The low-priced mid-range smartphone Motorola Moto G30 has a big problem

The 179-Euro (~$212) Motorola Moto G30 has an impressive specifications sheet. The model with 6 GB of RAM, which we reviewed, comes with a 90-Hz IPS screen, an NFC chip, an official IP certification, a quad-camera system, a 3.5-mm headphone jack and a dual SIM card slot that supports microSD cards. The Moto G30 also comes with a large 5000-mAh battery, which lasted a long time in our battery test. Moreover, the smartphone supports 20-W fast-charging.

The latest mid-range smartphone from Motorola comes with a beefy quad-camera system. The main shooter has a 64-MP image sensor, which failed to impress in our review. Nevertheless, the photo quality is on a decent level, given the price tag.

However, in our review, we discovered one major weakness of the Motorola smartphone: the display. It has a 90-Hz refresh rate, which is why the G30 feels more responsive than smartphones with 60-Hz screens. Howbeit, it is very dim, and to boot, it has a very low contrast ratio. What is more, the IPS panel suffers from low-frequency PWM flickering. All in all, the screen is not appropriate for a mid-range smartphone. With the ambient light sensor engaged, we measured a display brightness of only 263 cd/m². The brightness distribution of 83% is not on a satisfactory level as well. In the APL50 test, we measured a brightness of 338 cd/m², which is still very low.

What is more, the 6.5-inch IPS display has a native resolution of 1600x720 pixels. This is why the pixel density amounts to only 270 PPI. Small fonts look quite blurry on the Moto G30’s screen. However, most smartphones in this price range also come with low-resolution screens.

If you do not need a smartphone with a bright display and you have only about 200 Euros (~$220) to spend, then you should definitely check out our extensive review of the Moto G30.