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MagyarMotorola Moto G100 smartphone review: Fast 5G mobile phone as PC replacement
Motorola is broadening its portfolio and has significantly expanded its mid-range Moto G series this year. In addition to the rather classic Moto G10 and the somewhat more elegant Moto G30, the manufacturer has also introduced the Moto G100, which is the most expensive model in the series for now and definitely also intends to compete with high-end smartphones.
In return, Motorola makes use of a 5G-capable, fast SoC, a dual front-facing camera, a large battery, and fast Wi-Fi 6. The highlight, however, is the Ready For docking software; this is included free of charge, and it allows a monitor to be connected via the device's USB-C port. Although Samsung already offers something similar with DeX, you need a PC or a compatible smart TV, while the smartphone acts as a PC replacement when using Ready For.
We'll now take a look at how well the feature works and how the Moto G100 actually performs as a smartphone.
Possible contenders in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Drive | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85.4 % | 05/2021 | Motorola Moto G100 SD 870, Adreno 650 | 207 g | 128 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | 6.70" | 2520x1080 | |
| 86.9 % | 12/2020 | Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G SD 865, Adreno 650 | 218 g | 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | 6.67" | 2400x1080 | |
| 83.6 % | 07/2020 | OnePlus Nord SD 765G, Adreno 620 | 184 g | 256 GB UFS 2.1 Flash | 6.44" | 2440x1080 | |
| 83 % | 04/2021 | Samsung Galaxy A52 5G SD 750G 5G, Adreno 619 | 189 g | 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash | 6.50" | 2400x1080 | |
| 86.6 % | 11/2020 | Sony Xperia 5 II SD 865, Adreno 650 | 163 g | 128 GB UFS 3.0 Flash | 6.10" | 2520x1080 |
Case – Plastic in cinematic aspect ratio
Motorola specifies IP52 as the protection rating for the Moto G100. This means that the smartphone is quite well protected against dust, but you should be careful when it comes into contact with water. Even splashing water could penetrate the case if it's coming from an unfavorable angle.
The device's back is made of plastic; in principle, it's matte, but our white model shimmers with a pearlescent effect that looks very appealing. The dark gray variant is a bit more discreet, while the blue version also shimmers in different colors. There's Gorilla Glass 3 on the front, which is already a somewhat older standard for shatterproof glass.
The case is quite long, and the display even offers the 21:9 cinematic aspect ratio. This could, however, make it difficult for smaller hands to reach all the on-screen controls. Otherwise, the smartphone feels solid and high-quality in the hand. Nevertheless, pressing the front of the device quickly leads to an impact on the liquid crystal display in the form of color shifts.
All in all, the Moto G100 looks good, but there are some smartphones in this price range that feel much higher quality when held in the hand. Some examples are the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro or the OnePlus Nord.
Connectivity – Fast storage
The Moto G100 comes with 128 GB of fast UFS 3.1 storage and 8 GB of RAM. This is definitely okay for the price range, but the competitors from Xiaomi and OnePlus offer even more storage and partly also more RAM.
We like the fact that Motorola has installed a fast USB 3 port as well as NFC for mobile payments or access control services.
If you want to use a microSD for storage expansion, you have to sacrifice one of the two SIM slots.
microSD card reader
We use the Angelbird V60 as the reference card to test the microSD reader. It proves to be a bit slow in our test and shows a strange behavior during sequential reads: There's a short spike in transfer rates at the beginning, after which they drop to quite slow values; and just before the end, they skyrocket to the kind of values that we would expect. As a result, you shouldn't count on consistent transfer rates.
| Cross Platform Disk Test (CPDT) | |
| SDCard Sequential Write 0.5 GB | |
| Samsung Galaxy A52 5G (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501) | |
| Motorola Moto G100 (Angelbird ) | |
| SDCard Sequential Read 0.5 GB | |
| Samsung Galaxy A52 5G (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501) | |
| Motorola Moto G100 (Angelbird V60) | |
Software – Outdated security patches in the Moto G100
The Moto G100 offers a pretty clean version of Android 11 as you would expect from the manufacturer. Motorola installs its Moto app, which can be used to control many of the smartphone's functions, but otherwise, it leaves a lot in Google's original form, which makes it easier to switch from other manufacturers.
The security patches of our review sample are from January 2021 and are, therefore, already considerably outdated. We find this to be weak for a device in this price range.
