The Moto G4 Plus, OnePlus 3, and Asus ZenFone 3 have quite a few things in common, starting with the fact that they're made for people who don't want to spend more than $400 on a new, unlocked smartphone. All three devices offer 5.5-inch 1080p displays, fingerprint scanners, 16 MP rear cameras, and 3000 mAh batteries. All have at least some percentage of metal in their bodies, though the OnePlus 3 may be seen as the winner here, being almost entirely made out of aluminum. The OnePlus 3 also packs the most powerful processor, and the highest amount of RAM, but that's why it's the most expensive of the bunch, costing $399.
Notice that, for this comparison, we're including the best Moto G4 Plus model that you can get: the one with 64 GB of storage space and 4 GB of RAM, which can be yours for $299. The Moto G4 Plus has the advantage that it can be customized via Moto Maker, and will work on all major US carriers (including Verizon and Sprint), while the other two handsets aren't compatible with CDMA networks.
As for the Asus ZenFone 3, its advantage seems to be the low(er) price: the phone will cost just $249. While the ZenFone 3 will certainly be available in the US (just like the previous ZenFone series), we don't know exactly when it's supposed to land here. But we can tell you that it's going to be released in Taiwan (Asus' home country) on July 12, so perhaps it will hit shelves across the US soon after that.
Considering their prices, design, and features, which of these three Android Marshmallow smartphones would you rather get?
Motorola Moto G4 Plus vs OnePlus 3 vs Asus ZenFone 3
| Display | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Display size | 5.5 inches | 5.5 inches | 5.5 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 1920 pixels | 1080 x 1920 pixels | 1080 x 1920 pixels |
Pixel density
Pixel density - The pixel density of a display represents the number of pixels over an area of one inch. It’s measured in “pixels per inch”, or ppi. The higher the number, the more detailed and good-looking the display is. | 401 ppi | 401 ppi | 401 ppi |
Technology
Technology - There are two main screen technologies currently used in phones and tablets: LCD and AMOLED. The former usually features a light source and liquid crystals, while the latter is based on organic light-emitting diodes. Newer LCD variations like IPS-LCD and Super-LCD allow for very accurate color reproduction and very wide viewing angles, where no significant image quality loss is observed. Current AMOLED screens differ in such a way that they can exhibit much more saturated colors (sometimes too much) and incredibly high contrast levels, which is due to black color being completely black in AMOLED displays. | Super AMOLED | Super IPS+ LCD | |
Screen-to-body ratio
Screen-to-body ratio - Shows what part of the frontal area of a phone its screen occupies. | 71.10 % | 73.15 % | 70.52 % |
| Colors | 16 777 216 | 16 777 216 | 16 777 216 |
| Peak brightness | 500 cd/m2 (nit) |
| Camera | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rear camera | 16 megapixels | 16 megapixels | 16 megapixels |
| Flash | Dual LED | LED | Dual LED |
| Aperture size
Aperture size - The aperture of a camera is the opening through which light travels before it reaches the camera sensor. The smaller the number is, the bigger this opening is, allowing for more light to pass. | F2.0 | F2.0 | F2.0 |
| Pixel size
Pixel size - The size of an individual pixel on a camera's sensor. The bigger, the better. | 1.3 μm | 1.12 μm | |
| Hardware Features | Autofocus | Optical image stabilization, Autofocus | Sapphire crystal lens cover, Optical image stabilization, Autofocus |
| Software Features | Manual focus, Digital zoom, Geo tagging | Manual focus, RAW image capture, Digital image stabilization, Touch to focus, Self-timer, Digital zoom, Geo tagging | Touch to focus, Smile detection, Face detection, Self-timer, Geo tagging |
| Video recording | 1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps) | 3840x2160 (4K) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (1080p HD) (60 fps), 1280x720 (720p HD) (120 fps) | Yes |
| Features | Digital image stabilization, Video calling | Video calling | Time-lapse video, Digital image stabilization, Video calling, Video sharing |
| Front camera | 5 megapixels | 8 megapixels | 8 megapixels |
| Video capture | 1920x1080 (1080p HD) | 1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps) |
Partners
