Motorola has announced the Moto g100. This €499 ($588) device has enough power and camera hardware to put pressure on rival devices, including upcoming models like the Google Pixel 5a.
Although it is one of the more expensive budget smartphones, the Moto g100 has a powerful Snapdragon 870 chip and a total of six cameras. With a few other tricks up its sleeve, Motorola has an intimidating new device on its hands.
In addition to the high-end chipset, the g100 also has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage (expandable with a microSD card). Again, this is plenty of capacity for a Motorola g-series phone. Motorola's new "Ready For desktop" mode will put this power to good use.
For photography needs, the Moto g100 has four rear cameras. The most powerful camera is the 64MP main sensor, but the 16MP ultra-wide camera has its own tricks up its sleeve. Not only can it take wide shots, but it can also take macro shots, and using the phone's macro mode activates the built-in ring light to illuminate small subjects. The other two cameras are a 2MP depth sensor and a time-of-flight sensor, useful for special photographic effects.
Motorola demonstrated the automatic subject tracking feature in the phone's cameras during a presentation introducing the new phones.
Below these cameras is a microphone that allows for "audio zoom." Working in conjunction with the other two microphones on the side of the phone, the g100 can focus on a specific sound source while ignoring surrounding noise.
The Moto g100 has a large 6.7-inch panel with FHD resolution and a 90 Hz refresh rate. It also has a 16MP main sensor and two 8MP ultra-wide cameras in a side-by-side punch-hole notch.
Powering the Moto g100 is a typical high-capacity battery, 5,000 mAh to be exact. Given Motorola's reputation for making long-lasting phones, it should last quite a while. However, if more power is needed, there is a 20W fast charge to make the most of.
The g100 can also optimize charging, learning when you typically charge your phone and only charging it to 100% when it predicts you are about to unplug it, reducing the strain on the battery.
With the g100, Motorola has made a surprising turnaround in what constitutes a g-series phone. Although it bears the name of the company's budget smartphone line, looking back at its roughly $600 price tag, it is hard to ignore that this new device is almost double the price of the Google Pixel 4a, a phone with great features despite its low price. Especially since the iPhone SE and Motorola's own Moto G Power are also some of the best budget phones available today.
If you prefer a cheaper Moto g phone, you can check out three more newly announced options.
The most interesting is the Moto g50, an inexpensive 5G-enabled device priced at €229 ($270), with a Snapdragon 480 chip, a 6.5-inch HD+ display with a 90 Hz refresh rate, the same 5,000 mAh battery as the Moto g100 and 48 MP triple camera system.
The bottom line is the ultra-cheap Moto g10, which costs just €149 ($175) and uses a low-power Snapdragon 460 chip. Likewise, it has a 48MP main camera, a 16MP ultrawide camera, a macro lens for photography and a depth sensor, plus the same 5,000mAh battery and 6.5-inch HD display as the g50, although without the 90Hz refresh rate.
In between the two is the Moto g30 for €179 ($210). It has a 64MP main camera and a 6.5-inch HD display with 90 Hz. The g30 features the same 5-inch display as the g100 and the same camera and battery as the g10; the g30 does not support 5G, but it does feature the most powerful chip of the three, the Snapdragon 662.
All of these phones will be available in the UK, and at least some may be available in the US as well, but no details have yet been released regarding a wider regional launch.
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