Motorola’s budget Android phones are pretty well-known at this stage: solid build quality, good value for money and respectable performance.
These phones are for you if you value low cost over high benchmark scores and don’t want to spend four-figures on the best components (screens and cameras, etc.) on the current smartphone market.
Jump to…
Prices and availability
Design
Display
Camera
Samples Cameras
Performance Specifications and Performance
Battery Life
Should it be bought?
- Motorola Moto X9 Power at Amazon for $545
Two features that should be highlighted when you look at the Moto G9 power specifically are the low price and massive 6,000mAh battery capacity. These are the most significant consumer handsets currently on the market.
A womanHabit Tribe is the best guitarist of all time.
You want a battery that lasts and lasts, but at an affordable price? You might consider the Moto G9 Power.
There will always be compromises when a phone is so cheap. Although the internal specs of G9 Power include a Snapdragon 662 chipset with 4GB RAM, they are not impressive. The phone can handle everyday tasks and run more demanding games at lower quality settings. However, it isn’t going to blow you away with its speed.
You should be realistic about your expectations in this area. However, the Moto G9 Power’s camera quality is one area that you need to temper.
Although the end results are not as good as what you would get with the best-selling phones today, they are much less expensive and will be affordable for many people who don’t want to print large canvas prints of their snaps. The Moto G9 Power has enough to offer in the photography department.
The phone’s design is attractive, even though it has a low resolution screen. We should also mention that there are many good and affordable handsets available at the moment, including the Moto G9Play, Moto G9Plus, but the Moto G9Power is one of the most inexpensive phones.
Moto G9 Power Price and Availability
- Available in the UK at PS179.99
- One the most affordable phones in
- Not available in the US or Australia
The Moto G9 Power is now available and can be purchased immediately. It retails at PS179.99 in the UK, and EUR199.99 for Europe. Motorola claims that the phone will be available in India and selected Middle Eastern, Latin American, and Asian countries. However, there is no indication that it will be sold in the USA or Australia.
You can pick up the phone SIM-free direct from Motorola (opens in new tab), as well as from third-party retailers including Carphone Warehouse (opens in new tab),
Design
- Textured plastic back
- A relatively chunky phone
- No waterproofing
The Moto G9 Power smartphone is large and bulky. It measures 6.8 inches from corner-to-corner and has a thickness of 9.66mm (0.38 inch).
Although it doesn’t look premium with its plastic back, thick-ish bezels (especially at the bottom chin), and plastic back, it isn’t a masterpiece in aesthetics. It’s the Motorola phone we have come to expect: simple and unexceptional.
The compact three-lens rear camera setup is a great choice. We love the stylish silver metal banding around the lenses (plus the flash). The plastic back case has a nice texture that looks like a fingerprint and makes it easier to hold.
At the lower end of the market, you won’t find many design details like this. You can also find the fingerprint sensor on the back.
As usual, you will see power and volume buttons on the right-hand side. Motorola also has a Google Assistant button on the left-handside. This is a great feature because it makes it much easier to launch the digital assistant app when you don’t have the ability to shout “hey Google!” with your voice.
The USB-C port allows for charging and data transfer, while the top also has a standard 3.5mm audio connector that can be used to connect wired headphones.
The Moto G9 Power is a cheaper option than the most expensive smartphones, but it’s still more affordable than handsets costing the same amount. The G9 Power is a decent looking smartphone for the price.
It’s not unusual for this price range to have an IP rating for dust and water protection. However, the phone is advertised as being ‘water repellent’. The color options include the metallic gray Metallic Sage (like the review model) or the striking Electric Violet.
Display
- Large 6.8-inch display
- No support HDR
- Great for movie watching
It’s hard to find a phone that has a larger display than the Moto G9 Power’s 6.8 inch one. The Moto G9 Plus does a better job, but this phone isn’t for people with small hands. While you can do some photo-taking and feed-scrolling using one hand, it is not possible to reach the entire screen (and the keyboard) with both your hands.
The LCD display has a resolution of 720×1640 pixels. This gives it a density around 264 pixels per-inch and an aspect ratio 20.5:9.
This screen is not bad, especially if you turn up the brightness. However, it lacks the color depth or contrast of the best OLED screens and has no HDR support. That means that the darkest and lightest parts of your photos and videos will not be as well balanced.
It also has a 60Hz refresh rate, which sets it apart from other more expensive products.
The Moto G9 Power’s screen is the only thing that really stands out. It’s small, which is kind of negated by its low resolution of 720p.
This is fine for watching videos, but in landscape mode it really helps with modern movies and shows. The option to make videos larger will allow you to see the whole screen. However, the black circle at the corner of the selfie camera is still visible.
The Moto G9 Power package’s display is one of its weakest points. If you care about the quality of your display, it may be worth paying a bit more to get a better display. This phone’s strengths lie elsewhere.
Camera
- High quality photos in good lighting
- Passable images in low light
- No optical zoom or ultrawide
Motorola G9 Power keeps it simple when it comes to camera setup. But, in 2021, the basics are quite good. The 64MP f/1.8 main camera is the highlight of the set. (The flash is in the fourth circle). We couldn’t tell if the 2MP depth and 2MP macro cameras make much difference. The front has a single 16MP snapper.
