Tech Review: moto g50 5G offers balance between price and performance

Hello, moto! If you are looking for a 5G smartphone in the ₱10,000 or less cost-category, Motorola Mobility’s moto g50 5G is the perfect device to invest in these days.

Using the device for several days now, it is not surprising to easily get used to the impressive features without breaking the bank. Motorola (now a subsidiary of Lenovo) has made sure moto g50 5G will offer more to discerning users in the middle-range pricing category.

 

Fair body design

Motorola has fairly designed this 5G-smartphone—not overly impressive but is good enough to attain usefulness and support performance. The water-repellant body is quite tall and chunky being 6.57 inches tall, 3 inches wide, and 9.26mm thick (which is relatively thick compared to some other brands’ devices that are designed to be super thin though most of those are in the higher-range category). It is lightweight at just 206 grams.

One obvious setback is the noticeable bezels, which become thicker in the screen’s chin. The notch at the top of the screen for the selfie camera is just standard, very common among most Android devices these days.

The units available in the Philippines have the finger sensor or scanner at the lowest button on the right side of the body. It also serves the power and wake button. Above it are the volume up and down buttons, the down button to be paired with the power button when screen-grabbing. The topmost button on the right side of the device is dedicated to instantly launching Google Assistant.

The bottom side houses the 3.5mm audio jack, a USB-C port, the main loudspeaker (a secondary loudspeaker above the selfie camera notch), and the main microphone (secondary microphone is found at the left of the device’s top side).

Decent display and multimedia features

moto g50 5G has a 6.5-inch screen with a resolution of 1,700 X 720 rendering a pixel density of 269ppi. That is relatively impressive for the mid-range category but could be inferior compared to the higher ranges. But the screen quality is something that can be easily enjoyed and appreciated by users as it stands fairly superior compared to other phones in its category.

Another feature to rave about is the device’s refresh rate—90Hz, which is sufficient to facilitate smoother animations and transitions on the screen.

 

Built-in camera

Motorola has obviously tried hard to make the photography experience worthwhile when using the moto g50 5G. It is equipped with three rear cameras—a 48MP (f/1.7) main camera, a 5MP (f/2.4) macro camera, and a 2MP (f/2.4) depth camera. Logically, because of the pricing limitation, ultra-wide lenses are not included in the pack.

The 13MP (f/2.2) lens in the selfie camera is quite more powerful compared to selfie cameras in other devices in the entry and mid-range categories. It is paired with a beautification slider for users who are very particular about taking awesome selfies.

Comparing its output with shots taken using other phones:

 

 

Here are some shots that were taken using moto g50 5G (note: all photos are unfiltered):

Performance and specs

The device is powered by Snapdragon 480 5G, a new chipset offering 5G support, with reasonable performance. The 4GB RAM is guaranteed not to bother you when switching between apps or when loading games.

When it comes to storage, the 128GB of space is sufficient to accommodate Android 11 requirements. Moreover, there is always the option to further expand it by investing in a microSD (with up to 1TB storage).

 

Battery beast

The efficient chipset is complemented by a powerful 5,000mAh battery capacity making the moto g50 5G a real battery beast.

The device requires 15W charging and can be fully charged faster compared to other devices. A fully charged battery could last up to 25 hours of continuous video streaming.

 

Other worthwhile features

This author is particularly happy with the power to easily and instantly customize viewing of notifications and launching of specific tasks when using the moto g50 5G. There is just so much to unlock when a user checks out guides, tips, and tricks via the exclusive Moto app. Find out how you can instantly set the Do Not Disturb mode when working, how to use easy gestures to quickly launch essential features, and how to make the display more attractive and interactive.

Meanwhile, moto g50 5G also comes with a more complete Google suite of apps—complete with Google One, Fit, and Google TV! It even readily includes the Google Podcasts features in the device.

Lastly, moto g50 5G allows listening to FM radio through a paired Bluetooth speaker, a rare feature that may hardly be found in most other smartphones in the market today. This is good for users who still prefer listening to live FM radio throughout the day and those who don’t like using data allocations just to do so (via the internet before getting connected to a Bluetooth device).

 

Pricing and availability

moto g50 5G is now available locally for an SRP of ₱10,495. The unit box comes with necessary accessories like a charger and headphones. There is even a free protective case.

It is on sale for the Epic Lazada 10^th Birthday Sale! You can purchase the unit through the Motorola PH Store in Lazada for just ₱8,295 from March 27 to March 29, 2022.

 

Conclusion

Moto g50 5G is one of the very few reasonably priced 5G smartphones available in the country today. While networks are still working building on their 5G infrastructures, 5G connectivity is available in many parts of Metro Manila, making users rave about the ultra-speed connectivity. The device also connects well with the more common 4G LTE in areas where 5G is yet to be available.

Motorola Mobility has feature-packed the device, making it ideal and highly useful for users who are always after high productivity on a daily basis. This 5G smartphone is highly recommended.

 

Tech and Lifestyle Journal’s ratings: 4.5/5

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