Motorola Moto G6 review: A budget phone shouldn't be this good

Motorola Moto G6 review: A budget phone shouldn't be this good

How do you follow up last year's wonderful budget-friendly Moto G5 Plus? Well, you could start with the outside. Add a second rear camera for portrait mode photos. Trade that Micro-USB port for a USB-C. Get rid of the 16:9 screen ratio and go tall with a trendy 18:9 display that shows more vertically. Say bye to the metallic back side and hello to a glass back with curved edges, specifically Gorilla Glass 3.

The overall result would be a phone that looks decidedly 2018, but with pretty much everything we loved about last year's Moto G5 Plus. And that's exactly what the Moto G6 is.

Last year's Moto G5 Plus hit a sweet spot between features, design, performance and price. The Moto G6 hits most of those, but just misses with a shorter battery life than last year's Motos.

The Moto G6 looks sleek and modern. It has a groomed slicked-back hair vibe that makes it seem anything but affordable. But at $249, £219 or AU$399 it's crazy affordable compared to the $1,000 iPhone X.

Roughly the same size as the Moto G5 Plus, the Moto G6 has thinner bezels and a glass back that curves at the edge for a comfortable grip. Like nearly every phone with a glass back, it collects more fingerprints than the stars of CSI.

But the Moto G6 isn't the only affordable Motorola phone to consider. If you're outside the US and your budget has some wiggle room, the Moto G6 Plus deserves a serious look. If you're okay with last year's styling, check out the Moto G5S Plus which is still being sold.

On the left is the Moto G6 and on the right the Moto G6 Play. The dual-camera unit on the Moto G6 looks like a shocked face emoji.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Moto G6, G6 Plus, G6 Play: What's the difference?

I tested the Moto G6 with 32GB of storage, 3GB of RAM and no NFC. I bring this up because there are three new G-series phones for 2018. To confound things further, each model is tweaked a bit depending on where you live.

• Moto G6 Play: This is the most affordable of the three phones. In the US, it costs $50 less than the Moto G6. The Moto G6 Play has a lower resolution display and only a single rear camera, but it also has the biggest battery of the three -- a 4,000-mAh whopper more capacious than the one found in the Galaxy S9. Read CNET's full Moto G6 Play review.
• Moto G6: Though it's roughly the same size as the Moto G6 Play, the Moto G6 has a higher resolution display, dual rear cameras and a more powerful processor. In the UK and Australia, the Moto G6 comes with NFC, and there's a "step up" UK version with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.
• Moto G6 Plus: Despite not being available in the US, the Moto G6 Plus is the highest-end option in the Moto G family. It has a 5.9-inch display instead of the 5.7-inch ones found on the G6 and G6 Play. Its battery is slightly larger than the one in the G6. The UK model has NFC and an optional 6GB of RAM.

Moto G6, G6 Plus, G6 Play top features and prices

Key features of the Moto G phone family

	Moto G6 (US, UK, Australia)	Moto G6 (UK)	Moto G6 Plus (UK, Australia)	Moto G6 Play (US, UK, Australia)
Price (without discounts)	$249, £219, AU$399	£239	£269, AU$499	$199, £169, AU$329
Screen	5.7-inch	5.7-inch	5.9-inch	5.7-inch
Processor	1.8 GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 450	1.8 GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 450	2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 630	1.4GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 427
Storage	32GB	64GB	64GB	16GB (US only), 32GB
RAM	3GB	4GB	4GB, 6GB (UK only)	2GB (US only), 3GB
Battery	3,000 mAh	3,000 mAh	3,200 mAh	4,000 mAh
Rear camera(s)	12-megapixel & 5-megapixel	12-megapixel & 5-megapixel	12-megapixel & 5-megapixel	13-megapixel
NFC	Yes (UK, Australia), No (US)	Yes	Yes	Yes (UK), No (Australia)

Here's a photo of a cable car taken with the Moto G6. The photo has good dynamic range keeping the sky in-balance with the cable car.

Patrick Holland/CNET

Moto G6 has dual-rear cameras and portrait mode

The dual-rear cameras take solid photos, but your shots aren't going to be on the same level as pictures shot on the Pixel 2, iPhone X or even the OnePlus 6. You'll get the best results when taking photos under bright even light. The Moto G6 has an "active photos" mode which, like Apple's live photos and Google's motion photos, records a tiny amount of video before and after you take a picture.

It's impressive that a phone that costs $249 has a portrait mode.

