Pocket-sized movie theater
One of the Moto G’s major selling points is its role as a “pocket-sized [movie] theater.” It has a 6.7-inch HD+ display runs at a refresh rate of 120Hz, backed up by speakers fine-tuned by Dolby Atmos. The sound system is nothing short of fantastic. Audio output is rich and strong, filling an entire room with music. It can get pretty loud, too. I scared my cat a couple of times when watching test videos at full volume.
I am lukewarm about the screen. According to the official specs sheet, it outputs images in HD+, which is only 1,604 x 720 pixels. A resolution like this is serviceable but nothing impressive. Some mobile games I played, such as Honkai: Star Rail, looked fuzzy. The gameplay didn’t look sharp. Compared to my personal phone, the OnePlus Nord N30, the colors on the Moto G looked overly saturated. This is all personal preference, and we’re talking about a $200 phone here.
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In fact, the screen’s peak brightness of 1,000 nits allows it to maintain decent visibility under direct sunlight, and the 120Hz refresh rate ensures fluid on-screen animations.
Motorola made several great decisions when designing the Moto G. It is a slim, lightweight smartphone sporting rounded corners with a back covered in vegan leather, giving the model a unique texture. Together, they create a mobile device that fits comfortably in your hand.
I noticed the phone would saturate the colors in some of my photos. Neon signs, for example, looked more vibrant in pictures than at Little Tokyo. This is the only major criticism of the cameras, and even then, it’s more of a personal preference. I prefer cameras with nuanced color balance, but if you prefer saturated imagery, the Moto G delivers in spades.
Impressive battery
Battery is another area where the Moto G shines. I performed two tests. In the first, I casually used the phone to see how long it would last. It ran for nearly four days straight. For the second trial, I played a YouTube livestream in 720p non-stop until the battery gave out. In this instance, the device lasted a little under 24 hours before tapping out.
Problems arose when I played mobile games. The MediaTek chip had some difficulty rendering graphically intense titles, like Honkai: Star Rail. There were a few instances of stuttering and momentary freezing.
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The phone comes with RAM Boost, a feature that converts empty storage space into virtual RAM to enhance performance. The tool functions automatically, and it does help, although it isn’t perfect. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from the chipset since it is a low-cost smartphone. I was more disappointed by the display.
ZDNET’s buying advice
The Moto G is available now for $200