Motorola Moto G6 Smartphone Review
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.
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.
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.
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 | |
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 | |
BQ Aquaris X Pro | |
Motorola Moto G6 | |
Motorola Moto G5s | |
Honor 9 Lite | |
ZTE Blade V9 | |
iperf3 receive AX12 | |
Average of class Smartphone (last 2 years) | |
Nokia 6 2018 | |
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 | |
BQ Aquaris X Pro | |
Motorola Moto G5s | |
Motorola Moto G6 | |
Honor 9 Lite | |
ZTE Blade V9 |
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.
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
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.
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.
Accessories and Warranty
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
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) |
|
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)
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.
Display 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.
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.
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 | |
Motorola Moto G5s | |
ZTE Blade V9 | |
Honor 9 Lite | |
Nokia 6 2018 | |
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 | |
BQ Aquaris X Pro | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (54731 - 60077, n=10) |
AnTuTu v7 | |
Total Score (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto G6 | |
ZTE Blade V9 | |
Honor 9 Lite | |
Nokia 6 2018 | |
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 | |
BQ Aquaris X Pro | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (56497 - 73468, n=11) | |
CPU (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto G6 | |
ZTE Blade V9 | |
Honor 9 Lite | |
Nokia 6 2018 | |
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 | |
BQ Aquaris X Pro | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (33473 - 35092, n=11) |
PCMark for Android | |
Work performance score (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto G6 | |
Motorola Moto G5s | |
ZTE Blade V9 | |
Honor 9 Lite | |
Nokia 6 2018 | |
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 | |
BQ Aquaris X Pro | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (4836 - 6062, n=14) | |
Average of class Smartphone (10884 - 19297, n=2, last 2 years) | |
Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto G6 | |
Motorola Moto G5s | |
ZTE Blade V9 | |
Honor 9 Lite | |
Nokia 6 2018 | |
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 | |
BQ Aquaris X Pro | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (4171 - 4759, n=14) | |
Average of class Smartphone (9101 - 12871, n=4, last 2 years) |
Geekbench 4.4 | |
64 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto G6 | |
Motorola Moto G5s | |
ZTE Blade V9 | |
Honor 9 Lite | |
Nokia 6 2018 | |
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 | |
BQ Aquaris X Pro | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (741 - 787, n=13) | |
Average of class Smartphone (800 - 9574, n=90, last 2 years) | |
64 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto G6 | |
Motorola Moto G5s | |
ZTE Blade V9 | |
Honor 9 Lite | |
Nokia 6 2018 | |
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 | |
BQ Aquaris X Pro | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (3272 - 4022, n=13) | |
Average of class Smartphone (2630 - 26990, n=90, last 2 years) | |
Compute RenderScript Score (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto G6 | |
Motorola Moto G5s | |
ZTE Blade V9 | |
Honor 9 Lite | |
Nokia 6 2018 | |
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (2777 - 3374, n=10) | |
Average of class Smartphone (2053 - 18432, n=70, last 2 years) |
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 | |
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto G6 | |
Motorola Moto G5s | |
ZTE Blade V9 | |
Honor 9 Lite | |
Nokia 6 2018 | |
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 | |
BQ Aquaris X Pro | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (20 - 34, n=13) | |
Average of class Smartphone (22 - 165, n=178, last 2 years) | |
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto G6 | |
Motorola Moto G5s | |
ZTE Blade V9 | |
Honor 9 Lite | |
Nokia 6 2018 | |
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 | |
BQ Aquaris X Pro | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (21 - 23, n=13) | |
Average of class Smartphone (19 - 791, n=178, last 2 years) |
GFXBench 3.0 | |
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto G6 | |
Motorola Moto G5s | |
ZTE Blade V9 | |
Honor 9 Lite | |
Nokia 6 2018 | |
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 | |
BQ Aquaris X Pro | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (8.7 - 18, n=13) | |
Average of class Smartphone (6.8 - 165, n=179, last 2 years) | |
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto G6 | |
Motorola Moto G5s | |
ZTE Blade V9 | |
Honor 9 Lite | |
Nokia 6 2018 | |
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 | |
BQ Aquaris X Pro | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (9.2 - 9.4, n=13) | |
Average of class Smartphone (9.2 - 363, n=179, last 2 years) |
GFXBench 3.1 | |
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto G6 | |
Motorola Moto G5s | |
ZTE Blade V9 | |
Honor 9 Lite | |
Nokia 6 2018 | |
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 | |
BQ Aquaris X Pro | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (5.7 - 13, n=13) | |
Average of class Smartphone (3.7 - 158, n=179, last 2 years) | |