Communication and GNSS – Precise positioning
5G is now a standard feature in nearly all mid-range smartphones. The Moto G100 supports the latest mobile standard and also numerous 4G frequencies, which makes it usable in many countries.
In terms of Wi-Fi, the latest Wi-Fi 6 standard is also available. The speeds that we determined in our test with the Netgear Nighthawk AX12 reference router are good, but the Sony Xperia 5 II shows that much more is possible in this price range.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Sony Xperia 5 II | |
| Motorola Moto G100 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord | |
| Average of class Smartphone (16.9 - 1368, n=70, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A52 5G | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G | |
| Sony Xperia 5 II | |
| Motorola Moto G100 | |
| OnePlus Nord | |
| Average of class Smartphone (32.7 - 953, n=71, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A52 5G | |
If you go outside with the Moto G100, a short moment is needed for the smartphone to determine its position, which it does with an accuracy of about 5 meters. GPS, AGPS, GLONASS, and Galileo are available as satellite networks.
In our real-world test, the Moto G100 proves to be quite reliable when it comes to positioning; the test consists of a lap through the city including narrow alleys, a bridge, and a turning point in a large town square. There are some minor deviations, but overall, we can recommend the device for navigation tasks without reservations.
Telephone and call quality – Moderate microphone quality
The phone app is familiar from other Android phones. It's Google's standard solution. The app is well organized and offers all the necessary functions. VoWiFi and VoLTE are supported.
Call quality is decent: The other person's voice is quite clear, and even at high volumes, there's only minimal distortion in the earpiece. The audio experience is quite similar when using the speaker for hands-free calls.
However, we don't really like the three built-in microphones in the Moto G100. Our voice quickly becomes distorted, and it no longer sounds entirely clear even when we aren't speaking all that loudly.
Cameras – 6K videos with the Moto phone
A 64-megapixel camera is found at the back of the Moto G100; it's complemented by a 2-megapixel camera that provides additional data for bokeh effects in portrait shots and by a wide-angle lens. At first glance, it looks like there are four lenses on the back of the smartphone. However, a laser autofocus is found behind the fourth hole, which is particularly suitable for subjects that are close.
The main camera normally only takes 16-megapixel photos, which means that it uses four pixels for each image point and consequently achieves better light sensitivity. If you want to use the full resolution, you have to switch to a special mode. You can zoom in several levels using the main camera and the wide-angle lens. There's an option to take macro shots, and the wide-angle lens is used for that.
So, there are many possibilities, and the software also offers live effects or panorama shots, for example. But how is the general image quality? The picture of the plant shows a lot of details but also a slight overexposure of the white blossoms. The image sharpness is also convincing in the surroundings picture; we particularly like the high level of details and the accurate depiction of the cloud edges. In scenarios with poor light and high contrasts, image reproduction is also decent, but it could have been illuminated a bit better.
The wide-angle lens takes decent photos, although you shouldn't count on distant numbers, such as the water level indicator in our picture, still being legible. However, the other phone cameras can't do this either.
Videos can be recorded in a maximum of 6K at 30 fps. There's also the option of shooting at 60 fps in 4K. Slow motion videos can be recorded in Full HD at 120 fps or in 720p at 240 fps. As long as you don't use more than 30 fps, you can also switch between the main and wide-angle camera while recording to zoom. We really like the image quality of the main camera in video mode. While recording, the edges of object occasionally jitter a bit, but these problems aren't visible in the final video. The transition between background light and normal illumination is quite smooth, and colors and details are also well reproduced.
There are two cameras at the front: A 16-megapixel selfie camera and an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera. The image quality is quite decent with both lenses, and even fine details are reproduced acceptably.
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
Main camera FlowersMain camera SurroundingsMain camera Low lightWide-angle lens
In very good lighting conditions in the lab, the camera seems to deliver quite sharp results at first glance. However, a closer look reveals many artifacts, especially at the edges of objects. This reduces the image quality, especially when it comes to fine details.
At an illumination of 1 lux, you can hardly recognize anything anymore; only bright areas are still clearly distinguishable.
Accessories and warranty – New possibilities with the desktop mode
The Ready For docking platform including a USB-C to HDMI cable is shipped with the Motorola Moto G100, and it offers the option of connecting the smartphone directly to a large screen via its USB-C port. You don't necessarily need the dock for this; you can also connect the included HDMI adapter directly to the smartphone.
