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Motorola Moto G6 Smartphone Review

G as in genius? The latest offshoot of the Motorola-G series is advertised self-confidently and presents itself as a successful advancement of the Moto G5s. A faster SoC, a dual camera, and an updated design are supposed to attract customers. You can find out about the qualities and weaknesses of the Moto smartphone in this test.

With this year's Moto G, Motorola introduces the sixth generation of the midrange smartphone, also changing from the 16:9 to the 2:1 format of the display. A dual camera and a newer processor are also added now. Compared to the Moto G5s the storage equipment has remained unchanged in our test unit, offering 3 GB of working memory and 32 GB of internal storage, which can be expanded via a microSD card. Amazon also has an exclusive offer for a model with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. The following table shows the differences between the Motorola Moto G6 (XT1925-5), its predecessor, and the two other models of the series, the Moto G6 Plus and Moto G6 Play.

. Moto G6 Moto G5s Moto G6 Play Moto G6 Plus
Display 5.7 in, 2:1, IPS, 2160x1080 pixels, Gorilla Glass 3 5.2 in, 16:9, IPS, 1920x1080 pixels, Gorilla Glass 3 5.7 in, 2:1, IPS, 1440x720 pixels, standard glass 5.9 in, 2:1, IPS, 2160x1080 pixels, Gorilla Glass 3
SoC Snapdragon 450 Snapdragon 430 Snapdragon 430 Snapdragon 630
RAM 3 GB 3 GB 3 GB 4 GB
Storage 32 GB 32 GB 32 GB 64 GB
OS Android 8.0 Android 7.1 Android 8.0 Android 8.0
Battery 3000 mAh 3000 mAh 4000 mAh 3200 mAh
Main camera 12 + 5 MP (f/1.8) 16 MP (f/2.0) 13 MP (f/2.0) 12 + 5 MP (f/1.7, DPAF)
Front camera 8 MP 5 MP 8 MP 8 MP
USB USB 2.0, Type C USB 2.0, Micro-USB USB 2.0, Micro-USB USB 2.0, Type C
Price 249 Euros (~$298; ~$250 in the US) 249 Euros (~$298) 199 Euros (~$238) 299 Euros (~$357)

The Moto G 6 is advertised with the tagline "Premium for Everyone." Those are big words for a relatively affordable smartphone, which we are comparing against competitors of the same price range in our test. Foremost, there is the ZTE Blade V9, which offers very similar equipment with the same SoC, followed by the Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017), the Honor 9 Lite, and the Nokia 6 (2018). Smartphones such as the BQ Aquaris X Pro that were expensive at some point are only marginally more expensive at the time of this test. 

Motorola Moto G6 (Moto G6 Series)
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 8 x 1.8 GHz, Cortex-A53
Graphics adapter
Qualcomm Adreno 506, Memory: 600 MHz
Memory
3 GB 
Display
5.70 inch 2:1, 2160 x 1080 pixel 424 PPI, capacitive touchscreen, 10 multitouch points, IPS, Corning Gorilla Glas 3, glossy: yes
Storage
32 GB eMMC Flash, 32 GB 
Connections
1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: combined microphone and headphone port (3.5 mm), Card Reader: microSD up to 128 GB (SD, SDHC, SDXC), 1 Fingerprint Reader, NFC, Brightness Sensor, Sensors: proximity, position, and G sensors, magnetometer, BeiDou, AGPS, OTG, MTP
Networking
802.11a/b/g/n (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.2, GSM/GPRS/Edge (850, 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz), UMTS/HSPA+ (850, 900, 1900, and 2100 MHz), LTE Cat. 4 (Band 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 38, 40), Dual SIM, LTE, GPS
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 8.3 x 153.8 x 72.3 ( = 0.33 x 6.06 x 2.85 in)
Battery
3000 mAh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Android 8.0 Oreo
Camera
Primary Camera: 12 MPix + 5 MPix (f/1.8, 1080p video @ 60 fps)
Secondary Camera: 8 MPix (1080p video @ 30 fps)
Additional features
Speakers: mono speaker, Keyboard: virtual, 15 W Turbo charger, USB cable, transparent Gel cover, Quick Start Guide, warranty card, 24 Months Warranty, P2i splash water protection, face unlocking, FM radio, three microphones, Dolby Audio, head SAR: 0.636 W/kg, body SAR: 1.365 W/kg, fanless
Weight
167 g ( = 5.89 oz / 0.37 pounds) ( = 0 oz / 0 pounds)
Price
249 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case - Motorola has turned away from aluminum

At its market introduction, the Motorola Moto G6 is only offered in the Deep Indigo color, which is a deep blue that looks almost black in dark environments. The manufacturer specifies a height of 8.3 mm (~0.33 in) for the smartphone, which corresponds to our measurements. The camera protrudes by exactly 1 mm (~0.04 in).

The front and back are made of Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The back is rounded on the sides, which makes the smartphone fit into the hand comfortably. However, the selection of materials makes it susceptible to fingerprints and slightly slippery. On surfaces that are not level, the Moto G6 tends to slide off easily.

The workmanship is good. The glass is framed by a solid plastic frame which looks like metal due to its shiny NCVM covering. Only the gaps in front between the different materials seem a little too noticeable. While the phone does not react to any attempts at twisting it, stronger pressure on the panel results in the display of visible waves.

The battery of the Moto G6 is built-in, and the P2i splash water protection ensures that light rain cannot harm the smartphone.

Size Comparison

153.8 mm / 6.06 inch 72.3 mm / 2.85 inch 8.3 mm / 0.3268 inch 167 g0.3682 lbs152.5 mm / 6 inch 74.8 mm / 2.94 inch 8 mm / 0.315 inch 181 g0.399 lbs150 mm / 5.91 inch 73.5 mm / 2.89 inch 9.5 mm / 0.374 inch 157 g0.3461 lbs151.4 mm / 5.96 inch 70.6 mm / 2.78 inch 7.5 mm / 0.2953 inch 153 g0.3373 lbs151 mm / 5.94 inch 71.9 mm / 2.83 inch 7.6 mm / 0.2992 inch 149 g0.3285 lbs148.8 mm / 5.86 inch 75.8 mm / 2.98 inch 8.2 mm / 0.3228 inch 175 g0.3858 lbs146.5 mm / 5.77 inch 72.7 mm / 2.86 inch 7.8 mm / 0.3071 inch 158 g0.3483 lbs148 mm / 5.83 inch 105 mm / 4.13 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 1.5 g0.00331 lbs

Features - Moto smartphone with USB Type-C and radio

Our test unit of the Motorola Moto G6 is a dual-SIM smartphone. It is a plus since the use of a second Nano-SIM card does not prevent you from using a microSD card. Storage cards are officially supported up to 128 GB. Since the SDXC standard has already produced larger models, those should also work without any trouble. However, you cannot format a microSD as an internal storage. Anyone needing to install and move apps onto the storage card must first enable this in the developer options.

