Moto G6 vs Moto G6 Play vs Moto G6 Plus: What’s the difference?
Motorola announced a trio of new smartphones – the much-rumoured Moto G6, Moto G6 Play and Moto G6 Plus – at a dedicated event in Brazil on April 19. All three sport a near-identical design, though there are a number of notable differences that set them aside from one another.
Scroll down to find all the facts on Motorola’s new affordable smartphones.
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Moto G6 vs Moto G6 Play vs Moto G6 Plus Design: Do they look the same?
The Moto G6, Moto G6 Play and Moto G6 Plus are cut from the same cloth as far as their designs are concerned. There’s an ultra-tall 18:9 screen on the front, a centre-mounted spherical camera setup on the rear, and a volume rocker and power button on the right-hand-side of each handset.
There is one significant cosmetic difference between the trio, however. The G6 and G6 Plus have a physical Home button, as well as a set of on-screen navigation keys, that doubles as a fingerprint reader, while the Moto G6 Play has a virtual Home button and a rear-facing fingerprint scanner.
Right to left: Moto G6 Play, Moto G6 and Moto G6 Plus
You’ll find a dual-camera (12-megapixel + 5-megapixel) on the rear of the Moto G6 and Moto G6 Plus. Being the cheapest of the bunch, however, the Moto G6 Play is armed with a single-sensor (13-megapixel).
It also doesn’t come with as many bells and whistles as the G6 and G6 Plus. There’s no facial recognition, for example, and instead of the Moto G5’s metal-over-plastic design, the G6 Play is pure plastic – which feels good, according to our Editor-in-Chief.
The Moto G6 and G6 Plus, on the other hand, have been graced with a more premium metal-and-glass build similar to those seen on the Apple iPhone X and Samsung Galaxy S9.
Oh, and you’ll be pleased to hear that the trio are equipped with a 3.5mm headphone jack – so you won’t have to start carrying around an adapter, like iPhone owners. It’s located on the bottom of the Moto G6 and G6 Plus, alongside the USB-C slot, and at the top of the USB-B-toting Moto G6 Play.
Moto G6 vs Moto G6 Play vs Moto G6 Plus specs: Which is the most powerful?
This section is quite clear-cut. The Moto G6 Plus is the most powerful of the bunch, followed by the Moto G6, then the Moto G6 Play. Pricing follows the exact same order, with the former being the most expensive at £269 and the latter the cheapest at £169.
Under the hood, the Moto G6 Plus features a Snapdragon 630 CPU and 4/6GB of RAM. The Moto G6 has a Snapdragon 450 CPU and 3/4GB of RAM. And the Moto G6 Play has a Snapdragon 430 CPU and 3GB of RAM. All three come with 32GB of expandable internal storage (via microSD).
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During his hands-on, our tester found the regular G6 was more than fast enough for everyday tasks, though he was a little concerned about the Play’s 4-series CPU as phones with these chips have been known to suffer from various frustrating performance issues.
Right to left: Moto G6 Play, Moto G6 and Moto G6 Plus
In a strange turn of events, Motorola loaded the Moto G6 Play with the largest battery of the bunch – 4000mAh. The Moto G6 Plus, for comparison, has a 3200mAh one, and the Moto G6 3000mAh. That shouldn’t matter too much, though, as they’re all equipped with the firm’s TurboPower fast-charging feature.
Here’s a full breakdown of the internal differences between the Moto G6, Moto G6 Play and Moto G6 Plus.
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| Moto G6 | Moto G6 Play | Moto G6 Plus | |
| Battery | 3000mAh | 4000mAh | 3200mAh |
| Camera (Front) | 8MP/16MP with LED flash | 8MP with LED flash | 8MP/16MP with LED flash |
| Camera (Rear) | 12MP + 5MP | 13MP | 12MP + 5MP |
| Display | 5.7-inch 18:9 FHD+ | 5.7-inch 18:9 FHD+ | 5.9-inch 18:9 FHD+ |
| Processor | Snapdragon 450 | Snapdragon 430 | Snapdragon 630 |
| Storage | 32GB (expandable via microSD) | 32GB (expandable via microSD) | 32GB (expandable via microSD) |
| RAM | 3/4GB | 3GB | 4/6GB |
Moto G6 vs Moto G6 Play vs Moto G6 Plus Summary: What’s the difference?
Design: The all-new Moto G6 and Moto G6 Plus are on par in the design department, with the affordable Moto G6 Play touting a near-identical appearance, save for the fact it’s missing the added camera sensor and physical Home button, and has a rear-facing fingerprint reader.
Specs: The Moto G6 Plus takes home the award for being the most powerful of the bunch, with its Snapdragon 630 CPU and 4/6GB of RAM. It’s followed by Moto G6, which has a Snapdragon 450 and 3/4GB of RAM, then the Moto G6 Play – equipped with a Snapdragon 430 and 3GB of RAM.
Price: The Moto G6 Play is the cheapest at £169, shadowed by the Moto G6 at £219 and the Moto G6 Plus at £269, with the standard G6 hitting the sweet spot of price to features, according to our Editor-in-Chief Evan Kypreos, who had some hands-on time with all three last week.
Which new Moto ticks your boxes? Let us know on Twitter @TrustedReviews
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
