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YugaTech Asks: Moto G or high end local smartphones?

Name: YugaTech Asks: Moto G or high end local smartphones?
Brand: YugaTech
Rating: 4.8 (1 reviews)

Bob Freking January 27, 2014 · 2 min read

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The Motorola Moto G is yet to arrive here in the Philippines, and surely a lot of people are waiting for it – mainly because of its high-end internals paired with the affordable price tag of just $179 to $199. We managed to nab one in Singapore for just Php9,000, a price that is a lot lower than the prices of the local brands’ flagship phones – usually slightly above the Php10k mark (first impressions here).

MOTO G LOCAL

Local flagship phones on the other hand are spec monsters. They come at prices up to Php13,000 and they pack 1080p displays, 18 megapixel rear cameras & 8 megapixel front-facing cameras, quad-core CPUs to octa-core ones and they have attracted quite a number of loyal fans. However, there are certainly a lot of people not ready to jump into the local smartphone bandwagon.

Since the Moto G has a similar price point with the Nexus 7 (not to mention they’re both Google products), then it might be safe to assume that when it arrives here, it’s going to be at most Php13,000 also for the 16GB variant. That one packs a 720p display, a Snapdragon 400 CPU, 1GB RAM, the latest version of Android, a 5MP camera and a good 2,070mAh battery. Hypothetically, if you get a local flagship phone, you’re getting a 1080p display, an octa-core MediaTek CPU, 2GB RAM, 18MP+8MP shooters, a decent battery & a slightly outdated version of Android.

That leaves us with a question. YugaTech asks – if you had Php13k in hand only for a brand new smartphone, which one would you get?

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Bob Freking

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Bob Freking occasionally contributes articles to the website. He is a UST Graduate of Commerce & Business Administration, Major in Marketing Management, and a full-time Sith Lord with three dragons.

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130 Comments

gr8destroyer · 12 years ago

LocAl brand vs. International / well known brands has been a battle that’s been around since Filipinos started manufacturing stuff (so it’s been a while) so tlgang kanya-kanyang punto lang yan. But I for one use both & I love ’em! I’ve used 2 iterations of Sony flagship smartphones (Xperia Z then Xperia Z2) for a while now. And I also used a couple of smartphones from local brands (Omega HD 2.0 then Starmobile Octa) & as far as quality, durability & performance goes, ndi naman ako nagsisi & I’d say sulit na sulit talaga ung binayad ko. If there’s 1 thing na pde mong ibato sa locAl brands, it’s software updates, which is ALMOST unheard of. Most local brands would rather release a new phone model with a new version ng OS kesa i-update ung software ng mga existing models. Pero nag-a-update dn naman cla ng mga software nla every once in a while, usually ung mga flagship units lang o ung mga piling-piling models na marami talaga ang bumili (e.g Cherry Mobile Flare)

Now to answer the question “if I had Php13k to buy a brand new smartphone, would I buy a moto G or a better spec’d flagship model from a local brand?”, I’ll go for a flagship model from a local brand hands down. I’m a power user so that’s why I usually gun for flagship models. So if I only have Php13k, I’ll use it to get the best spec’d phone I can get my hands on.

Kevin · 12 years ago

Id rather choose Local “REBRANDED” phones. It still depends paden sa gagamit. Ako naman kase usually gaming and mulititasking ang trip ko, so i choose to buy Diamondx1 ( still em gonna add 1kphp ) with the specs of 6″HD IPS screen, 18+8mp BSI camera, 8gb rom+2gb ram, 1.7ghz MTK6592 OCTACORE Processor & with a Yamaha Speakers. Pede na teba ? :

Jabongga · 12 years ago

Myphone…especially the agua series are very good phones. I own a Nexus 4 and tried MP Cyclone and MP Vortex. I would not mind if MP yung gagamitin ko.

Someone · 12 years ago

I am not ashamed to say that with my 13k I would buy a local smart phone, specifically a MyPhone Iceberg.

Unfortunately, local brands have been (and always will be) getting a bad rap. I would be first to admit that these stories are true. However, many a times, these stories are blown out of proportion. People who get these negative experiences are the first one to go to a forum, website and shout to the high heavens what bad/crappy/horrible service they experienced with .

But what about people who do get good experiences like me? Sadly, whenever I try to post something positive about CM or MP, I am greeted with uneducated, close-minded replies from trolls who escaped from their attics and forgot to take their chill pill. Case in point: that troll who replied to abuzalzal. I mean WTF?

