Moto G30 First Impressions: The Good, The Bad And The X-Factor

 

Moto G30 was launched in a single variant with 4GB RAM + 64GB storage space. The Moto G30 is priced at 10,999 and will go on sale from March 17 at 12 PM via Flipkart. Having said that, here is our first impressions on the device before we come up with a detailed review.

Moto G30: The Good

Single-Handed Use

Moto G30 measures around 165.2 x 75.7 x 9.1 mm in dimensions and weighs 200 grams. Its button placement and form factor make it comfortable to be used in one hand. However, it appears to be a little thicker than rivals at this price point. To detail on the same, we have the power button and volume rocker at the right along with a dedicated Google Assistant button. The left of the device features the SIM card tray. The bottom edge of the smartphone has the USB Type-C port while the 3.5mm audio jack is at the top.

It flaunts a 6.5-inch LCD display with a HD+ resolution of 1600 x 720 pixels with a dated teardrop notch at the top and a 90Hz refresh rate. On the flip side, the Moto G30 features a plastic build and comes in a Pastel Sky color option that looks like gray but reflects pink in specific angles. Furthermore, there is a water-repellent coating, which protects the device from water ingress.

 

64MP Quad-Camera Unit

The Moto G30 bestows a quad-camera unit at the rear with a 64MP primary sensor with f/1.7 aperture, PDAF, HDR and LED flash. There is an 8MP secondary 118-degree ultra-wide-angle with an aperture of f/2.2 aperture, a 2MP tertiary macro lens with f/2.4 aperture, and a 2MP fourth lens with a similar f/2.4 aperture. When it comes to the video recording capability, there is support for capturing FHD 1080p videos at 30fps or 60fps. At the front, there is a 13MP selfie camera sensor with f/2.2 aperture, HDR and 1080p video shooing capability.

The selfie shots appear to be low resolution and a little pale though its clear. In comparison to the portrait mode, selfies in the standard mode appear to be better as portrait mode makes it look unnatural and the blurring and edge detection aren't accurate.

While the main camera performance is good with immense details, the low light performance isn't impressive. The ultra-wide angle shots are bright enough as compared to the main camera sensor but it appears to have a yellowish tint. The macro sensor is a good addition and is quite often seen in affordable smartphones but it is tough to use and get the desired results. To get the best macro shots, you need to ensure that the phone is too close to the subject but this blocks the light. There's isn't a zoom camera and this makes sense given is budget but there is digital zoom up to 8x.

Talking about the interface, the stock Google camera app is clean but the options such as portrait, night vision, and other modes are tucked away within the menu. It has only photo and video options on the main menu, but this should be fine for those who don't use other tools quite often.

Up-to-date Android OS

Moto G30 comes with the latest iteration of the OS - Android 11 that went official late last year. The OS is quite identical to how Google designed it sans any customization. This translates to a clean-looking interface with round app icons, very few pre-installed apps, additional aspects such as system-wide dark mode and more. There is Moto Actions, which is nothing but gestures that enables launching apps quickly such as turning on the flashlight with a double karate-chop motion, bringing up the camera by twisting the phone twice and more.

Furthermore, the Moto G30 is packed with Motorola's proprietary four-layer security of ThinkShield, which provides protection from hardware to software allowing consumers to have peace of mind with respect to their data security.

Moto G30: The Bad

Low Resolution Display

Moto G30 flaunts a 6.5-inch LCD display with a HD+ 720p resolution that is relatively lower than a few other smartphones in this price points. The screen has a 90Hz refresh rate despite being an affordable smartphone and this makes it a little smoother. While the screen size is ideal for watching videos, we prefer a FHD 1080p display while gaming.

Better Performance Expected

The latest offering from Motorola is fueled by the octa-core Snapdragon 662 SoC, which is a fair improvement as compared to the Snapdragon 460 SoC that was used by the Moto G10. It is touted to improve speeds in almost all tasks as opposed to that of the Moto G10. There is 4GB RAM along with 64GB with expandable storage space of up to 1TB. Unless you use are a power-user, these should deliver a good performance.

While the smartphone made it through a good few bouts of Call of Duty and Shadow Fight 3, we cannot claim it to a powerhouse as it managed to do so only on the lower graphics settings. At the high graphics settings, there were a lot of lag and frame drops.

Moto G30: The X Factor

Long-Lasting Battery Life

Moto G30 is fitted with a capacious 5000mAh battery, which is complemented with a 20W TurboPower charger. The battery lasts for over two days on regular usage and is touted to last up to 48 hours of usage. though that was with light use. You'll never need to worry about this phone not lasting a full day, though. While plugging in the charger, the device gets relatively warm but it is acceptable given its price point. Maybe, the battery performance could have been relatively degraded if it had a more powerful hardware and high resolution.