The best way to use the device in this mode is to connect a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard to the smartphone, but you can also use the smartphone itself as a touchpad, which is a good idea. Users who don't want this can run a different app on the smartphone than the one on the big screen: For example, while a YouTube video is shown there, you can surf the Internet on the phone.
The desktop itself is reminiscent of Windows, and you can work quite productively there. By the way, the Motorola Edge Plus also supports the Ready For mode. Other phones only mirror the smartphone's display when connected to the HDMI adapter.
The package also includes a power adapter, a USB-C cable, and a SIM tool. Motorola offers a 24-month warranty with its smartphones.
Input devices and handling – Fingerprint scanner integrated into the standby button
The software keyboard comes from Google and is easy to use. Users who don't like it can simply install another app from the Google Play Store, but they should ensure that the apps are reliable.
There is a dedicated button on the left that launches Google Assistant. On the right of the case, you'll find the fingerprint scanner that has been integrated into the standby button. The fingerprint sensor unlocks the smartphone very reliably, even straight from standby mode. However, a slight delay is noticeable; other smartphones respond more quickly here.
The standby button is slightly recessed in the case, while the screen protrudes from it. If you don't place your finger in the exact position, the edge of the screen is in the way when you press the button. Otherwise, all hardware buttons perform quite well.
Display – 90 Hz but little color accuracy
With its 21:9 aspect ratio, the Moto G100 is a bit longer and slimmer than other smartphones. The aspect ratio is actually the standard format for movie screens, which means that corresponding movies can be watched on the display without black borders, but you will then have to put up with the two punch holes of the front-facing cameras that appear in the picture.
HDR and a refresh rate of up to 90 Hz are available as features.
The extended 1080p resolution is standard in this price range, and you usually don't need more for good image reproduction. The Moto G100 doesn't do badly in terms of display brightness, but it's also considerably dimmer than the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G, for example, with an average of 535 cd/m².
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 90 %
Center on Battery: 562 cd/m²
Contrast: 986:1 (Black: 0.57 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.99 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.2
ΔE Greyscale 6.5 | 0.57-98 Ø5.4
93.4% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.174
| Motorola Moto G100 IPS/LTPS, 2520x1080, 6.70 | Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G IPS, 2400x1080, 6.67 | OnePlus Nord AMOLED, 2440x1080, 6.44 | Samsung Galaxy A52 5G Super AMOLED, 2400x1080, 6.50 | Sony Xperia 5 II OLED, 2520x1080, 6.10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 32% | 27% | 37% | 24% | |
| Brightness middle | 562 | 601 7% | 529 -6% | 744 32% | 558 -1% |
| Brightness | 535 | 602 13% | 531 -1% | 749 40% | 562 5% |
| Brightness Distribution | 90 | 90 0% | 94 4% | 98 9% | 98 9% |
| Black Level * | 0.57 | 0.48 16% | |||
| Contrast | 986 | 1252 27% | |||
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 3.99 | 1.4 65% | 2.53 37% | 2.2 45% | 3.01 25% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 9.74 | 3.1 68% | 4.52 54% | 7 28% | 6.86 30% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 6.5 | 2.5 62% | 1.7 74% | 2.1 68% | 1.4 78% |
| Gamma | 2.174 101% | 2.27 97% | 2.249 98% | 2.06 107% | 2.196 100% |
| CCT | 6882 94% | 6650 98% | 6462 101% | 6516 100% | 6398 102% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18889 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
Since this is an IPS display, there's also a backlight for the panel, which makes it difficult to reproduce good black levels. Black areas in the Moto smartphone have a brightness of 0.57 cd/m², which is quite visible. As a result, the contrast ratio drops below 1,000:1; consequently, the phone can't keep up with the OLED displays of other smartphones in this price range in terms of black levels.
In terms of color accuracy, there are also significant shifts towards greenish colors, so that white and yellowish-brownish tones in particular will be represented with incorrect colors.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 24 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 13 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 11 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 45 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (22.3 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 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 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 53 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (35.2 ms). | ||
The smartphone can be used outdoors. The image remains visible in direct sunlight, but it's better to switch to places in the shade due to the display's reflections.
Apart from a minimal haze, viewing angles are no cause for complaint.
Performance – Powerhouse in its class
The relatively new Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 is used in the Moto G100. It offers a total of 8 cores distributed in 3 clusters and good performance rates for the price range, which surpass all comparison devices. Graphics performance leaves very little to be desired as well. The Moto phone is not at the absolute top level, but it's still on the premium class level.