As one of the few smartphones of its price range, it already has a Type-C USB connection. This still transfers at the 2.0 standard and also masters OTG, so that external storage and input devices can also be connected to the Moto G6. In addition, the Motorola phone has an NFC chip, a radio receiver, as well as Bluetooth 4.2 with aptX HD support.

Top: microphone, card slot
Top: microphone, card slot
Left side
Left side
Right side: volume, power
Right side: volume, power
Bottom: USB, audio
Bottom: USB, audio

Software - Android 8.0 Oreo and useful features

Google Android 8.0 Oreo is used as the operating system. The manufacturer has only modified the visuals minimally. This is accompanied by the well-known Moto app, which offers suggestions for usage and additional features such as gesture navigation, Moto Key, notification display, as well as its own voice navigation. While that does not run quite as fast as Google Assistant for example, its privacy protection regulations are better defined. Lenovo claims that it will even keep the privacy protection standards when the data is transferred to countries that have lower legal standards. The voice recognition itself works quite reliably, but often needs a moment when a command should be implemented in an app. In addition, voice can also be used to unlock the smartphone.

At the time of this test, the Google security patches are on the level of March 1, 2018 and thus fairly current. Another positive aspect is that the user account control is implemented in the system. Motorola has also preinstalled the LinkedIn and Microsoft Outlook apps, which can be deactivated in the Settings, though.

Communication and GPS - Standstill since the Moto G5

The Snapdragon 450 in the Motorola Moto G6 has a Qualcomm X9-LTE modem on board, which nominally would be able to support LTE Cat. 7. However, Lenovo has decided to only offer LTE Cat. 4, which enables a maximum of 150 MBit/s during downloads and 50 MBit/s during uploads. Although this is completely sufficient for everyday life and offers quite a wide support of frequency bands, the providers already support higher transfer rates. The mobile reception was inconspicuous in the mature net of a large city.

The WLAN module of the Moto G6 masters the IEEE-802.11 a/b/g/n standards and is able to use the 2.4 as well as the 5.0-GHz net. While the transfer rates to our Linksys EA8500 reference router are slightly above the average, the range of the WLAN connection is not very far. Even a few meters from the router, downloads take noticeably longer and the reaction times also become slower. If there is a wall between the smartphone and the Access Point, it can happen that the connection drops entirely.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Nokia 6 2018
Adreno 508, SD 630, 32 GB eMMC Flash
345 MBit/s +205%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
Mali-T830 MP1, 7870 Octa, 16 GB eMMC Flash
280 MBit/s +148%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
Adreno 506, 626, 64 GB eMMC Flash
148 MBit/s +31%
Motorola Moto G6
Adreno 506, SD 450, 32 GB eMMC Flash
113 MBit/s
Motorola Moto G5s
Adreno 505, 430, 32 GB eMMC Flash
111 MBit/s -2%
Honor 9 Lite
Mali-T830 MP2, Kirin 659, 32 GB eMMC Flash
49.9 MBit/s -56%
ZTE Blade V9
Adreno 506, SD 450, 32 GB eMMC Flash
MBit/s -100%
iperf3 receive AX12
Average of class Smartphone
  (last 2 years)
376 MBit/s +233%
Nokia 6 2018
Adreno 508, SD 630, 32 GB eMMC Flash
289 MBit/s +156%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
Mali-T830 MP1, 7870 Octa, 16 GB eMMC Flash
251 MBit/s +122%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
Adreno 506, 626, 64 GB eMMC Flash
242 MBit/s +114%
Motorola Moto G5s
Adreno 505, 430, 32 GB eMMC Flash
121 MBit/s +7%
Motorola Moto G6
Adreno 506, SD 450, 32 GB eMMC Flash
113 MBit/s
Honor 9 Lite
Mali-T830 MP2, Kirin 659, 32 GB eMMC Flash
52.6 MBit/s -53%
ZTE Blade V9
Adreno 506, SD 450, 32 GB eMMC Flash
MBit/s -100%
GPS test: outdoors
GPS test: outdoors
GPS test: indoors
GPS test: indoors

The Lenovo smartphone supports the GPS, GLONASS, and BeiDou satellite networks. To fix on a satellite already takes about five seconds outdoors, which is relatively long. On the other hand, it is accurate up to three meters (10 ft). Indoors, this can take more than one-and-a-half minutes, and the location accuracy then varies between 65 and 258 meters (~230-836 ft).

While this does not make us particularly optimistic for the practice test on the bike, the Motorola phone positively surprises us and is able to quite convince us with its recorded route. Even if it does not always stay exactly on the traversed route, it still offers a more than decent performance and in parts is even more accurate than the Garmin Edge 500.

Garmin Edge 500
Garmin Edge 500
Garmin Edge 500
Garmin Edge 500
Garmin Edge 500
Garmin Edge 500
Motorola Moto G6
Motorola Moto G6
Motorola Moto G6
Motorola Moto G6
Motorola Moto G6
Motorola Moto G6

Telephone Functions and Voice Quality

As phone app, the Moto G6 also uses the standard app from Google, which offers the usual comfort and clear overview.

We like the call qualities of the Motorola smartphone very much, and the three microphones ensure an effective noise suppression even when using the speaker mode. The voice quality is also very good. Holding it to your ear, your voice as well as that of your conversation partner are transferred clearly. Only when using the speaker, the voice of the G6 user is echoing slightly. However, you can still hear it well if the speaker sits at a little distance from the phone and does not speak too quietly.

The Moto G6 supports VoLTE as well as VoWifi.

Cameras - The dual camera of the Moto G convinces

Picture taken indoors with front camera of the Moto G6 with activated Beauty Mode
Front camera image

Compared to the Moto G5s, the front camera has improved and now offers 8 Megapixels. Added to this are a Beauty Mode and even an LED light in font for dark surroundings. Videos can be recorded at 1080p (30 FPS) at best and are not stabilized. The picture quality is quite decent and the beautification of the subject is not exaggerated. 

Unlike its predecessor, the Moto G6 now uses a dual camera. The second camera serves to create pictures with Bokeh effects. While the resolution of the main camera has decreased to 12 MP, the camera is now more light sensitive with an aperture of f/1.8. The strength of the Bokeh effect can be controlled via an onscreen slider. Anyone who exaggerates this will get a very blurry picture in most cases. Most of the time, 50% or less is entirely sufficient and produce a presentable effect.

We like the camera performance during daylight. Due to the automatic HDR mode, you can easily produce pictures that have a relatively high dynamic range, and the reproduced colors are strong and saturated. Competitors such as the Galaxy J7 or the Honor 9 Lite cannot quite keep up with this. However, there is a small hitch, since the shutter speed of the Moto G6 is relatively slow. With moving targets in particular, some pictures go awry. In weak light conditions, the colors of the pictures appear slightly dull. However, the degree of detail is the highest of the comparison field and considering its price range, the Motorola smartphone does fairly well.

