Motorola Moto G8 review: battery good, display ugh
A TEST REPORT from Nils Ahrensmeier 
on May 26, 2020, 15:14 pm | Write a comment
The Motorola Moto G8 is the newest offshoot of one cult smartphone series. I've always been a huge fan of the show, but in the last few years I've seen a rather negative development. That's why I was very excited about my G8 test. In this review you will find out what the device can and cannot do.
Design and workmanship
The design is chic and new. We have good workmanship, but not high quality. Most of the housing is made of plastic. The front is also only half modern - the front camera was built into the display with a “hole punch”, but the thick display bezels already cloud the view. The fingerprint sensor is located in the back of the Motorola logo, it works quickly and reliably.
Display
The 6,4-inch HD+ LCD display is just OK. HD+ in 2020 is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, there are users who don't mind it so much and they get fantastic battery life. On the other hand, it's pretty blurry - that bothered me personally and I'm sure I'm not the only one. The maximum brightness is good, but I had trouble reading the display on a sunny day. The hole punch is about the same size as the Samsung Galaxy S10. It didn't bother me, but there will be critics of this "front camera method". That's a personal choice.
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- The Moto G8's display only has a resolution of HD +. (Image: TechnikNews)
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- The front camera of the Moto g8 sits in a "hole punch" (image: TechnikNews)
Hardware
The processor used here is a Snapdragon 665 together with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. This gives you decent performance. Apps start quickly and stay in the memory for a long time. The device is therefore well equipped for everyday use. However, if you want to play complex games with it, the Moto G8 is not really suitable for you. The Motorola Moto G8 also has a few other drawbacks: no NFC for Google Pay and no WiFi 5. That's a shame, especially since NFC is very important to many users. The 64 GB (49 GB of which is usable) of storage is okay, but I would have liked 128 GB. The smartphone also has a 3,5 mm jack. I'm happy about that, as this has become a rarity these days. Dual SIM is also available, either two SIM cards or one SIM and memory expansion using a microSD card.
| Display | 16,26 cm (6,40 in) IPS Resolution: 720 x 1 560 pixels (269 ppi) |
|---|---|
| Operating system | Android 10 |
| CPU | Qualcomm, Octa Core (64-bit) 1. CPU: Snapdragon 665 (Cortex-A73), 8 x 2,20 GHz 2. CPU: Snapdragon 665 (Cortex-A53), 4 x 1,80 GHz |
| Storage | 4 GB RAM 64 GB memory Expandable by microSD card, dual SIM hybrid slot by up to 512 GB |
| Data transfer | EDGE, HSPA + (42,20 Mbit / s), LTE (600,00 Mbit / s), WLAN, Bluetooth |
| SIM card type: | Nano-SIM Card |
| main camera | Triple camera: 16,0 megapixels + 8,0 megapixels + 2,0 megapixels |
| Front camera | 8,0 Megapixel |
| Dimensions | 161,3 mm x 75,8 mm x 9,0 mm |
| Weight | 188,0 gr |
| More functions |
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camera
The G8 has four cameras. Nevertheless, a lot was saved. (Image: TechnikNews)
The Moto G8 has five sensors (four can be used) and still savings have been made. A 16 MP wide angle sensor, 8 MP ultra wide angle and 2 MP macro. There is also a laser autofocus on the back. The front camera on the front has a resolution of 8 MP.
The lens shoots good pictures in daylight. The images are sufficient, especially for social media, WhatsApp, etc. But as soon as it gets dark, the pictures become unusable. Very high image noise, no details or details that are difficult to see.
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- The G8 is not convincing in low light. (Image: TechnikNews)
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- Only a few details can be seen. (Image: TechnikNews)
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- The Moto G8 is convincing in daylight. (Image: TechnikNews)
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- Especially the colors are good. (Image: TechnikNews)
Battery & software
The battery is an absolute highlight for me. I always managed 1 to 1 days with the battery. Unfortunately, the battery can only be charged with 2 watts via USB-C, so the whole process takes quite a long time.
As is typical for Motorola, pure Android 10 with nice and helpful features was used here. Personally, I love the Moto Gestures, Express Flashlight, and Quick Capture. It's all very intuitive, works well and is also fun. It is difficult to say what the software updates will look like. But I assume Android 11 for sure. Everything else cannot be foreseen.
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- The Moto Actions are a very nice addition. (Image: TechnikNews)
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- I adjusted the home screen a bit. (Image: TechnikNews)
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- This is what the settings of the G8 look like. (Image: TechnikNews)
Conclusion
The Moto G8 is a solid entry-level smartphone. It has a few major weaknesses, however. No NFC, WiFi 5, slow charging, bad night camera and bad display. These are all trade-offs that you have to make for the price. On the other hand, you get a very good battery, nice software and fast and good performance.
The Moto G8 is available in Neon Blue and Pearl White for 199 euros MSRP in stores. Further Information is available on the Motorola website.