Moto G6 Plus: Still a Smart Choice for You?

In the bustling world of smartphones, where new models emerge at breakneck speed, it's easy to overlook devices that, while not the latest, still offer remarkable value and functionality. The Moto G-series has historically been a beacon of affordability without compromising on essential features. Among its 2018 lineup, the Moto G6 Plus stood out as the premium offering, a device designed to deliver a more refined experience without the flagship price tag. But how well does it truly hold up, and is it a sensible choice for today's user?

At its launch, the Moto G6 Plus was positioned as the top-tier sibling among the Moto G6 Play and the standard Moto G6. It boasted a larger screen, beefier internals, and a slightly higher price point, yet it remained squarely in the budget-friendly segment. This article delves deep into its design, performance, camera capabilities, and battery life to give you a clear picture of what this phone brings to the table.

Unpacking the Design: Premium Feel, Practical Compromises

The Moto G6 Plus immediately impresses with its design, punching well above its weight class. Unlike its more budget-oriented sibling, the G6 Play, the G6 Plus features a robust metal frame complemented by a scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass back. This combination lends a genuinely premium feel, a significant upgrade from previous Moto G iterations and something you might not expect at its price point.

However, this glossy glass back, while aesthetically pleasing, is undeniably a magnet for fingerprints and greasy smudges. Regular wiping is a must if you want to keep it looking pristine. Furthermore, the phone's slim profile and lightweight nature, while contributing to a comfortable in-hand feel, also make it somewhat slippery. It's a device that demands a little extra care, as a momentary lapse could see it slipping from your grasp. Thankfully, Motorola often included a simple clear protective cover with the purchase, a thoughtful addition that helps mitigate this issue and saves you from an immediate accessory purchase.

In terms of layout, the G6 Plus shares the same familiar button arrangement as the G6, with the power button featuring a helpful ridged texture for easy identification by touch. Along the bottom edge, you'll find a modern USB-C port and, to the delight of many, a traditional 3.5mm headphone jack. This commitment to legacy audio connectivity is a welcome feature for those with cherished wired headphones.

The fingerprint scanner is conveniently located beneath the display. While some users prefer a rear-mounted scanner, the front placement allows for easy unlocking when the phone rests on a table. During testing, the scanner proved swift and reliable. Moreover, Motorola's intuitive 'one button navigation' feature allows you to hide the on-screen navigation buttons, freeing up more screen real estate. A tap on the scanner acts as 'Home,' a left swipe as 'Back,' and a right swipe as 'Recent Apps.' This customisation is not only efficient but also prevents accidental presses of the home button while typing, a minor but often frustrating occurrence on other devices.

One design element that stands out, perhaps a little too much, is the pronounced camera bump on the rear. It prevents the phone from lying completely flat, causing a slight wobble when placed on a surface. While it adds a distinctive, almost anthropomorphic charm with its dual lenses and LED flash appearing like a face, its design also means dust and lint can accumulate around its base. This minor aesthetic drawback is, however, a small price to pay for a phone that largely exudes quality beyond its cost.

Water Resistance: Splashproof, Not Submersible

It's important to clarify the Moto G6 Plus's water resistance. Motorola describes it as having a “water-repellent nano-coating” by P2i. This means it's designed to be splashproof, offering protection against light rain or accidental spills. It is decidedly *not* fully submersible, so keep it well away from swimming pools or prolonged exposure to water. Understanding this distinction is crucial for managing expectations and protecting your device.

The Display: A Bright and Vibrant View

The Moto G6 Plus boasts a generous 5.9-inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio, making it tall and immersive. While it shares the same FHD+ resolution (1080 x 2160) as the standard G6, its slightly larger size results in a marginally lower pixel density of 409ppi. In day-to-day use, however, this difference is practically imperceptible. The screen delivers punchy, vibrant colours, and unlike some other devices, its out-of-the-box colour temperature isn't overly cool. You have the flexibility to adjust the temperature in the settings and switch between 'Vibrant' (the default) or 'Standard' colour modes, tailoring the visual experience to your preference.