Patrick Holland/CNET

Motorola added a bunch of fun modes to the camera one of which is portrait mode. The Moto G6 takes serviceable portrait mode shots. Despite the background being blurred out, portrait mode photos don't "pop" as much as they could. I like that the Moto G6 lets me change the focus point and the amount of background blur after I take a portrait mode photo. These little adjustments, like on the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus, can turn a less-than-perfect portrait into something pretty good.

The top is a selfie taken with the Moto G6. The bottom is a "group selfie" that is kind of a mix of a selfie and panorama. In this case, it made Lexy's head double in size.

Lexy Savvides/CNET

Selfies are just OK, but there is a front-facing flash which can be handy. There's also a group selfie mode that prompts you to move the phone left and then right, like when you take a panorama photo. The phone then "stitches" the selfie panorama together. The results are hit-or-miss. For example, it "glitched" and doubled the back of my friend's making her look like an alien wearing two pairs of sunglasses on her head -- see the photo above.

The Moto G6 uses artificial intelligence (AI) to identify objects, landmarks and text and optimize things accordingly. It can record video at 1080p. But there's no 4K and no slow-motion mode. And that's fine because I'm not buying this phone to be the next Steven Spielberg. I'm buying it because it's cheap.

Here's a video I recorded with the Moto G6:

Moto G6 battery life, speed and everything else

The G6 runs Android 8.0 Oreo and has Google Assistant and the Google Lens augmented reality tool. Both of them worked well: I enjoyed pointing the Moto G6's camera at buildings and tapping the Google Lens icon to get more information about the things around me. It was like I was on my own private architecture tour.

But any phone that costs a couple hundred dollars is going to have sacrifices and the Moto G6 is no different. In speed tests, the Moto G6 was slower than the Moto G5 Plus, but not by much. In real world use, it handled everyday tasks such as messaging, Instagram, watching YouTube videos and playing games well. I was even able to play PUBG Mobile with the frame rate set at medium -- it's ridiculous that I did this on a phone that costs $250.

Geekbench v.4.0 single-core

Moto G6 740 Moto G5 Plus 830

Note: Longer bars indicate better performance

Geekbench v.4.0 multicore

Moto G6 3,940 Moto G5 Plus 4,138

Note: Longer bars indicate better performance

3DMark Sling Shot Unlimited

Moto G6 818 Moto G5 Plus 861

Note: Longer bars indicate better performance

3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited

Moto G6 12,792 Moto G5 Plus 13,382

Note: Longer bars indicate better performance

The Moto G6's battery fared worse than the Moto G5 and G5 Plus. During our looped video battery tests (in airplane mode), the Moto G6 lasted an average of 9 hours, 41 minutes compared to the Moto G5, which lasted 13 hours, and the Moto G5 Plus, which lasted 13 hours, 22 minutes. Though in real-world use, the Moto G6 had no problem getting through the day on a single charge even after heavy use.

Despite having a glass back, the Moto G6 doesn't have wireless charging. But to be fair, only a few super premium phones support wireless charging. It's not unusual for a budget phone to omit it.

The Moto G6 can be charged fast via its "Turbopower" charger which seems more useful than wireless charging to me. The Moto G6 has a "splash proof" coating but isn't IP rated for water resistance -- so don't drop it in a toilet. But if you do, rest assured that buying a replacement Moto G6 won't break your bank.

