Motorola's newest entry-level smartphone, the Moto G tied with the Google Nexus 5 in the "best value" category of Android Central's smartphone roundup. In fact, the smartphone from Motorola has been a constant head-turner because of its compelling features and specs combined with its relatively budget-friendly price.

How does this new device from Motorola compare with the Google Nexus 4? It is a worthy upgrade path? Here is a comparison of the two devices to let you know what the better buy is.

Hardware

External

The two devices extremely look similar from the façade however, that is where their external parallels end. The Google Nexus 4 is rubber and glass while the Motorola Moto G is a traditional plastic smartphone. Both devices are prone to wear and tear after quite some time - the Moto G is susceptible to having smudges and marks on its back cover specially on the light-coloured models, while the Nexus 4 is prone to scratches because of its glass back.

Internal

Even after some time, the Google Nexus 4's internals remain steadfast with its quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro chip, 2GB RAM and Adreno 320 GPU. On the other hand, the Motorola Moto G boasts a quad-core Snapdragon 400 chip at 1.2GHz, four energy-sipping ARM Cortex A7 cores and a CPU that is built for power efficiency. However, the Motorola Moto G has a significant low-powered Adreno 305 GPU and a much lower 1GB RAM.

Both devices come in 8 GB and 16 GB variants but the Nexus 4 is ahead when it comes to connectivity with its pentaband 42 Mbps DC-HSDPA allowing its users to experience the faster 3G coverage in the planet. In contrast, the Moto G only supports between three to four bands at 21Mbps speeds.

Display

Screen is arguably the most remarkable feature of the Moto G with 4.5 inches 720p display. It is as sharp, vivid and bright as any other high-end smartphone in the market today. The Nexus 4 has unnaturally cool, washed out, and dark screen maybe due to the lack of lacklustre hardware or poor tuning.

Camera

Neither device has excellent cameras that are good for shooting photos and videos; however the smartphone from Google pulls ahead with a higher MP count - 8 MP vs. 5 MP - better-looking daylight shots, 1080p video, and ability to capture images faster.

The Verdict

The year-old Google Nexus 4 remains to give a good fight with its compelling specs and features although it is undoubtedly overshadowed by its high-end competitors. On the other hand, the entry-level Moto G gives the market an almost unbeatable value.