Videos are recorded at a maximum of Full HD with up to 60 images per second. However, we do not recommend this, since you can then already see some minor artifacts on the screen. In addition, image stabilization is only available up to 30 FPS. The sound is recorded in stereo, and the noise level is relatively low. 

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.

Scene 1Scene 2Scene 3
Motorola Moto G6: Image taken with main camera
Motorola Moto G6: Image taken with main camera (portrait mode)
Motorola Moto G6: Image taken with main camera
Motorola Moto G6: Image taken with main camera
Motorola Moto G6: Image taken with main camera
Motorola Moto G6: Image taken with main camera
Motorola Moto G6: Image taken with main camera while driving
Motorola Moto G6: Image taken with main camera
Motorola Moto G6: Image taken with main camera
Motorola Moto G6: Image taken with main camera
Motorola Moto G6: Image taken with main camera
Motorola Moto G6: Image taken with main camera
ColorChecker: The target color is displayed in the bottom half of each field.
ColorChecker: The target color is displayed in the bottom half of each field.

We perform further tests of the dual camera of the Moto G6 under controlled light conditions. The ColorChecker shows the stronger saturation of the reproduced colors well. In addition, they are slightly brightened, and the skin tones show a slight red tint.

In the direct comparison of the reproduction in the center of the image, the Motorola smartphone also shows a good performance, and only the Galaxy J7 is able to reproduce the details even better. When looking at the test chart as a whole, the Moto G6 also delivers a decent performance. However, the color transitions show minor artifacts, and the edges of the letters easily become rather frayed.

Moto G6
Moto G6
Galaxy J7
Galaxy J7
Honor 9 Lite
Honor 9 Lite
Blade V9
Blade V9

Accessories and Warranty

Moto G6 with accessories
Moto G6 with accessories

The Motorola Moto G6 comes with a modular fast-charger (5 V, 3 A; 9 V, 1.6 A; 12 V, 1.2 A), a USB cable (Type-A to Type-C), a tool to open the card tray, a gel cover, a Quick Start Guide, and a warranty booklet.

Anyone ordering directly from Motorola will also receive a wireless Motorola Pulse Escape+ headset. However, this campaign is accompanied by the announcement, "as long as it is in stock," so it may not be available for long.

Motorola offers 24 months of warranty for the smartphone. Please see our Guarantees, Return policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

Input Devices and Operation

The capacitive touchscreen of the Motorola Moto G6 recognizes up to ten simultaneous touch points. The Corning Gorilla Glass 3 surface offers good sliding characteristics and reacts to input quickly and precisely. Google's GBoard is preinstalled as the standard keyboard layout. If necessary, this can be easily replaced by another layout from the Play Store.

The fingerprint sensor on the front recognizes the saved fingerprints reliably and after unlocking the phone, directly brings the user to the home screen or the still open app. Furthermore, the sensor can also replace the Android onscreen keys via using gestures. While we would recommend against using unlocking via voice since it can be easily circumvented, it worked quite reliably during our test. In addition, you can use face recognition. Even in good light conditions, this takes a long second to unlock the smartphone, and in some cases just did nothing. In the dark, it did not work at all, since the light of the display is apparently not sufficient to recognize the user. 

Display - Smartphone with a bright IPS display

Subpixel grid
Subpixel grid

The Motorola Moto G6 is the first smartphone of the Moto-G series that is equipped with a display in the 2:1 format. It measures 5.7 inches (14.48 cm) and with that is nominally 0.5 inches larger than the panel of the Moto G5s. Due to the change of the format ratio, the actual gain in display surface turns out lower than suggested as you can see in the table.

At this point, the resolution of 2160x1080 pixels corresponds to the standard in this device class, delivering a high pixel density and sharpness. The brightness of the display is good and also at the level typical for the price range. With the brightness sensor activated, we can even measure 612 cd/m² in the center of the display. If the brightness is measured with an even distribution of bright and dark areas, the brightness drops by about 30 cd/m².

While the black value is decent, black areas appear more like dark gray. In this respect, the Galaxy J7 has an advantage with its Super AMOLED panel, which can reproduce absolute black. However, at 1162:1 the IPS-display of the Moto G6 still achieves a good contrast ratio.

The manufacturer uses Pulse Width Modulation to dim the display, but since its frequency is extremely high, most users will not be disturbed by it or even be able to perceive it. There is also a blue light filter to protect the eyes when using it late at night. 

Model Moto G6 Moto G5s Nokia 6 5.7 in (16:9)
Display area 83.84 cm² (13 in²) 74.54 cm² (11.5 in²) 83.39 cm² (12.9 in²) 89.57 cm² (13.9 in²)
462
cd/m²
486
cd/m²
477
cd/m²
475
cd/m²
488
cd/m²
473
cd/m²
471
cd/m²
480
cd/m²
486
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 488 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 477.6 cd/m² Minimum: 12.96 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 95 %
Center on Battery: 488 cd/m²
Contrast: 1162:1 (Black: 0.42 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.9 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 5.3 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
94.8% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.41
Motorola Moto G6
IPS, 2160x1080, 5.70
Motorola Moto G5s
IPS, 1920x1080, 5.20
ZTE Blade V9
IPS, 2160x1080, 5.70
Honor 9 Lite
IPS, 2160x1080, 5.65
Nokia 6 2018
IPS, 1920x1080, 5.50
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
Super AMOLED, 1920x1080, 5.50
BQ Aquaris X Pro
IPS, 1920x1080, 5.20
Screen
-7%
-15%
8%
-34%
20%
-44%
Brightness middle
488
490
0%
459
-6%
627
28%
417
-15%
454
-7%
458
-6%
Brightness
478
502
5%
437
-9%
622
30%
421
-12%
463
-3%
473
-1%
Brightness Distribution
95
92
-3%
90
-5%
82
-14%
88
-7%
86
-9%
88
-7%
Black Level *
0.42
0.43
-2%
0.62
-48%
0.41
2%
0.61
-45%
0.51
-21%
Contrast
1162
1140
-2%
740
-36%
1529
32%
684
-41%
898
-23%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
3.9
5.7
-46%
4.5
-15%
4.5
-15%
6.1
-56%
2
49%
7.1
-82%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
6.8
7.8
-15%
7.3
-7%
7
-3%
11.2
-65%
5.3
22%
14.5
-113%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
5.3
4.7
11%
4.9
8%
5.1
4%
7.1
-34%
1.7
68%
10.5
-98%
Gamma
2.41 91%
2.4 92%
2.17 101%
2.26 97%
2.16 102%
2.1 105%
2.28 96%
CCT
7146 91%
7526 86%
7261 90%
7201 90%
8362 78%
6394 102%
8951 73%

* ... smaller is better

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM detected 2315 Hz ≤ 17 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 2315 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 17 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 2315 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 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

We evaluate the color reproduction of the Moto G6 display with a photo spectrometer and the CalMAN analysis software. The smartphone offers different setting options which give the user the choice between a Normal and an Intensive mode. In addition, the color temperature can be adjusted to Warm, Neutral, or Cool. The default settings are Intensive/Neutral, which displays the contents in a very cool presentation, causing visible color deviations due to oversaturation. Anyone wanting a more accurate color reproduction on the display should choose the Normal/Warm settings. Even then, the presentation is still a bit too cool, but visibly more pleasant and the deviations are not quite as grave. The smartphone uses the sRGB color space, without fully covering it, however. 