The Snapdragon 870 offers enough power for everyday use and beyond. Of course, this is especially important in desktop mode when two different apps are meant to be run on the phone and on the screen at the same time. If you don't overdo it too much here with two games or with very demanding apps, the SoC manages this without any issues.
| Geekbench 5.4 | |
| Single-Core (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto G100 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord | |
| Samsung Galaxy A52 5G | |
| Sony Xperia 5 II | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G (943 - 1046, n=15) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (119 - 1885, n=241, last 2 years) | |
| Multi-Core (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto G100 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord | |
| Samsung Galaxy A52 5G | |
| Sony Xperia 5 II | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G (2725 - 4455, n=15) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (473 - 5538, n=241, last 2 years) | |
| Vulkan Score (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto G100 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord | |
| Samsung Galaxy A52 5G | |
| Sony Xperia 5 II | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G (3159 - 4324, n=13) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (79 - 9992, n=178, last 2 years) | |
| OpenCL Score (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto G100 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord | |
| Samsung Galaxy A52 5G | |
| Sony Xperia 5 II | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G (3413 - 3724, n=15) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (368 - 10711, n=167, last 2 years) | |
| PCMark for Android | |
| Work performance score (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto G100 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord | |
| Samsung Galaxy A52 5G | |
| Sony Xperia 5 II | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G | |
| Average of class Smartphone (9875 - 19297, n=4, last 2 years) | |
| Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto G100 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord | |
| Samsung Galaxy A52 5G | |
| Sony Xperia 5 II | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G (10060 - 14315, n=5) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (5279 - 13282, n=28, last 2 years) | |
| GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 | |
| T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto G100 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord | |
| Samsung Galaxy A52 5G | |
| Sony Xperia 5 II | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G (60 - 142, n=13) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (22 - 165, n=187, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto G100 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord | |
| Samsung Galaxy A52 5G | |
| Sony Xperia 5 II | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G (171 - 233, n=13) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (19 - 497, n=187, last 2 years) | |
| GFXBench 3.0 | |
| on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto G100 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord | |
| Samsung Galaxy A52 5G | |
| Sony Xperia 5 II | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G (60 - 116, n=13) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (6.8 - 161, n=188, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto G100 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord | |
| Samsung Galaxy A52 5G | |
| Sony Xperia 5 II | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G (96 - 142, n=13) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (9.2 - 331, n=189, last 2 years) | |
| GFXBench 3.1 | |
| on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto G100 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord | |
| Samsung Galaxy A52 5G | |
| Sony Xperia 5 II | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G (49 - 95, n=13) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (3.7 - 143, n=189, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto G100 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord | |
| Samsung Galaxy A52 5G | |
| Sony Xperia 5 II | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G (72 - 99, n=13) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (6.2 - 223, n=189, last 2 years) | |
| AnTuTu v8 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto G100 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord | |
| Samsung Galaxy A52 5G | |
| Sony Xperia 5 II | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G (573296 - 595585, n=3) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (101336 - 725649, n=40, last 2 years) | |
| VRMark - Amber Room (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto G100 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G (5042 - 8398, n=3) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (734 - 9793, n=27, last 2 years) | |
| Basemark GPU 1.2 | |
| 1920x1080 OpenGL Medium Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto G100 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G (79.4 - 83, n=3) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (7.65 - 212, n=51, last 2 years) | |
| OpenGL Medium Native (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto G100 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G (68.5 - 74.1, n=3) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (11.3 - 189.4, n=51, last 2 years) | |
| 1280x720 Vulkan Simple Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto G100 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G (240 - 559, n=3) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (2.12 - 15608, n=49, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 Vulkan Medium Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto G100 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G (74.2 - 78.6, n=3) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (7.51 - 2418, n=50, last 2 years) | |
| Vulkan Medium Native (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto G100 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G (63.8 - 69.2, n=3) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (11.2 - 188.7, n=49, last 2 years) | |
The Moto G100 doesn't need to hide when it comes to Internet speed either: It takes first place in all our benchmarks. Even complex HTML 5 pages are no problem; photos often load while scrolling. Only very elaborate graphics occasionally lead to minimal waiting times.