So here’s my point, we all have reasons why we would choose one over the other. Whether it’s durability or features or design, we choose based on our standards. But here’s one thing I did notice, nahihiya ang mga pinoy na bumili ng locally branded phone even if the specs are better than the imported counter parts. Why? It’s all about the image and showing off your status. Having a Motorola G in your hand versus a MP Agua Vortex is much more “sosy” and this I believe is one twisted and eff’d up way of thinking.

Here’s my summary, kung yung 13k na nasa kamay mo ngayon ay pinaghirapan mong ipunin ng isang taon dahil minimum wage earner ka lang malamang eh mag-iisip ka tulad ni abuzalzal. Pero kung yung 13k na nasa kamay mo ay barya lang malamang eh babaliwalain mo lang ang local brand dahil di sya sosy.

Some chap · 12 years ago

So you’re telling me na binili ko yung Moto G ko dahil “sosy” ako? Kahit na mas mura sya at ang lupit ng specs? Kahit na ilubog mo sa tubig ng 30 minutes, ayos pa rin?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVaTKG5q4YI

If you’re happy with your Iceberg, then props to you. I hear it’s a terrific device with nice specs.

Me? I love the Moto G because it’s cheap, it’s fast, it also has nice specs, it uses stock Android, many devs and modders support it so I can root it like CRAZY, and it can survive being fricking submerged in water for long periods.

It’s not because it’s sosy or whatever other reason you claim motivates me. You might probably reply that not all Moto G owners are like that, but you were painting very broad strokes in your comment earlier.

wew · 12 years ago

ok na sana ung comment mo para ipagtanggol ung mga pumipili ng local branded phone eh, kaso binawian mo naman na ang mga mayayaman ay bumibili ng branded dahil sosy lng(maaaring sinasabi mo rin na dahil social climber) or something like that. katulad ng sinabi mo,kanyakanyang preference yan,ngaun oo aaminin ko na mas preferred ko ang branded dahil sa image niya,pero hindi dahil sa sinasabi mong hindi nakakahiya gamitin pag may ibang taong nakakakita kundi dahil sa dinadala ng image na un-reputation,reliability,etc. di naman magiging maganda ang image ng isang brand kung palpak sila sa aftersales support,for ex., dba?

zhel · 12 years ago

you all have good points.. for me, it all depends on what use your phone is to you.

If you use it mostly for taking pics, You’d want something with a better camera.

If you mostly use it for video streaming, a phone with a bigger screen and preferrably LTE would be better.

If you like watching downloaded movies on it, you’d need something with a large screen and extra space.

Now if you want to do a little of everything… That’s where Moto g comes in. It’s not the best at anything.. but its definitely good at (almost)everything.

Inde lahat ng tao, pare parehas ang gamit sa phone. depende sa gamit kung babagay ba sa kanya ang isang telepono o hinde…

roiji · 12 years ago

Hindi naman talaga gawa locally ang local brands eh :(
‘locally branded’ lang sila ng foreign OEMs.
..iba pala yung tanong sa tittle kaysa dun sa hanging question..
I’d get the Moto G or a Sony low/mid range device for the possible updates and quality.

meh · 12 years ago

I agree with others for the price you can get a sony phone with LTE. Local phones with mediatek processors will never get updates or have any roms

Some chap · 12 years ago

Hay naku, alam mo, I learned that the hard way. I tried flashing an A10 (or was it A13?) tablet once and ended up soft-bricking it. Its options are sorely limited since no one hardly ever makes ROMs, kernels, or even tools for flashing them.

MrOrange · 12 years ago

checked sulit. someone’s already selling the Moto G locally.

Some chap · 12 years ago

Kimstore is already selling it as well.

James · 12 years ago

Yup, 10k at Kimstore for 8G variant.

Eric · 12 years ago

Being a Moto G and Nexus 4 user, all I can say the antenna performance(Motorola radio chipset) of this phone is better than my LG Nexus, battery life to is also impressive getting 3 days on a charge compared to my N4’s measly 1.5 day battery life. Motorola/Google finally hit a sweet spot for price and value…

JasonWilliams · 12 years ago

I dont know guys,

kung sa dalawa, yung moto G, pero kung pwede pang mamili ng iba, sa 13k mag xperia SP nalang ako.

Xperia SP – Aluminum frame, better camera, micro sd slot, premium feel, faster cpu and gpu, plus NFC and LTE, up to 4.4 kitkat update

Moto G – Better screen, dual sim, up to 4.4 kitkat update

Local brands – dibale nalang, haha

Sam · 12 years ago

I’ve never used a locally rebranded phone. How’ s the UI performance? I noticed that the longer you use android, eventually bumabagal sya after several months/years. Bumabagal din sa iOS pero mastolerable sya compared to android.

Kram · 12 years ago

The older ones were sluggish pero the newer generations are catching up. Smooth na yung UI. Problem talaga is sa hardware medyo madaling masira ung ibang parts but not all naman.