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto G6 | |
Motorola Moto G5s | |
ZTE Blade V9 | |
Honor 9 Lite | |
Nokia 6 2018 | |
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 | |
BQ Aquaris X Pro | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (6 - 6.9, n=13) | |
Average of class Smartphone (6.2 - 279, n=179, last 2 years) |
GFXBench | |
on screen Car Chase Onscreen (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto G6 | |
Motorola Moto G5s | |
ZTE Blade V9 | |
Honor 9 Lite | |
Nokia 6 2018 | |
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 | |
BQ Aquaris X Pro | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (3.3 - 7, n=13) | |
Average of class Smartphone (5 - 117, n=179, last 2 years) | |
1920x1080 Car Chase Offscreen (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto G6 | |
Motorola Moto G5s | |
ZTE Blade V9 | |
Honor 9 Lite | |
Nokia 6 2018 | |
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 | |
BQ Aquaris X Pro | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (3.3 - 3.6, n=13) | |
Average of class Smartphone (2.9 - 166, n=179, last 2 years) |
Lightmark - 1920x1080 1080p (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto G6 | |
ZTE Blade V9 | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (5.38 - 5.41, n=2) |
Basemark ES 3.1 / Metal - offscreen Overall Score (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto G6 | |
ZTE Blade V9 | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (129 - 129, n=2) | |
Average of class Smartphone (177 - 6114, n=61, last 2 years) |
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) | |
Nokia 6 2018 (Browser: Chrome 65) | |
BQ Aquaris X Pro (Chrome 59.0.3071.125) | |
Honor 9 Lite (Chrome 63) | |
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 (Samsung Browser 5.4) | |
Motorola Moto G6 (Chrome 66) | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (22 - 22.7, n=13) | |
ZTE Blade V9 (Ume Browser 1.2.18) | |
Motorola Moto G5s (Chrome 62) |
Octane V2 - Total Score | |
Average of class Smartphone (4633 - 89112, n=202, last 2 years) | |
Nokia 6 2018 (Browser: Chrome 65) | |
Honor 9 Lite (Chrome 63) | |
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 (Samsung Browser 5.4) | |
BQ Aquaris X Pro (Chrome 59.0.3071.125) | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (3470 - 4115, n=14) | |
ZTE Blade V9 (Ume Browser 1.2.18) | |
Motorola Moto G6 (Chrome 66) | |
Motorola Moto G5s (Chrome 62) |
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
Motorola Moto G5s (Chrome 62) | |
ZTE Blade V9 (Ume Browser 1.2.18) | |
Motorola Moto G6 (Chrome 66) | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (11012 - 11863, n=14) | |
Honor 9 Lite (Chrome 63) | |
Nokia 6 2018 (Browser: Chrome 65) | |
BQ Aquaris X Pro (Chrome 59.0.3071.125) | |
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 (Samsung Browser 5.4) | |
Average of class Smartphone (388 - 9999, n=165, last 2 years) |
WebXPRT 2015 - Overall | |
Nokia 6 2018 | |
Honor 9 Lite (Chrome 63) | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (90 - 103, n=7) | |
ZTE Blade V9 (Ume Browser 1.2.18) | |
Motorola Moto G6 (Chrome 66) | |
BQ Aquaris X Pro (Chrome 59.0.3071.125) | |
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 (Samsung Browser 5.4) | |
Motorola Moto G5s (Chrome 62) |
WebXPRT 3 - Overall | |
Average of class Smartphone (37 - 304, n=119, last 2 years) | |
Nokia 6 2018 (Chrome 66) | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (28 - 34, n=8) | |
Motorola Moto G6 (Chrome 66) |
* ... 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 G6 | Motorola Moto G5s | ZTE Blade V9 | Honor 9 Lite | Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 | BQ Aquaris X Pro | Average 32 GB eMMC Flash | Average 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 ? 2% | 1467 ? 516% |
Sequential Write 256KB | 117.2 | 77.5 -34% | 119.4 2% | 138.2 18% | 53 -55% | 139.6 19% | 100.5 ? -14% | 1077 ? 819% |
Random Read 4KB | 69.9 | 40.6 -42% | 29.81 -57% | 68.4 -2% | 25.86 -63% | 37.97 -46% | 43.2 ? -38% | 241 ? 245% |
Random Write 4KB | 59.9 | 46.2 -23% | 12.47 -79% | 66.8 12% | 10.54 -82% | 12.07 -80% | 22.4 ? -63% | 265 ? 342% |
Sequential Read 256KB SDCard | 75.3 ? | 84.1 ? 12% | 83.9 ? 11% | 83.1 ? 10% | 76.1 ? 1% | 78.7 ? 5% | 71.8 ? -5% | |
Sequential Write 256KB SDCard | 61.5 ? | 62.3 ? 1% | 62.1 ? 1% | 71.9 ? 17% | 63.9 ? 4% | 49.77 ? -19% | 52.9 ? -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.
Asphalt 8: Airborne | |||
Settings | Value | ||
high | 29 fps | ||
very low | 30 fps |
Arena of Valor | |||
Settings | Value | ||
min | 31 fps | ||
high HD | 30 fps |
PUBG Mobile | |||
Settings | Value | ||
Smooth | 26 fps |
Emissions - Cool Moto smartphone with decent speakers
Temperature
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.
(+) 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
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.
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.
Off / Standby | 0.01 / 0.19 Watt |
Idle | 0.6 / 1.81 / 1.86 Watt |
Load |
2.78 / 4.04 Watt |
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 ? -32% | 0.891 ? -49% |
Idle Average * | 1.81 | 1.4 23% | 1.73 4% | 2 -10% | 1.76 3% | 1.06 41% | 1.7 6% | 2.27 ? -25% | 1.448 ? 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 ? -33% | 1.63 ? 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 ? -42% | 5.57 ? -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 ? -33% | 8.27 ? -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.
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
Cons
Verdict
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
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05/07/2018 v6(old)
Daniel Schmidt