Moto G Turbo: Little to cheer except for the Marshmallow

Motorola's G-series has become the bread-and-butter for most budget buyers since it was launched over two years ago, riding high on its promise of durability and timely updates.

The near-stock Android, timely updates and zippy multi-tasking make the G series attractive for power users. While water-resistance, quick charging and snappy cameras make it a fun phone to have, it falters in ergonomic appeal and selling price.

The Turbo phones — named so because of its powerful bundled charger — was launched two months ago. And now, they have the Android 6.0 Marshmallow updated.

Why is that important? Because the Marshmallow is what is separating the Moto G Turbo phones from other devices with fingerprint scanners, bigger screens, faster processors available at similar prices.

Turbo Charging

Turbo Charging promises the phone will deliver six hours of usage for just 15 minutes of charging with the bundled charger, and a little over an hour for the 2470 mAh battery to charge to 100%.

But somehow, I don't think I'd carry around the massive charger bundled with the phone.

If like me, a USB cable with the laptop or a friend's adapter is how you charge your phone, the Turbo Charging is a big fat waste of space. So, the phone isn't offering anything other than a slightly bigger and sharper screen than a Moto G 3rd generation.

Marshmallow

The Android 6.0 Marshmallow update has improved performance and increased battery efficiency, giving the Moto G Turbo an edge over competitors where similar upgrades are in limbo.

The update packs in hidden goodies like customisable notification shortcuts, Google Now On Tap that scans the screen for keywords and pictures and does a Google search.

Add the Moto Display feature to it and you have a user experience that's just right. When the phone is locked, you can control the music, view messages and perform quick actions just by holding down a tiny white bubble on the overall dark lock screen.

At ₹12,499, Moto G Turbo's pricing puts it in direct competition with the Lenovo K4 Note, Honor 5X and Le 1s. On paper, the Moto G takes a beating with no fingerprint scanner, a smaller screen and a smaller battery. But, the Moto G Turbo is a slam dunk if you want a phone that's water resistant, fits well in the hand and has the latest software features by the virtue of running Android M and features like Moto Actions and Moto Display.