Moto G7: Motorola Launches Incredibly Affordable Phones With Lux Features
$199 for a new smartphone?
by Danny PaezBudget-friendly smartphones have taken on new meaning in a market where it’s not uncommon to spend upwards of $1,000 on a handset. But Motorola has once again given tech bargain-hunters a pretty solid option for a truly affordable smartphone that doesn’t sacrifice too much in the way of quality.
The Moto G7, G7 Power, and G7 were all on display at a New York City launch event on Wednesday, and all start at less than $300 despite touting a handful of features you’d expect to see in luxury devices. The new models will be available for purchase in the spring and are the successors to the Moto G6 models the company dropped in 2018. Last year’s Moto G phones garnered rave reviews about how capable they are for such low prices and the G7 line is set to do the same.
All three models come with a standout feature each, some of which even blow the iPhone XS Max’s specs out of the water. The G7 Power comes with industry-leading battery life, the higher-end G7 delivers a stunning screen-to-body ratio, and the G7 Play is about a quarter of the cost of the cheapest of last year’s iPhones.
From left to right: The Moto G7 Play, G7 Power, and G7.
So if the iPhone XR’s price point wasn’t quite what you were expecting from a budget smartphone, Motorola’s got you covered.
Moto G7 Power - $249
The most impressive model in the bunch is the G7 Power. Its standout feature is that it packs a 5,000 mAh batter that can delivery up to 3 days of battery life, making it a clear option for power users who constantly find themselves in need of a charge.
When the device does run out of battery, users won’t have to wait very long for it to juice up, either. The G7 Power supports 15-watt fast charging that can give it nine hours of battery life in only 15 minutes. With specs like that, it’s easy to see how the G7 Power could make battery life a near non-issue.
The G7 Power has a beastly 5,000mAh battery capable of holding up to three days worth of charge.
Its other specs aren’t that bad. It packs 6.2-inch screen with a small top notch, giving users ample room to game and watch videos. But the rest of the stats are what you would expect from a phone under $300.
The G7 Power only has one 12 megapixel rear camera, 3GB of RAM, up to 512 GB of storage, and is powered by the Snapdragon 632 processor. Higher-end phones, like Samsung’s Galaxy Note 9, run laps around these specs with two cameras, 8GB of RAM, and much more potent processor. That said, G7 Power combines its longer-lasting battery with a much, much lower price tag than most of the current generation of smartphones. If you don’t need anything flashy, it’s a compelling offering.
Moto G7 - $299
The most expensive of the trio obviously the flashiest. It comes with a teardrop notch — popularized by many Chinese-made phones in 2018 — and a Gorilla Glass display. It’s the only new release with two rear-facing cameras, making it the option for smartphone photographers on a budget.
From left to right: The Moto G7 Play, G7 Power, and G7. The G7 is the only one of the three that touts two rear cameras.
The rear-camera duo is made up of a 12 MP lens and a 5 MP depth sensor to enable the Portrait Mode blur effect. The rest of its specs are along the same lines as the G7 Power, but it comes with 4 GB of RAM.
Its 6.2-inch screen is the most stunning out of three, making it the best for watching videos. Its battery life is notably worse than the Power, lasting one day but it also comes with 15W fast charging.
It’s a model that probably makes the most sense for users who are tired of Apple’s notch, but don’t want to wait for Samsung’s hole-punch display.
Moto G7 Play - $199
Finally, the last of the bunch has a pretty unbelievable price tag considering its specs, and has the added bonus of being incredibly light. If you’re looking for standout specs or impressive features, the G7 Play isn’t going to wow. But if you’re in the market for a second phone for traveling, perhaps, or a starting handset for your kids there’s no competition.
The G7 Play is the cheapest phone with the largest notch, but for $199 it could be a temping buy for tech budget-hunters.
The G7 Play is $550 cheaper that Apple’s “budget” iPhone XR and can still hold its own. It’ll ship with the latest Android 9 Pie operating system, like the other models, come with a 40-hour battery, and a 5.7-inch screen which is only marginally smaller than the iPhone XS.
The specs is where this model falls flat: It boasts only 2GB of RAM, 10W charging, and only one rear camera. But surprisingly its singular rear camera is the best out of the bunch, coming in at 13MP for slightly better resolution.
It might not give any high-end phones a run for their money in the hardware department, but in a market where a new phone can cost $1,000 the G7 Play is a breath of fresh air.