Maximum brightness levels are impressive, ensuring comfortable outdoor use even in bright sunlight. The adaptive brightness system performs admirably, adjusting smoothly without the frantic flickering seen on some less refined implementations. Motorola's 'Moto Display' customisations further enhance the screen experience. These features allow notifications to appear on the display when the phone is in standby, enabling quick replies without the need to fully unlock the device. The proximity sensor also intelligently activates the display when you reach for the phone, making interactions seamless.

Another notable display feature is 'Attentive Display,' which keeps the screen lit as long as you're looking at it. While some might find it a bit particular to use, it can be incredibly useful in specific contexts, such as reading long articles without the screen dimming or locking.

Performance and Software: Smooth Operator, Mostly

Under the bonnet, the Moto G6 Plus is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 octa-core processor clocked at 2.2GHz. This is a significant step up from the Snapdragon 450 found in the regular G6, translating to noticeably faster app opening and video loading times in side-by-side comparisons. The Plus model typically comes with 4GB or 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage as standard, providing ample space for apps and media, and ensuring smoother multitasking compared to the G6's 3GB RAM and 32GB storage.

In real-world usage, the G6 Plus generally handles daily tasks with admirable fluidity. Web browsing, social media, and light gaming are all managed competently. However, it's not entirely without its quirks. Occasional sluggishness was noted in certain demanding apps, such as Slack and Cricinfo, where the device appeared prone to minor hangs. The camera app, while functional, also exhibited a slight delay in opening, which on occasion meant missing a quick photo opportunity.

While benchmark scores were respectable for its price point, they weren't spectacular, which is to be expected from a budget-friendly Android device. For connectivity, the G6 Plus offers Bluetooth 5.0 (an upgrade from the G6's 4.2) and 802.11ac Wi-Fi, ensuring faster and more reliable wireless connections.

Call audio quality, however, was noted to be a little crackly during testing, both when speaking normally and over speaker. This is a minor drawback but worth considering if crystal-clear call quality is a top priority.

Software Experience: Near-Stock Android Goodness

One of Motorola's enduring strengths is its commitment to a near-stock Android experience, and the G6 Plus is no exception. It launched with Android 8.0 Oreo and is refreshingly free of bloatware, offering a clean and intuitive interface. Motorola does, however, add a suite of genuinely useful software enhancements neatly contained within the 'Moto' app.

• Moto Actions: These are intuitive gestures, such as chopping twice to turn on the torch or twisting your wrist twice to launch the camera, making common tasks incredibly quick.
• Moto Display: As mentioned, this includes features like 'Attentive Display' and 'Peek Display' for at-a-glance notifications.
• Moto Voice: Introduces always-on voice commands for hands-free interaction.
• Moto Key: A convenient feature that manages passwords for apps, websites, and even Windows via the fingerprint scanner.

The phone offers multiple unlocking methods beyond the fingerprint scanner. Facial unlocking, while less sophisticated than systems like Apple's Face ID, performs surprisingly well. It's reasonably fast and capable of recognising the user in low light or even when wearing large sunglasses. However, covering a single facial feature completely will prevent it from working. 'Smart Lock' provides further flexibility, allowing the device to automatically unlock in trusted locations (e.g., home) or when connected to trusted Bluetooth devices, balancing convenience with security considerations.

Capturing Moments: The Moto G6 Plus Camera

For its price, the Moto G6 Plus boasts an exceptional photographic feature set. It comes equipped with dual rear cameras (12MP + 5MP), enabling a 'portrait mode' that creates a pleasing bokeh effect, blurring the background to make the subject stand out. While effective for static shots, the blur effect might feel less dramatic than on some higher-end phones, and it can be prone to blurring if the subject isn't perfectly still.

In good outdoor lighting, the camera captures strong detail and accurate colour reproduction. However, the aforementioned slight slowness of the camera app can be an issue. Even minor camera shake in windy conditions was observed to cause some blurring, necessitating a steady hand or bracing against a stable surface for crisp shots.

Low-light performance is reasonable for a phone in this category. While certainly not on par with flagship devices, it manages to produce usable images, though zooming in reveals more noise and muddiness, with highlights appearing somewhat smeared.

Video capabilities are a strong point, with the G6 Plus capable of recording 4K video, a step up from the G6's 1080p. For those who enjoy adding a touch of fun to their media, Motorola includes a range of real-time face filters that can apply whimsical elements like rabbit ears or unicorn horns, complete with background effects and voice distortion. These filters, while entertaining and popular with younger users, are curiously unavailable on the selfie camera.

