PROS
- Long battery life
- Solid performance for the price
CONS
- Low-resolution display
- Mediocre cameras
- Modem is a step down from predecessor
Motorola’s G-series has long been a solid bet for budget phone shoppers, but that may be changing. Over the past year, there's been stiff competition from the likes of the OnePlus Nord N10 5G and the TCL 10L. Motorola's 2021 iteration of the Moto G Power ($249.99) not only fails to keep up with the competition, it lags behind its own predecessor with a lower-resolution display, a downgraded modem, and a dated version of Android.
Back to the Low-Resolution Display
The G Power has a flat screen with a plastic frame and back panel. Our review unit is gray with a subtle semicircular pattern that almost looks like a large fingerprint, which is apt, since it accumulates fingerprints and smudges with ease. Blue and silver options are also available.
At 6.5 by 3.0 by 0.4 inches (HWD) and 7.3 ounces, the G Power is chunky but manageable with one hand. Its weight is well distributed, making it easy to hold for long Netflix binges.
On the front of the phone you’ll find a 6.6-inch, 1,600-by-720-pixel hole-punch LCD. Although the updated G Power’s display is just a touch larger than last year's 1080p display, the lower resolution means you’re losing out in the deal.
The display is dim and reflective. As I type this, the afternoon light is creeping around the edges of my window, making the display nearly impossible to see. Overall color accuracy is excellent but clarity is not. This isn’t an overblown reaction to the downgraded display; when I hold the phone at reading distance (16 inches), there’s noticeable pixelation.
A headphone jack sits on the top of the phone and a USB-C charging port and speaker make their home on the bottom.
The fingerprint sensor is integrated into the power button on the right side of the phone just below the volume rocker. Though the sensor is fast and easy to access, the volume rocker may be hard for small-handed people to reach.
As with all budget phones, durability is a concern. Motorola swapped the metal frame used in last year’s G Power for plastic, but it still seems pretty sturdy. The backplate should also be able to withstand drops and dings without much wear. The strengthened glass display is a different story: Drop the phone face down and you’ll probably be shopping for a new display. The phone is water-resistant, but it’s not waterproof, so an accidental drop in the sink or tub will not end well.
LTE Connectivity Takes a Step Back
The G Power ships unlocked and has solid LTE band support for every major US carrier. There’s no 5G, but that’s not a dealbreaker at this price.
Before we get to all the connectivity details, it’s worth noting that the chipset, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 662, has a Snapdragon X11 LTE modem. Last year's model had the Snapdragon X12 LTE modem. It’s a significant downgrade: 2x20Hz carrier aggregation on the downlink with peak download speeds of 390Mbps, versus 3x20Hz with peak downloads of 600Mbps on last year’s G Power.
I tested the phone on T-Mobile's network and recorded average speeds of 42.7Mbps down and 38.9Mbps up. For most people, these speeds should be fine, but T-Mobile’s network is absolutely capable of faster LTE speeds.
Call quality is solid. At 84dB, the earpiece is loud enough to hear in just about any scenario. Test calls were clear and noise cancellation worked perfectly.
Audio quality, on the other hand, is a letdown. Last year’s G Power shipped with Dolby Atmos–tuned stereo speakers; this year you’re getting a single bottom-ported speaker. With a peak volume of 94dB, it's not bad, but the soundstage is boxy and you’ll notice distortion at the highest volumes.
Though the Snapdragon 662 supports Bluetooth 5.1 and Wi-Fi 6, both are noticeably absent from the G Power. Instead, there’s Bluetooth 5.0 and dual-band Wi-Fi. NFC doesn’t make an appearance.
Solid Snapper for a Budget Phone
The Moto G Power's rear camera module has a primary sensor comes in at 48MP with an f/1.7 aperture. The updated lens features 4x4 pixel binning for crisp 12MP shots with a large 1.6μm pixel pitch. Unfortunately, there's no way to turn off the feature in the Settings menus for people who prefer higher resolution photos.
In addition to the main lens, there are also 2MP macro and depth lenses with f/2.4 apertures. The 8MP wide angle lens found on last year’s G Power is noticeably absent this year.
The 48MP quad-pixel lens does a solid job with good light. Photos are crisp with excellent depth of field. Colors appeared a little undersaturated in our test shots, and I noticed blooms around highlights in a number of photos.
