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Moto G7 vs Moto G6: worth the upgrade?

Has Motorola once again made the finest budget phone around?

Motorola and its parent company Lenovo have been churning out fantastic budget smartphones for years now, with the original 2013 Moto G proving you didn’t need to pay top dollar to get a great experience.

Last year’s Moto G6 once again shone brightly as our favourite budget smartphone, even though the emergence of budget-focussed Chinese brands like Xiaomi have made the market tougher to dominate.

So, how has Motorola improved on its G-series this time? Let’s have a look and see what’s new with the Moto G7 (read our Moto G7 review).

Moto G7 vs Moto G6 design – What do they look like?

Sitting comfortably at the budget end of the market, the Moto G phones have never competed with the top-tier flagships in terms in design. They tended to be fairly blocky, bulky plastic phones with a focus on durability.

This approach changed slightly with the Moto G6. Instead of rubbery plastic, the phone was constructed with glass on both the front and back, giving it a much nicer feel. That has continued with the Moto G7 and from the back, it looks very similar. One obvious difference with the G7 is the fingerprint sensor now resides inside the Moto logo on the rear, rather than under the display on the bottom.

Moto G7 hands on front handheld

Moto G7

On the front is where the clear differences lie. The Moto G6 was released just as the 18:9 aspect ratio display trend began, whereas the Moto G7 comes just as we’ve reached peak notch. Instead of a wide notch like the iPhone XS, the G7 sports what’s affectionately known as a ‘dewdrop’ notch – meaning it doesn’t take up anywhere near as much room. This notch houses an 8-megapixel front camera (the same as the Moto G6).

Having that notch allows the display to be larger (6.2-inches as opposed to 5.7) without the phone being too much bigger. The Moto G7 is roughly 4mm taller than the G6 and marginally wider and thicker; it’s a big phone, but should feel ok if you’re already used to larger phones or are switching from the Moto G6.

Moto G6

Moto G6

Moto G7 vs Moto G6 specs and features – How are the performance improvements?

Even though the Moto G7 is impressively priced at £239, it doesn’t really lack any obvious specs. There’s 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, plus a Full HD+ (2270 x 1080) display and USB-C on the bottom for data and charging.

This is a healthy improvement over the G6, which packed 3GB RAM and 32GB storage (although there was a larger 64GB option available with some retailers too).

Moto G7 Moto G6
Display 6.2-inch 19:9 1080 x 2270 IPS LCD 5.7-inch 18:9 1080 x 2160 IPS LCD
Processor Snapdragon 632 Snapdragon 450
RAM 4GB 3GB
Rear camera 12MP + 5MP 12MP + 5MP
Front camera 8MP 8MP
Battery 3000mAh 3000mAh
Software Android 9.0 Android 8.0 Oreo
Storage 64GB w/ microSD up to 512GB 64GB w/ microSD

Arguably the bigger update is to the processor and chipset. Moto has upped the Snapdragon 450 to the Snapdragon 632. If you want even more oomph then the Moto G7 Plus has the newer Snapdragon 636 as well.

Related: Samsung Galaxy S10

Battery capacity remains the same across both phones at 3000mAh and charging speeds are the same too at 15w. It would have been nice to a bit of bump to the cell and it’s one of our bigger disappointments with the G7.

Another very similar aspect looks to be the camera, however, we can’t be sure whether Moto has altered some of the underpinning tech here until we’ve properly reviewed and compared the new model. Both the G6 and G7 have main 12-megapixels sensors, with an f/1.8 aperture and 1.25μm pixels. It does now shoot 4K video though, which is a nice upgrade over the 1080p limit on the G6.

Moto G6

Moto G6

Alongside the main camera, there’s a 5-megapixel depth-sensor for aiding the blurry background effect in the portrait mode. Both the G6 and G7 have this and it’s not immediately obvious whether or not anything has been changed or improved for the new model.

Android 9 Pie comes as standard on the G7, whereas the G6 shipped with, and seemingly still runs Android 8.

Moto G7 vs Moto G6 price – What’s the price difference?

You’ll be able to pick up the Moto G7 on March 1 for £239. While that’s still a good price, it does have a £20 premium over the Moto G6. When it came out in 2018 the G6 retailed for £219 (for the 32GB, we must say) with the 64GB model costing £239. However, it can be picked up for £199 now.

Related: Best budget phones

Moto G7 vs Moto G6 early verdict – Is the upgrade worth considering?

The Moto G7 feels like a minor upgrade in many ways. Yes, there’s been a bump to the RAM and an updated chipset but everything feels very familiar. Of course, this could all change once we’ve spent a good amount of time with the Moto G7.

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