In recent years I have analyzed dozens, if not hundreds, of mobiles. But it had been a long time, perhaps too long, that I had not tried a Motorola mobile. Due to scheduling circumstances, it has been my colleagues who have usually tried the launches of this brand.
This has changed with the Motorola Moto G9 Plus, an ending that I have spent a week with and that has left a good taste in my mouth. But let’s get to the details.
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Features Moto G9 Plus
- Processor: Snapdragon 730G.
- RAM:4GB.
- Storage.
- Internal: 128 GB.
- screen.
- Size: 6.81 inches.
- Resolution: 2400 x 1080 pixels.
- LCD technology.
- Rear cameras.
- Main sensor: 64 Mpx.
- Ultra wide angle: 8 Mpx f / 2.2.
- Macro: 2 Mpx.
- Depth sensor: 2 Mpx.
- Front camera:16 Mpx.
- Connectivity:4G / LTE, Bluetooth 5, dual 802.11 WiFi.
- Others:
- USB-C connector.
- Fingerprint sensor on the side.
- 3.5mm headphone jack.
- Battery:
- 5,000 mAh.
- 30W fast charge.
- System:
- Android version: 10.
- Dimensions:169.98 x 78.1 x 9.69 mm.
- Weight: 223 g.
Huge size, with some strange decisions
One of the things that undoubtedly draws the most attention about this terminal is its size. Having a 6.8-inch screen makes us face a really big mobile. The weight is also noticeable, although both circumstances are partly explained by the large battery it has.
The design is quite conventional and the front part we have a front with almost symmetrical frames, although the one at the bottom is slightly thicker, and a perforation in the upper left corner to house the front camera.
At the rear we have a large camera module with four sensors and a large flash. And nothing more. You can see the logo in the central part, although that is not where the fingerprint sensor is. The plastic finish is elegant, but between the brightness of the material and how much it traps fingerprints and dirt, we came to think that Motorola should have tried a little more here.
In the upper part we have the headphone jack and in the lower part the only speaker of the mobile phone and the USB C port. On the right side we have the power button, which houses the fingerprint sensor, and the 2 volume buttons. The latter are positioned in a somewhat uncomfortable place, almost in the upper right corner, which makes it impossible to use them with the left hand.
On the other hand, we have the tray for dual SIM or SIM and micro SD and a physical button to launch the voice assistant that, this time, is in the perfect position.
We have been seeing for several months how the size and weight of mobile phones continues to increase although in a generic way it seems that users do not care. Personally, I think we should start rethinking the dimensions and weight of phones.
Moto G9 Plus performance sometimes falls short
When analyzing high-end terminals with a high price and high performance, it is easy to complain about cheaper models that are not as powerful. The weird thing would be if they were, considering that they cost three, four, five or six times less.
This is what it can look like when using the Motorola Moto G9 Plus after having tried some higher cost mobiles. But being realistic, the only downside in this regard is that the processor is perhaps something fair in some games and, above all, that we would have liked to have 6 GB of RAM instead of 4. This is something we can ask for since many of their Even lower priced rivals have this amount of random memory.
We especially notice it when opening some applications, although on a day-to-day basis I am sure that a normal user will not notice that the smartphone is especially slow.
Of course, I have noticed that the speed drops a lot when the battery is close to running out, which may be a software configuration to maximize autonomy in those environments. It only happened to me when I dropped 10% of the battery.
Regarding connectivity, we have no complaints either since, although there is no 5G, we do have a memory expansion card, headphone jack, USB C port, NFC for mobile payments, FM radio … Of course, a second speaker would not have Been bad since although the one it has offers a high sound and at the height of what we could expect, there are already Pocophone or OPPO models with double speakers in this price range.
The screen is very normal and that helps autonomy
The screen is usually one of the most important characteristics in any mobile, but especially in those that have a price between 200 and 300 euros because it is something that the type of user who is going to buy these mobiles greatly values.
But they don’t value the refresh rate or the resolution, just make it big and look good. The latter, obviously, is very subjective.