| Design | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 6.02 x 3.02 x 0.39 inches (153 x 76.6 x 9.8 mm) | 6.01 x 2.94 x 0.29 inches (152.7 x 74.7 x 7.35 mm) | 6.01 x 3.05 x 0.30 inches (152.59 x 77.38 x 7.69 mm) |
| Weight | 5.47 oz (155 g) the average is 5.7 oz (164 g) | 5.57 oz (158 g) the average is 5.7 oz (164 g) | 5.47 oz (155 g) the average is 5.7 oz (164 g) |
| Materials | Main body: Plastic; Accents: Metal | Main body: Aluminum | Main body: Glass; Accents: Aluminum |
| Rugged | Splash resistant | ||
| Features | Interchangeable covers | Touch sensitive control keys, Soft keys |
| Hardware & Performance | |||
|---|---|---|---|
System chip
System chip - Most modern handsets use an advanced chip that includes many of the device’s hardware modules like the processor, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and sometimes even the wireless radio. This field shows what particular system chip (or System-on-a-Chip) is used in the phone. | Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 8952 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 8953 |
Processor
Processor - The processor is the main computing component of a phone and is a major factor when it comes to the overall speed of the device. Some more powerful smartphones use dual-core and quad-core processors designed to deliver greater performance. | Octa-core, 1500 MHz, ARM Cortex-A53, 64-bit | Quad-core, 2200 MHz, Kryo, 64-bit | Octa-core, 2000 MHz, ARM Cortex-A53, 64-bit |
GPU
GPU - The graphics processor is important for the smooth operation of the system and especially in games and other applications that may involve complex graphics and animations. | Adreno 405 | Adreno 530 | Adreno 506 |
RAM
RAM - System memory, or RAM memory is the type of memory that the device uses to temporarily store data from the OS or currently-running apps. The more RAM available to the device, the better the performance will be when multiple or heavier programs are running. | 4 GB RAM | 6 GB RAM | 4 GB RAM |
| Type | LPDDR3 | LPDDR4 | LPDDR3 |
Internal storage
Internal storage - Bigger storage capacity allows you to keep more content saved onto your device, such as more applications, photos or video. Games and video content typically take up the biggest amount of storage space. | 64 GB | 64 GB | 64 GB |
Storage expansion
Storage expansion - Some handsets allow you to expand their storage capacity by using a memory expansion card – most often microSD. Expansion memory is mostly suitable for media storage, such as photo, video or music content. | |||
| Slot Type | microSDXC, microSDHC, microSD | microSDXC, microSDHC, microSD | |
| OS | Android (7.0, 6.0) | Android (7.0, 6.0), OnePlus OxygenOS UI | Android (8.0, 7.0, 6.0), ASUS Zen UI |
| Battery | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Capacity
Capacity - The bigger, the better! However, battery capacity is not the only factor that has an effect on battery life. Those include the chipset in use, the software running on the device, as well as the consumer's unique usage pattern. | 3000 mAh | 3000 mAh | 3000 mAh |
| Fast Charging | Yes | OnePlus Dash Charge |
| Cellular | |||
|---|---|---|---|
CDMA
CDMA - Code Division Multiple Access. A technique of multiplexing, also called spread spectrum, in which analog signals are converted into digital form for transmission. For each communication channel, the signals are encoded in a sequence known to the transmitter and the receiver for that channel. The foremost application is digital cellular phone technology from QUALCOMM that operates in the 800MHz band and 1.9GHz PCS band. CDMA phones are noted for their excellent call quality and long battery life. | 800, 1900 MHz | 800 MHz | |
| GSM | 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz | 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz | 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz |
| UMTS | 850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz | 850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz | 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz |
| LTE (FDD) | Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 25, 26 | Bands 30 | Bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20 |
| LTE (TDD) | Bands 41 | ||
| Data | LTE Cat 4 (150/50 Mbit/s), HSPA, UMTS | LTE-A Cat 6 (300/50 Mbit/s), HSPA | LTE-A Cat 6 (300/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s |
| Multimedia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen mirroring | Wireless screen share |
| Shopping information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| MSRP price | € 399 / $ 399 |