| Jetstream 2 - Total Score | |
| Motorola Moto G100 (Chrome 90) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G (60.7 - 108.3, n=11) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (16.9 - 282, n=165, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G (Chrome 87.0.4280.101) | |
| OnePlus Nord (Chrome 84) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A52 5G (Chrome 89) | |
| JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Motorola Moto G100 (Chrome 90) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G (105.1 - 184.5, n=9) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (26.7 - 414, n=79, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G (Chrome 87.0.4280.101) | |
| Sony Xperia 5 II (Chrome 86) | |
| OnePlus Nord (Chrome 84) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A52 5G (Chrome 89) | |
| Speedometer 2.0 - Result | |
| Average of class Smartphone (13.3 - 375, n=154, last 2 years) | |
| Motorola Moto G100 (Chome 90) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G (Chrome 87.0.4280.101) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G (51.4 - 77, n=11) | |
| OnePlus Nord (Chome 84) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A52 5G (Chrome 89) | |
| WebXPRT 3 - --- | |
| Motorola Moto G100 (Chrome 90) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G (94 - 155, n=12) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (28 - 292, n=145, last 2 years) | |
| Sony Xperia 5 II (Chrome 86) | |
| OnePlus Nord (Chrome 84) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G (Chrome 87.0.4280.101) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A52 5G (Chrome 89) | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Motorola Moto G100 (Chrome 90) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G (20543 - 41256, n=12) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (4633 - 74261, n=194, last 2 years) | |
| Sony Xperia 5 II (Chrome 86) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G (Chrome 87.0.4280.101) | |
| OnePlus Nord (Chrome 84) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A52 5G (Chrome 89) | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total Score | |
| OnePlus Nord (Chrome 84) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A52 5G (Chrome 89) | |
| Sony Xperia 5 II (Chrome 86) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (414 - 10797, n=168, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G (Chrome 87.0.4280.101) | |
| Motorola Moto G100 (Chrome 90) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G (1055 - 1792, n=12) | |
* ... smaller is better
The UFS 3.1 storage is very fast for this class, and it reads and writes data at record speeds.
| Motorola Moto G100 | Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G | OnePlus Nord | Samsung Galaxy A52 5G | Sony Xperia 5 II | Average 128 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | -14% | -47% | -35% | -36% | -2% | -15% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 1730 | 1348 -22% | 956 -45% | 927 -46% | 1445 -16% | 1600 ? -8% | 1180 ? -32% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 717 | 671 -6% | 473.1 -34% | 484.6 -32% | 229.5 -68% | 786 ? 10% | 741 ? 3% |
| Random Read 4KB | 253.6 | 213.8 -16% | 126.7 -50% | 176.1 -31% | 187.3 -26% | 243 ? -4% | 207 ? -18% |
| Random Write 4KB | 252.9 | 228.3 -10% | 104.5 -59% | 179.2 -29% | 172.6 -32% | 238 ? -6% | 217 ? -14% |
Games – Stable gaming at 60 fps
Despite the 90 Hz display, 60 fps is as good as it gets in the games that we tested, LoL: Wild Rift, PUBG Mobile, and Asphalt 9. Most manufacturers intentionally hold back so as to not overtax the battery.
However, the 60 fps are maintained without problems in all games and don't seem to pose any great challenges for the graphics chip. We determined the in-game frame rates with the software from GameBench.
Controlling games with the responsive touchscreen and the position sensor works very reliably.
Emissions – No throttling with the Moto phone
Temperature
The smartphone heats up to 42.3 °C (~108 °F) at the front under prolonged load. This is not unusual, but it's still clearly noticeable. In hot ambient temperatures, the additional heat buildup could even become unpleasant for the user.
However, this doesn't affect the performance of the Moto G100. The 3DMark Wild Life stress test shows a stability of 99.2%, which means that throttling under prolonged load is negligible.
| 3DMark - Wild Life Stress Test Stability | |
| Samsung Galaxy A52 5G | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G100 | |
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 42.3 °C / 108 F, compared to the average of 34.9 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 52.9 °C for the class Smartphone.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 41.4 °C / 107 F, compared to the average of 33.7 °C / 93 F
(±) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 35 °C / 95 F, compared to the device average of 32.6 °C / 91 F.
Speaker
The speaker is quite loud, but it only sounds average. Trebles in particular are very prominent, but they don't make an unpleasant sound in the ear.
Speakers or headphones can be connected using the 3.5 mm jack or Bluetooth 5.1. The phone supports aptX HD and all other important codecs.
