Moto G30 -Box and Phone
Motorola launched another smart mobile in the Middle East which is Moto G30 around a few weeks ago.
As many of the smartphone manufacturers are keeping a low key with the launch of their smartphones. Motorola UAE team did the similar and, sent the Motorola Moto G30 smartphone to certain media in the UAE.
We got the opportunity to get the Motorola Moto G30 handset delivered by the PR team at my residence and below are the details and the review.
Body & Specification
The Moto G30 (Model – XT2129-2) smartphone has a dimension of 165.2 x 75.7 x 9.1mm and weighing 200 grams which includes a non-removal battery. It has an IPS LCD 90Hz capacitive touchscreen and a size of 6.5 inches with a resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels with a screen 269ppi density. It has an 82.2% screen-to-body ratio and resolution 20:9 ratios. The body build has a plastic back and plastic frame with the front IPS LCD display and the back panel comes with colour which company calls it – Phantom Black and has a metallic look with light refraction which creates the multi-colour look.
The Moto G30 comes with Android 11 as the operating system with the clean Android 11 as the user interface. It uses Qualcomm SM6115 Snapdragon 662 + GPU – Adreno 610 with 6 GB RAM and a 128 GB ROM internal storage for the UAE market. For more storage, you can use the MicroSD slot in the Dual SIM tray for an additional 512GB.
It comes with the Quad cameras on the rear 64 MP + 8 MP + 2 MP + 2 MP. The front round in-screen camera has a single 13 MP lens embedded into the display.
The main camera can shoot video at 1080p @ 30/60fps, gyro-EIS and front camera can shoot video at 1080p@30fps. Moto G30 features LED flash, panorama, and HDR for the main cameras.
Moto G30 frame has the power button, volume rockers and the Google assistant button on the right-hand side. The power button has a textured pattern which helps to identify the button compared to the other two buttons.
The Motorola’s “Batwing” on the back panel also acts as the fingerprint sensor. I found the fingerprint scanner placement to be good, as my finger rested on it naturally while holding the smartphone. The phone has 2 SIM Card slot which has Hybrid SIM card slot and another slot can also hold microSDXC card. The phone supports GSM / HSPA / LTE.
The top part comes with a 3.5mm jack output and mic. The bottom of the phone has the USB Type- C super-charge input, speaker grills and mic.
The Review
The device which I have received for review is the Phantom Black and has a metallic look with light refraction which creates a multi-colour look.
With the 82.2% screen-to-body ratio display, the bezel of the phone is thin almost merges with the frame of the phone. The only thing you will notice is in the top area where it houses the sleek earpiece speaker and single-lens camera in punch hole type embedded in the screen on the centre like a dewdrop.
Moto G30 is a higher budget-range smartphone created for the audience who is looking for a good camera and work-horse phone and budget which is less than AED700.
The front camera is a single 13 MP, f/2.2, (wide), 1.12µm and photo resolution is 3120 x 4208px at 72dpi and has a sensor for face detection and Bokeh effect.
Some of the additional features of the front camera under photo mode, in the AI setting, Auto Smile Capture and the palm gesture, so when you hold your open palm in front of the front camera, it gives you 3-sec count and clicks a selfie. You can record videos in 720p and 1080 at 30fps. Under the photo option, you can shoot with Ai and also the HDR option. There is the flash option where it uses the screen full brightness white light as a flash. You can also shoot a selfie in panorama mode.
The phones come with “Cinemagraph” under more options where you can also record short selfie GIF or MP4 and share it on social media. It also has a live filter which helps to give a colour preset tone to your image but options are very limited to other phones I have reviewed.
The back panel of the Moto G30 houses the Quad cameras and the LED flash on the left-hand side of the rectangle shape jutting out a little. The Quad cameras consist of 64 MP, f/1.7, 26mm (wide), 1/1.97″, 0.7µm, 8 MP, f/2.2, 118˚ (ultra wide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm, 2 MP, f/2.4, (macro), 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth).
The primary camera sensor uses pixel-binning and delivers 16-megapixel shots by default, but you can of course take photos at the full resolution. The camera app feels familiar and there are multiple shooting modes to choose from.
The main camera general setting can click images in 4608px X 3456px in 72dpi. In the portrait mode you get 4608px X 3456px in 96dpi. In the video mode, camera clicks 1080p @ 30/60fps, gyro-EIS
The autofocus is good, with half-second delays measured under even easy lighting conditions. It also has the pro mode where you can do manual adjustment of exposure value (EV), white balance (WB), Auto Focus (AF), Exposure (ISO) and also 64MP mode.
The AI was quick to detect any scene and enable HDR when required. Shots taken with the ultra-wide-angle camera did not have as much detail but offered a much wider field of view. There was no barrel distortion in the output.
There is cutout mode which does not work with the front camera only with the main camera and the result was good but not that great. You also set the beautify manually, auto or switch off. The timer is also available 3 secs and 10 sec
In low light, there was a delay of around 3 secs to click an image. At night, when the flash LED fires, exposure is fairly accurate on closer subjects, but otherwise, the detail was missing in the shadows. With HDR the images clicked in low light was good but highlights/brightness get blown out. Noise is quite visible, especially in the normal photo mode during the low light shot.