Ngak · 12 years ago

My motorola xoom, still working flawlessly. Updated until jb 4.1.2. Wala paring problema more than 2 yrs na, 32gb int + 32gb sd card. Malinaw 5mp na camera. I use it daily.

My motorola milestone 1, 4 yrs na ata, nasa anak ko na medyo may palya na power button. Updated from Eclair to Froyo to Gingerbread. Wala pang problema sa screen, gorilla glass 1.

My moto ex115 dual sim, ninakaw. Sayang matagal pa battery niya.

My CM flare, mabagal na, nagluluko na screen.

Planning to buy moto g or lumia 1320. Matibay motorola.

Noir · 12 years ago

I am just starting to test some local brands. EXCEPT for CM. They are already blacklisted as a defective manufacturer for me.

Just bought a Cloudfone thrill 430x.

Glenn · 12 years ago

Used the CM Titan since Aug 2012 till Jan 2014.
I was waiting for it to conk out and die but it didn’t. Torture tested. Lucky. 6500php was worth it.

here comes Moto G. I immediately bought it after a friend told me about it.
Fits MY needs.
1. Dual Sim ( work and personal )
2. Good Performance (close to S3 and Nexus 4)
3. I expect it to have FW updates since its basically from google via motorola( crossing my fingers )
my observation:
UI seems fast enough for me (responsive)
typing seems fast and accurate.
screens looks way better than the Titan ofcourse and it seems even better than my nexus 7 2013. (imo)

Some chap · 12 years ago

Really? Better than the Nexus 7 (2013)? That’s terrific! I’ve been waiting for my Moto G–it’s arriving on Thursday. You have made my day. ;)

crash · 12 years ago

Xperia sp kahit dual core lang 1.7Ghz naman..

Some chap · 12 years ago

If that’s the case, then a single-core 2.0GHz CPU should be better. Or is it?

sean · 12 years ago

13k? i would buy a samsung s3 16gb and a 32gd memory card

Some chap · 12 years ago

I’d only go with an S3 if it uses stock Android. But if it’s your regular TouchWiz? Gah no. NO. NO.

wew · 12 years ago

u can use launchers found on play store if u dont like the ui design =)

Some chap · 12 years ago

It’s not only the launchers or the UI design that’s the problem. It’s the bloatware and the overall (bad) performance of TouchWiz. There’s no comparison with stock Android.

wew · 12 years ago

well, if that’s the case, then mas maganda nga talaga ang stock android kahit ako mas gusto ko stock para mas iwas ung stutter =)

Some chap · 12 years ago

@wew
If you want a Samsung Galaxy phone that uses stock Android, try mo yung Google Play Edition ng Galaxy S4. ANG LUPET.

Kaya nga lang, the GPE isn’t available in the Phils. :(

wew · 12 years ago

un nga lng…pero ok lng available naman sa ph nexus devices eh maganda rin naman performance nito eh =)

Carlo · 12 years ago

The Moto G will have Kitkat and future updates guaranteed. I doubt any local smartphone does that without flashing roms or rooting the heck out of it.

wew · 12 years ago

tama tama =)

rocla · 12 years ago

lol… ok

Some chap · 12 years ago

Good luck finding kernels and ROMs that support local smartphones. ;)

LeoVicente · 12 years ago

I’d rather go for Motorola being the more reputable brand. However, while Lenovos, Cherrys, Myphones or Starmobiles may strike you as less reliable, they appear to be better supported here in the country.

john · 12 years ago

may dalawa akong kaklaseng may Cherry Mobile smartphones. yung flare 2x at flare s. nung una impressed ako kasi nga smooth na din ang performance at ok na din ang screen. kaso after ilang weeks lang yung dalawang units nila may defects agad. may defects sa screen. yung flare 2x may dead pixels tas yung isa may problema din sa screen, di na nag po produce ng black colors. parang nagiging rainbow ang screen kapag may black yung images sa screen. tas yung multitouch ng flare S, parang buggy din. nagiging single touch ang screen niya kapag mag tetext ka in potrait mode. kaya madaming typos kapag mageedit ka or magtete text ka. disappoited talaga ako kasi balak kong bumili ng flare S. that said, mas ok pa rin talaga na branded nalang yung bibilhin niyong mga smartphones. kulang pa din talaga sa build quality yung mga local branded smartphones :) i suggest Huawei at Lenovo smartphones. ok na din ang build quality nila tas mas mura kesa Samsung at LG :)

wew · 12 years ago

aba xempre moto g angganda na ng specs plus premium image cgurado mo pa ung build quality at aftersales support =)

Jonel Marlo Fidelson · 12 years ago

mas ok sana ang moto x kc amoled pero moto g should be fine mas trusted mas up to date mas reliable ang internal and external mejo di nga lang uubra ang phone na to sakin dahil alang card slot awkward naman ang may OTG lagi for added storage mas ok nadin ang note 3 ko ngayun.. dabest.. lol..