Low-light test photos had significant noise and appeared flat. I noticed some smearing in the foreground around things like eyeglasses that was probably due to overeager noise cancellation. Night Vision mode does a decent job of removing most of the noise, but it made the photos look overexposed and soft.
I don't think I'm in the minority when I say I wish the Moto G Power had a wide angle lens instead of its dinky 2MP macro sensor. For the most part, macro sensors are awful and the G Power doesn't break the mold. Most of my test shots were flat and mushy. With excellent light and a steady hand (or tripod), your mileage may vary.
The 8MP front-facing camera performed well in daylight. My test photos had excellent depth of field with only minor loss of fine detail. Low-light shots, on the other hand, were muddy with lots of noise. There’s no Night Vision mode for the front lens, so if you take a lot of low-light selfies, this likely isn't the phone for you.
Portrait mode is hit or miss on the G Power. The depth sensor helps with the bokeh, but object mapping misses details around shoulders. It works much better with the selfie shooter than with the rear camera.
Incremental Upgrades
The G power ships with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 chipset with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. About 48GB is available out of the box. Best Buy also has a retail version of the G Power with 3GB/32GB that sells for $199, but we’d suggest you think twice, since performance is already sluggish with the increased RAM. If 64GB isn't enough space for all your photos, you can add up to 512GB with a microSD card.
For the most part, the Snapdragon 662 chipset is identical to the Snapdragon 665 SoC in last year’s G Power. The main differences are the 665's improved image signal processor (ISP) and support for Wi-Fi 6, which isn’t included on the new G Power.
Performance is good for the price. The G Power handle basic tasks with ease. We noticed some lag when opening apps or scrolling through pages with lots of images, but it’s not slow enough to be bothersome.
Alto’s Odyssey, a fairly power-hungry game, worked fine. After more than an hour of gameplay, we noticed a handful of skipped frames. Legends of Runeterra, on the other hand, took ages to load and crashed twice in a little less than an hour.
On Geekbench 5, a test that measures raw processor power, this year’s G Power earned scores of 313 single-core (SC) and 1,435 multi-core (MC), compared with 312 (SC) and 1,358 (MC) on last year’s model. If you’re keeping score, the more expensive Moto G Stylus scored 488 (SC) and 1,590 (MC), and the Moto G Play came in at 255 (SC) and 1,255 (MC). It’s worth noting that benchmarks are not indicative of normal use; I found the G Power performed better than the G Stylus.
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The Moto G Power boasts the same 5,000mAh battery as the less expensive Moto G Plus. It’s more than powerful enough to get you through a day with room to spare. In our battery test, which streams HD video over Wi-Fi at full brightness, the G Power held on for 15 hours before shutting down. That’s not quite as good as the 18 hours and 11 minutes we got on last year’s model, but it’s still exceptional.
Android 10 With One Update
One of the most disappointing things about this year’s G-series is that they all ship with Android 10. Motorola confirmed all three phones will get the bump to Android 11 at some point in the future, but after that, no promises.
For the most part, the G Power ships with stock Android. Motorola adds its My UX skin to the mix, but doesn’t pile on productivity apps or make drastic changes to the Settings menu. My UX simply adds a few useful features and lets you customize your phone.
You’ll find the usual usual array of Moto goodies, such as Moto Gestures and Moto Gametime. The former lets you quickly access common features using gestures; the latter turns off notifications and makes performance tweaks while gaming.
There are also a few new features for 2021. Motorola’s new split-screen feature is the best I’ve ever used. Simply swipe your finger back and forth across the middle of the screen and available split screen apps will display. Double-tapping the power button opens a shortcuts menu.
Along with the one Android update, Motorola provides two years of security updates. Compared with the multiyear OS upgrades you get on Android One phones, Google Pixels, and most of Samsung’s Galaxy A series, Motorola’s software upgrade policy falls short.
Basic in Every Way
It’s important to temper your expectations when it comes to budget phones. Solid performance and good battery life are essential, and the Moto G Power provides both. That said, it seems like Motorola phoned it in this year. Performance hasn’t improved significantly, corners have been cut, and buyers are getting shorted out of an Android OS upgrade. If you're looking for a decent phone and have a strict cap of $250, the Moto G Power is worth considering. However, the OnePlus Nord N10 5G has 5G connectivity, a better display, and a nicer design, giving you much more bang for just a few more bucks.
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