Under the expert mode, you have the option to use all the cameras, wide-angle/macro lens, standard lens, and telescopic lens. Under the setting, you can also choose aspect ratio from 3:4, 9:16 and Fullscreen. Under the resolution, you can choose recommended 9.6MP or 6.6MP and under Pro mode, you get RAW images.
In the video mode, you have an additional option like Slow motion, time-lapse and spot colour. You shoot video in 1x, Wide 0.5x and macro mode. The camera records FullHD 1920 x 1080 and sound capture is pretty good and the camera automatically focuses on the subject and creates a Bokeh effect and also allows to fix focus (AE/AF lock) when clicked on the subject via holding the finger for few seconds on the screen.
(Please note: AE/AF Lock to be used sensibly as it may cause out of focus of the video if moved from the subject with the locked to another far away subject)
The front 13 MP camera can click images in 3:4, 9:16 and Fullscreen. For the front camera, recommended resolution comes with 13MP and a choice of 8MP and again Pro mode, you get RAW images. There various options available under the more mode.
Operating System and Software
The operating system of the Moto G30 has the latest Android 11 OS with the clean Android 11 as the user interface. So, with Android 11.0, the Moto G30 has all the latest features like AI beautification, creamy bokeh for portraits, AI recognition of up to 500 scenes. It uses Qualcomm SM6115 Snapdragon 662 + GPU – Adreno 610 with 6 GB RAM and a 128 GB ROM internal storage and Android 11 also help in better for more accurate facial brightness, contrast for selfies on the front cameras and scene-by-scene optimizations for shots taken on the rear and enhancing the photography effects. There was no major lag in between screens or scrolling the apps, it was quite smooth and fast.
Benchmark Testing
The Moto G30 was tested with various benchmark testing Apps. On the PC Mark benchmark, it scored 6174. On the 3D Mark benchmark, under the Wildlife test, it scored 384, slingshot test 1829.
On the Geek benchmark, it scored 306 on single-core and 1253 on multi-core.
While on benchmark testing the smartphone, the temperature of the body rose to 34°C and the CPU temperature rose to 38°C.
(Please note: Most of the smartphones while reviewing and testing had an average body temperature of 32°C to 37°C)
Sound & Audio
Moto G30 has a single side speaker grill, so when you are holding the smartphone horizontally or vertically the sound comes as a single audio channel as mono sound.
The trebles, mid-level was clear and the bass was good for a smartphone. The volume is quite loud and clear. The device comes with two mics – on top beside the 3.5mm jack output and on the bottom beside the USB Type C charging port. The device supports Hi-Res audio format.
The smartphone comes with a 3.5mm jack output but headphones are included in the package.
Moto G30 was tested with various types of videos played and different genres of music and it passed above average compared to other competitors in a similar price range.
(Please note: The smartphone was held at a distance of 1- 2 feet while testing the audio quality)
Moto G30 for Gaming
Moto G30 scored on the benchmark was not great but the performance while playing Asphalt 9 was really good. I expect stutter but with 6GB RAM and 90Hz refresh rate screen and good audio, my experience while playing was satisfying, especially for the price.
Connectivity & Battery
The smartphone has a fingerprint sensor, face detection, pattern, pin for accessing the smartphone. The Motorola’s “Batwing” on the back panel also acts as the fingerprint sensor.The Smartphone supports Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4GHz, 5G Wi-Fi (SKU1/SKU3/SKU4) with Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE. With App and headphones, you can also connect to FM Radio. The smartphone comes with a non-removable Li-Po 5000 mAh battery which can last more than 2 days with average usage. The smartphone comes with a USB Type- C charging input which can charge the phone at 15W fast charging.
Conclusion
Moto G30 is a good smartphone for the price, the phone is in a budget range with all the good features for gaming, watching online entertainment. The built quality and colour make the phone very rich and stylish. With 64MP Quad cameras with AI support makes this smartphone one of the best competition in the market, as for the selfies, the single 13MP lens can make difference with the Ai function which can give a very nice creamy Bokeh effect and focus on your face when clicked on the screen for focus. It has a quick and sharp focus system.
With 128GB ROM space and you can add 512GB microSD card in the slot in the Dual Card SIM Tray, it is a good smartphone for the price and can run for the money to its competitors.
With all the AR and AI effects and functions, it is a very young, stylish and perfect companion for teens, gamers. Also, the smartphone has a water repellent design and protection, so this meaning, moderate exposure to water such as accidental spills, splashes or light rain. Not designed to be submersed in water, or exposed to pressurized water, or other liquids; may diminish over time. Not waterproof.
Under low light or night photography, while using the camera with HDR on the images was decent but the highlights or the brightness was overexposed, sharpness was missing but can be rectified with the control of the exposure of the camera and of course you have compensated on the brightness of the overall images. The was a delay of up to 3 seconds and you need to keep your hand steady for a perfect photo under night shot.
Overall, for the price and in the budget phone range, it is good to buy for the consumer.
Packaging of Moto G30 & Price
The Motorola Moto G30 comes in blue coloured packing. On opening the box, you will find the smartphone already with the transparent protective back cover with a sticker covering the display mentioning the features. Digging further you will find the 15W charger, the USB Type C charging cable and the SIM card pin removal tool and the warranty and instruction papers and wired earbuds/ headphones in the case. Actually, it is good for Motorola to provide the wired earbuds for the budget phone, so the consumer doesn’t have to spend more to buy additional headphones.
The Motorola Moto G30 launch price was at AED 699 and available in various online and retail stores.
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