Yusuf · 12 years ago

Moto G! Guaranteed support for the phone and software updates. And, Motorola’s quality >

Eroz18 · 12 years ago

I’ll go for Motorola because its been in mobile industry for a long time and proved to have a good research team behind their products.

JC Sales · 12 years ago

Moto G :)

Wayne · 12 years ago

I read before na hindi porket madami sya core masmabilis na daw siya. Totoo ba ito?
If I’m going to buy, I dont want the local brand anymore. Ilang bwan lang nasira na and Cherry Mobile Flare ko. Papa ayos ko sana sa center nila kaso napakahaba ng pila.. Naiisip ko tuloy na malamang sirain talaga ang Cherry Mobile kasi dami tao dun.

TechyGeek · 12 years ago

I will go for Motolite G! Superb battery life!!

Tiyo Pepe · 12 years ago

Superb talaga yan, Motolite Pangmatagalan

jabroni · 12 years ago

with 13k ..ill rather get a sony xperia sp (from an online store) …established brand+good quality+LTE+good after sales support+kitkat update(though still in plan)

but to the question b/w moto g or local handset,ill get moto g bec of same reasons ill get an xperia sp (except for LTE of course)

eric · 12 years ago

my thoughts too.

mak · 12 years ago

Same here bro. If 13k yung budget. Xperia SP na lang kukunin ko. LTE and better camera and expendable memory.

Some chap · 12 years ago

@jabroni

You’ll trade a critically acclaimed Php9k to Php10k quad core phone for a middle-of-the-road Php12k dual core phone? Sure, it has LTE, but it’s not like LTE here is that good anyway.

If you really want a good phone with LTE, go for the LG Optimus G (E975) instead. It has a quad core 1.5GHz CPU, has 2GB of RAM, has LTE, and is selling for Php14k.

evollove · 12 years ago

I’m pretty sure that Snapdragon dual-core on the SP can smoke a Mediatek quad any day of the week. But I do agree with the Optimus G suggestion. It’s a better buy than the SP IMO.

Some chap · 12 years ago

@evollove

The critically acclaimed Php9k smartphone I was referring to was the Moto G, not a local Mediatek-powered local device. You’re preaching to the choir. ;)

cyanide_juice · 12 years ago

Moto G hands down to compliment my OT Idol. 13K (give or take) for a device with 16GB, 2,070mAh battery and with Google written all over it is more than enough reason to choose the G over some of the local brands with the same specifications and price tag. Sana nga lang 2GB yung RAM :)

Benchmark · 12 years ago

I will go for moto g…to my opinion, para kasing sirain yung mga local phones na pumapasok dito…chambahan ba kung baga (not all naman ganun). Plus some bad after sales (base sa mga complaints ng iba).

After all, kung text, call, little games and surfing lng naman ang ginagawa, whats the specs for di ba? Well idea ko lang yun.

Justin · 12 years ago

Hmm… “yung mga local phones na pumapasok dito”… bakit? Saan ba sila nanggaling?

benchmark · 12 years ago

most of them are re-branded phones from china.

Easy E · 12 years ago

I’ll go for Moto G. trust issues. hehe

hellomoto · 12 years ago

Moto G FTW!

evollove · 12 years ago

Since the Moto G doesn’t have LTE, I think I’ll go with a local gadget. Just not the ones currently out. When and if Motorola makes the G locally available, that’s when I’d get a local phone. Who knows, 2-3 months from now we’ll see a decent local flagship. As long as CM keeps saturating the market with decently specced phones, there ought to be a diamond in the rough amongst them.

Joey G · 12 years ago

Been wanting to try a local smartphone but question the build quality. Another thing, is it easy to upgrade to the latest Android OS if you buy a local smartphone? Will it be pushed to you? Do a lot of local smartphones have a skin above stock Android?

yui · 12 years ago

a straight no, it’s tough to find custom roms for MediaTek processors, (unless there are other ways to get updates from android that I haven’t heard of).

RJ · 12 years ago

I’d rather buy Moto G! Kahit may Nexus 5 na ako. Hahaha! :D

ra · 12 years ago

be2nta mo b nexus 5 mo kung ganun? haha :3
on-topic: probably get the thl t100 or diamond x1, for the sake of the octa-core cpu thingy. ma-test lang performance kumbaga haha :D