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REVIEW: Moto G30 – No Frills 4G Smartphone With A Clever Camera System

Motorola has certainly been churning out the smartphones lately, and the US brand has already released two phones in the G series to replace last year’s G9 Play device.

The new Android G series models – G10 and G30 – are aggressively-priced mid-range smartphones with a few extra features to make their jaw-droppingly RRPs taste even sweeter.

I tested the Moto G30, a $299 smartphone has all the basic components which are stock standard; except for its sophisticated quad camera system which punches well above its price-range.

Design

The Moto G30 looks and feels like a $299 phone. It has a glass front with an IPS LCD screen, a plastic back and a plastic frame.

But there is the added bonus of a IP52 water repellent design, so it’s a little more durable than most phones.

Playing around with the display, it’s easy to tell how Motorola can price the G30 below $300.

The clarity and vibrancy isn’t amazing and the LCD doesn’t bring out the best in video streaming, but I was impressed with the fast 90hz refresh rate.

It could be a tad snappier when going at full-speed switching between apps, but you can’t have it all for $299!

I also found using the phone in direct sunlight exposes its low screen quality.

The G30’s camera system is neatly housed in the top left of the rear, adjacent to the fingerprint sensor.

It looks like a camera from a $1000+ phone has been transplanted into a cheaper device, so kudos to Motorola for this stylish design.

The G30 is pretty lightweight at just 200g and the 6.5-inch screen is deceptively wide with an 82.2 per cent screen-to-body ratio.

Resolution is okay at 720×1600 pixels but don’t except much vibrancy – bright colours are a little dull on the G30 but it’s another sacrifice Motorola has to make to keep the price so low.

Performance

The Moto G30 ships with Android 11 and is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 662 with an Octa-core processor, so it’s sophisticated enough to compete with the big boys in the premium-tier range.

It can handle advanced tasks such as HD video streaming and graphic-heavy games without much of an issue.

But the crown jewel of this phone is the quad camera system.

Motorola evidently poured most of its budget on the Moto G30 on developing the camera. It has an incredible 64MP main camera – which is the same as the iPhone – an 8MP ultra-wide lens, 2MP macro and 2MP depth.

Pictures taken on the G30 are vibrant, clear and hi-res.

For such an affordable price, I was staggered at capabilities of the camera. It has features such as Face Detection, Auto Focus, Auto Smile Capture, Burst Shot, Live Filter and Portrait Mode.

These are camera features I’d expect to see in a $1000+ iPhone or Samsung flagship device.

Meanwhile, the 13MP ‘selfie’ camera is also in a league of its own with Portrait Mode, Gesture Selfie, Live Filter, HDR and Face Beauty.

Video capture is just as impressive at 30fps HD recording.

After using the G30 for a few days testing out how it handles streaming, gaming and intense selfie-taking, I noticed an additional feather in its cap: battery life.

It can go 48 hours on a single charge, which is akin to Nokia’s legendary battery life.

The 5000Mah battery gives the G30 the extra push to keep it going and going.

The G30’s Android interface is user-friendly easy to navigate, plus there’s the nice addition of Google Assistant.

Photo taken on Moto G30

Photo taken with Moto G30

Photo taken with Moto G30

Extra Features

The Moto G30 has a few superior features I really thought would be left out – including Face ID, a dedicated Google Assistant Key, the all-important headset jack and NFC.

Motorola keeps everyone happy by still including the charger and cable in the box (Ahem, I’m looking at you, Apple & Samsung) plus a pair of wired headphones.

There is no 5G on the Moto G30, only 4G, which is probably another way Motorola can keep the price so low.

Verdict

7/10

Motorola finds a way yet again to make an affordable smartphone feel somewhat premium with some superior features.

The camera is truly the hero of the phone – perfect for consumers who want to steer clear of expensive smartphones but still want to capture high-quality images and video.

PROS

Camera

Battery life

Face ID

Google Assistant

Extra bits in the box

Affordable

CONS

Low quality LCD screen

Plastic back

No 5G



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