The panel of the Moto G9 Plus uses a fairly conventional LCD technology on a 6.8 ”diagonal with FullHD + resolution. We do not have a high refresh rate, it is 60 Hz, nor HDR technology or on-screen fingerprint sensor.
We might think that we are facing a bad screen but it is not like that. We are simply facing a mobile that does not prioritize this, but using it daily is not at all uncomfortable and any average user will be happy with the software options available to personalize the experience.
Four rear cameras, as usual
Throughout the history of mobile technology, we have seen manufacturers cling to various fads that help them sell more. The photographic section has been one of the most affected by this trend. First it was the double cameras, then the race for the Mpx and now the number of rear sensors.
The Moto G9 Plus has an 8 Mpx front sensor and four rear sensors, the same configuration used by most mobiles in this price range.
The main sensor is 64 megapixels and it has given us a pretty good experience. The photographs are not particularly striking or have vivid colors but instead offer us a fairly correct dynamic range and a color accuracy that we had seen in this category for a long time.
Even at night it is able to withstand the type and obtain more than decent images, although if we look at them in detail on a computer we will see that the quality drops compared to those we can do during the day.
The second of the sensors is an 8MP wide-angle that also offers us decent daytime performance. Well, as long as we don’t want to enlarge the images. Of course, here we do want a jump in quality down when we try to photograph low-light environments.
The other two sensors, 2 Mpx, are a macro and a depth sensor. The latter always gives us the impression that it is simply to be able to boast of a quad camera. The macro, however, allows us to do something that we have rarely seen, such as recording video. Yes, we can record video with the macro sensor Although if it is rare to see someone who uses it to take pictures, imagine yourself for this.
The photographic performance of this Motorola is not the most striking of those that we have been able to test in recent years, but it is good enough to continue recommending this mobile if we value other aspects.
Of course, when recording video, it gave me the feeling that the care that has been put into the photographic section has not been transferred here.
The Moto G9 Plus battery is its sales pitch
Autonomy is one of the strengths of this model. It has a 5000 mAh battery and a fast charge of 30W.
In the first test we’ve been doing mixed use, but mostly we’ve used it indoors for gaming. We have also listened to podcasts and taken photos. We have reached an amazing 8 and a half hours of screen with 46 total hours of autonomy.
In the second test we have used a similar but more intense use, we have used it for a longer time, almost always indoors. We have come to touch the 10 hours of screen with 28 total hours of autonomy.
In the third test we have used the mobile for longer, but in less demanding tasks, such as listening to podcasts. We have reached 8 hours of screen with more than 50 total hours of autonomy.
A delicate interface that you really like
Although it had been a long time since I tried a model of this brand, I have always been very aware of how the interfaces of the different manufacturers evolve.
I knew that Motorola was taking great care of this with a very subtle customization of the Android version Google uses. For example, in the desktops, settings or notification bar we do not see major changes.
However, within the system settings but also within a single application, we have all the variables that Motorola has added adding some value to the interface of this mobile.
We can modify the shape and color of the icons, the number that appear in each row or column of the desktops, activate functions of the camera application or the behavior of the terminal itself …
The fact that practically nothing has been eliminated from the pure version of Android 10, including for example its gestures, is appreciated and the inclusion of Motorola functions gives the feeling of helping, instead of annoying as it happens in other layers.
My UX is the version that the Moto G9 Plus uses and we hope that more rivals decide to approach this aesthetic and philosophy.
The Moto G9 Plus is a pleasant surprise
When the opportunity to test this Moto G9 Plus was offered, I had a hunch: the Poco X3 could make me not value as much as it should this new model. It’s what you have when a brand punches the table of that caliber.
I am very happy that that did not happen, that I could see that the Moto G9 Plus is an Android mobile that is capable of fighting well in its price range.
It is true that it does not have the same RAM as other rivals, or that its screen is very normal, but the value that its drums and his Interface It is worth considering, especially when the rest of the specifications meet.
The Motorola Moto G9 Plus entry, analysis: its battery is inexhaustible appears first in The Free Android.
