Moto G9 Power Review: A Well-Rounded Mid-Ranger

Moto G9 Power: Design And Display

At first glance itself, the Moto G9 Power will grab your attention for its bulky form factor. The device is not only tall but is thick at borders. While this size is suitable for video consumption, the usability factor is hampered here. You would find it difficult to operate the device with a single-hand; specifically, reaching the nooks and corners is a task.

It's manageable to answer calls and do other general tasks such as scrolling on an app/ website or calling/ texting. The handset has a textured rear surface which adds to the grip. Thanks to this, the device is safe from accidental drops. The rear panel is also less prone to fingerprints and smudges.

The Moto G9 Power has the power and the volume keys on the right spine, while the left panel accommodates a dedicated Google Assistant key and the SIM card tray. The device has a hybrid microSD card which allows us to use one SIM card and one microSD card simultaneously. All the keys are swift in functionality. The rear panel has a square-shaped camera module that has three sensors.

We will speak of the camera performance in a while. The device also has a fingerprint scanner at the back panel. The sensor is accurate and unlocks the device in a jiffy. I didn't experience any lags in the device unlocking using the fingerprint scanner. You do have other security features such as Face Unlock, pin, and password protection.

Now coming to the display, the LCD panel on the Moto G9 Power measures 6.8-inches and has a standard 720 x 1640 pixels HD+ resolution. While the colors are balanced and the output is decent, this big size would have been better complemented by an FHD+ resolution. You can stream only 720P videos on OTT platforms.

The viewing angles are decent, however, the display brightness is average. You might find it difficult to view content under harsh sunlight. Overall, the setup is apt for multimedia consumption.

Moto G9 Power: Hardware And Battery Performance

The Moto G9 Power has the Snapdragon 662 processor under the hood. The octa-core chipset is built on the 11nm architecture and clocks at 2GHz. Aiding the processor is Adreno 610 GPU and 4GB RAM. The storage capacity is 128GB. That said of the configuration. The unit is well equipped to handle daily tasks with ease.

It doesn't flinch with calling, multimedia playback, and gaming as well. It might slow down a bit with multiple apps running in the background, but that's primarily when a few of the apps are large and consume more RAM and storage during processing. Gaming is mediocre here. You will miss the higher refresh rate which would have allowed for smoother graphics with high-end games.

Coming to the battery, the device has a big 6,000 mAh unit. We have seen several mid-range smartphones with this size battery. The handset gives a backup of an entire day with regular usage. You would hardly need to plug in a charger twice a day.

The device comes with 20W Turbo Charging tech which allows it to get a refuel within an hour. You can get a backup of more than a day if you aren't using the device extensively. The battery backup is impressive.

Moto G9 Power: Software And Benchmark Performance

The Moto G9 Power steals the show with its stock Android UI. The device ships with Android 10 OS and brings along all the goodies such as gesture-based navigation and digital wellbeing.

I have been using the gesture-navigations throughout and have no complaints about its functionality. Besides, you get a cleaner UI; thanks to the missing bloatware and third-party apps.

We ran a few benchmark tests as well on the Moto G9 Power. Starting with the PC Mark 2, the device scored 6004 points in its Work Performance 2.0 test. In the 3D Benchmark test, the device logged 1,161 points in the Sling Shot test. On the other hand, the device achieved 312 points in the Geekbench 5 single-core test and 1,289 points in the multi-core test.

Moto G9 Power: Camera Performance

The Moto G9 Power has a good set of camera hardware; however, the overall photography experience is average. The triple-lens setup at the rear features a 64MP primary sensor with an f/1.79 aperture.

The remaining sensors are a pair of 2MP lens with an f/2.4 aperture. The imaging is decent in the daylight. The color production and edge detection are good. The camera focus isn't up to the mark, so are the low-light shots.

Though there is a Night mode, the output isn't sharp. The bokeh effect is good and the additional sensor does justice while adding the background blur.

The camera clicks 16MP pixel-binned shots by default, but you can also toggle to 64MP from the camera app. The rear camera can record 1080p@60fps videos, Time-lapse, and Slow-motion videos.

At the front, there is a 16MP snapper that has an f/2.2 aperture for selfies and video calling. The front camera delivers a good output overall. The selfies clicked have an ample amount of details. The color production by the front camera is also fairly balanced. Overall, it is perfect for social media uploads.

Moto G9 Power: Verdict

Motorola G9 Power is a decent pick in the mid-range segment. The aggressive price point of Rs. 11,999 makes it a worthy contender against the Chinese counterparts. It's not just the pricing for which you should consider this device, rather, the hardware as well.

The device has a humongous battery with 20W fast charging support. A triple-lens setup with a 64MP sensor for imaging makes it ahead of the competition. Besides, you get a stock Android interface for a smooth user experience.