The Motorola Moto G04 is the Android 14 phone for $84 that might tickle your fancy

Image Credit: GSMArena

I love how budget phones have only become more competitive over the years. You may recall that back in the Galaxy Pocket days, you could only use those budget devices as stopgaps as you saved up for a better phone.

Then came Itel, starting out with some ‘good for a few months’ kind of phones and eventually releasing some really usable phones.

Of course, mobile processors have been getting better by the year but in the past, Android itself got even more demanding by the year so the budgets never caught up.

I believe that as Android matured, it got a little leaner in areas and its thirst for resources is easing up even as it introduces new features these days.

This is why you’ll find a very vocal Itel fan group ready to take you to task if you even think that Itel is a bad deal. The phones are now usable.

However, Itel is not the only game in town and so it behooves us to know what else is on the table. There are a number of options, although you wouldn’t know it by Itel’s dominance in Zimbabwe.

We tested out the Itel A70 which retails for about $89 and found it to be quite good for the price. So, when I found out the following phone was going for less, my interest was piqued.

Motorola Moto G04

This phone was announced late last month and is now on sale worldwide. It’s listed for $84 on Flipkart in India, where the sale starts on February 22nd.

So, a little cheaper but what is it packing and how does that compare with the A70? The Moto G04 scores some wins but the Itel strikes back in some key areas.

Key specs/ features

• Unisoc T606 chip
• 4GB RAM
• 64GB storage
• 90Hz IPS display (supports Dolby Atmos if that’s your thing)
• 5000mAh battery
• 4G modem
• Android 14

You can find out more about the specs here. The above should be enough to get a good picture of what we can expect from the Moto. Now, let’s talk about those specs and how they compare to the A70.

This is the Itel A70, by the way. Image credit: GSMArena

Understanding the specs

Processor

The Moto G04 is powered by the Unisoc T606 chip which is about as budget as it gets. The Itel packs a Unisoc T603 which is better than the T606.

Raw figure tests show that the T603 (in the Itel) is 56% better (Antutu) and 62% better in single core performance and 10% better in multi core performance (Geekbench). All this to say the Itel’s processor is better.

It’s the same situation on the GPU front where the Itel’s PowerVR Rogue GE8322 is marginally better than the Mali G57 MP1 in the Moto G04.

Gaming tests showed the GPU in the Moto managing a maximum of 26.4 frames per second (fps) in PUBG. In Real Racing 3 it was 57.2 whilst in Call of Duty: Mobile it was 35.2. That’s really good and I still can’t believe budget phones can now deliver this kind of performance.

So, we’re saying the processor in the Itel is better, not worlds better but better. This is something to take note of because we did find the Itel A70 a bit laggy and you can expect a slightly more laggy Moto G04.

However, the Moto packs one more GB in RAM, starting at 4GB as opposed to the Itel which starts at 3GB. That could be a big deal in daily usage and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Moto was less laggy despite having the weaker processor.

However, can we just appreciate how these budget phones are managing to pull of those kinds of framerates. My friend 35.2 fps in Call of Duty is incredible for 80-odd dollars.

The other specs

They have the same size battery but the Moto should last a little longer as it has a slightly less powerful processor.

The Moto starts at 64GB storage whilst the Itel starts at 128GB. It’s not quite the easy win for the Itel because the Itel costs $5 more. We’ll get into why the Moto might be the better deal when you spec them up the same later.

The Moto packs a 90Hz display and it should give you a smoother experience than the 60Hz one on the Itel but I don’t know how much you’ll enjoy it when the processor isn’t that beefy.

Then there is the Android version difference. The Moto just launched and so it comes with Android 14 whilst the Itel has Android 13. These being budget phones, do not expect them to get any major Android updates.

$7

For only $7 more than the Itel, you can spec the Moto G04 to have 128GB storage (same as Itel) and 8GB RAM (a whole 5GB more).

That could just clinch it for me. With that kind of RAM I think we can be certain that the Moto will provide a smoother day to day experience.

So, the $96 Moto G04 would be the one for me if I were to choose between these phones. Or I’m just being a brand snob and choosing the iconic Moto brand.

Convenience

Where the Itel wins out is on the sale experience. Itel is present in the Zimbabwean market and you can get one easily.

With the Moto G04, you’d have to do the whole online shopping as a Zimbo dance and you know it can be annoying and expensive if you don’t have family and friends that frequent those countries to bring you back the stuff at no cost.

Or you can wait for resellers to import it but it won’t cost less than $100 from them, you can bet on that.

If you have those contacts I think the Moto G04 is one phone you’d want to consider if you have less than $100 to spend on a phone.

[Update: a correction was made to remove a statement that said the phone has a 5G modem]

Also read:

• Itel A70 review. So much hype around this $89 smartphone.
• This is why Itels and budget phones slow down quicker than flagships like the iPhone or S23
• Samsung Galaxy S24 series – the bar has been set, albeit in a recycled design