Motorola Moto E7 Plus Smartphone Review - Cell phone upgrade in the entry-level class
Possible competitors in comparison
Bewertung | Rating Version | Datum | Modell | Gewicht | Laufwerk | Groesse | Aufloesung | Preis ab |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
75.5 % | 7 | 02/2021 | Motorola Moto E7 Plus SD 460, Adreno 610 | 200 g | 64 GB eMMC Flash | 6.50" | 1600x720 | |
74.6 % | 7 | 01/2021 | Motorola Moto E7 Helio G25, PowerVR GE8320 | 180 g | 32 GB eMMC Flash | 6.50" | 1600x720 | |
78 % | 7 | 01/2021 | Xiaomi Poco M3 SD 662, Adreno 610 | 198 g | 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.53" | 2340x1080 | |
74.4 % | 7 | 12/2020 | Samsung Galaxy M11 SD 450, Adreno 506 | 197 g | 32 GB eMMC Flash | 6.40" | 1560x720 |
Case, equipment and operation - plastic with color gradient
The casing shape of Motorola's Moto E7 Plus is quite similar to that of the Moto E7, and the camera module also looks quite the same. However, Motorola has made an effort to design the back differently and relies on a matte smooth back with a color gradient for the Plus model, whereas the MotoE7 had a slight texture. Once again, the casing is made of plastic, but it is quite sturdy. Blue and orange are two rather unusual colors, but both look good in their own way. The casing fits well in the hand, but it is rather wide and thus might not be suitable for smaller hands.
The Moto E7 Plus is heavier than its less equipped brother, but it comes with twice the amount of mass and working memory. NFC is also not available in the Plus model, and you still have to decide whether you want to use a second SIM card or a micro-SD for memory expansion, since both share one slot.
We measured the Wi-Fi transfer rates with our reference router, the Netgear Nighthawk AX12, and the Moto E7 Plus proved to be slightly faster than the normal Moto E7. However, it cannot compete with Xiaomi's Poco M3 with Wi-Fi 5.
The fingerprint sensor on the back unlocks the smartphone reliably, but with a small delay. Face recognition can also be used. A dedicated button for Google Assistant is found on the upper right.
Networking | |
iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
Xiaomi Poco M3 | |
Motorola Moto E7 Plus | |
Motorola Moto E7 | |
Samsung Galaxy M11 | |
iperf3 receive AX12 | |
Xiaomi Poco M3 | |
Motorola Moto E7 Plus | |
Motorola Moto E7 | |
Samsung Galaxy M11 |
Cameras - Pixel binning for more brightness
The camera corresponds to the model in the Moto E7, which means it has 48 megapixels, 4 of which are combined into one large pixel. This effectively results in 12-megapixel images that are averagely detailed but quite well exposed.
If you look at the test chart from our lab analysis at 1 lux illuminance, some details are still visible there. The quality is by no means on the level of high-end cameras, but it is quite decent for the price range.
Videos can be recorded in 1080p, with 30 frames per second. The autofocus is not the fastest and the exposure adjustment during brightness changes is clearly graduated.
The front-facing camera in the Moto E7 Plus has a slightly higher resolution, but the 8-megapixel camera is only convincing for selfies when you do not look very closely: Details look quite blurry.
Display - With a slight blue cast
The Moto E7 Plus offers quite similar readings for the display as the Motorola Moto E7, but there are minor differences: While the Moto E7 shows no PWM, the screen of the Moto E7 Plus flickers at low brightness, but only at a very high frequency, so most users should not notice it.
A slight bluish tint is visible, and colors are displayed slightly more accurately than in the weaker model of the series.
|
Brightness Distribution: 90 %
Center on Battery: 471 cd/m²
Contrast: 1239:1 (Black: 0.38 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.97 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 5.2 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
96.9% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.285
Motorola Moto E7 Plus IPS, 1600x720, 6.50 | Motorola Moto E7 IPS, 1600x720, 6.50 | Xiaomi Poco M3 IPS, 2340x1080, 6.53 | Samsung Galaxy M11 PLS TFT LCD, 1560x720, 6.40 | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Response Times | -14% | 19% | 19% | |
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 59 ? | 61 ? -3% | 44 ? 25% | 49 ? 17% |
Response Time Black / White * | 40 ? | 50 ? -25% | 28 ? 30% | 32 ? 20% |
PWM Frequency | 870 ? | 893 ? 3% | ||
Screen | -9% | 35% | -14% | |
Brightness middle | 471 | 470 0% | 465 -1% | 430 -9% |
Brightness | 446 | 445 0% | 428 -4% | 406 -9% |
Brightness Distribution | 90 | 92 2% | 89 -1% | 91 1% |
Black Level * | 0.38 | 0.35 8% | 0.21 45% | 0.52 -37% |
Contrast | 1239 | 1343 8% | 2214 79% | 827 -33% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 3.97 | 5.69 -43% | 1.7 57% | 4.55 -15% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 7.47 | 13.4 -79% | 3.5 53% | 7.93 -6% |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 5.2 | 3.5 33% | 2.4 54% | 5.4 -4% |
Gamma | 2.285 96% | 2.264 97% | 2.16 102% | 2.103 105% |
CCT | 7791 83% | 7089 92% | 6664 98% | 7793 83% |
Total Average (Program / Settings) | -12% /
-10% | 27% /
31% | 3% /
-8% |
* ... smaller is better
Display Response Times
↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
---|---|---|
40 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 19 ms rise | |
↘ 21 ms fall | ||
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 97 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.5 ms). | ||
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
59 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 30 ms rise | |
↘ 29 ms fall | ||
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 94 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.7 ms). |
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
Screen flickering / PWM detected | 870 Hz | ≤ 25 % brightness setting | |
The display backlight flickers at 870 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 25 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 870 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 17900 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. |
Performance, emissions and battery life - cell phone with more power
With the Snapdragon 460 as SoC, the Moto E7 Plus is significantly more powerful than its sister model without the Plus. It can easily keep up with Xiaomi's Poco M3. Sure, you do not get high-end performance in the price range of the review sample, but the Moto E7 Plus is well equipped for everyday use.
