2015 Moto G brings big improvements, Moto Maker customization

Say “hello Moto” to the 2015 Moto G. Photo: Motorola

Say “hello Moto” to the 2015 Moto G. Photo: Motorola

Motorola today announced its 2015 Moto G at an event in New York City, and it’s a massive improvement over its predecessors. Upgrades include a faster processor, a significantly better camera, and Android 5.1.1 Lollipop out of the box. It’s also the first Moto G to be available through Moto Maker.

The new Moto G keeps the same 5-inch 720p display that was packed into last year’s model — not the 1080p screen some rumors had promised — but it’s a whole lot better under the hood. The device is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor, and features 4G LTE as standard.

Motorola has also packed in a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera — a big improvement over the 8-megapixel shooter in last year’s model. It’s actually the same camera Motorola packed into the Nexus 6, but Motorola has made it better with improved lenses and an IR filter.

This year’s Moto G is the first in the series that you’ll be able to customize through Moto Maker, and there are a whole host of color options to choose from. Despite the handset’s removable back panels, it’s also IPX7 rated for water-resistance, so you can submerge it in up to 1 meter of water for as long as 30 minutes.

The new Moto G launches with Google’s latest Android 5.1.1 Lollipop software, and buyers will be able to choose between an 8GB model with 1GB of RAM, and a 16GB model with 2GB of RAM. The device goes on sale today around the world.