In late 2020, Motorola released several mid-range smartphones like the Moto G9 Play, Moto G9, Moto One Fusion+, and more. But the most notable one should be the Moto G9 Plus. The handset is an affordable device that offers everything a regular user needs: a large screen, a beefy battery, a decent chipset, and a 64MP quad-rear camera setup. The handset is yet to reach India, but its expected price is around Rs. 20,000. 

Overall, the Moto G9 Plus is a good pick. It has a decent performance, a bright and accurate display, and an excellent battery life. The cameras do have some issues that need some works, but still acceptable. The major issue of this mid-range smartphone is its massive size, which might be an issue for users with small hands.

Moto G9: Display

On the front, the handset features a large 6.8-inch flat display. I would say it is pretty much the same as other LCD panels that the company puts on other affordable and mid-range smartphones. With a Full-HD+ (2,400 x 1,080p) resolution, it is just okay in terms of overall colour reproduction and sharpness.

The colour reproduction of the screen is pretty accurate. It can be used under direct sunlight thanks to the nearly 600 nits maximum brightness. The viewing angles are also quite okay and we don’t see the motion blur that is often seen on LCD panels. We would suggest you pick the “Natural” screen colour mode as it helps display accurate and warm colours. 

Moto G9 Plus: Performance

Thanks to the Snapdragon 730G, the Moto G9 Plus’ performance is pretty good. The chipset is based on an 8nm manufacturing technology and features an octa-core CPU consisting of two 2.2 GHz Kryo 470 Gold cores and six 1.8 GHz Kryo 470 Silver cores.

It is surely not as snappy as its flagship siblings like the Snapdragon 855 or Snapdragon 865, but apart from a slightly longer loading time or the lack of 5G support, I’m pretty satisfied with the performance of the 730G on the Moto G9 Plus. As for gaming performance, the handset does a decent job with 3D gaming, but don’t expect the fps to be high. The device was quite cool during my gaming session, but it could get warm if you spend too much time gaming.

There is only 4GB RAM available on the phone, I feel like that is not enough anymore, especially if you switch between apps regularly. You will have 128GB storage, which is quite plenty, but there is a microSD card slot for you to expand it even more.

Moto G9 Plus: Battery

This is where the phone shines. Its beefy 5,000 mAh battery, paired with the efficient Snapdragon 730G, delivers an amazing battery life you could get at the price point. During the time with the phone, I could use it for easily two days without having to charge it. Our battery test is also in line with my personal experience: the handset lasted 12 hours and 40 minutes of web browsing, 11 hours of watching YouTube videos, and 6 hours and 20 minutes of gaming. 

Not only having a beefy battery, but the Moto G9 Plus also charges very fast too. The 30W Turbo Power charging technology allows the phone to charge from 0 to 100 percent in 81 minutes. Overall, you won’t be disappointed with this phone when it comes to battery life or fast charging. 

Moto G9 Plus: Camera

Around the back, the handset is equipped with a quad-camera cluster, including a 64MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera, and two 2MP units for portrait and macro shots. They are backed by usual camera features from Motorola like Cinemagraph, Cutout, Spot Color, and more.

The main camera isn’t great, but acceptable if you take the price of this smartphone into consideration. It delivers good dynamic range and detail, but colour of the photos tends to be pale and not punchy, making them seem lifeless. 

As for the 8MP ultra-wide snapper, we don’t have lots of expectations for it, except for decent performance in day-light conditions. However, the photos taken from the ultra-wide camera are muddy, soft, and lack details. One good thing is that the HDR seems to be doing a good job of balancing out the shadows and highlights. 

As for low-light photography, the handset comes with a dedicated Night Vision mode, and we advise you to use it and in return, you will get decent photos.

The 16MP selfie camera is pretty decent in comparison to other phones in its price point. Selfies are generally detailed and sharp. 

Moto G9 Plus: Verdict

The Moto G9 Plus hasn’t made its way to India, but its price is expected to be around Rs. 20,000. Even though the handset is a decent pick for the price, it seems like it won’t be easy if the phone hits India. 

The Galaxy M31s, which is priced at Rs. 18,499 for the 6GB + 128GB option, also delivers great battery life with its massive 6,000mAh battery, though it doesn’t charge as fast. The camera setups are pretty much the same, but the Snapdragon 730G of the Moto G9 Plus is certainly better than the Exynos 9611 inside the M31s. Moreover, it gets a larger display, but the AMOLED display of the M31s surely has better quality.

The POCO X3, priced at Rs. 16,999 for the 6GB + 64GB model, is also a notable competitor. It is not only cheaper but also has a much better set of specs. For starts, its 6.67-inch IPS LCD panel supports a 120Hz refresh rate, which is twice as high as the Moto G9 Plus. Not only that, it also comes with a slightly more powerful chipset, the Snapdragon 732G. The 6,000mAh battery (Indian version) or 5,160 mAh battery (international version) on the X3 would also give the one on the G9 Plus a run for its money. As for photography, we can’t really tell which phone is better though.