Motorola Moto G100 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (85.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 24.6% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 6.2% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (5.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 6.7% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (6.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (23% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 50% of all tested devices in this class were better, 12% similar, 37% worse
» The best had a delta of 11%, average was 23%, worst was 65%
Compared to all devices tested
» 70% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 23% worse
» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 20%, worst was 65%
OnePlus Nord audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (84.9 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 23.4% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.3% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (5.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (16.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 6% of all tested devices in this class were better, 6% similar, 88% worse
» The best had a delta of 11%, average was 23%, worst was 65%
Compared to all devices tested
» 30% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 62% worse
» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 20%, worst was 65%
Battery life – Moto G100 with long-lasting battery
Energy consumption
The Moto G100 is quite energy-efficient at times when it comes to power consumption. At least when you consider the large screen. However, this is mainly true for idle scenarios. As soon as more performance is required, the smartphone draws quite a lot of energy from the battery or the power grid.
| Off / Standby |   0 / 0.1 Watt |
| Idle |  0.9 / 1.5 / 2.1 Watt |
| Load |
6.7 / 8.5 Watt |
    
| |
| Motorola Moto G100 5000 mAh | Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G 5000 mAh | OnePlus Nord 4115 mAh | Samsung Galaxy A52 5G 4500 mAh | Sony Xperia 5 II 4000 mAh | Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -7% | -12% | 13% | -21% | -15% | 15% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 0.9 | 0.7 22% | 1.8 -100% | 0.92 -2% | 1.3 -44% | 1.253 ? -39% | 0.884 ? 2% |
| Idle Average * | 1.5 | 2.27 -51% | 2.1 -40% | 1.78 -19% | 2 -33% | 1.943 ? -30% | 1.485 ? 1% |
| Idle Maximum * | 2.1 | 2.34 -11% | 2.3 -10% | 1.81 14% | 2.1 -0% | 2.27 ? -8% | 1.699 ? 19% |
| Load Average * | 6.7 | 5.47 18% | 3.4 49% | 3.86 42% | 6.8 -1% | 5.93 ? 11% | 4.27 ? 36% |
| Load Maximum * | 8.5 | 9.78 -15% | 5.2 39% | 6.14 28% | 11 -29% | 9.45 ? -11% | 7.08 ? 17% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery life
The smartphone lasts 17:29 hours in our Wi-Fi test. This suggests that the Moto G100 can be used for several days without needing a power outlet. Such runtimes are possible thanks to the generous 5,000 mAh battery, but overall, the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro lasts a bit longer.
The charger is a bit disappointing because it only offers a maximum charging speed of 20 watts. OnePlus and Xiaomi charge much faster here. As a result, it takes a bit over 1:30 hours for the Moto G100 to recharge, which is also due to the large battery.
| Motorola Moto G100 5000 mAh | Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G 5000 mAh | OnePlus Nord 4115 mAh | Samsung Galaxy A52 5G 4500 mAh | Sony Xperia 5 II 4000 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | 8% | -20% | -19% | -24% | |
| Reader / Idle | 2846 | 3078 8% | 2003 -30% | 1917 -33% | |
| H.264 | 1285 | 1409 10% | 1064 -17% | 1052 -18% | |
| WiFi v1.3 | 1049 | 1198 14% | 869 -17% | 710 -32% | 793 -24% |
| Load | 302 | 296 -2% | 261 -14% | 324 7% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict – Fast but with some cut corners
With the Moto G100, Motorola delivers a really fast smartphone that oscillates between the mid-range and premium segment: The chassis with its plastic back, the older Gorilla Glass, and the pressure-sensitive front point to cut corners, but at the same time, the smartphone looks good and feels solid in the hand.
Outdated security patches are nothing to write home about either; the smartphone lags a bit behind in terms of charging speed, and other manufacturers offer even more in terms of storage capacity. Nevertheless, the Moto G100's storage is extremely fast, there are numerous LTE frequencies, and naturally also 5G support, fast Wi-Fi, accurate positioning modules, and good battery life.
And of course, there is the option to connect the phone to a screen and gain a completely new range of usage possibilities in desktop mode. This works well, it looks fancy, and we think that the phone could easily replace an office PC when it comes to simple office tasks that don't require special Windows or macOS software.
The Moto G100 is something special due to its desktop mode. It's also very fast as a smartphone, but you will notice certain cost-saving measures.
Users who think that this really makes sense should take a closer look at the Moto G100. Those who probably won't use these features will still get a fast and stylish Android phone. Depending on your taste, however, there are also smartphones with a better display and a metal case for the same money.
Price and availability
Motorola Moto G100
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05/01/2021 v7
Florian Schmitt
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