The temperature only exceeds 40 °C at certain points and is thus not critical even under longer load
We were surprised by the speaker, which we found rather mediocre in the Moto E7: The Moto E7 Plus sounds quite full and does not overload even at maximum volume, but it is also much quieter than its sister model. However, it should still be sufficient for a normal-sized room. Of course, you do not get deep or bass here, but you have to connect speakers or headphones for that, which works cleanly via 3.5 mm port and Bluetooth in each case.
The battery capacity of 5,000 mAh ( battery ) is much larger than in the Moto E7, and the runtimes are also longer: The Moto E7 Plus lasts 15:46 hours. That is not a record, but still good average. It is somewhat problematic that the charger only supplies a maximum of 10 watts. That is at least twice as much as in the sister model, but a charging process still takes well over 2 hours.
PCMark for Android - Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E7 Plus | |
Motorola Moto E7 | |
Xiaomi Poco M3 | |
Samsung Galaxy M11 | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (5316 - 5869, n=5) | |
Average of class Smartphone (9101 - 12871, n=4, last 2 years) |
GFXBench | |
on screen Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E7 Plus | |
Motorola Moto E7 | |
Xiaomi Poco M3 | |
Samsung Galaxy M11 | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (11 - 11, n=5) | |
Average of class Smartphone (3.6 - 123, n=225, last 2 years) | |
1920x1080 Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E7 Plus | |
Motorola Moto E7 | |
Xiaomi Poco M3 | |
Samsung Galaxy M11 | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (6 - 6.1, n=5) | |
Average of class Smartphone (2.3 - 229, n=225, last 2 years) | |
on screen Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E7 Plus | |
Motorola Moto E7 | |
Xiaomi Poco M3 | |
Samsung Galaxy M11 | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (6.5 - 6.8, n=5) | |
Average of class Smartphone (2.8 - 119, n=225, last 2 years) | |
2560x1440 Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E7 Plus | |
Motorola Moto E7 | |
Xiaomi Poco M3 | |
Samsung Galaxy M11 | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (2 - 2, n=5) | |
Average of class Smartphone (0.85 - 94, n=225, last 2 years) |
Motorola Moto E7 Plus | Motorola Moto E7 | Xiaomi Poco M3 | Samsung Galaxy M11 | Average 64 GB eMMC Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AndroBench 3-5 | -32% | 38% | -17% | -23% | 301% | |
Sequential Read 256KB | 313.8 | 261 -17% | 509 62% | 297.6 -5% | 273 ? -13% | 1505 ? 380% |
Sequential Write 256KB | 192.7 | 101 -48% | 269.2 40% | 81.4 -58% | 176.8 ? -8% | 1112 ? 477% |
Random Read 4KB | 92.4 | 58 -37% | 147 59% | 73.9 -20% | 59.1 ? -36% | 247 ? 167% |
Random Write 4KB | 97.1 | 13.5 -86% | 154.1 59% | 78.1 -20% | 31.7 ? -67% | 271 ? 179% |
Sequential Read 256KB SDCard | 81.5 ? | 81.5 ? 0% | 85.9 ? 5% | 82.4 ? 1% | 77.4 ? -5% | |
Sequential Write 256KB SDCard | 64.4 ? | 62 ? -4% | 64.2 ? 0% | 64.5 ? 0% | 58.3 ? -9% |
Temperature
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 39.3 °C / 103 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 41.9 °C / 107 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 29.9 °C / 86 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.
Loudspeaker
Motorola Moto E7 Plus audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (78.5 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 25.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5.5% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (5.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (21.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 35% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 57% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 55% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 38% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Motorola Moto E7 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (87.2 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 75.5% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (0% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(-) | nearly no mids - on average 75.5% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (0% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(-) | nearly no highs - on average 75.5% lower than median
(+) | highs are linear (0% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(-) | overall sound is not linear (117.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 85% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 6% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 95% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 2% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Battery life
Motorola Moto E7 Plus 5000 mAh | Motorola Moto E7 4000 mAh | Xiaomi Poco M3 6000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy M11 5000 mAh | Average of class Smartphone | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Battery Runtime | |||||
WiFi Websurfing | 946 | 867 -8% | 1249 32% | 880 -7% | 913 ? -3% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - entry-level phone with added value
Motorola's Moto E7 Plus costs 40 Euros more than the Moto E7 ex-works, but you get a lot of upgrades in return: Starting with the much faster SoC, the doubled storage, the longer runtime, the better speaker, and the somewhat faster Wi-Fi. Thus, the Moto E7 Plus can keep up well in its price range, although the Xiaomi Poco M3 can offer a bit more here and there
It might be a bit annoying for fans of mobile payment services that there is no NFC, but that is actually very rare in this price range. At the same time, the camera is decent with good results especially in low light. Of course, it has to be emphasized again and again that you cannot expect miracles for such little money, but decent results are possible due to pixel binning.
The Motorola Moto E7 Plus is a good entry-level smartphone without any major weak points.
Thus, those who are wavering between the Moto E7 and E7 Plus and are not afraid of the surcharge should clearly go for the Moto E7 Plus. However, users looking for a solid, inexpensive entry-level smartphone will also get their money's worth here.
Price and availability
The Motorola Moto E7 Plus is available at prices just over 150 Dollars at Amazon and other online retailers.
Motorola Moto E7 Plus
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02/13/2021 v7
Florian Schmitt