Moto G specs, review and news: The Moto G could be the cheapest smartphone in the market, but has exceptional features that could squash doubts on its performance.

The Moto G’s retail price of $179, contract-free and unlocked brings with it a load of features including a 4.5-inch display with 720p LCD TFT, a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8 or 16GB of storage, a 5-megapixel rear camera and 1.3 MP front-facing camera, and a 2070mAh battery.

The phone’s design, which mirrors the look of the Moto X, could make it a hit in the low-end market. The price and features of the handset effectively beats what’s available in the emerging markets. Motorola, a Google-owned company, says that the Moto G could even be sold for less by its partners.

In a review by The Verge, it noted that the Moto G is launching with the Android 4.3 out of the box, although Motorola said that Android 4.4 KitKat for the device will be available in a few weeks. The Verge says that like the Moto X, the Moto G’s software is very close to a “stock” experience Android experience, with very little modifications by Motorola.

Some of the things that Moto G won’t have though, compared to the it’s higher-end counterpart the Moto X, include cool software tricks like Active Notifications, Quick Capture, and Touchless Control. The said features require special processor that is available only with the Moto X.

Despite what it does not have though, the Moto G’s display is impressive with good viewing angles, accurate color and tight pixel density, according to The Verge. In many aspects, the Moto G is better than the AMOLED display used on the Moto X. Speed-wise, the Moto G is quick and responsive and useful enough for the average user.

The Moto G was released Wednesday in parts of Europe and Brazil last November 13 and is expected to arrive in the coming weeks for the rest of Latin America, Europe and Canada. The phone will be arriving in the U.S. in early January with 8GB models going for $179 and 16GB version for $199.