Moto G8 Power

Moto G8 Power is expect to be released in India on July 1, 2020.

Those who want a more capable camera setup might want to opt for the Moto G8 Plus with more megapixel count. However, users who like a phone with a large battery will find the G8 Power the best fit for its 5,000mAh power cell.

There is no difference between the two phones in terms of processor or RAM. However, the Moto G8 Power has a slightly larger screen.

Display

Moto G8 Plus features an LCD Full HD+ measuring 6.4 inches with a resolution of 2300 x 1080. The display has a higher resolution than that of the Moto G7 Power so it is suitable for viewing content and also gaming. The panel is also 0.2-inch bigger than that of the predecessor.

Compared to the 21:9 and 20:9 aspect ratio employed on other smartphones on the market, the 19:9 of the Moto G8 Power isn’t particularly large. However, this means the Power is wider than some other handsets, like the Motorola Edge Plus, but smaller than the iPhone 11 Pro Max, ensuring a firm grip in users’ hand.

Compared to OLED screens, Moto G8 Power’s LCD is less sharp and also less vivid. The clarity is also worse when it comes to displaying darker color scheme, so blur is to be expected.

While the Moto G8 Power and Motorola Edge Plus share the same Full HD+ resolution, the latter still lags behind in terms of clarity. On the bright side, the LCD screen of the G8 Power is warmer than the tones of some OLED screens.

While the price tag makes it a mid-range phone, you might be fooled by its thin bezels to think it is a premium handset. The screen-to-body ratio of the Moto G8 Power is 85.1%, a real improvement compared to 77.1% of the G7 Power.

The punch hole looks less intrusive than the usual notch. Another difference is the rounded corners, a leap from the squared-off display on other handsets from Motorola.

Chipset

Moto G8 Power runs on Snapdragon 665 chipset, paired with 4GB of RAM, which means you can play game, scroll through social media feed, and watch videos with no apparent problems like slowdown.

Users have no choice over storage, the only option is 64GB, nor RAM. However, you can count on the microSD card slot to expand the storage to 512GB.

The phone is powered by Android 10 so users have access to Digital Wellbeing’s screen-time monitor, Dark Mode, and Smart Replies, which will automatically fill in what you are typing, much like what you have with other products developed by Google.

Since it is a Motorola phone, the G8 Power has the brand’s software overlay, which is mostly welcomed. Some of the highlights are gesture shortcuts, like twisting twice to open the camera app and turning on flashlight with chop-chop, and some handy customization features, like temporarily disabling notification while gaming.

RAM

With 4GB of RAM and no other option, you may expect lags and lower frame rate with PUBG at maximum settings. The phone can still handle games but to a certain extent only. Having 6GB or 8GB will be appreciated though.

Camera

Moto G8 Power is an upgrade over its predecessor in many ways, but what users pay attention to the most is perhaps the triple camera setup on the rear, which adds several photography capacities to the phone.

The 16MP main camera is the same as that on the predecessor. With enough light, the camera can take stunning shots of both close and far away subjects. The performance is even better than its counterpart on iPhone Pro Max and Motorola Edge Plus, based on tests conducted on the same locations.

However, the color contrast is not so good with the Moto G8 Power, which blends similar hues together. For example, if you take pictures of several sunlit leaves, you will have everything in yellow-green, not different levels of shades like what we have with the iPhone 11 Pro Max or Motorola Edge Plus.

The dual camera setup gives the G8 Plus more utility than some of its budget-friendly competitors. The star here is the 8MP/ f/2.2 ultra-wide camera, which allows users to zoom out even in tight quarters.

While there is no telephoto lens for zooming in, the main camera’s digital zooming, which performs well in daylight, can be a decent substitute.  

The last lens is a 2MP macro camera with aperture of f/2.2. This snapper is suitable for taking pictures of subjects at a close distance. Users of the Moto G8 Power reported that the lens is ideal for flora and fauna, as well as pets and flowers. The up-close pics are sharper than similar pictures taken by the Motorola Edge Plus.

On the other side, the 16MP selfie camera works decently. However, it has difficulty with shadows and has the same letdown with the rear cameras, which is to lumps similar hues together. Sharpness is another problem with parts of the scene that isn’t lit directly.

Battery

The 5,000mAh is no longer a wow factor differentiated the Moto G8 Power from other smartphones in the same price bracket but having that large a battery is definitely a plus.

Since there are not so many fancy features, which usually drains the battery life fast, the phone can last for two days with ease. For example, the Galaxy S20 Plus’s 4,500mAh can barely make it to day 2 because of the fast refresh rate and high resolution display.

It is not without some letdown though. The maximum charging speed of Moto G8 Power is relatively slower than many other Android phones. With the 10W charger comes with the phone, users will have to wait for around 2 hours to have 100% battery from 10%.

One of the explanation here is the 5,000mAh, which requires longer time to top up, but that isn’t an excuse for that lengthy charging time.

Plus, there is no wireless charging on this phone.