Spec comparison of the Moto G6, G6 Plus, G6 Play, G5 and G5 Plus

	Motorola Moto G6	Motorola Moto G6 Plus	Motorola Moto G6 Play	Motorola Moto G5	Motorola Moto G5 Plus
Display size, resolution	5.7-inch; 2,160x1,080 pixels	5.9-inch; 2,160x1,080 pixels	5.7-inch; 1,440x720 pixels	5-inch; 1,920x1,080 pixels	5.2-inch; 1,920x1,080 pixels
Pixel density	424ppi	409ppi	282ppi	440ppi	424ppi
Dimensions (Inches)	6.1x2.8x0.3 in	6.3x3x0.3 in	5.1x2.8x0.4 in	5.7x2.9x0.37 in	5.9x2.9x0.3 in
Dimensions (Millimeters)	153.8x72.3x8.3 mm	160x75.5x8 mm	154.4x72.2x9 mm	144.3x73x9.5 mm	150.2x74x7.7 mm
Weight (Ounces, Grams)	5.9 oz; 167g	5.9 oz, 167g	6.2 oz; 175g	5.1 oz, 145g	5.5 oz, 155g
Mobile software	Android 8.0 Oreo	Android 8.0 Oreo	Android 8.0 Oreo	Android 7.0 Nougat	Android 7.0 Nougat
Camera	12-megapixel and 5-megapixel	12-megapixel and 5-megapixel	13-megapixel	13-megapixel	12-megapixel
Front-facing camera	8-megapixel	8-megapixel	8-megapixel	5-megapixel	5-megapixel
Video capture	1080p	4K	1080p	1080p	4K
Processor	1.8 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 450	2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 630	1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 427	1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 430	2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 625
Storage	32GB/64GB	64GB	16GB/32GB	16GB, 32GB	32GB, 64GB
RAM	3GB, 4GB	4GB, 6GB	2GB, 3GB	2GB,3GB	2GB, 3GB, 4GB
Expandable storage	128GB	128GB	128GB	128GB	128GB
Battery	3,000mAh	3,200mAh	4,000mAh	2,800mAh (removable)	3,000mAh
Fingerprint sensor	Below screen	Below screen	Back	Below screen	Below screen
Connector	USB-C	USB-C	Micro-USB	Micro-USB	Micro-USB
Headphone jack	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Special features	Dual-SIM, Splash-proof, time lapse video, Turbo Charger	Dual-SIM, Splash-proof, time lapse video, Turbo Charger	Splash-proof, 10-watt fast charger	Dual-SIM, splash-proof	Dual-SIM, splash-proof
Price off-contract (USD)	$249	NA	$199	NA	$229 (32GB); $299 (64GB)
Price (GBP)	£219 (32GB); £239 (64GB)	£269	£169	£169, £179	£249
Price (AUD)	AU$399	AU$499	AU$329	AU$299	AU$399

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Motorola Moto Z3 review: Solid, midprice phone with a bright 5G tomorrow

Motorola Moto Z3 review: Solid, midprice phone with a bright 5G tomorrow

The Moto Z3 is living on a prayer. A Verizon exclusive billed as the first phone to be upgradable to 5G speeds, the Moto Z3 does not actually have 5G capability built-in. For that, it needs the attachment known as the 5G Moto Mod, which is currently in prototype form and won't go on sale until early 2019.

That makes sense, because there also won't be any actual 5G wireless networks for the mod to tap into until next year, when carriers like Verizon are expected to spin up their first 5G networks in the United States. Even when the buds of 5G coverage do begin to bloom, it'll happen one market at a time, with 4G LTE speeds carrying on as usual while the roll-out slowly continues.

So if 5G's 10x faster speeds won't become reality for at least another five months, where does that leave the Moto Z3 today?

In a pretty good place, actually. The Moto Z3 is not worth buying solely for its 5G upgrade promise, but it does make sense for a Verizon customer in search of a solid, midrange device. It sells for $480, which works out to $20 per month on a two-year payment plan.

Read: Why the Moto Z3 has a 5G Mod instead of 5G inside

The Moto Z3 is good and reliable but not remarkable when stripped of its mods. You get a great, 6-inch screen, fast fingerprint reader on the right side, and a pretty fast processor, even if it is last year's Snapdragon 835 instead of this year's Snapdragon 845. The 12-megapixel dual cameras take respectable photos in a variety of lighting scenarios, including portrait shots, selfies and convincing black-and-white pictures using a newly introduced monochrome lens.

The Z3 is splashproof but not fully water-resistant. It lacks a headphone jack but does throw in a 3.5mm jack-to-USB-C dongle. You'll have a decent amount of built-in storage (64GB) and enough RAM for daily needs. Motorola has also given the Moto Z3 a strong 3,000mAh battery that lasted nearly 14.5 hours in CNET's looping video drain test.

The Moto Z3's monochrome lens makes for convincing black-and-white pictures.

Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

You'll also find software features that are consistent across most Moto phones, including gesture navigation that I like more than Google's take with Android P.

Since the Moto Z3 will only sell through Verizon for the foreseeable future (Motorola still hasn't confirmed if it will sell the phone unlocked on its website, or outside the US), it makes some buying decisions easy. 

Get the Moto Z3 if you want a solid device for nearly half the price of an iPhone or Galaxy S9 Plus (I do recommend picking up at least a backing module; it feels a little unfinished without one). Look to the Moto Z3 Play (unlocked) if battery life is your chief concern. And buy the unlocked OnePlus 6 if you're considering a switch to T-Mobile or AT&T and still want to keep costs in check.