Grayscales (Color mode: Intensive, Temperature: Neutral, Target Color Space: sRGB)
Grayscales (Color mode: Intensive, Temperature: Neutral, Target Color Space: sRGB)
Mixed colors (Color mode: Intensive, Temperature: Neutral, Target Color Space: sRGB)
Mixed colors (Color mode: Intensive, Temperature: Neutral, Target Color Space: sRGB)
Color space (Color mode: Intensive, Temperature: Neutral, Target Color Space: sRGB)
Color space (Color mode: Intensive, Temperature: Neutral, Target Color Space: sRGB)
Saturation (Color mode: Intensive, Temperature: Neutral, Target Color Space: sRGB)
Saturation (Color mode: Intensive, Temperature: Neutral, Target Color Space: sRGB)
Grayscales (Color mode: Standard, Temperature: Warm, Target Color Space: sRGB)
Grayscales (Color mode: Standard, Temperature: Warm, Target Color Space: sRGB)
Mixed colors (Color mode: Standard, Temperature: Warm, Target Color Space: sRGB)
Mixed colors (Color mode: Standard, Temperature: Warm, Target Color Space: sRGB)
Color space (Color mode: Standard, Temperature: Warm, Target Color Space: sRGB)
Color space (Color mode: Standard, Temperature: Warm, Target Color Space: sRGB)
Saturation (Color mode: Standard, Temperature: Warm, Target Color Space: sRGB)
Saturation (Color mode: Standard, Temperature: Warm, Target Color Space: sRGB)
Dynamic range (Color mode: Standard, Temperature: Warm, Target Color Space: sRGB)
Dynamic range (Color mode: Standard, Temperature: Warm, Target Color Space: sRGB)
Spectral measurement (Color mode: Standard, Temperature: Warm, Target Color Space: sRGB)
Spectral measurement (Color mode: Standard, Temperature: Warm, Target Color Space: sRGB)

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
24 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 12.4 ms rise
↘ 11.6 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. » 48 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
37.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 18 ms rise
↘ 19.2 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. » 48 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Outdoors, the Motorola Moto G6 benefits from its bright display, as long as the brightness sensor is activated. Although it always needs a short moment to adjust to a new light condition, it does its work reliably. Thus the contents still remain easily readable in very bright surroundings. Only the very reflective surface of the display makes it difficult to see anything in direct sunlight. 

Motorola Moto G6 in direct sun light
Motorola Moto G6 in direct sun light

The viewing angle stability of the IPS display in the Motorola Moto G6 is very good. We did not notice any color distortions, and also the glow effect that is typical for the IPS technology can only be noticeable in very steep viewing angles. 

Viewing angle stability of the Motorola Moto G6
Viewing angle stability of the Motorola Moto G6

Performance – Moto smartphone with the new Snapdragon 450

The Motorola Moto G6 uses the new Snapdragon 450, which has replaced its predecessor, the Snapdragon 430 from the Moto G5s. The big difference lies mainly in the manufacturing process. While the 430 series is still manufactured in the 28-nm size process, the new 450 uses 14 nm. Correspondingly, the clock speed of the eight Cortex-A53 cores can be increased by 400 MHz to 1.8 GHz, which is accompanied by a decent performance increase. The GPU now comes from Qualcomm's Snapdragon 600 series and provides the G6 with an Adreno 506, which is also used in the Snapdragon 626 among others. This is accompanied by 3 GB of working memory.

In the benchmarks, the Moto G6 delivers a decent performance that is at the same level as that of the ZTE Blade V9 which uses the same SoC. While at 18 percent, the performance increase in the single core area is not quite as high as expected, it turns out significantly higher when using all the cores, increasing by 70 percent compared to the Moto G5s. The performance increase in the graphics benchmarks varies between 30 and 60 percent. The system performance is not only high subjectively, but almost approaches the level of a Snapdragon 630 in the PCMark.

