If there’s one brand of smartphone I have a soft spot for, it has got to be Motorola. The iconic brand hasn’t had the best of times, especially in Malaysia. Which is kind of sad because I think there’s something special about the brand, and who can say no to “hello moto”?
The motorola one signalled a comeback for the brand in Malaysia, albeit via e-commerce retailer Shopee, and not official representation from either Motorola or Lenovo Malaysia.
It wasn’t the best comeback either, as we found in the review.
Stumbling comebacks aside, there’s now another mid-range motorola device in the market—the live-wire moto G7 Power. Thanks to Wantjoin (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, who run the Motorola Official E-stores in Malaysia (Shopee & Lazada), I got a unit to play around with.
Here’s what’s in the box:
- moto G7 Power unit
- USB-C 15W TurboPower charger
- USB Type-A to USB-C charge cable
- In-ear headphones
- Soft protective cover
- Screen protector
- SIM ejector tool
- Manual and warranty documentation
TL;DR version
Specs
As its namesake suggests, the moto G7 Power is all about battery life. In fact, Motorola has slapped a massive 5,000mAh battery that is claimed to last up to three days on one charge. If you do find the phone running low on juice, simply charge up the device with the supplied USB-C 15W TurboPower charger and you’ll be up and running in a jiffy. With just 15 minutes of charge time, you can get up to 9 hours of power.
The phone sports a 6.2-inch HD+ Max Vision display with a notch that houses the 8MP f/2.2 front-facing camera. It supports Face unlock for fast and easy authentication.
Powering the device is an octa-core Snapdragon 632 processor that’s mated to 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. There’s microSD storage expansion and a fingerprint reader on the back.
The device features a single 12MP f/2.0 rear camera with PDAF and large 1.25-micron pixels. The camera supports Portrait mode, Google Lens and you can even shoot cinema graphs.
There’s a 3.5mm headphone jack as well as built-in FM radio.
The dual-SIM device runs Android 9 Pie out-of-the-box, and being a motorola device, boasts motorola-exclusive shortcuts and gestures.
In terms of design, the moto G7 Power isn’t bad looking at all. The mid-ranger feels well built, albeit in a glass-like plastic sort of way. It’s a little bit of a smudge and fingerprint magnet, but thankfully there’s a transparent soft silicone case included in the box.
Like the motorola one, the fingerprint sensor is built into the motorola logo located on the back of the phone.
While it doesn’t boast any IP-certified rating, the moto G7 Power has a water-repellent design that’s resilient against accidental spills, sweat and even light rain.
Pricing and availability
The moto G7 Power is officially priced at MYR699 and is available for purchase at the Motorola Official Store on Lazmall and Shopee.
First impressions
Motorola’s DNA is evident in the moto G7 Power–a consistent design language especially with the unmistakable circular camera module on the rear. It’s nicely built and feels good in the hand.
While only a HD+ screen, it doesn’t feel crippling in any way; it’s sufficiently bright and sharp. Good enough for reading, watching videos and playing games.
No Dolby Atmos on this one, and it only has a single down-firing speaker, but surprisingly it does pretty well together with the front earpiece.
What I do like is the pure stock Android experience—you can’t fault it—it’s snappy and responsive. I like that Moto Actions give you additional controls, mostly with gestures. I especially love One Button Nav where I can navigate the phone using just one on-screen button.
The main camera isn’t too shabby; it’s quick to focus and captures details and reproduces colour well. The front camera does a decent job, and even has auto HDR.
Overall, the moto G7 Power looks to be a solid package.
I can’t wait to push the battery to the limit.
Stay tuned for a full review.
