Moto G6 review

The Competition

The fact that it took us some time to handpick the next couple of competitors speaks volumes. The budget segment is overcrowded but there is always room for more. The most recent additions are the Moto G6 series, and particularly the most balanced among those - the Moto G6 we had today for review.

Lenovo did a good job picking the right hardware, although we weren't happy with all of the choices they've made. Still, the new lineup needed the tall screen. Otherwise, it would have looked outdated, and the glass body is somewhat a necessity these days, too.

The Moto G6 looks like the Moto X4 but slightly more modern. It has a smaller screen with larger bezels, but more powerful chipset and better cameras on both sides. It costs the same as the Moto G6 and while packing more powerful punch, it's already 9 months old and in the Android world - that's a lot.

Then there is the recently released Nokia 6.1 - it packs a regular 16:9 display and it's still keen on using the industrial looks with its aluminum unibody. The new Nokia has more powerful Snapdragon 630 chipset but lacks in camera quality even though 4K video recording is available.

The Oppo F7 might be plastic, but it makes up for that with a high-quality notched screen and super snappy Helio P60 chipset. The F7 has the highest-resolution selfie camera to date, though its main 16MP single shooter isn't that impressive. The battery life, on the other hand, is excellent, but you have to rely on Oppo's own ColorOS and its not-so-regular updates. And the F7 is available in few select markets.

Vivo V7+ has an even bigger screen than the Moto G6, but with lower 720p resolution. This allows the Snapdragon 450 chip within to thrive, unlike the case with the Moto G6 and its 1080p display. Selfies are great on the V7+, the main camera produces nice pics, too. But Android updates is what you won't be getting with this one. And its availability is as limited as the Oppo F7.

And while we are still talking about limited markets, the Xiaomi Redmi 5 has the looks, the same S450 chip, and a big 720p display. The camera is not as capable as on the Moto G6, while the MIUI is not everybody's cup of tea, but the Redmi 5 costs half the Moto G6 price, and that's why it's worth considering.

Finally, the Sony Xperia XA2 might be lacking in screen size but is better in pretty much everything else - performance, camera, battery life, and even the software - the Xperia launcher is one of our favourites. The XA2 costs the same as the Moto G6, so unless portraits are a must - give this one a shot.

Motorola Moto X4 • Nokia 6.1 • Oppo F7 • vivo V7+ • Xiaomi Redmi 5 • Sony Xperia XA2

The Verdict

The Moto G6 is a very decent all-around package barely lacking anything. Lenovo's put a very good screen and chip inside the G6, the dual-camera is capable of what it's advertised, as is the selfie snapper.

We are just worried the performance at launch is already behind the competition and this won't be changing in the days to come. Quite the contrary. So, if gaming is one of the major reasons for buying the Moto G6 - perhaps one of the Snapdragon 630 offers would be a smarter choice.

Pros

• Good-looking glass body, water-repellent coating
• TurboCharge-enabled, compatible charger in the box
• Trendy tall screen with high-resolution and decent performance
• Dual-camera with very good daylight and low-light shots
• The portrait mode produces nice photos
• The selfies are among the better ones we've seen
• Excellent EIS for videos

Cons

• Slippery body
• Below average battery life
• The chipset performance is not on par with the competition
• Lacks 4K video recording

Then again, the previous Moto G phones have never disappointed, and the Moto G6 won't do it either. Sure, the GPU is not as fast as the competition, but that's pretty much it. Good display, promising camera, great design, and timely updates should be more than enough to make up for that. And that launch price will be going down sooner rather than later, hopefully making the Moto G6 purchase seem more practical.