My Thought On The Moto G Power (2021) -Full Review | A Month Later
What I Honestly think about The MOTO G POWER 2021
The Motorola Moto G Power is a $200 phone that does just as it says it will — power you through a couple of days of use — but doesn't expect any other bells or whistles.
The battery is the whole point of this phone. Its 5,000mAh battery is just as large as they come right now; it has the same power as top-tier gadgets like the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Rather than building a more well-rounded handset, Motorola has cut features here and there — a low-resolution screen, a slower processor — and gone all-in on its headline feature. Cheaper components allow Motorola to sell this phone for $200, and they're also less power-hungry, making the most of that big battery.
This gadget has the same name as its predecessor from last year, but there are a few key differences. Rather than a single standard, the G Power is available this year in the aforementioned $200 version with 3GB of RAM and a meager 32GB of capacity. A 4GB RAM / 64GB storage option is also available for $250. (I tested the 32GB version). This year's versions do away with the ultrawide display in favor of a marginally bigger screen (6.6-inch vs. 6.4-inch) with a smaller 720p resolution than last year's 1080p.
If you decide to purchase the Moto G Power, it will keep its end of the bargain. The question is whether you can live with the substantial compromises Motorola has made in order to fit the largest battery possible into the most inexpensive phone possible.
With all said let’s check key features of the MOTO G POWER 2021
Key Features
| Operating System | Android 10 |
| CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 |
| Dimensions | 6.5 by 3.0 by 0.4 inches |
| Screen Size | 6.6 inches |
| Screen Resolution | 1,600 by 720 pixels |
| Camera Resolution (Rear Front-Facing) | 48MP, 2MP, 2MP, 8MP |
| Battery Life (As Tested) | 15 hours |
Full Features
| NETWORK Technology GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE |
| LAUNCH Announced 2021, January 08 Status Available. Released 2021, January 14 |
| BODY Dimensions 165.3 x 75.9 x 9.5 mm (6.51 x 2.99 x 0.37 in) Weight 206.5 g (7.30 oz) Build Glass front, plastic back, plastic frame SIM Nano-SIM Water-repellent coating |
| DISPLAY Type IPS LCD Size 6.6 inches, 105.2 cm2 (~83.8% screen-to-body ratio) Resolution 720 x 1600 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~266 ppi density) |
| PLATFORM OS Android 10 Chipset Qualcomm SM6115 Snapdragon 662 (11 nm) CPU Octa-core (4×2.0 GHz Kryo 260 Gold & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 260 Silver) GPU Adreno 610 |
| MEMORY Card slot microSDXC (dedicated slot) Internal 32GB 3GB RAM, 64GB 4GB RAM eMMC 5.1 |
| MAIN CAMERA Triple 48 MP, f/1.7, (wide), 1/2.0″, 0.8µm, PDAF 2 MP, f/2.4, (macro) 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth) Features LED flash, HDR, panorama Video 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS |
| SELFIE CAMERA Single 8 MP, f/2.0, 1.12µm Features HDR Video 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS |
| SOUND Loudspeaker Yes 3.5mm jack Yes |
| COMMS WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE GPS Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO NFC No Radio FM radio USB USB Type-C 2.0 |
| FEATURES Sensors Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| BATTERY Type Li-Po 5000 mAh, non-removable Charging Fast charging 15W |
| MISC Colors Flash Gray, Polar Silver Price $ 189.99 |
Let’s explore and see the full review of Motorola moto G power 2021 based on 1 month of use
MOTO G POWER SCREEN
The Moto G Power has a 6.6-inch 720p LCD display. That’s not a lot of resolution to scatter around a reasonably widescreen, and it shows. Images aren’t as bright as they should be, and the screen seems dim and washed out to me. The phone itself is big, but I find it easier to use one-handed than the marginally larger 6.7-inch Motorola One 5G Ace.
The screen is dark and translucent. The afternoon sun is creeping through the edges of my glass as I type this, making the show almost difficult to see. Color precision is outstanding overall, but consistency is lacking. This isn’t an excessive response to the lower-quality display; there’s obvious pixilation when I keep the phone at reading distance (16 inches).
PERFORMANCE
The G Power has a Snapdragon 662 CPU, and I noticed a gap in output between it and a 700-series step-up chipset. It takes an extra beat to turn between applications and open the camera. It takes longer to record and process photographs in Portrait and Night Vision modes than it does in the Ace using the same main camera sensor. Heavy jobs, such as switching between Google Maps navigation, exhibit noticeable stuttering. However, you would be hard-pressed to find significantly improved results at the $200 price point.
Bottom line, the Power is capable of doing day-to-day activities, playing videos, and navigating. I just felt myself feeling the delays when I used the phone, which added up to a less-than-satisfying experience over the span of a day. However, for a $200 handset, it does the work.
The G Power has expandable storage through a microSD card slot, which seems appropriate in this situation. 14GB of the 32GB version I tested is already taken up by Android 10 files. That will simply not suffice in 2021. You can pay $50 extra for the 64GB edition, but it seems like you’re paying too much for too little. If you buy this handset, make sure to include a microSD card in your budget.
Motorola will have an upgrade to Android 11 and security patches for the G Power until January 2023. Years of notifications would almost definitely have slowed the phone down even further by that time.
Camera Performance
The $349 Pixel 4a shows that you don’t have to pay a lot of money to get a phone that takes decent pictures, placing pressure on lower-cost smartphones like the Moto G series to boost their camera efficiency. Motorola replied by equipping this year’s Moto G Power with a more efficient lens — a 48MP sensor as opposed to the 16GB key shooter on last year’s handset. A 2MP macro lens and a 2MP depth sensor are added to the main camera.