AnTuTu v6 - Total Score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
59454 Points
Motorola Moto G5s
46370 Points -22%
ZTE Blade V9
60077 Points +1%
Honor 9 Lite
67727 Points +14%
Nokia 6 2018
72580 Points +22%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
47339 Points -20%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
66226 Points +11%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (54731 - 60077, n=10)
57703 Points -3%
AnTuTu v7
Total Score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
71352 Points
ZTE Blade V9
71712 Points +1%
Honor 9 Lite
89639 Points +26%
Nokia 6 2018
90435 Points +27%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
61811 Points -13%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
82343 Points +15%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (56497 - 73468, n=11)
69869 Points -2%
CPU (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
34408 Points
ZTE Blade V9
33896 Points -1%
Honor 9 Lite
41874 Points +22%
Nokia 6 2018
39585 Points +15%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
32810 Points -5%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
41767 Points +21%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (33473 - 35092, n=11)
34106 Points -1%
PCMark for Android
Work performance score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
5321 Points
Motorola Moto G5s
4669 Points -12%
ZTE Blade V9
4967 Points -7%
Honor 9 Lite
5887 Points +11%
Nokia 6 2018
5484 Points +3%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
4920 Points -8%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
5886 Points +11%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (4836 - 6062, n=14)
5364 Points +1%
Average of class Smartphone (10884 - 19297, n=2, last 2 years)
15091 Points +184%
Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
4552 Points
Motorola Moto G5s
3604 Points -21%
ZTE Blade V9
4401 Points -3%
Honor 9 Lite
4911 Points +8%
Nokia 6 2018
4719 Points +4%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
3722 Points -18%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
4915 Points +8%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (4171 - 4759, n=14)
4502 Points -1%
Average of class Smartphone (9101 - 12871, n=4, last 2 years)
10872 Points +139%
BaseMark OS II
Overall (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
1069 Points
Motorola Moto G5s
848 Points -21%
ZTE Blade V9
1169 Points +9%
Honor 9 Lite
1423 Points +33%
Nokia 6 2018
1504 Points +41%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
353 Points -67%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
1314 Points +23%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (389 - 1337, n=14)
1083 Points +1%
Average of class Smartphone (411 - 11438, n=158, last 2 years)
5704 Points +434%
System (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
2560 Points
Motorola Moto G5s
1553 Points -39%
ZTE Blade V9
2772 Points +8%
Honor 9 Lite
3058 Points +19%
Nokia 6 2018
3237 Points +26%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
2368 Points -7%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
3492 Points +36%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (2560 - 2898, n=14)
2736 Points +7%
Average of class Smartphone (2376 - 16475, n=158, last 2 years)
9621 Points +276%
Memory (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
770 Points
Motorola Moto G5s
656 Points -15%
ZTE Blade V9
962 Points +25%
Honor 9 Lite
1757 Points +128%
Nokia 6 2018
1161 Points +51%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
1265 Points +64%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
1046 Points +36%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (770 - 1522, n=14)
1058 Points +37%
Average of class Smartphone (670 - 12306, n=158, last 2 years)
6230 Points +709%
Graphics (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
965 Points
Motorola Moto G5s
723 Points -25%
ZTE Blade V9
956 Points -1%
Honor 9 Lite
859 Points -11%
Nokia 6 2018
1520 Points +58%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
533 Points -45%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
1012 Points +5%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (943 - 984, n=14)
962 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone (697 - 58651, n=158, last 2 years)
13900 Points +1340%
Web (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
688 Points
Motorola Moto G5s
703 Points +2%
ZTE Blade V9
731 Points +6%
Honor 9 Lite
888 Points +29%
Nokia 6 2018
895 Points +30%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
10 Points -99%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
806 Points +17%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (10 - 981, n=14)
671 Points -2%
Average of class Smartphone (10 - 2145, n=158, last 2 years)
1487 Points +116%
Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
743 Points
Motorola Moto G5s
630 Points -15%
ZTE Blade V9
769 Points +3%
Honor 9 Lite
945 Points +27%
Nokia 6 2018
883 Points +19%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
736 Points -1%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
928 Points +25%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (741 - 787, n=13)
761 Points +2%
Average of class Smartphone (800 - 9574, n=90, last 2 years)
5063 Points +581%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
3868 Points
Motorola Moto G5s
2270 Points -41%
ZTE Blade V9
3907 Points +1%
Honor 9 Lite
3730 Points -4%
Nokia 6 2018
4210 Points +9%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
3777 Points -2%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
4369 Points +13%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (3272 - 4022, n=13)
3862 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone (2630 - 26990, n=90, last 2 years)
13549 Points +250%
Compute RenderScript Score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
2777 Points
Motorola Moto G5s
1871 Points -33%
ZTE Blade V9
3157 Points +14%
Honor 9 Lite
3117 Points +12%
Nokia 6 2018
3690 Points +33%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
2371 Points -15%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (2777 - 3374, n=10)
3146 Points +13%
Average of class Smartphone (2053 - 18432, n=70, last 2 years)
10590 Points +281%
3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
12756 Points
Motorola Moto G5s
9491 Points -26%
ZTE Blade V9
12764 Points 0%
Honor 9 Lite
12278 Points -4%
Nokia 6 2018
17030 Points +34%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
8318 Points -35%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
13963 Points +9%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (12562 - 13203, n=12)
12801 Points 0%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
12441 Points
Motorola Moto G5s
9626 Points -23%
ZTE Blade V9
12482 Points 0%
Honor 9 Lite
11712 Points -6%
Nokia 6 2018
18572 Points +49%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
7456 Points -40%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
13277 Points +7%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (12281 - 12736, n=12)
12470 Points 0%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
13997 Points
Motorola Moto G5s
9045 Points -35%
ZTE Blade V9
13862 Points -1%
Honor 9 Lite
14780 Points +6%
Nokia 6 2018
13196 Points -6%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
12955 Points -7%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
17044 Points +22%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (13596 - 15273, n=12)
14216 Points +2%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
800 Points
Motorola Moto G5s
555 Points -31%
ZTE Blade V9
807 Points +1%
Honor 9 Lite
230 Points -71%
Nokia 6 2018
1332 Points +67%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
340 Points -57%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
849 Points +6%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (800 - 829, n=14)
812 Points +2%
Average of class Smartphone (712 - 7285, n=52, last 2 years)
3495 Points +337%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Graphics (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
690 Points
Motorola Moto G5s
483 Points -30%
ZTE Blade V9
697 Points +1%
Honor 9 Lite
184 Points -73%
Nokia 6 2018
1249 Points +81%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
278 Points -60%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
725 Points +5%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (690 - 716, n=14)
701 Points +2%
Average of class Smartphone (618 - 9451, n=52, last 2 years)
3845 Points +457%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Physics (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
1803 Points
Motorola Moto G5s
1158 Points -36%
ZTE Blade V9
1813 Points +1%
Honor 9 Lite
1788 Points -1%
Nokia 6 2018
1733 Points -4%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
1535 Points -15%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
2127 Points +18%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (1504 - 1901, n=14)
1785 Points -1%
Average of class Smartphone (1093 - 4525, n=52, last 2 years)
2989 Points +66%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
442 Points
Motorola Moto G5s
295 Points -33%
ZTE Blade V9
444 Points 0%
Honor 9 Lite
312 Points -29%
Nokia 6 2018
814 Points +84%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
247 Points -44%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
464 Points +5%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (438 - 449, n=14)
443 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone (286 - 7890, n=102, last 2 years)
2665 Points +503%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Graphics (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
363 Points
Motorola Moto G5s
243 Points -33%
ZTE Blade V9
365 Points +1%
Honor 9 Lite
253 Points -30%
Nokia 6 2018
707 Points +95%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
199 Points -45%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
379 Points +4%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (349 - 382, n=14)
365 Points +1%
Average of class Smartphone (240 - 9814, n=102, last 2 years)
2655 Points +631%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Physics (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
1834 Points
Motorola Moto G5s
1199 Points -35%
ZTE Blade V9
1841 Points 0%
Honor 9 Lite
1748 Points -5%
Nokia 6 2018
1738 Points -5%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
1522 Points -17%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
2132 Points +16%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (1521 - 1860, n=14)
1790 Points -2%
Average of class Smartphone (858 - 4679, n=102, last 2 years)
3119 Points +70%
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
20 fps
Motorola Moto G5s
16 fps -20%
ZTE Blade V9
fps -100%
Honor 9 Lite
18 fps -10%
Nokia 6 2018
31 fps +55%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
12 fps -40%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
22 fps +10%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (20 - 34, n=13)
28.1 fps +41%
Average of class Smartphone (22 - 165, n=178, last 2 years)
83 fps +315%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
22 fps
Motorola Moto G5s
16 fps -27%
ZTE Blade V9
fps -100%
Honor 9 Lite
19 fps -14%
Nokia 6 2018
30 fps +36%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
12 fps -45%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
23 fps +5%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (21 - 23, n=13)
21.8 fps -1%
Average of class Smartphone (19 - 791, n=178, last 2 years)
244 fps +1009%
GFXBench 3.0
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
8.9 fps
Motorola Moto G5s
7.4 fps -17%
ZTE Blade V9
fps -100%
Honor 9 Lite
8.4 fps -6%
Nokia 6 2018
15 fps +69%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
5.1 fps -43%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
9.6 fps +8%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (8.7 - 18, n=13)
13.9 fps +56%
Average of class Smartphone (6.8 - 165, n=179, last 2 years)
71 fps +698%
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
9.4 fps
Motorola Moto G5s
7.1 fps -24%
ZTE Blade V9
fps -100%
Honor 9 Lite
8.6 fps -9%
Nokia 6 2018
14 fps +49%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
5.1 fps -46%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
9.8 fps +4%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (9.2 - 9.4, n=13)
9.3 fps -1%
Average of class Smartphone (9.2 - 363, n=179, last 2 years)
138 fps +1368%
GFXBench 3.1
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
5.8 fps
Motorola Moto G5s
5 fps -14%
ZTE Blade V9
fps -100%
Honor 9 Lite
5 fps -14%
Nokia 6 2018
10 fps +72%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
3.2 fps -45%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
6.3 fps +9%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (5.7 - 13, n=13)
9.98 fps +72%
Average of class Smartphone (3.7 - 158, n=179, last 2 years)
59.9 fps +933%
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
6.1 fps
Motorola Moto G5s
4.6 fps -25%
ZTE Blade V9
fps -100%
Honor 9 Lite
3.2 fps -48%
Nokia 6 2018
9.8 fps +61%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
3.3 fps -46%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
6.4 fps +5%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (6 - 6.9, n=13)
6.15 fps +1%
Average of class Smartphone (6.2 - 279, n=179, last 2 years)
96.7 fps +1485%
GFXBench
on screen Car Chase Onscreen (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
3.3 fps
Motorola Moto G5s
2.7 fps -18%
ZTE Blade V9
fps -100%
Honor 9 Lite
2.9 fps -12%
Nokia 6 2018
5.9 fps +79%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
1.9 fps -42%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
3.5 fps +6%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (3.3 - 7, n=13)
5.4 fps +64%
Average of class Smartphone (5 - 117, n=179, last 2 years)
42.9 fps +1200%
1920x1080 Car Chase Offscreen (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
3.4 fps
Motorola Moto G5s
2.5 fps -26%
ZTE Blade V9
fps -100%
Honor 9 Lite
3.2 fps -6%
Nokia 6 2018
5.6 fps +65%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
1.9 fps -44%
BQ Aquaris X Pro
3.5 fps +3%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (3.3 - 3.6, n=13)
3.44 fps +1%
Average of class Smartphone (2.9 - 166, n=179, last 2 years)
58.6 fps +1624%
Lightmark - 1920x1080 1080p (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
5.38 fps
ZTE Blade V9
5.41 fps +1%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (5.38 - 5.41, n=2)
5.4 fps 0%
Basemark ES 3.1 / Metal - offscreen Overall Score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto G6
129 Points
ZTE Blade V9
129 Points 0%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (129 - 129, n=2)
129 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone (177 - 6114, n=61, last 2 years)
2145 Points +1563%

