Moto G6 Plus review: when the intermediary wants to be premium

A Motorola announced in 2018 the sixth generation of the family M. They are the first smartphones with the company's new bets. The news is very welcome, with emphasis on the screen Max Vision de 18 format: 9. We analyze the Moto G6 Plus, the most powerful of the generation. But does it continue to be a cost-benefit reference or has it brought too much to an intermediate category?

“Wow, how my godson stretched!”

The first reaction when seeing the Moto G6 Plus is to be impressed by its size. The device has a 18 inch 9:5,9 screen in a body measuring 159,9 mm high and 75,5 mm wide. In short, he's big.

If you are not used to big cell phones, you will have a certain discomfort. Even with my big hands and long fingers I had trouble using the Moto G6 Plus. We must remember that the 18:9 aspect makes the screen taller. Thus, using the smartphone with one hand is a challenge, even more so when you want to pull up the notification bar.

A new pattern of mismatched screens

After days you stop complaining about the big screen and start admiring it. The 5,9″ display has resolution Full HD + (2160×1080) and panel IPS LCD. The combination is quite balanced and offers 407 ppi of very vivid colors. However, the lack of AMOLED can be felt. One has to wonder why in 2018 the AMOLED is still regarded as exclusive to top-of-the-line cell phones.

However, what worries me is this new aspect of 18:9 resolution. The popularization of these screens can be problematic, to say the least. The current standard is 16:9, so the vast majority of media is produced in this format. There are millions of home videos, movies and series. Today, some companies are already selling computer monitors with a 21:9 format, used by major film productions. So if you want to see Wonder Woman without the black stripe, get a 21:9 monitor. Where is the 18:9 aspect in this? Well, he messes everything up.

Most of the time, when using the Moto G6 Plus there's a feeling that you're seeing a lot more content as the screen is stretched more. These moments are great, until you realize how clunky the 2160×1080 resolution can be. On Instagram, the user starts to see the stories cut, because friends made the post on a “normal” screen. When are you going to post a story there is a fear of how it can look to your friends.

The problem bothers even when watching something in landscape (horizontal) position. Anything you go to watch will have tags. Series (16:9) will have vertical stripes, movies (21:9) will continue with horizontal stripes. The question is inevitable: why did the smartphone industry create this new screen format? Is it necessary or just a market tactic?

Cute design, but not innovative

How to differentiate a Moto G6 Plus and a Moto X4 backwards? Be quick! The answer is: the dual flash position. At the G6 Plus it's below the camera, on the X4 it's above. Do not get me wrong, Motorola managed to make a beautiful design. The back is covered in glass, with an S reflection. In indigo, the Moto G6 Plus It's very beautiful.

However, the sense of design repetition is very much felt here. However, they failed to copy the best thing: certified water resistance. IP68K. O Moto G6 Plus it has no protection from water, not even splashes. What a downside.

However, the front of the Moto G6 Plus is different. A lot of space was saved at the top of the screen. There is the front camera, its flash and the only speaker of the device. The “moto” logo became “Motorola” and occupies the lower part of the screen, along with a smaller biometric reader and now well stretched laterally.

At first I was afraid of this reduced digital reader. I remembered the Galaxy S5 and the reader that needed to swipe. Fortunately, in Moto G6 Plus this doesn `t happen. The reader works perfectly well and very quickly. So, the unlocking delay noticed is due to Android only. Interestingly, this new format seems ideal for gestures, as they are horizontal. After using the reader Moto G6 Plus, the one from the previous generation will even seem unnecessary.

Modified Android but that's good

The line M was created under the Pure Android. It was these devices that popularized this concept of pure Android and created popular pressure for other companies to eliminate “pollution” from their builds. However, it is no surprise to anyone that the Android of smartphones Motorola not pure since purchase by Lenovo.

But it is necessary to clarify that the Android of the Moto G6 Plus is not pure, but that does not make it bad! There are several changes to the Motorola on Android, starting with launcher, called Moto App Launcher. The lock screen preview is not pure, the biometric reader gestures are not pure, not even the home screen clock is pure. It is necessary to understand that non-pure Android is also good. Many of the coolest features in Moto G6 Plus come from system modifications, which is great.

Having clarified that, we will move on to the technical aspects. O Moto G6 Plus has the Android 8.0 Oreo. The system runs very well on the smartphone, without any stuttering. The feeling of using a refined and new operating system is very good. Motorola, in turn, made precise changes to Android.

