Like we already mentioned, while the regular Moto G6 naturally constitutes a downgrade, compared to its bigger Plus sibling, it's not really that extreme. Well, the bump down from a Snapdragon 630, to a Snapdragon 450 has its clear consequences. Most notably, the lack of 4K video capture.
However, the most apparent hardware traits and aspects of the more expensive model are present here as well. The attractive build, with a shiny Gorilla Glass 3 layer on both sides is here. So is the trendy, 18:9, Max Vision display. Even it's sharp, FullHD+ resolution managed to survive the market segmentation treatment. The dual camera setup is also accounted for. Minus a few minor details.
Since we already did a rather extensive hardware tour of the G6 Plus, you can check the previous page for more details. You will find that the G6 practically looks and feels the same. That is to say, way more premium than its price segment suggests.
Hardware nitty-gritties aside, that allows the average users to pick a Moto purely on size preference. That sounds like a very well thought-out product lineup in our books.
For the sake of thoroughness, besides the smaller 5.7-inch display, the lower-end Snapdragon 450 chipset and its FullHD video capture cap, other downgrades the G6 has compared to the G6 Plus include an older Bluetooth 4.2 radio and lack of ac channels on the Dual-Band Wi-Fi.
Also on the list is a smaller 3,000 mAh battery. It does still have the benefit of 15W TurboPower charging, though. And since the battery will be driving a smaller display and an equally battery efficient 14nm Qualcomm chipset, the endurance difference could be surprisingly small. There'll be more info about that in the full review.
The same goes for an in-depth camera evaluation for the new Moto G phones. But in the meantime, we did manage to take the Moto G6 out on a photo shoot for some early samples. Say what you want about Brazil, but it definitely doesn't lack color!
The Moto G6 has a 12MP main snapper at its disposal, which, upon first inspection, captures vibrant photos, with decent detail and few outstanding issues. The secondary 5MP camera isn't a telephoto, wide-angle or monochrome. Nothing too fancy. It's just there to provide the additional depth information and help in some more challenging conditions.
We were a bit disappointed to only find a single LED flash on the regular Moto G6 while its bigger sibling gets the benefit of a Dual-Tone setup.
In lower light the Moto G6 photos have some noticeable noise. Still, it's nothing too severe.
Motorola Moto G6 darker samples
HDR seems to also do a fairly good job and saving some details in shadows and highlights. Of course, we'll reserve final judgment for the full review.
Motorola Moto G6 samples: HDR Off • HDR On • HDR Off • HDR On
1080p video recording seem decent as well.
In keeping with tradition, the Moto G6 runs an almost Vanilla version of Android 8.0 Oreo. Motorola only adds a few extra features on top, like the Moto assistant, which objectively offer added value, pretty much universally.
We experienced no slow-downs or major hiccups while using the UI and still stand by our belief that a Snapdragon 450 has plenty of horsepower for most average users. But if you prefer some raw figures over first-hand experience, we also ran a few benchmarks. Here is how the Moto G6 stacks up against some of its viable market competitors.
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
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