Beyond the standard modes, Motorola offers several intriguing, albeit somewhat gimmicky, features:

• Text Scanner: Mostly accurate for digitising text, though it struggles with unconventional typefaces.
• Spot Colour: Allows you to tap on a specific colour in the frame, fading all other colours to monochrome. This can create artistic effects, particularly for subjects like flowers, but can also look peculiar in other contexts.
• Cutout Mode: A relatively rough-and-ready feature that lets you easily remove a subject from its background and place it onto a different one.

While these less commonplace features might not always yield polished, professional results, they are undoubtedly a lot of fun and excellent for creating quick, engaging social media content.

Battery Life and Charging: Power Through Your Day

The Moto G6 Plus is equipped with a respectable 3200mAh battery. In demanding tests like Geekbench 4, it lasted 7 hours and 42 minutes, scoring 3625, which is about average for its class. In real-world usage, however, you can generally expect better performance, with the phone comfortably lasting a full day of moderate use.

A significant advantage of the G6 Plus is its fast charging capability. In a standard test, charging from 0% for 30 minutes, the phone reached an impressive 49% battery life. This is an excellent effort and matches the charging speed of the regular G6, despite the Plus having a larger battery. While some high-end devices like the Honor 10 might charge even faster (reaching 65% in the same timeframe), the G6 Plus's fast charging is a highly convenient feature that minimises downtime.

Comparative Overview

To better understand the Moto G6 Plus's position, let's compare it with its siblings from the 2018 G-series lineup:

As you can see, the G6 Plus offers a clear upgrade in performance and features over its siblings, justifying its slightly higher price. Its £269 launch price positioned it as a compelling alternative to more expensive mid-range rivals.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is the Moto G6 Plus waterproof?

No, the Moto G6 Plus is not fully waterproof. It features a "water-repellent nano-coating" by P2i, meaning it's splashproof and can withstand light rain or minor spills, but it should not be submerged in water.

How much did the Moto G6 Plus cost at launch?

At its launch in the UK, the Moto G6 Plus retailed for £269.

What is 'one button navigation' on the Moto G6 Plus?

'One button navigation' is a Motorola software customisation that allows you to hide the on-screen navigation buttons. You can then use the fingerprint scanner for navigation: a tap acts as 'Home,' a left swipe as 'Back,' and a right swipe as 'Recent Apps.'

Are there other unlocking methods besides the fingerprint scanner?

Yes, the Moto G6 Plus offers several unlocking options, including facial recognition, Smart Lock (which can keep the phone unlocked in trusted locations or when connected to trusted Bluetooth devices), and traditional passcodes/PINs.

Can the Moto G6 Plus camera record 4K video?

Yes, the Moto G6 Plus is capable of recording video in 4K resolution, a feature not available on the standard Moto G6, which is limited to 1080p.

What are Moto Actions and Moto Display?

Moto Actions are gesture-based shortcuts, such as a double chop to turn on the torch or a double twist to open the camera. Moto Display includes features like 'Peek Display' for showing notifications on the standby screen and 'Attentive Display' which keeps the screen lit as long as you're looking at it.

Verdict: A Fantastic Deal for the Money

Despite being released several years ago, the Moto G6 Plus remains a testament to Motorola's ability to deliver exceptional value. It comfortably sits atop its 2018 G-series brethren, offering a compelling blend of features for its original price point. While it's not without its minor imperfections – the camera can be a touch slow to open, and it's not fully water-resistant – these are largely overshadowed by its numerous strengths.

The build quality is remarkably good, feeling far more premium than its price suggests. The FHD+ screen is crisp, bright, and vibrant, providing an excellent viewing experience. Battery life is solid, and the fast charging capabilities are a significant convenience. Furthermore, the swift fingerprint scanner and the welcome, near-stock Android software experience, enhanced by Motorola's thoughtful customisations like 'one button navigation,' elevate the user experience.

For those seeking a reliable, well-built smartphone that handles everyday tasks with ease and offers features typically found in higher price brackets, the Moto G6 Plus was, and to a degree, still is, a fantastic deal. It represents a smart choice for anyone prioritising solid performance and great value over the absolute latest specifications.

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