No application Motorcycle it is possible to increase the functionality of the device. There are action options such as: gestures on the biometric reader, rotate to start the camera, swing to turn on the flashlight, among others. In addition, we have display options too: yellowish night screen, lock screen preview and preventing fading while looking at the device. There is still "motorcycle key“, which is a password manager, as well as allowing you to log in to websites and other devices just by scanning your fingerprint. Motorola also introduces its own personal assistant: Moto Voice.

Dual camera with some issues

The Moto G line, from the beginning, was never highlighted by its camera, but in other points such as screen and battery. O Moto G6 Plus, in turn, is equipped with a set of 12 MP + 5 MP dual camera. The main camera has an aperture of f/1.7 and the secondary camera of f/2.2. The lenses are 78º and 79º angle.

Due to the angle, the Moto G6 Plus It's starting to not be so good. This means that the secondary camera no longer offers vision in photos because it is not wide-angle. Its use is limited to helping these Features: portrait mode, background clipping and selective coloring.

But what is the result of the photos? Well, the main camera with its 12 MP and the post processing manages to deliver well-lit and vivid photos. I was taking a picture and was impressed by the quality of a smartphone from the line M.

However, I let myself be admired too much by the colors of the photo and forgot to see the sharpness. In most of the photos I took and review today, the level of detail is below expectations. The 12 MP demonstrates a lack of credibility, as in a double zoom touch it is already possible to see something much blurrier.

Varied camera capabilities

In night environments without flash, the Moto G6 Plus tries to do well, however, due to its hardware limitations, there is not such a good result. Thus, the colors are still strong, which in these environments is good. In turn, the brightness tries to compensate for the lighting but gets in the way, making the sharpness worse.

The same goes for macro photos. The colors, lighting and other points are impressive, but when you take a closer look, the focus comes out unbalanced. The cell phone focuses on the desired place, but in that same place it applies unnecessary blur.

It would be great if this was a software issue and resolved in a future update, as the hardware is quite satisfactory. The dual flash is two-tone and makes the photos very natural. There is still recording function in 4K and 30 FPS ou Full HD to 60 FPS. The selfie camera is quite competent for its category. The focus is precise, the amount of detail is satisfactory and the flash maintains the natural skin color.

Sufficient hardware, even if a little old

O Moto G6 Plus is equipped with a processor Snapdragon 630 (octa core 2.2 GHz), 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of internal memory with expansion and 3.200 mAh battery. It's a little more powerful than the Moto G5S Plus. Still, the G6 Plus has a very consistent performance in everyday life and has not shown a drop in performance. The games also ran without crashing with the 508 Adreno GPU.

The complaint lies in the choice of Snapdragon 630, the most basic of the line presented last year. It would be wiser to choose the 660 or even the 636, which is already 40% faster than the 630. Moto G6 Plus performing well, a few years from now he may show drastic consequences of age.

It is very good that the battery has more than 3.000 mAh. With that extra 200 mAh it's guaranteed to last until the end of a busy day. The processor is quite efficient, so the energy consumption is smart and happens slowly. There is no panic to see the Moto G6 Plus with 15% battery. And with support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 4, in half an hour it goes from 0% to 48% and a full charge with 103 minutes. THE Motorola includes charger TurboPower in the box, which makes life a lot easier.

A balanced and competent mobile

The Moto G6 Plus experience is rewarding. The screen in 18:9 format may not be ideal, but it is very bright and beautiful, and the modern feel is encouraging. The design is very flashy and attracted many admiring glances from friends, but some even asked if it was a “Blue Moto X4”. There was still the exclusion of water resistance present since the G3.

Android is not pure, but that's not bad, as it includes several features that expand the smartphone's functionality. However, the dual rear camera does not please so much, it wanted to impress, but ended up disappointing in the details. The selfie camera does much better in its mission.

The hardware is firm, however the processor is already old for the market that asks for fast evolutions. THE Motorola tried to take a big step on the G-line, but ended up tripping over herself. Not so good decisions were made and it resulted in a good phone, but it could be better.

Finally, the price of Moto G6 Plus has a good window of variations. Even with a suggested price of R$1.699,00, it is possible to find it for an average of R$1.400,00 in stores such as Magazine Luiza, American stores e FastShop. However, we have entered the current dilemma of internal competition within the company. With similar devices with varying prices. So, will the Moto G6 Plus Is it a good choice for your brothers? It will depend a lot on what the consumer focuses on in a smartphone.

Technical specifications