Legend

 
Motorola Moto G6 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Qualcomm Adreno 506, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Motorola Moto G5s Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 (MSM8937), Qualcomm Adreno 505, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
ZTE Blade V9 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Qualcomm Adreno 506, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Honor 9 Lite HiSilicon Kirin 659, ARM Mali-T830 MP2, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Nokia 6 2018 Qualcomm Snapdragon 630, Qualcomm Adreno 508, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa, ARM Mali-T830 MP1, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
BQ Aquaris X Pro Qualcomm Snapdragon 626, Qualcomm Adreno 506, 64 GB eMMC Flash

Using the preinstalled Chrome 66 browser, you can surf quite fast on the web. In the benchmarks, the Moto G6 is at the same level as the ZTE Blade V9 and is only beaten by the competitors with stronger SoCs.

JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Average of class Smartphone (66.1 - 414, n=3, last 2 years)
194.9 Points +764%
Nokia 6 2018 (Browser: Chrome 65)
28.17 Points +25%
BQ Aquaris X Pro (Chrome 59.0.3071.125)
26.84 Points +19%
Honor 9 Lite (Chrome 63)
26.42 Points +17%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 (Samsung Browser 5.4)
25.97 Points +15%
Motorola Moto G6 (Chrome 66)
22.56 Points
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (22 - 22.7, n=13)
22.4 Points -1%
ZTE Blade V9 (Ume Browser 1.2.18)
22.01 Points -2%
Motorola Moto G5s (Chrome 62)
18.66 Points -17%
Octane V2 - Total Score
Average of class Smartphone (4633 - 89112, n=202, last 2 years)
33525 Points +750%
Nokia 6 2018 (Browser: Chrome 65)
4993 Points +27%
Honor 9 Lite (Chrome 63)
4742 Points +20%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 (Samsung Browser 5.4)
4560 Points +16%
BQ Aquaris X Pro (Chrome 59.0.3071.125)
4424 Points +12%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (3470 - 4115, n=14)
3981 Points +1%
ZTE Blade V9 (Ume Browser 1.2.18)
3969 Points +1%
Motorola Moto G6 (Chrome 66)
3943 Points
Motorola Moto G5s (Chrome 62)
3035 Points -23%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
Motorola Moto G5s (Chrome 62)
13057 ms * -11%
ZTE Blade V9 (Ume Browser 1.2.18)
11863 ms * -1%
Motorola Moto G6 (Chrome 66)
11751 ms *
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (11012 - 11863, n=14)
11506 ms * +2%
Honor 9 Lite (Chrome 63)
10250 ms * +13%
Nokia 6 2018 (Browser: Chrome 65)
9923 ms * +16%
BQ Aquaris X Pro (Chrome 59.0.3071.125)
8742 ms * +26%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 (Samsung Browser 5.4)
6821 ms * +42%
Average of class Smartphone (388 - 9999, n=165, last 2 years)
1653 ms * +86%
WebXPRT 2015 - Overall
Nokia 6 2018
117 Points +30%
Honor 9 Lite (Chrome 63)
108 Points +20%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (90 - 103, n=7)
97 Points +8%
ZTE Blade V9 (Ume Browser 1.2.18)
90 Points 0%
Motorola Moto G6 (Chrome 66)
90 Points
BQ Aquaris X Pro (Chrome 59.0.3071.125)
86 Points -4%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 (Samsung Browser 5.4)
75 Points -17%
Motorola Moto G5s (Chrome 62)
61 Points -32%
WebXPRT 3 - Overall
Average of class Smartphone (37 - 304, n=119, last 2 years)
131.8 Points +325%
Nokia 6 2018 (Chrome 66)
35 Points +13%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (28 - 34, n=8)
31.3 Points +1%
Motorola Moto G6 (Chrome 66)
31 Points

* ... smaller is better

In direct comparison, the 32 GB eMMC storage of the Motorola Moto G6 is relatively fast and only beaten by the Honor 9 Lite. After the first startup, there is still 25.35 GB of available storage for the user, since the firmware together with the preinstalled apps use only 6.65 GB.