The findings are mixed, with the Moto G Power (2021) delivering excellent shots in some places but falling short in others. The Pixel 4a takes many superior photos, but it costs $100 more than the Moto G Power. The resulting images are more than satisfactory for the price you pay for Motorola’s.
The G Power has the same main camera as the One 5G Ace and takes close shots in decent light. It makes good exposure decisions and captures a lot of detail, particularly with near subjects. Colors seem sufficiently vivid when the AI recognizes a setting, such as a desert, but otherwise, it tends toward bland, washed-out colors. Things get a bit messier in low-light environments, where noise suppression smears a lot of detail. There is an echo and/or noise suppression noticeable in high-contrast scenes where the camera has brightened shadows.
As with the Ace, Night Vision tends to produce a washed-out looking image and, in this case, it requires both you and your subject to hold still for several seconds. There’s some noticeable shutter lag in all photo modes — enough to make you wonder for a split second if you actually tapped the shutter button — and the display is lagging when panning around in portrait mode.
This camera is just okay, and that’s fine for a $200 phone. The Moto G Power doesn’t have the processing power to pull off more sophisticated HDR or low light photography — for that you’d need to step up to the $350 Pixel 4A. It also won’t be able to keep up with fast subjects, or even slow-moving subjects in low light, but that’s often a struggle for phones priced well above $200.
Long Battery Life
Let us not belabor the point. You chose the Moto G Power (2021) because you want a phone that can last for a long time on a single charge, and with a 5,000 mAh battery, this is a phone that can deliver on that pledge.
How long would it take to charge the Moto G Power (2021)? So long that when we first released our Moto G Power (2021) analysis, the phone was still running our battery tests.
We ran the challenging test several times and averaged the results to see what kind of battery life you might get, and the Moto G Power 2021 didn’t let us down. It lasted an average of 14 hours and 4 minutes, meaning that you would get through the day — and perhaps longer — without wanting to charge it.
Without a question, the marginally slower processor and low-powered screen contribute to those results. When checking, I left the screen at its default brightness, which is marginally lower than I like. It definitely does not seem too bright at its highest setting, but an extra drain on battery life is something to consider if you want a bright screen.
Keep in mind that I spent a significant portion of the time at home using Wi-Fi, which is better on the battery. I must have invested more time out of the house on mobile data at non-pandemic days. And six hours of screen time doesn’t necessarily qualify me as a power user.
If you spend more time on data and do more power-intensive activities, such as watching a lot of videos, you’ll actually be staring at two full days. In any case, Motorola’s estimate of up to three days of battery life is perfectly fair, and you could do much better if you spent the rest of your time connecting to Wi-Fi.
No 5G
The Moto G Power’s Snapdragon 662 chipset also ensures that the handset is limited to LTE networking — no 5G here. Given that 5G is only a developing technology that isn’t yet widely available, I don’t think this is a deal-breaker. However, 5G phone rates are dropping — the OnePlus Nord N10 5G costs just $50 more than the Moto G Power — so the “you have to pony up for 5G” excuse isn’t as valid as it was a year ago.
If you’re changing phones this year, you should potentially avoid 5G compatibility. However, networks will continue to change. If you retain a system for two years or more, you will lose out on better results. (However, as 5G becomes more widely available, LTE speeds are expected to increase as the quicker network relieves congestion on the 4G network.)
Conclusion and Verdict
Any phone under $300 is going to have some sacrifices, and thankfully. The ones that the new iteration of the Moto G Power makes aren’t going to turn off many budget shoppers. Yes, there are more powerful phones with better screens that aren’t dramatically more costly than the Moto G Power (2021). However, Motorola’s phone’s long battery life continues to carry the day, especially for a phone that costs $250 or less.
The cameras on the Moto G Power aren’t world-beaters, but they’ll get the job done. And, despite the G Power’s low-cost origins, I like the look and feel of this handset. Still, the incentive to consider previous Moto G Power models was their incredible battery life. Which I’m happy to say continues with the 2021 version of this iconic budget handset.
I think the 2020 Moto G Power is a better offer as it has a superior processor. Better display and a good battery life yet still in the same price range.
AGREE TO CONTINUE: MOTOROLA MOTO G POWER (2021)
Every smart device now requires you to agree to a series of terms and conditions before you can use it — contracts that no one actually reads. It’s impossible for us to read and analyze every single one of these agreements. But we started counting exactly how many times you have to hit “agree” to use devices when we review them since these are agreements most people don’t read and definitely can’t negotiate.
To actually use the Motorola Moto G Power, you must agree to:
Install updates and apps: “You agree this device may also automatically download and install updates and apps from Google, your carrier, and your device’s manufacturer, possibly using cellular data. Some of these apps may offer in-app purchases.”
To add a Google account, you’ll also need to agree to two more things:
The following agreements are optional:
- Back up to Google Drive: “Your backup includes apps, app data, all history, contacts, device settings (including Wi-Fi passwords and permissions), and SMS.”
- Use location: “Google may collect location data periodically and use this data in any anonymous way to improve location accuracy and location-based services.”
- Allow scanning: “Allow apps and services to scan for Wi-Fi networks and nearby devices at any time, even when Wi-Fi or Bluetooth is off.”
- Send usage and diagnostic data: “Help improve your Android device experience by automatically sending diagnostic, device and app usage data to Google.”
- Carrier location access: “Your carrier occasionally requires location data to improve its services and analytics.”
Additionally, for Google Assistant, there’s an option to agree to use Voice Match. “Allows your Assistant to identify you and tell you apart from others. The Assistant takes clips of your voice to form a unique voice model, which is only stored on your device(s). Your voice model may be sent temporarily to Google to better identify your voice.”
Final tally: three mandatory agreements to use the phone at all, another two for Google account services, and six additional optional agreements.
