Motorola Moto G30 is one of the newest members of the G-series. The Snapdragon 662 SoC powers the Moto G30, packs a 5,000mAh battery, and offers a quad rear camera setup alongside a design that’s good to look at. The device provides features that check many boxes in the budget segment. But how good is it really when compared to the competition? We spent some time with the device, and here’s our Moto G30 quick review.
The smartphone offers a fresh look with its gradient design on the Dark Pearl color variant we received from the company. It is hard to spot the fingerprints on the back, making it a few of the devices we can recommend without using a case. The phone is easy to grip, thanks to the curves at the sides. Furthermore, the fingerprint sensor is situated within the Motorola logo, which is a decent placement as it is easy to reach while holding the device.
All the buttons, including the Google Assistant, volume rockers, and the power button, are on the left edge, which is positioned well and has a textured finish. However, the Google Assistant button is up on top and is very hard to reach with one hand without doing some thumb acrobatics. At the bottom, you get a Type-C port, accompanied by a microphone and loudspeaker. You get a 3.5mm audio jack and a secondary microphone on the top. I have a soft spot for phones that come with a headphone jack.
The Moto G30 offers an IP52 rating for water resistance but don’t take it to the beach. The bezels are thicker, but they won’t bother you while watching content or using the phone. The Moto G30 features a 6.5-inch LCD that offers a 90Hz refresh rate. While it is not as contrasty as an OLED screen, the display quality is good for media consumption. Plus, 90Hz makes the experience smoother than usual. However, the screen’s maximum brightness isn’t the best. We had trouble viewing it in direct sunlight, especially when viewing photos.
The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 662 chipset, paired with 4GB/6GB of RAM and 64GB/128GB of internal storage that can be expanded. We faced no issues while browsing through the phone and in casual use. Although, the animation is on the slower side. Apps load quickly, and you’ll be able to multitask without worries. Don’t expect to play your favorite games in high graphics settings.
As for battery life, the 5,000mAh cell will easily last you an entire day – with any usage. Motorola offers excellent battery life on its budget devices, and the Moto G30 is no different. The company bundles a 20W charger in the box, charging about 35% in 30 minutes and more than 60% in an hour.
The Moto G30 sports a quad rear camera setup led by a 64MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, a 2MP macro camera, and a 2MP depth sensor. The cameras are plenty versatile, but the others need improvement apart from the primary sensor.
The 64MP sensor uses pixel-binning to capture 16MP shots by default. However, you can click full-res photos as well. As with any other camera nowadays, you get good details in broad daylight. Moreover, we found the colors to be pretty accurate too. At night, it takes a while to click images. It misses out on details in the shadows. Plus, there is some smoothening going on to reduce the grain. Switching to Night Mode offers better information, but the highlights could sometimes be blown out. As for portrait shots, the software can provide a good separation between the subject and the background. The secondary cameras are not worth writing home about.
The 8MP sensor captures lesser details when compared to the primary lens. It is perfectly usable in daylight. Coming to the 2MP macro camera, is averag at best. The shots lack details, but it does allow you to get super close to the subject. On the front lies a 13MP selfie shooter that offers average dynamic range and aggressive HDR most of the time. You can click portrait shots, which clearly separate the subject from the background. Turn to low light, and the details disappear, but the Night Mode is better because it offers better colors.
