Under Lenovo, Motorola has evolved with changing times and found success in G series. The Moto G series has always been in competition with Xiaomi’s Redmi line up. The Moto G series is always known for its features and design. The company has always tried to incorporate the latest trending features in the G series and the Moto G6 is no exception.
Last year, Motorola incorporated dual camera with Moto G5s which was launched in August last year.
It is 2018, and Motorola is back with Moto G6 to offer flagship features on a budget. The new Moto G6 has a 5.7-inch 18:9 Full HD+ Display supported by a premium looking metal and glass design and dual cameras at the back. Sounds very 2018 right?
Moto G series was once very popular in the mid-range segment, especially in India. But now Xiaomi and Honor smartphones have taken over this segment. Both the smartphone manufacturers offer a big bang for the buck. It will be interesting to see where the Motorola’s latest offering stand against the competition.
Let us talk about the device in detail.
Moto G6 Design
The first thing I noticed in the device is the stunning combination of metal and glass which gave me a feel of a premium device. It instantly reminded me of the Moto X4 glass back design. The curved glass design at the back fits perfectly in the hand and is sandwiched between an aluminum frame with a chrome finish. The G6 measures 8.3mm and weigh in at 167 grams. The Moto G6 is splash proof but the company hasn’t shared any IP rating for the device.
The all-glass design makes the device slippery and attracts a lot of fingerprints but thanks to the curved edges which gives a better grip to the device. At the front, there is a 5.7-inch 18:9 Full HD+ Display, at the bottom of the Display there is a Motorola branding and a fingerprint sensor which doubles as a home button and supports gestures to navigate through the device. At the back, there is a Motorola logo in the center above sits the dual cameras with an LED Flash in a watch dial-like design. Personally, I hate camera bumps but it looks like the camera bumps are trending in 2018. Almost every phone has a camera bump these days.
It is good to see a USB Type-C port at the bottom and a 3.5mm headphone jack at the top edge while the volume rockers and power button sits at the right edge of the device.
In terms of design, the Moto G6 is one of the best phones in Moto G lineup ever. The glass design feels premium and the device looks beautiful.
Moto G6 Display
The display is another segment where Motorola has made changes in the G series. The all new Moto G6 sports a 5.7-inch 18:9 Full HD+ display. It is an IPS LCD display with a resolution of 2160 X 1080p and looks crisp with wide viewing angles. This makes the phone great for watching videos and movies. The device comes with a 75.4% screen-to-body ratio which is not offered by any other smartphone in this price segment.
The device doesn’t feature a notch but the taller display and slim profile help in overall ergonomics. The display is protected by a Gorilla Glass 3. When compared to other devices in the same price range the display looks dull. I have to say that Honor and Redmi phones have much better display quality than the Moto G6.
The Moto G6 also features the Always-On Display which is well optimized and doesn’t impact the battery life much. The device now features proximity sensors on all four corners of the device. Thus, even a smaller nudge or wave dimly lights up the screen to display time and notifications.
Moto G6 Camera
The design is not the only segment Motorola has updated in the Moto G6, the camera has also gone through some important upgrades. The G6 has a dual camera at the back and this time the secondary sensor is used for depth sensing to leverage the bokeh effect in portrait mode. There is a 12MP primary sensor with f/1.8 aperture along with a 5MP secondary sensor with f/2.2 which is used for depth sensing.
The dual cameras on the Moto G6 offer portrait mode along with some more nifty features. The device can reproduce good colors under well-lit conditions both indoors and outdoors. Under low-light conditions, the camera took some impressive with the Auto mode. We experienced a shutter lag in the Moto G6 which gets more prominent with a decrease in light. Thus, you will need a steady hand to click a good picture of the device.
Things get interesting when you switch to the front camera. The 16MP front shooter works on pixel binding technology. It combines the pixels in the sensor to form larger pixels which can absorb more light to give you a better image in low-lighting conditions. The selfies in the daylight look more true and realistic.
The device comes equipped with many new features which look compelling on papers but are quite gimmicky in real. For example, the Portrait Mode is inconsistent and sometimes it fails to provide the expected result. Similarly, the other features like Selective Black & White and Spot Color all need some improvement. The device also offers features like Timelapse video, Active Photos, Cutout, Best shot, Manual mode and Beautification mode. There are few other Landmark recognition, Object recognition, Text Scanner and Face Unlock.
As far as the video recording is concerned, it is restricted to 1080p 60 frames per second and it is a bit disappointing. In the end, its the shutter lag which annoys the most rest all is what you can expect from a mid-range device.
Performance
The Moto G6 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor coupled with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 chipset is an entry-level processor and is easily available in phones worth Rs 10,000. In terms of processor, the Moto G6 seems a downgrade from the previous G series devices. However, the octa-core processor is clocked at 1.8GHz.
Motorola claims the entry-level processor is good enough to deliver a smooth experience. The device comes in two variants supporting 4GB RAM and 64GB of storage and 3GB RAM and 32GB storage. The device is well optimized with no fancy animations and works very well. While using the device we noticed that the regular apps like Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram and Google Chrome took some time to launch but work like a breeze.
Multitasking was good on the device but the device failed to handle the heavy graphic games like PubG and Asphalt 8. Thus, the device was able to handle the day to day tasks easily but struggled when it came to heavy gaming. The device gets a bit warm at the back, thanks to the glass back which traps the heat inside.
Near-stock Android interface helps the Moto G6 to provide an overall smooth experience. To compliment it the device features the usual Motorola features like 3 finger screenshot, twist to launch the camera, chop twice for Torch and more. It also comes with Moto Voice which allows you to launch the apps directly from your lock screen.
Moto G6 also features Face Unlock but it is not as snappy as Redmi Note 5 Pro or Honor phones. Check out the specifications below:
- 5.7-inch 18:9 Full HD+, 1080p IPS LCD Display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
- Android Oreo 8.0 out of the box.
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, 1.8 GHz octa-core processor with 600 MHz Adreno 506 GPU.
- Available in 4GB/64GB or 3GB/32GB variant with expandable internal storage up to 256GB.
- 12MP + 5MP dual rear camera, f/1.8 aperture and 16MP front-facing camera with an LED Flash & low light mode.
- Moto G6 Measures at 154.5 x 72.4 x 8.3 mm and weighs at 167g.
- 3000 mAh battery with TurboPower charger and includes a USB Type-C cable for charging and data syncing.
Let’s have a look at what IGYAAN have to say about Moto G6:
Battery
The G6 comes with a 3000mAh battery which is a little disappointing considering the fact the other manufacturers are offering better value. That being said the Moto G6 barely lasts a day of moderate usage. Thanks to the 15W TurboCharger bundled with the device.
There are other devices in this budget which offers long-lasting batteries. After all, the consumers in this segment expect their phones to last at least an entire day.
Final Verdict
A mid-range phone buyer is looking for a phone which offers good value for money. The G series were known for their powerful performance but with Moto G6 it is not the same at all. While the glass design looks pretty and makes it stand out amidst the rest, it fails to offer a good value for the money.
If you need a premium looking device and looks is what matters to you, go for it. But if you are looking for a powerful device with good battery backup, then you might want to look at other options available in the market like the Redmi Note 5 or the Redmi Note 5 Pro.
The Moto G6 is available in two variants viz. the 3GB/32GB variant costs Rs 13,999 while the 4GB/64GB variant costs Rs 15,999 while the Moto G6 Play the cheaper variant is available on Flipkart.
