Moto G8 Plus review

Moto G8 Plus has just been announced in India and follows the G7 Plus, which was launched earlier this year. The company’s G-series phones have always focused on providing the best and slickest possible experience, and it does it by loading a neat, stock Android to the phones it makes.

The G8 Plus brings more value to the table with a versatile camera system array, stereo speakers, a minimal bezel display, and an efficient battery management system. Due to the recent developments in the budget smartphone segment, we’re seeing an influx of a lot many features trickling down from the high-end phones, and as a result, there’s much more to experience with your phone today.

Motorola’s latest phone, as such, goes forward with the same principle, bringing in a 48MP triple camera setup to the roster and fast charging tech. But is it powerful enough to make a dent in the most populous smartphone segment in India? Let’s find out.

Moto G8 Plus price and release date

Moto G8 Plus has been launched in India and goes on sale for the first time from October 25. The company has a single variant up for sale with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage which is priced at Rs 13,999.

The phone will be available on Flipkart by the end of October. 

• Motorola Moto G8 Plus with ultra-wide action camera launched in India

Design

Moto G8 Plus has a plastic build and comes in two color options-- Cosmic Blue and Crystal Pink. The back panel has a gradient-like glossy finish with the camera modules tucked into the top left corner and the iconic Motorola batwing logo aligned in the middle.

The logo area double’s up as a fingerprint sensor, which is rather intuitive and unlocks the phone in a jiffy. While in-display fingerprint sensors have started making an appearance on mid-range phones, those applications still aren’t as fast as a traditional fingerprint sensor.

The phone measures 9.09mm at its thickest point and weigh 188 grams, which is more than the G7 Plus. The right edge houses volume rocker and an unlock button, which is textured for better identification, while the left edge is home to a hybrid SIM card slot. So, if you’re someone who uses dual-SIMs and a microSD card, you’ll be hard-pressed to choose between either of them without losing out on the other. 

On the top edge, there’s a microphone and a 3.5mm headphone jack, which can be used to connect earphones/headphones for an immersive audio experience. The bottom edge has a microphone, USB Type-C port, and a speaker grill.

Motorola claims that the body of the G8 Plus is water repellent, and the company has implemented little rubber gaskets throughout the build of the phone to back that claim up. However, it's still not the same as an IP67/68 rated phone, so anything other than usual splashes of water may do some damage.

A soft protective plastic case is provided in-the-box for added protection against regular wear and tear, which is good.

Overall, there’s nothing out of the extraordinary about the design of the Moto G8 Plus, and if anything, it’s only made more ergonomic with the inclusion of a plastic build instead of a glass-metal sandwich design on the G7 Plus. The design of the Moto G8 Plus resembles more closely to the company’s latest One series handsets with a pinch of good-ol’ Moto G goodness.

Display

Motorola G8 Plus has a slightly bigger screen than the G7 Plus at 6.3-inches. It is an IPS LCD panel with a Full HD+ (2280 x 1080 pixels) resolution and a u-shaped notch up top. The notch design lends it a 19:9 aspect ratio, which is decent for watching videos. The screen is topped with a layer of Panda Glass which is similar to Corning’s glass solution for protection against drops.

There are narrow bezels on three sides except for the chin area, which has a distinct bezel. There’s a speaker grill just above the notch, which works in tandem with the bottom speaker, making up the phone’s stereo system. 

The display on the G8 Plus is excellent for watching videos, movies and play games on the go. The slightly wider design complements the overall profile of the phone when in hand. Due to the 19:9 aspect ratio, videos resize automatically, but without additional cropping. The screen tilts towards the cooler color spectrum by default, but users can change it according to their preference from the given three options-- natural, booster, and saturated.

Additionally, the phone has Peek Display and Attentive Display features as part of the more extensive Moto customizations suite, which allows notifications and more on the screen when the phone is locked and keeps the screen on while you’re looking at it, respectively.

The display on the phone is suitable for casual viewing and gaming, especially if you’re traveling and are always on-the-go. The screen produces crisp and bright colors. But we still can't call it the best display as there are FHD+ AMOLED options available at this price point.