Adreno 610 GPU, powers the G Play.
In addition, the battery is 20% smaller at 4,000 mAh (vs. 5,000 mAh). Using the supplied adapter, it supports the same 10W charging. Motorola promises that the battery will last two days under normal conditions.
The rest of the story is essentially the same. The G Pure has 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage, as well as a microSD expansion slot. It does come pre-installed with the newer Android 11 operating system.
The phone, like its sister, is made of plastic and has some rudimentary waterproofing (IP52). It is, however, thinner and lighter, weighing 8.75 mm and 188 g vs 9.4 mm and 204 g for the Play.
That’s with a 6.5″ IPS LCD with a resolution of 720 x 1,600 pixels (20:9). In comparison to the Play, the notched 5 MP front-facing camera has the same pixel size (1.12 m) but a darker aperture (f/2.4 vs. f/2.2).
The main 13 MP camera (1.12 m pixels, f/2.2 aperture vs. f/2.0) is the same. The front and rear cameras can both capture 1080p video at 30 frames per second, while the rear camera on the Play can also record at 60 frames per second (the Snapdragon is just more powerful). In any case, the 13 MP camera is accompanied by a 2 MP depth sensor and a single LED flash. On the back, there’s also a fingerprint reader.
The phone is only available as a single-SIM device; compatibility with US carriers may be found on Motorola’s website (including VoLTE, Wi-Fi calling, etc.). Wi-Fi 5 (ac) and Bluetooth 5.0 are also available, however, there is no NFC. A USB-C 2.0 port on the bottom and a 3.5 mm headphone jack on the top provide wired connectivity. On October 14, the Motorola Moto G Pure will be available for pre-order in the United States. Motorola.com, as well as shops such as Amazon, BestBuy, Walmart, and B&H Photo, will sell it. Carriers will give it out for free if you sign a 24- to 30-month commitment.
The G Pure will be sold in Canada as well, but we couldn’t find it anyplace else. Deep Indigo is the only colorway available.