Look, if the Moto Z3 really does wind up being the only 5G-ready phone in 2019, Verizon's reasonable price makes it an affordable option for data-hungry buyers with a need for speed to pick up as a potential second device when the 5G future becomes now. It's very likely that Verizon will heavily promote the Moto Z3 and its 5G Mod once 5G does switch on, which means more deals and bundles are sure to come.

And remember that access to 5G won't come cheap -- carriers will need to recoup on their investment into building up their new networks, and that means higher prices for 5G plans.

We also don't know how much the 5G Mod will cost. My guess is that you'll pay a premium for access one way or another, which would explain why the phone's price is so much lower than last year's Moto Z2 Force, which sold for between $730 and $810, depending on the carrier.

This review originally posted on August 13, 2018. 

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Moto G Stylus 5G review: One of the longest-lasting batteries in any phone

Moto G Stylus 5G review: One of the longest-lasting batteries in any phone

If the new Moto G Stylus 5G from Motorola seems familiar, that's because it's the follow up to January's Moto G Stylus, which costs less and doesn't have 5G. The Stylus 5G comes with a redesigned stylus, Android 11, a new security layer from Motorola's parent company Lenovo, 256GB of storage, 6GB of RAM and a new processor. It includes those beloved Moto gestures for shortcuts like twisting your wrist to open the camera app. The Moto G Stylus 5G is a good phone and did pretty much everything I threw at it for a week. Best of all, it costs $400 (roughly £290 or AU$520 converted).

But the Moto G Stylus 5G is in an awkward position in Motorola's lineup. It's the most expensive G-series phone this year and yet offers a lot of value as a budget 5G phone. It's not for everyone, mainly because Motorola has other phones that might be a better fit and value.

If you don't care about 5G or improvements like a new stylus, then the $300 Moto G Stylus is the way to go, especially since it's on sale for $279 at the time I'm writing this review. If you're not interested in a stylus, and just want a solid 5G phone that won't break your budget, get the Motorola One 5G Ace. It costs the same and has a better processor.

But if you're looking for a good budget phone that comes with a basic stylus and support for 5G, then the Moto G Stylus 5G is there for you. It has features more expensive phones lack, including a headphone jack, expandable storage (up to 1TB) and great battery life. It also comes with a charging cable and wall charger in the box.

On the back are four cameras, the same ones on the Moto G Stylus, except for the macro camera which got a slight bump in resolution. The main 48-megapixel camera is actually pretty decent. Like other Moto phones it combines multiple pixels into one for less image noise, brighter photos and better detail. I took a lot of great shots with it.

The HDR helped capture the menacing color of the clouds in contrast to the soft white of the church.

Patrick Holland/CNET

The main camera can capture an impressive amount of detail. Look at the leaves in the trees and the texture of the bricks.

Patrick Holland/CNET

The main camera is impressive for a $400 phone.

Patrick Holland/CNET

The ultrawide camera is just OK. Details in photos are soft and pictures don't have the same image quality the main camera offers. The depth camera works with the main camera for portrait mode photos which are pretty good. The macro camera seems like a novelty. If the ultrawide and macro cameras had the same image quality as the main camera, that would be a different story.

On the front is a 16-megapixel camera which takes good photos. The Stylus 5G can record HD video (no 4K). Perhaps my favorite feature is Dual-Capture which records videos with the front and rear cameras simultaneously. It's a great way to see someone's reaction and the thing they're reacting to at the same time.

There are four rear cameras including a depth camera for portrait mode photos.

Patrick Holland/CNET

The Moto G Stylus 5G comes in Cosmic Emerald with a plastic back that unfortunately collects more fingerprints than Det. Sheehan in Mare of Easttown. It has a 6.8-inch FHD display that indoors looks decent, but didn't wow me. The display isn't bright and outside it's difficult to see.

It has a large battery, which I was reminded of every time I picked up the Stylus 5G. It's a heavy phone that gets its heft from the 5,000-mAh battery, meant to counter the extra drain from 5G connectivity. In daily use, it got through a day and a half, sometimes two days before I needed to charge it. Battery tests on the Moto G Stylus 5G for continuous video playback on Airplane mode clocked an average of 28 hours, 31 minutes. That's the second longest time out of all of the phones we tested this year. The only phone that lasted longer was the Motorola Moto G Play (2021), which lasted over 30 hours. One of the most obvious reasons both of these Motorola phones last so long on a single charge is because the screens on each are pretty dim.

