Motorola Moto G Power (2021) review

The Motorola Moto G Power is a $ 200 phone that does exactly what it claims – which you use for several days – but does not expect any other bells or whistles.

Battery is the whole point of this phone. Its 5,000 mAh battery is about as big as it gets now; it is the same capacity as you will find in leading devices like the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Instead of making a more rounded phone, Motorola has here and there returned the features of a low-resolution screen, a slower processor and used everything in its main function. Cheaper components allow Motorola to sell a $ 200 version of this phone, and they are also less powerful, making the biggest benefit of the massive battery.

This device bears the same name as its predecessor from last year, but it differs in some important ways. Instead of offering one model, the G Power is being offered this year in the aforementioned $ 200 variant with 3GB of RAM and a meager 32GB of storage. There is also a 4 GB RAM / 64 GB storage option available for $ 250 (I tested the 32 GB version). This year’s models drop the ultra-wide camera and get a slightly larger screen – 6.6 inches compared to 6.4 inches – with a lower resolution of 720p than last year’s 1080p.

If you choose to buy the Moto G Power, it will hold the end of the bargain. The question is whether you can live with the significant sacrifices that Motorola has made to get the largest possible battery in the cheapest phone.

Moto G Power screen and performance

The Moto G Power has a 6.6-inch LCD with 720p resolution. It’s not much resolution to stretch over a fairly large screen, and it shows. Images are not quite as sharp as they could be, and the overall screen looks a bit dull to me. The phone itself is on the big side, but I find it a little more comfortable to use with one hand than the slightly larger 6.7-inch Motorola One 5G Ace.

The G Power uses a Snapdragon 662 processor, and I feel the difference between this and the performance of a 700-series step-up chipset. It’s an extra beat that slows down between programs and opens the camera. It takes more time to capture and process images in Portrait and Night Vision modes than the Ace does with the same main camera sensor. And heavier tasks like jumping in and out of Google Maps navigation show noticeable stuttering. That said, you’ll be hard-pressed to find significantly better performance at the $ 200 price tag.

In short, the Power handles daily tasks, plays videos, and navigates adequately. I felt like I was noticing the delays while using the phone, which resulted in a less satisfying experience over the course of a day. But for a $ 200 phone, the job is done.

The G Power offers expandable storage via a microSD card slot, which feels necessary here. On the 32 GB version I tested, 14 GB of storage is already occupied by Android 10 files. That is simply not enough in 2021. You can pay $ 50 more for the 64 GB model, but it also feels like you are spending too much to become too little. If you buy this phone, you are budgeting for a microSD card.

Motorola is offering an upgrade to Android 11 and says it will provide G January 2023 security updates for the G Power. By that time, years of updates are likely to slow down the phone anyway.

Moto G Power battery

The Moto G Power delivers its main function. I started Monday with a fully charged battery. I went to an episode of Bridgerton, you know, to test. I drove through the city and back. I browsed through Instagram … a lot. Email, web page, flush and repeat; on day three of moderate use, I was only up to 40 percent.

Even after a trip outside the house with lots of photo shoots, I go on day four with a 26 percent battery with just under six hours of screen time. I charged my personal phone at least three times during this period. We went through about twelve news cycles. I turned at least two years old. But the Moto G Power continues.

Undoubtedly, the slightly slower processor and the low-powered screen help to increase the numbers. I left the screen on its standard screen while testing it, which is just a little duller than I would have preferred. It certainly does not look exaggerated bright at its maximum setting, so an additional hit on battery life is something to consider if you like a bright screen.

Keep in mind that I spent a lot of time at home on Wi-Fi, which is easier on the battery. During non-pandemic times, I would have spent more time outdoors on cellular data. And six hours of time does not really make me a power user.

If you spend more time on data and do more powerful tasks, like watching a lot of videos, you’ll probably watch more than two full days. Either way, Motorola’s claim to up to three days of battery life is quite reasonable, and you can do even better if you spend most of your time on Wi-Fi.

Moto G power camera

The G Power offers a 48-megapixel main camera that delivers 12-megapixel images, a 2-megapixel macro camera and a depth sensor to create photos in portrait mode. There is also an 8-megapixel selfie camera.

The G Power uses the same main camera as the One 5G Ace, and it also takes nice photos in good light. It rates exposure well and captures a lot of detail, especially with narrow topics. When the AI ​​recognizes a scene like a landscape, colors appear vibrant, but otherwise they tend to be flat, washed-out colors. In less good lighting conditions, things get a little messier where noise reduction smears a lot of detail. In high-contrast scenes where the camera illuminates shadows, a fair amount of noise and / or noise reduction is visible.

As with the Ace, Night Vision tends to produce a washed-out image, and in this case, you and your subject need to be silent for a few seconds. There is a noticeable shutter lag in all photo modes – enough to make you wonder for a split second if you tap the shutter button – and the screen slows down as you move around in portrait mode.

This camera is just fine, and it’s good for a $ 200 phone. The Moto G Power does not have the processing power to capture more sophisticated HDR or low light photos – for that you need to increase the $ 350 Pixel 4A. It will also not be able to keep up with fast topics or even slow moving topics in low light, but it is often a battle for phones that cost more than $ 200.

If you have a strict budget and long battery life is essential, look no further than the Moto G Power. I hesitate to recommend it to anyone who does not meet the description. You will make sacrifices to achieve the price of $ 200 and the battery life of more days. The base storage is way too anemic and the speed is noticeably pokey.

If you have some flexibility in your budget, the $ 300 OnePlus N10 5G is an excellent upgrade with a better processor and camera. Anything more than that will give you a Pixel 4A with an excellent camera and a well-supported device with a better lifespan.

If $ 200 is the limit of your budget, the G Power is a good choice – more so because there are few other options at this price. In addition to the battery life of days, it has a better processor than the $ 100-150 competition, and you probably will not get a significantly better screen or camera at this price. Just be aware of its limitations and pack a little patience.

Photography by Allison Johnson / The Verge