Motorola Moto G 2014 vs Nokia Lumia 730 – Dirt cheap vs unreasonably priced

The second generation Moto G – also known as Moto G 2014 – is a mid-range smartphone that was released at a time when plenty of other similar devices were already available on the market. Another such handset is the Nokia Lumia 730, which also came out during the same period of September, 2014. At first glance, neither of these two phones stands out from the increasingly large crowd of mid-rangers, however, both are good choices if you’re looking for an affordable smartphone. That being said, one device may or may not be just a little better than the other and our goal is to find out if that is indeed the case. So, without further ado let’s kick off our Motorola G 2014 vs Nokia Lumia 730 comparison.

Display and design

Unsurprisingly, the second generation Moto G looks just like its highly successful predecessor, although there is a noticeable difference in size. This time around, the device sports a 5.0-inch display with 720 x 1080 resolution and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. The Nokia Lumia 730 also features the same resolution and protection, but a smaller screen of only 4.7-inches. There’s no clear winner when it comes to the design as both devices are very similar to other offerings from their respective series and although the Moto G 2014 comes with a bigger panel, some might enjoy a more compact phone, so that’s not necessarily an advantage. In addition, Motorola’s handset is also quite a bit thicker at 11 mm compared to the Nokia Lumia 730, which comes in at only 8.7 mm. This seems like a strange choice considering that the battery is not bigger, but we’ll talk more about that in a minute.

Hardware and software

While the design is always up to debate and boils down to individual preference, the hardware leaves little room for interpretation. A quick look at the cold, hard specs list for the Motorola Moto G 2014 tells us that the smartphone comes equipped with a Qualcomm Snadragon 400 quad-core processor complete with Adreno 305 GPU, and 1 GB of RAM. Coincidentally, the Nokia Lumia 730 also shares the same CPU, GPU, and the same amount of RAM. Moreover, we’re also looking at 8 GB of storage memory and microSD card support for both devices. However, while the Moto G 2014 can only support up to 32 GB of additional storage, the Nokia Lumia 730 can up to 128 GB.

The camera combo on the Motorola consists of an 8 MP primary shooter and a 2MP secondary selfie snapper while the Nokia is offering a 6.7 MP main camera with Carl Zeiss optics, along with a 5 MP front-facing sensor. Finally, the 2,200 mAh battery on the Nokia Lumia 730 is only slightly bigger than the Moto G 2014’s 2,070 mAh unit, but can last quite a bit longer due to its smaller screen which drains less of it. As for the software, each device is powered by the latest version of their respective operating system. Specifically, the Motorola Moto G 2014 is running on Android 5.0 Lollipop (upgradable from 4.4 KitKat) and the Nokia Lumia 730 comes out of the box with Windows Phone 8.1, complete with the latest Lumia Denim update.

Price and conclusion

The Nokia Lumia 730 comes with a few advantages over its rival and we haven’t even mentioned that it’s much lighter and has dual-SIM capabilities. But be that as it may, the device is priced at around $300-$350, which is certainly pretty expensive for a mid-range handset. Meanwhile, the Moto G 2014 is available for the dirt cheap price of only $180. There’s really no contest when it comes to the price and you should definitely consider picking up the Moto G 2014 if you’re looking for a cheap and reliable phone. The Nokia Lumia 730 is a good choice as well, but it seems to me that the device is way too expensive for what it offers. I would recommend getting the Motorola instead of the Nokia in this case, but as always, the choice is entirely up to you.