Moto G9 Power review

Competition

The Moto G9 Power did not turn out the upgrade over the G8 Power that the bump in the model's name would suggest. While it does come with more storage, a larger battery, and theoretically faster GPU performance, too much of the original G8 Power was cut out. With the stereo speakers and two of four cameras gone, and screen pixels reduced in half, the Moto G9 Power can be considered as an alternative sibling model to the G8 Power rather than a true sequel or an upgrade.

The budget market is oversaturated, and there are many phones you can buy for €180 or less - the retail price of the Moto G9 Power.

Take the Moto G8 Power, for example. The G8 version costs €165, and it has a better screen, better speakers, and more cameras. It is not an ideal smartphone either, but it also delivers an outstanding battery life. If GPU performance is an issue, you can always lower the game resolution and get the best of both worlds - sharp videos and smooth gaming.

Realme has just launched the Realme 7i in Europe, and currently, it goes for €159 apiece. The 7i has a similar display, performance and the same battery, but it offers an additional 8MP ultrawide camera. The Realme 7i has half the storage and omits NFC, so you should choose your priorities.

The 4/64 version of the Redmi Note 9S costs between €160 and €190 in Europe, and it's quite the treat, provided you don't need NFC. The phone has a large 1080p screen, a powerful enough Snapdragon 720G chip, and a quad-camera with 4K video capturing. The Note 9S is also a battery champ, just like the Moto G9 Power.

The Poco M3 is an even cheaper offer at €149 with a higher-res screen and stereo speakers, but matching hardware elsewhere - chipset, camera, battery. We found the M3 to be rather slow because of the demanding screen, though it is a great device for watching videos on the go. And it's cheap.

Motorola Moto G8 Power • Realme 7i (Global) • Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S • Xiaomi Poco M3

The verdict

There aren't many phones within the Moto G9 Power price bracket that are equally good or better. Sure, the aging (well at that) Redmi Note 9S is probably the only one to offer a better package at a similar price, but it's not without faults either.

There are a lot of variables to consider when you are buying a budget phone because, invariably, there are tradeoffs to be made. Do you prioritize battery life, viewing experience, camera quality, sound performance, gaming capabilities, design, software? You can't have it all for a phone that's priced under €200.

But you can have a phenomenal battery life, smooth UI, great photo quality for the primary camera, and enough punch to play a game or two. And you get everything wrapped in a nice looking plastic body with basic water protection. These seem like enough to warrant our Moto G9 Power recommendation if it fits your budget and your priorities.

Pros

• Good-looking design, grippy body, water-sealed gaps.
• Large screen with small notch, great for videos or games on the go.
• Exceptional battery life.
• Clean Android with a few Moto tricks.
• Great photo quality from the main camera (can replace tele if needed).
• 128GB storage.
• 3.5mm jack, microSD, FM radio, NFC, bundled 20W charger.

Cons

• Low-res screen.
• Slow to charge, doesn't support reverse cable charging.
• The Moto G8 Power had stereo speakers.
• The year-old chipset is mediocre.
• No ultrawide camera and no 4K video recording.