14 DAY TRIAL // Motorola has never become the flagship device manufacturer that it hoped to eventually turn into, but on the other hand, the company continues to build some of the best mid-rangers on the market.
Basically, Motorola keeps improving its offering every year with smartphones that are specifically supposed to offer great value for the money.
And after the G6, this year it’s the turn of the Moto G7 to get a chance to impress. And after checking out the tech specs and the price tag, there’s no doubt the G7 is an intriguing model.
First and foremost, let’s say it loud it clear. The Moto G7 Plus is by no means supposed to be a high-end device. Motorola is still tackling the affordable device market with the G lineup, and this new generation is based on the same approach as its predecessors.
So don’t be too surprised when you hear that the G7 can be yours for just $370. What should surprise you, on the other hand, is the series of premium touches that Motorola has implemented on the smartphone.
The design of the G7 Plus, for example, is a clear sign of evolution. Motorola has finally switched to glass front and back, and the 6.2-inch IPS LCD display is encased in a metal frame that makes the phone overall feel solid. For extra protection, the parent company used Gorilla Glass 3, which isn’t the most advanced version available at this point, but at this price point, you really can’t complain.
The G7 comes with an 81.4% screen-to-body ratio and with a resolution of 1080x2270 pixels, it reaches a pixel density of 405 ppi. For long-time Motorola fans, this doesn’t make any sense given that the G6 came with 424 ppi, but trust me, you can barely notice any difference when holding the device in hand.
And to be honest, the display of the G7 is without a doubt above the average, and there’s not much to complain about here either. Colors are crisp, sharp, and vivid, and pretty much everything on the screen is clear. The display is overall well calibrated, and I think Motorola really did a great job here, as the level of optimizations is for color accuracy is more than acceptable at this price point.
One thing I didn’t like, but this isn’t necessarily exclusive to the G7, is the notch. Because Motorola wanted to improve the available screen estate, the front-facing camera is placed in a waterdrop-type of notch, which means it won’t be as annoying as on the iPhone XS, but it still is very annoying. However, as I said in the case of other phones, this is something that I can live with, especially given the benefits that it brings.
Another notable change versus the G6 is that the new model now comes with a fingerprint sensor on the back, so the home button is finally gone. This means increased screen estate, smaller bezels, and a more modern look overall.
The dimensions of the phone, however, could make you think twice before buying it. At 157 x 75.3 x 8 mm (6.18 x 2.96 x 0.31 in) and 172 grams, this isn’t the kind of phone that you can use with one hand. And for many people, that’s quite a problem. Reaching the upper part of the screen is nearly impossible unless you use both hands, and trust me, you’ll do this more often than you’ll not.
The display has a 19:9 aspect ratio, so the Moto G7 Plus feels rather tall at certain times. This only makes it even harder to use with one hand, but other than that, the experience when watching videos or playing games is greatly enhanced.
Given it’s not supposed to be an iPhone XS killer, the G7 doesn’t feature the latest-generation Qualcomm processor, but a Snapdragon 636 chip. The processor boasts eight cores and is paired with 4GB of RAM and an Adreno 509 GPU unit.
While for many all this technical data doesn’t say much, it basically means that the Moto G7 is capable of running more demanding tasks, like the latest-generation games, with only little effort. The GPU shows its limits at certain times, but overall, the performance of the phone is generally good.
I’d obviously want more RAM, especially since I’m a heavy multi-tasker, but let’s not forget that it’s a mid-range device we’re talking about here and the selling price dictates everything.
The Moto G7 comes by default with 64GB of storage space, and this is just the right balance between costs and the benefits offered to buyers. 64GB isn’t an overwhelming amount but it’s not super-limited either, so it’s definitely the right choice for a mid-ranger. In any case, microSD card support is also offered should you need some extra space, and you can add a maximum of 512GB.
When it comes to the performance of the camera, don’t forget the price point that we’re talking about here. Camera hardware is typically among the most expensive parts of a smartphone, alongside the display and the processor, so because Motorola had to make the G7 as affordable as possible, you really won’t get the best shooter.
The device, however, features a dual-camera configuration with a 16-megapixel unit paired with a 5-megapixel f/2.2 depth sensor. The main camera boasts f/1.7 and 1.22um sensor size.
Placed on the back in a typical Motorola circular bump, the camera offers mixed performance, and the best shots require the best light. The moment you step into a little bit of darkness, everything is full of noise, while in direct sunlight, the overexposure is something that the phone can’t handle.
Colors are generally good, but only if the correct light is available, and the white balance settings aren’t necessarily the most accurate. I found myself using the camera controls, like the brightness level, on several occasions, only because of the slight overexposure I told you about earlier.
To compensate for this, the G7 somehow darkens photos, which in turn leads to more natural colors in most of the cases. However, for better shots, I recommend trying out the controls available in the camera interface.
Motorola Moto G7 comes with an NFC sensor only in Europe, which is an odd choice because this means that Americans won’t be able to use wireless payments. There’s the typical Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 and headphone jack feature mix that we find on other Motorola phones, and yes, FM radio continues to be available.
Let’s talk a little bit about the battery. The G7 is equipped with a 3,000 mAh unit, obviously non-removable. During my time with the G7, the phone barely got me through the day, and that’s a little bit concerning for me. However, one thing that you should have in mind is that I’m a really heavy user, and I use my phones for everything, including for work when I’m not at the office. This means that I use smartphones for many hours on the go, and since the display stays on all the time, the battery impact is also huge.
The G7 itself comes with a larger screen, and heavy users will notice that this impacts battery life.
On the good side, the device features a USB Type-C port with fast charging support at 15W. In real life, this means that you’ll get some 80 percent of battery in approximately 60 minutes.
Unfortunately, wireless charging is missing, but this isn’t something very surprising given that we’re talking about a mid-ranger here. There is just one speaker on this phone, and while I’d love the stereo sound, the decision here is the result of the price as well.
The software department is one of the areas where I think Motorola deserves all the praises. The G7 comes with Android 9 Pie out of the box, and while I believe this is awesome news for buyers, Motorola itself needs to continue delivering updates on time.
As an Android user who considers security a priority, timely updates are critical for me, and until now, very few companies actually managed to release monthly patches… every month. I know this sounds weird for many, but a closer look at the Android ecosystem, this is exactly what happens, as even large companies like Samsung sometimes fail to release security updates on time for all devices.
Motorola, on the other hand, is on the right track with this push for Android Pie, and only time will tell how the company would do in the coming months.
Other than that, the G7 comes with the typical software gimmicks that Motorola fans are accustomed to, including the gestures that let you perform certain actions faster.
