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Motorola Moto G7 series announced: Keeping it real
Motorola today announced the Moto G7 series, a refresh of its mid-range phones that are often sold by prepaid carriers. As in previous years, the series includes several variants with slightly different designs, features, and prices.
The series includes the refined Moto G7, the long-lasting Moto G7 Power, the ultra-affordable Moto G7 Play, and the camera-focused Moto G7 Plus. The phones pick up the G-series mantle and wear it comfortably thanks to slim profiles, fine materials, and a lot of bang for the buck.
Common ground
The phones are all powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 632, a middle-of-the-road processor for these mid-range phones. The 632 has eight cores clocked at 1.8GHz and an Adreno 506 GPU. It’s a solid power plant. All three phones also have USB-C and a 3.5mm headphone jack, as well as a fingerprint reader. Sadly, there’s no NFC.
Android 9 Pie is the core software experience shared by the G7, G7 Power, and G7 Play. Motorola built on that with its Moto Experience, a set of software tools that make living with the phones rewarding. For example, the One Button Nav function makes Pie’s kludgy UX less of a hassle. The swiping and tapping gestures make more sense and are easier to master.
Other common features include Quick Capture for opening the camera with a twist of the wrist, Fast Flashlight for quickly illuminating your environment, and Attentive Display (ambient display) for ensuring you’re always up to date on notifications.
Motorola copy-and-pasted the camera application across the three phones. Each offers time-lapse, portrait shooting, and Google Lens integration.
Moto G7 is the finest
The G7 sits at the top of the pecking order. Its double-sided glass design with 3D Gorilla Glass both front and back sets it apart. It comes in black or white.
The G7 is the only one to offer a Full HD+ display. Motorola has chosen a 19:9 aspect ratio for the G7 series and the G7 has a 6.2-inch LCD with a resolution of 2,270 by 1,080 pixels. The phone has more memory (4GB) and more storage (64GB) than its more-affordable brethren.
The Moto G7 is a classy package.
A dual-camera system on the rear also helps the G7 stand apart. The main sensor captures 12MP images at f/1.8. It is assisted by a 5MP depth sensor, which powers the phone’s bokeh/portrait functionality. An 8MP camera is on front. It has a screen-based fill flash.
Motorola embedded a 3,000mAh battery in the chassis to ensure long battery life, too. It’s a classy package.
Moto G7 Power is the biggest
The G7 Power delivers exactly what you expect from a phone with this name: lots of power. In this case, power means battery life. The callout feature of the G7 Power is a 5,000mAh battery. Motorola claims the G7 Power can make it three days on a charge, way more than most modern phones. The quick charge battery can give you nine hours of power after just 15 minutes of charging. Power indeed.
The screen is just as large as the G7’s, but it isn’t as sharp. It offers 1,570 by 720 pixels, or HD+ resolution. The G7 Power also downgrades the memory (3GB) and storage (32GB).
The G7 Power delivers exactly what you expect from a phone with this name: lots of power.
A single 12MP f/2 camera adorns the back. The selfie camera is 8MP at f/2.2. Motorola said the G7 Power can shoot bokeh photos with both the front and rear cameras, but uses software to create the blur effect.
Moto G7 Play is the smallest and cheapest
Motorola’s “Play” branded phones are always the lesser of bunch. The company takes care to make an affordable version of its devices so people of all means can find something appealing in their price range. Thus, the G7 Play’s specs are dialed back a bit.
It has a 5.7-inch screen with the same 1,570 by 720, or HD+, resolution as the larger G7 Power. That means the screen is actually a bit more dense when it comes to the pixels. It drops the memory down to 2GB, but carries over the G7 Power’s 32GB of storage.
A 13MP f/2.0 camera is on the rear and an 8MP f/2.2 camera is on front. The G7 Play is limited to 1080p HD video capture.
Like the G7, the G7 Play has a 3,000mAh battery tucked inside. Motorola says it can last about a day and a half between charges.
Moto G7 Plus is its own phone
The Plus model is strikingly different from the rest of the G7 series. Motorola says this device focuses on delivering a refined camera experience.
Starting with the processor, the G7 Plus boosts a fair number of specs compared to the others. It has an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor clocked at 1.8GHz, aided by an Adreno 509 GPU. Memory is up to 4GB and storage is 64GB.
The camera has a richer 16MP sensor at f/1.7 and a 5MP depth sensor for portrait mode. Camera features include auto HDR, high-resolution zoom, and EIS/OIS. A 12MP selfie camera is on front and it includes group selfie and slow motion video modes.
The Plus model is strikingly different from the rest of the G7 series.
The screen is the same as the G7, meaning a 6.2-inch display with Full HD+ resolution. The battery rates 3,000mAh, and has been improved with rapid 27W charging, delivering 12 hours of uptime after 15 minutes on the charger.
Some disappointing omissions
A number of desirable features are missing from all four phones, which might discourage some buyers.
There’s no NFC. Without NFC, that means no Google Pay. Motorola says it decided against NFC for cost concerns.
Don’t expect to charge your Moto G7 series phone wirelessly. Each needs to be plugged into a traditional cable for charging. Thankfully Motorola didn’t skimp on the batteries.
There's no NFC. Without NFC, that means no Google Pay.
Keep the G7 series away from the pool. Motorola has protected the phones’ innards with a nano-coating meant to safeguard them from moisture for years. In this case, moisture means just that: sweat, maybe some light rain or splashing, but definitely no immersion. None of these phones have actual IP ratings.
Available today in some regions
The Moto G7 series is coming sooner than you might think. All four phones hit Brazil and Mexico today. The G7, G7 Power, and G7 Play will reach Europe in the coming weeks, and North America, including the U.S., later this spring. Pricing is reasonable across the board. The G7 retails for $299, the G7 Power retails for $249, the G7 Play retails for $199, and the G7 Plus, which will only be made available in select markets, retails for 299 euros (~$340).
That’s not the whole story! Check out even more Moto G7 coverage (linked below) for a full list of specs, pricing and availability, and an even closer look at each phone.