We test the speed of the microSD card slot with our Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 reference card (max. read: 270 MB/s, write: 150 MB/s). Even though the transfer rates are decent, the potential of the storage card is not fully used and the Moto G6 comes in last in the comparison field in this discipline. 

Motorola Moto G6Motorola Moto G5sZTE Blade V9Honor 9 LiteSamsung Galaxy J7 2017BQ Aquaris X ProAverage 32 GB eMMC FlashAverage of class Smartphone
AndroBench 3-5
-13%
-19%
11%
-35%
-18%
-22%
481%
Sequential Read 256KB
238.2
259
9%
265.4
11%
269.6
13%
198.5
-17%
270.5
14%
242 ?(25.8 - 452, n=247)
2%
1467 ?(215 - 4512, n=210, last 2 years)
516%
Sequential Write 256KB
117.2
77.5
-34%
119.4
2%
138.2
18%
53
-55%
139.6
19%
100.5 ?(14.8 - 196, n=247)
-14%
1077 ?(57.5 - 3678, n=210, last 2 years)
819%
Random Read 4KB
69.9
40.6
-42%
29.81
-57%
68.4
-2%
25.86
-63%
37.97
-46%
43.2 ?(3.59 - 117.2, n=247)
-38%
241 ?(22.2 - 543, n=210, last 2 years)
245%
Random Write 4KB
59.9
46.2
-23%
12.47
-79%
66.8
12%
10.54
-82%
12.07
-80%
22.4 ?(0.75 - 91, n=247)
-63%
265 ?(13 - 709, n=210, last 2 years)
342%
Sequential Read 256KB SDCard
75.3 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
84.1 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
12%
83.9 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
11%
83.1 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
10%
76.1 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
1%
78.7 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M401)
5%
71.8 ?(8.2 - 96.5, n=178)
-5%
Sequential Write 256KB SDCard
61.5 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
62.3 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
1%
62.1 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
1%
71.9 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
17%
63.9 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
4%
49.77 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M401)
-19%
52.9 ?(3.4 - 87.1, n=178)
-14%

Games - Stronger than the Moto G5

The graphics acceleration in the Motorola Moto G 6 is handled by a Qualcomm Adreno 506, which has a nominal clock speed of up to 650 MHz, but according to the manufacturer specifications runs at only 600 MHz. However, the performance offered by the mid-range GPU is on the expected level. We evaluate the frame rates with GameBench using current games. The "Asphalt 8" racing game still runs to a large extent smoothly even at high details, which had not been the case with the Adreno 505 of the Moto G5. But there are also some short drops with the new graphics unit, which show as a short stutter in the game. With hardware intensive games in particular such as "Arena of Valor" or "PUBG", this can become annoying during the game, which points us towards using lowest graphic settings. We also tested the game with medium settings, but unfortunately the frame rates are then not recorded for some unknown reason. While you can continue to play, there are some noticeable stutters occasionally. For all three games, the load times are noticeably longer than in smartphones with more powerful SoCs.

In the test, the position sensor of the Moto G6 is fast to react and precise, and also the touchscreen gives no reason for complaint. Moreover, the speaker inside the ear piece is positioned well, so that it does not even get covered accidentally when things become hectic. 

Arena of Valor
Arena of Valor
PUBG Mobile
PUBG Mobile
Asphalt 8
Asphalt 8
Asphalt 8: Airborne
 SettingsValue
 high29 fps
 very low30 fps
Arena of Valor
 SettingsValue
 min31 fps
 high HD30 fps
PUBG Mobile
 SettingsValue
 Smooth26 fps

Emissions - Cool Moto smartphone with decent speakers

Temperature

Moto G6: GFXBench T-Rex battery test (OpenGL ES 2.0)
T-Rex
Moto G6: GFXBench Manhattan battery test (OpenGL ES 3.1)
Manhattan

The surface temperatures of the Motorola Moto G6 remain comfortably low, and only a small area of the smartphone warms up to body temperature. It is also positive that the values hardly increase during constant load.

With the aid of the GFXBench battery test, we evaluate the behavior of the SoC during prolonged load. But neither in the T-Rex test scenario (OpenGL ES 2.0), nor in the more power hungry Manhattan test (OpenGL ES 3.1) does the Moto show any weaknesses, delivering an even performance constantly. 

Max. Load
 31.5 °C
89 F
31.7 °C
89 F
32 °C
90 F
 
 32.2 °C
90 F
32.7 °C
91 F
36.4 °C
98 F
 
 31.9 °C
89 F
32.6 °C
91 F
35.6 °C
96 F
 
Maximum: 36.4 °C = 98 F
Average: 33 °C = 91 F
30.1 °C
86 F
30.8 °C
87 F
31.1 °C
88 F
30.5 °C
87 F
31.6 °C
89 F
30.9 °C
88 F
29.7 °C
85 F
31.8 °C
89 F
30.6 °C
87 F
Maximum: 31.8 °C = 89 F
Average: 30.8 °C = 87 F
Power Supply (max.)  24.6 °C = 76 F | Room Temperature 20.6 °C = 69 F | Voltcraft IR-260
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 33 °C / 91 F, compared to the average of 32.7 °C / 91 F for the devices in the class Smartphone.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 36.4 °C / 98 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 31.8 °C / 89 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(±) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 32.3 °C / 90 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.

Speakers

Moto G6: Pink-Noise curves
Pink-Noise curves

The speaker of the Moto G6 is located in the earpiece of the smartphone, so it does not get covered even when it is lying on the table. At medium volume, it offers a relatively balanced and pleasant sound. Unfortunately, the Moto G6 is unable to maintain this at a high volume, since the high notes become more prevalent then, causing it to sound tinny.