Images can be pixel-binned up to 16MP by default. This should be sufficient for most people’s requirements. You can also capture the full 64MP resolution through the settings. Video recording is a decent enough quality without being able to capture the full 64MP resolution.
The Moto G9 Power’s camera quality was excellent. We took the photos on a snowy and overcast winter day to review the phone. Although these photos are unlikely to win any photography awards they are good enough for casual and social media use.
Good lighting results in sharp details and well-balanced colors. We were also impressed by the HDR processing’s ability to make the darker and lighter parts of each shot clearly visible. Although shutter speed can be slow, close-up shots and scenery photos are excellent with the G9 Power’s rear camera.
Even though there is a night mode, low light photography can be very difficult. We were able get photos that were usable at night, despite noise creeping in. This is a great feat considering that this phone is one of the most affordable on the market. You will need to spend more money if low-light shots are important to you.
Although it is a shame there is no ultra-wide camera, you could argue that this feature is not used all that often. The digital zoom is not available, but it’s just as usable if used sparingly.
The integrated camera app is easy to use and simple, highlighting the Moto G9 Power’s versatility as a point-and shoot camera.
Camera samples
Although it wasn’t the most ideal day for testing the Moto G9 Power camera in daylight, it was able to take sharp and balanced photos in good lighting. (Image credit: Future)
This is an example of the impressive photos that can be taken with the Moto G9 Power.
The Moto G9 Power takes photos that are great for social media if you have a steady hand, some sunlight and a good camera.
The colors look natural and clean. However, an ultra-wide lens would have been a welcomed addition.
The Moto G9 Power’s HDR processing balances out the darker and lighter areas.
Some details can still be captured even at night, but there is a lot more blurring and noise.
Night mode does not do much other than increase the brightness. (Image credit: Future)
Another night mode shot. You can see what it is, but the quality of the image is not great.
The Moto G9 Power doesn’t suffer from low-light photography issues, which is what you should expect at this price.
The night mode is a little more helpful in improving the overall shot.
Performance and specifications
- Budget-level specifications
- Expandable storage
- Android 10 at board
The Moto G9 Power is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 chipset, which comes with 4GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. You can also expand this amount by inserting a memory card.
These are the minimum specs for 2021 smartphones if you want them to work properly. Motorola has also worked hard to keep their internal specs as affordable as possible.
This means that if you spend this much on your next smartphone, it won’t be a great performer – even though its Geekbench scores are modest at 311 (single core), 1,371(multicore) and 371 [OpenCL].
Although it is priced higher than some similar phones like the Oppo, you might be able to get a faster phone such as the OnePlus nord N10 5G.
The Moto G9 Power is capable of handling visually demanding games like Asphalt racing or mobile Call of Duty. However, you won’t get the frame rates and smoothness of a midranger. The phone will still be able to run certain apps and games. However, you’ll need to adjust the quality settings to compensate.
The Moto G9 Power is fine for everyday tasks. However, some tasks, such as switching to full-screen video or opening dozens of tabs simultaneously, can take a few milliseconds more than a phone with more power. Although it won’t have a major impact on how you use your phone, you will notice the difference if you reduce the G9 Power’s specs.
While not everyone requires the power and speed of top-end flagships, it is likely that most don’t. During our time with the MotoG9 Power, we didn’t notice any slowdowns. The smartphone was fast enough to deliver a polished user experience, from photo editing to podcast playback.
Unfortunately, you only get Android 10 onboard, not the Android 11. However, this is normal when you are at the bottom of the market. Motorola states that the Android 11 update for handsets, including the G9 Power is in the works. So keep an eye out for this.
Motorola’s Android close to stock version is clean and almost bloat-free. We prefer it to many of the more complicated, fiddly Android skins (Chinese phones makers, we’re thinking of you).
Motorola’s widget for your home screen is a nice touch. It gives you the time, the weather forecast, and can even tell you when the next rainfall is expected.
We should highlight that 5G is not available with the Moto G9 power. This is not unusual at this market. It’s also not a big problem at the moment – 5G has yet not found its way to large areas of the globe. It’s worth considering if you are looking for a smartphone that is fully future-proofed.
Battery life
- Monster 6,000mAh lithium battery
- Two days of life
- Supports 20W fast charging
The Moto G9 Power’s main selling point is its huge capacity of 6,000mAh. We tested it and found that this should last you for two days with normal use. This battery is very hard to drain quickly unless you really want it. It also doesn’t drop much faster in standby than 1% an hour. It drops 10% approximately every two hours when video streaming.
The large battery, along with the small screen resolution and minimal internal specs, means that you don’t need to worry about charging your G9 Power every night. You will need a cable to charge your phone. There is no wireless charging support. However, 20W fast charging can be used. Although it’s not the fastest, your phone should be charged up in about an hour.
We were able to see battery levels exceeding 50% by the end the day. This is more than any handset in recent memory. You might have trouble getting through the second day if you are really pushing the G9 Power with GPS gaming and GPS. However, it is rare nowadays to find a smartphone you can use for hours after a whole day.
There’s always the caveat that the Moto G9 Power is a new phone with a new battery. However, the Moto G9 Power’s battery life is the main reason to purchase it. This is a great option if you are away from a charger for long periods of time or if you forget to charge your phone.