I tested the Stylus 5G on T-Mobile's 5G network in South Carolina. Speeds weren't great and would frequently drop back to LTE, which is exactly what happened on other 5G phones I've tested here. If you want a 5G phone, do a little research first into your carrier's 5G network and whether it's good or not. For me, based on my time on T-Mobile's 5G network, I'd be just fine buying a non-5G Moto G Stylus and saving $130.

The stylus has a new cylindrical shape, making it easier to put back into the phone.

Patrick Holland/CNET

The stylus is rudimentary and akin to the one on the LG Stylo instead of the feature-packed S-Pen on the Galaxy Note line. The stylus is now completely round from top-to-bottom which makes it easier to put back into the phone. There is also a software notification that reminds you when it's removed. Using the stylus for handwriting was not an enjoyable experience. The lag is pretty bad. Doodling is fun, but isn't enough to sell me on getting the phone.

The Moto G Stylus 5G has a Snapdragon 480 5G processor which worked well for pretty much everything I did from playing games like PUBG Mobile and Alto's Adventure to watching Loki on Disney Plus to just scrolling through social media. In benchmark tests, the Moto G Stylus 5G scored lower in single-core tests than the January Moto G Stylus. But in multicore and gaming tests, the Stylus 5G did better. The similarly priced Motorola One 5G Ace scored even better. Check out the results below.

GEEKBENCH V.5.0 SINGLE-CORE

Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G

Motorola Moto G Stylus

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

GEEKBENCH V.5.0 MULTICORE

Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G

Motorola Moto G Stylus

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

3DMARK SLINGSHOT UNLIMITED

Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G

Motorola Moto G Stylus

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G specs vs. Moto G Stylus, Motorola One 5G Ace, Google Pixel 4A 5G

	Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G	Motorola Moto G Stylus	Motorola One 5G Ace	Google Pixel 4A 5G
Display size, resolution	6.8-inch LCD FHD Plus; 2,400x1,080 pixels	6.8-inch FHDPlus LCD; 2,400x1,080 pixels	6.7-inch FHD Plus LCD, 2,400x1,080 pixels	6.2-inch FHD Plus OLED; 2,340x1,080 pixels
Pixel density	386ppi	386ppi	394ppi	413ppi
Dimensions (Inches)	6.67x3.05x0.39 in	6.7x3x0.35 in	6.54x3x0.39 in	6.1x2.9x0.3 in
Dimensions (Millimeters)	169.54x77.48x9.35 mm	169.8x77.9x9 mm	166.1x76.1x9.9mm	153.9x74x8.2 mm (Sub-6 only); 153.9x74x8.5 mm (mmWave + Sub-6)
Weight (Ounces, Grams)	7.67 oz; 217.5 g	7.51 oz; 213 g	7.49 oz; 212g	5.93 oz; 168g (Sub-6 only); 6.03 oz; 171g (mmWave + Sub-6)
Mobile software	Android 11	Android 10	Android 10	Android 11
Camera	48-megapixel (wide-angle), 5-megapixel (macro), 8-megapixel (ultrawide angle), 2-megapixel (depth sensor)	48-megapixel wide-angle, 2-megapixel macro, 8-megapixel ultrawide angle, 2-megapixel depth sensor	48-megapixel wide-angle, 2-megapixel macro, 8-megapixel ultrawide angle	12.2-megapixel (standard), 16-megapixel (ultrawide)
Front-facing camera	16-megapixel	16-megapixel	16-megapixel	8-megapixel
Video capture	4K	4K	4K	4K
Processor	Snapdragon 480 5G	Snapdragon 678	Snapdragon 750G 5G	Snapdragon 765G
Storage	256GB	128GB	128GB	128GB
RAM	6GB	4GB	6GB	6GB
Expandable storage	Up to 1TB	Up to 512GB	Up to 1TB	No
Battery	5,000 mAh	4,000 mAh	5,000 mAh	3,800 mAh
Fingerprint sensor	Back	Side	Rear	Rear
Connector	USB-C	USB-C	USB-C	USB-C
Headphone jack	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Special features	5G-enabled, Stylus, 10W charging, Spot color selection for photos and videos, Dual-capture video simultaneously with front and rear cameras	Stylus, 10W charging, Spot color selection for photos and videos	5G enabled, IP52 water and dust resistence, IP54 for T-Mobile	5G enabled; dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM); fast charging
Price off-contract (USD)	$400	$300	$400	$499
Price (GBP)	Converts to about £290	Converts to about £220	Converts to about £280	£499
Price (AUD)	Converts to about AU$520	Converts to about AU$390	Converts to about AU$500	AU$799

First published June 14.

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