Motorola Moto G30 review

Introduction

The famed Moto G has gone double-digits this year - Motorola is offering three numbered entrants in the lineup to go with the G Stylus, G Power and G Play from January, and we now have the Moto G10, G10 Power and G30. Abandoning continuity in search for diversity, the trio occupies different levels of the midrange, with the Moto G30 being the highest-specced one. Let's start with that one then.

The Moto G30's standout feature in this confusing crowd of phones is the high-refresh-rate display - moderately high at 90Hz, but certainly higher than the others. Otherwise, it's not really a head-turner - an LCD with a 720p resolution on a 6.5-inch diagonal is about as pedestrian as they come.

You could say the same of the Snapdragon 662, though we prefer to frame it more positively - as a balanced mid-tier performer that's both powerful and frugal, and a noticeable step up from the SD460s of the G10s.

The 64MP main camera, too, puts the Moto G30 above its immediate family, which top out at 48MP. The 8MP ultra-wide appears to be shared with the G10, G10 Power, and the G Stylus, going strictly by the numbers though there could be nuances to that. In any case, we have a G10 for side-by-side comparisons - all in due time.

Motorola Moto G30 specs at a glance:

• Body: 165.2x75.7x9.1mm, 200g; Glass front, plastic back, plastic frame; Water-repellent design.
• Display: 6.50" IPS LCD, 90Hz, 720x1600px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 269ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM6115 Snapdragon 662 (11 nm): Octa-core (4x2.0 GHz Kryo 260 Gold & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 260 Silver); Adreno 610.
• Memory: 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM; microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot).
• OS/Software: Android 11.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 64 MP, f/1.7, 26mm, 1/1.97", 0.7µm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 118˚, 1/4.0", 1.12µm; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 13 MP, f/2.2, (wide), 1.12µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 1080p@30/60fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 20W.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (rear-mounted); NFC; FM radio; 3.5mm jack.

Other less standout but still feel-good bits on the Moto G30 include the 5,000mAh battery (which, it seems, has quietly become the standard capacity across many segments) and the 20W charging capability. A classic rear-mounted fingerprint sensor is a nice throwback to simpler times, as are the FM radio and headphone jack. Additionally, you'd be getting Android 11 out of the box, which remains something worth pointing out even some six months after the OS' release. Speaking of that box.

Motorola Moto G30 unboxing

The Moto G30 ships in Motorola's default one-piece navy packaging. Inside lies the phone, already in the supplied transparent soft case - protected even before you take it outside of the box.

You get a 20-watt charger (compare that to the 10W one supplied with the G10) that's rated at 5V/3A, 10V/2A, and 12V/1.67A. Also included is a USB-A-to-C cable. There is no headset in the bundle, as has been the norm with recent Motos.