Moto G6 review: Value-for-money smartphone with premium design, features

The Moto G6 is a value for money proposition with modern screen, a front-facing fingerprint sensor, dual cameras on the rear, glass build, USB type-C port and a sort of water resistance

Motorola, a Lenovo-owned smartphone manufacturer, recently refreshed its affordable Moto G-series with the launch of the Moto G6 in India. The smartphone is the first Moto device to sport a tall screen, which has become a common feature in smartphones launched in 2018. Interestingly, it is not just a new aspect ratio screen, the phone also gets dual rear cameras, premium glass built, front-mounted fingerprint sensor and a face unlock mechanism that makes it a feature rich proposition in the midrange segment.

The Moto G6 seems to be a value for money proposition, at least on paper. However, does it tick all the right boxes when it comes to real life scenarios? Let’s find out:

Moto G6 design

The Moto G6 features a classic Motorola design with metal chassis sandwiched in between the front and back glasses. The glass design looks premium and the phone feels solid in hand. However, just like any other glass-based smartphone, the phone’s back is a fingerprint magnet that dulls its sheen and makes it look greasy. The dual camera set-up and LED flash on the back is placed inside a circular module that bulges out, making the phone uneven on flat surfaces and attracts scratches on the rim. On the front, the modern 5.7-inch 18:9 aspect ratio screen stretches from edge-to-edge, but leaves noticeable bezels on the top and bottom. Thankfully, the bottom bezel features fingerprint sensor that improves the phone’s overall utility.

Moto G6 performance
 

The Moto G6 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 system-on-chip (SoC), paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The phone boots Android Oreo out of the box with no bloatware pre-installed and vanilla interface reminiscent of Pixel smartphones. The phone’s performance is top-notch with no visible lag or inconsistency anywhere. However, due to entry-level processor, the phone struggles to run processor or graphic intensive apps.

Moto G6 camera

In terms of imaging, the phone’s dual camera set up on the back features a 12-megapixel primary sensor, mated with a 5MP depth-sensing lens. While the camera output is satisfactory, the add-on features such as spot colour, which allows you to pick a colour and leaves everything else in black and white, and portrait mode with selective focus, which allows readjusting the focus after the shot, leave a lot to explore and experiment. For selfies, the phone sports a 16MP front camera with soft LED flash. The front camera output is also satisfactory, but nothing exceptional.

Moto G6 features

Powering the Moto G6 is a 3,000 mAh battery that keeps the show going for one day and some more. Interestingly, the phone comes bundled with a fast charger that replenishes the battery from 0-100 per cent in less than two hours. The phone boasts USB type-C port for charging and data transfers, which is a welcome addition considering the fact that most smartphones in the same league still offer microUSB port. And yes, there is a 3.5mm audio jack, therefore you can charge the phone and listen to music at the same time.

Moto G6 review verdict

Priced at Rs 15,999, the Moto G6 is a premium looking device that ticks almost all the right boxes. The phone sports a modern screen, front facing fingerprint sensor, dual cameras on the rear, glass build, USB type-C port and a sort of water resistance, which might save the phone from accidental splashes. All these features make the G6 a value-for-money proposition in the midrange segment.

In its price band, the phone competes with the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro, Nokia 6.1, Honor 7X and HTC Desire 12+.