Moto G4 Plus camera review: How good is the Moto G4 Plus’ 16-megapixel camera and 5-megapixel front-facing snapper? And how does the G4 Plus’ camera tech compare with the Moto G4’s 13-megapixel camera? Here’s our full Moto G4 Plus camera review and Moto G4 vs Moto G4 Plus camera comparison.
Check out our full Moto G4 review and Moto G4 Plus review for more info on these great-value affordable phones.
Moto G4 Plus camera review: Ease of use
There is absolutely no difference between the Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus’ camera app. In a nutshell, this means that you once again get a nicely streamlined interface that should suit smartphone noobs, while also appealing to more confident photographers with its manual controls.
As before, you can quick-load the camera with a double-tap of the power button, or a double-twist of your wrist. However, this isn’t as speedy as the Xperia X’s quick-load feature and even the Moto G4 loaded the camera faster than the Moto G4 Plus in our tests.
For a full description of the camera experience, check out our Moto G4 camera review.
Moto G4 Plus camera review: Camera performance
Considering the price of this phone, we can’t help but be impressed by the Moto G4 Plus’ excellent 16-megapixel camera. Of course it isn’t perfect and of course it’s beaten by rivals such as the Sony Xperia X and Samsung’s Galaxy S7, but the Moto G4 Plus is also considerably cheaper than those handsets. In fact, the G4 Plus’ 16-megapixel snapper is a definite rival to the OnePlus 3’s camera tech, for a hundred quid less.
First, there’s the super-quick auto-focus. The Moto G4 Plus boasts a combination of phase detect auto-focus (a very clever bit of camera tech that’s also found on the latest iPhone snapper) and laser focus, which means that the camera lens snaps onto your subject pretty much instantly.
Our Moto G4 Plus test photos speak for themselves. With the auto mode enabled, almost every shot we took was sharp and packed with tiny details, even when blown right up. Colours are impressively accurate and the HDR mode on full auto does a reasonable job of brightening up darker spots. You do occasionally get some over-saturation when shooting against a bright sky (for example), but it’s certainly nothing severe.
That 16-megapixel lens copes well with low light situations too, capturing more detail than expected. And if things get a bit too dark, the two-tone LED flash does a great job of lighting up your subject.
Click the photo samples below to see the full-sized image, and scroll down for a slideshow of more Moto G4 Plus sample shots, with comparison Moto G4 photos.
Moto G4 Plus camera vs Moto G4 camera review
When it comes to photo quality, there’s really not much between these two phones.
The Moto G4 Plus captures slightly more accurate colours than the Moto G4’s camera, which produces richer hues, but there isn’t a big difference between the two. In fact, it’s only when you compare photos side-by-side that you notice the difference.
As for detail levels, the Moto G4 is still a match for the G4 Plus whether you’re shooting up-close macro pics or sweeping vistas. Despite packing less pixels into each frame, the G4’s output doesn’t suffer at all.
Moto G4 Plus camera samples
Moto G4 camera samples
And surprisingly, the Moto G4 seemed to perform slightly better when it comes to HDR shots. Snap a monument against a bright sky, for instance, and the Moto G4 will pick up a wee bit of extra detail compared with the G4 Plus (with HDR enabled). The Moto G4 also over-saturates bright areas to a slightly lesser degree than its more expensive brother.
However, in low light the Moto G4 Plus is the clear winner. Evening shots are brighter and less grainy, although the G4 does at least have the same dependable two-tone LED flash for lighting up a scene.
The G4 Plus also has the advantage when it comes to focusing. The Plus’ lens snaps onto your subject in a heartbeat, ensuring that you get very few fuzzy photos. And if you’re trying to take shots of a fast-moving subject (cats and kids are the main culprits in our case), the G4 Plus almost always produces a sharper pic than the G4.
Moto G4 Plus camera review: Video performance
The Moto G4 Plus also performs strongly when it comes to shooting video, actually surpassing the quality of the OnePlus 3’s video output.
That super-fast focus strikes again, ensuring that your footage is very rarely fuzzy. Swap between near and far focal points and the lens keeps up admirably, while also dealing well with sudden changes in lighting.
Motion stabilisation is especially impressive, cutting the judder from your video when you’re moving around. There’s no weird warping effect and the end result is pleasingly smooth.
Check out our Moto G4 Plus Full HD video sample below. You can also shoot 720p video and slow-mo footage.
Check out our Moto G4 and G4 Plus hub for more info and full reviews of these great-value Moto handsets.
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