Despite having a USB Type-C, the Motorola smartphone still offers a headphone jack, which outputs the sound cleanly and with a low level of noise. The USB port offers no audio capabilities.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2036.537.82538.233.63135.836.1402937.5503436.36333.830.18027.230.410028.627.912528.933.416027.748.320026.65225021.860.831522.562.840021.363.350021.466.763019.168.380018.966.7100019.768.9125018.772.7160018.471.1200019.173.2250018.676.9315019.878.6400019.578500019.278.863001977.1800019.175.41000019.375.51250019.971.91600019.861.8SPL31.787.4N1.770median 19.7median 70Delta1.96.228.623.524.921.724.621.926.422.630.831.423.622.920.218.619.920.617.622.319.135.619.136.617.443.916.951.216.854.315.156.816.557.915.663156615.565.315.368.215.76915.573.815.573.415.473.415.873.81672.115.872.416.171.616.168.117.354.527.982.9151.3median 16median 65.30.712.631.630.825.430.525.331.232.930.733.631.731.628.828.422.6272620.836.82240.221.349.220.853.721.257.119.462.619.567.417.767.817.969.517.870.717.372.117.474.616.775.217.275.518.277.917.981.417.67917.775.617.875.417.971.318.162.618.255.83087.11.370.5median 17.9median 70.51.410.2hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseMotorola Moto G6ZTE Blade V9Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Motorola Moto G6 audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (87.4 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 22.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.9% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 7.1% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (2.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (18.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 15% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 76% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 37% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 55% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

ZTE Blade V9 audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (82.9 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 30.2% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.6% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 7.7% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (2.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (25.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 58% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 35% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 75% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 20% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (87.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 26.6% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.2% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 6.1% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (4.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (20.3% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 27% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 64% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 47% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 44% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Battery Life - Efficient smartphone with a good battery life

Energy Consumption

While the power consumption of the Motorola Moto G6 has improved particularly under load, at maximum brightness the new display draws more power from the battery, which was to be expected due to the larger panel surface. However, the smartphone is more efficient than its predecessor, which can mainly be traced back to the more efficient Snapdragon processor.

The Moto G6 supports Motorola's TurboPower charging standard, which is based on USB-PD. The box includes the corresponding fast charger (15 watts). With it, the battery can be fully recharged within 95 minutes, with 50 percent being reached after 30 minutes, and 80 percent after 53 minutes.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.01 / 0.19 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 0.6 / 1.81 / 1.86 Watt
Load midlight 2.78 / 4.04 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Motorola Moto G6
3000 mAh
Motorola Moto G5s
3000 mAh
ZTE Blade V9
3200 mAh
Honor 9 Lite
3000 mAh
Nokia 6 2018
3000 mAh
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
3600 mAh
BQ Aquaris X Pro
3100 mAh
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450
 
Average of class Smartphone
 
Power Consumption
-22%
-3%
-20%
-4%
35%
-23%
-33%
-44%
Idle Minimum *
0.6
0.67
-12%
0.71
-18%
0.85
-42%
0.67
-12%
0.39
35%
0.67
-12%
0.794 ?(0.51 - 1.26, n=14)
-32%
0.891 ?(0.42 - 2.37, n=157, last 2 years)
-49%
Idle Average *
1.81
1.4
23%
1.73
4%
2
-10%
1.76
3%
1.06
41%
1.7
6%
2.27 ?(0.96 - 4.45, n=14)
-25%
1.448 ?(0.69 - 4.26, n=157, last 2 years)
20%
Idle Maximum *
1.86
1.52
18%
1.78
4%
2.04
-10%
1.78
4%
1.08
42%
1.78
4%
2.48 ?(0.99 - 4.51, n=14)
-33%
1.63 ?(0.79 - 4.45, n=157, last 2 years)
12%
Load Average *
2.78
4.56
-64%
2.74
1%
3.23
-16%
2.82
-1%
1.82
35%
4.42
-59%
3.95 ?(1.85 - 7.1, n=14)
-42%
5.57 ?(2.4 - 16.5, n=157, last 2 years)
-100%
Load Maximum *
4.04
7.05
-75%
4.36
-8%
4.93
-22%
4.56
-13%
3.21
21%
6.3
-56%
5.38 ?(3.04 - 8.8, n=14)
-33%
8.27 ?(4.32 - 20.8, n=157, last 2 years)
-105%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

The battery of the Moto G6 offers 3000 mAh and with that is the same size as that in the Moto G5s. Despite the larger display, the battery life of the new smartphone remains on a similar level. Only when playing videos or reading does the G6 demand a little more power, while the runtime turns out slightly better during surfing on the WLAN and that under load even increases noticeably.

However, the Blade V9 shows that it can be done even better while surfing on the WLAN, offering a battery life that is 43 percent longer in the test than the Moto G6. This can only be partially traced back to the slightly more powerful battery. Overall, the Moto smartphone offers a good battery life that should easily last for a day. 

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
19h 30min
WiFi Websurfing (Chrome 66)
9h 13min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
10h 00min
Load (maximum brightness)
5h 38min
Motorola Moto G6
3000 mAh
Motorola Moto G5s
3000 mAh
ZTE Blade V9
3200 mAh
Honor 9 Lite
3000 mAh
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
3600 mAh
BQ Aquaris X Pro
3100 mAh
Battery Runtime
-7%
43%
-8%
67%
18%
Reader / Idle
1170
1233
5%
965
-18%
1950
67%
1840
57%
H.264
600
645
8%
622
4%
1096
83%
644
7%
WiFi v1.3
553
518
-6%
790
43%
601
9%
904
63%
730
32%
Load
338
225
-33%
253
-25%
525
55%
254
-25%

Pros

+ bright high-contrast display
+ dual SIM and microSD expansion
+ good dual camera
+ attractive design
+ reliable GPS
+ good voice quality

Cons

- glass back attracts dirt and is slippery
- low WLAN range
- only LTE Cat. 4

Verdict

Testing the Motorola Moto G6. Test unit provided by Motorola Germany.
Testing the Motorola Moto G6. Test unit provided by Motorola Germany.

After just six month, Motorola offers its latest addition of the popular G series to the customers. With a new display, glass back, a dual camera, and the new Snapdragon 450, the jump turns out larger than that between the Moto G5 and the G5s earlier.

We also have to emphasize positively that the manufacturer has not increased the price. With a price of 249 Euros (~$298; around $250 in the US) at market introduction, it is still quite close to some more powerfully equipped competitors that have been available for a while, such as the BQ Aquaris X Pro or the in-house Moto X4, for example. However, this will change in the next few months when the price will drop slowly.

Visually, the Motorola Moto G6 looks like a Moto X4 Light and keeps many positive characteristics of its larger sibling model.

In the test, the Moto G6 mainly convinces with its good dual camera and the modern, attractive design. Although the smartphone is only available in one color at the time of the test, we find it very attractive. In addition, the display can be really bright and offers a strong contrast ratio, and the battery life is more than decent.

We were not always happy with the quality of the WLAN connection during the test, since the quality of the connection was varying even in close proximity to the router and the range dropped rapidly if there was a wall between the smartphone and the router. Overall, the Motorola Moto G6 represents a successful update. 

Motorola Moto G6 - 05/07/2018 v6(old)
Daniel Schmidt

Chassis
91%
Keyboard
69 / 75 → 91%
Pointing Device
92%
Connectivity
40 / 60 → 67%
Weight
91%
Battery
91%
Display
86%
Games Performance
27 / 63 → 42%
Application Performance
47 / 70 → 67%
Temperature
91%
Noise
100%
Audio
71 / 91 → 78%
Camera
71%
Average
74%
84%
Smartphone - Weighted Average

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Daniel Schmidt, 2018-05-12 (Update: 2020-05-19)