Introduction
Motorola's launch event in Brazil was quite the Carnival. We got not one, not two, but four different Moto G7 devices. We haven't been always keen on this kind of fragmentation, but when done right, the consumers are more than happy to have more choices. So, please buckle up, as today we will take the Moto G7 Power for a ride.
The Power phones aren't new to Motorola, we've seen a couple of those in 2016, though the Android One-enrolled Moto One Power from last Fall is what comes to mind first. The G7 Power is more affordable though, as is the entire G7 lineup.
So, the Moto G7 Power has a large 6.2" 720p display with a notch for the selfie camera. It's not bezel-less, but it's rounded around the corners to match the G7's curves which is a nice touch.
Then we have the Snapdragon 632 chip working beneath that screen for a smooth experience. And looking at the specs of its processor and graphics, we are hopeful for its performance. There is also either 3 or 4 gigs of RAM depending on the storage option you opt for. Oh, and there is a dedicated microSD slot in case you make the wrong choice or just need to store a couple of seasons of your favorite TV show on your phone.
The Moto G7 Power has the same 12MP main camera as the vanilla G7, but behind a darker f/2.0 lens. And there is no secondary sensor for depth info, though the camera app can still shoot those fancy Portraits.
Finally, the Power stands for the beefy 5,000 mAh battery that should keep the lights on for quite some time. The G7 Power also supports 18W TurboPower charging, so it shouldn't take forever to recharge the thing.
Motorola Moto G7 Power specs
- Body: Plastic back and frame; Splash resistant; Corning Gorilla Glass 3 front
- Display: 6.2" LTPS IPS LCD, HD+ 720x1570px resolution display (19.5:9 aspect ratio), 279 ppi.
- Rear camera: 12MP, f/2.0 aperture, 1.25µm; phase detection autofocus, LED flash, Auto HDR. 4K/30fps video recording.
- Front camera: 8MP, f/2.2 aperture, 1.12µm, fixed focus, 1080p/30fps video recording.
- OS/Software: Android 9.0 Pie
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 (14 nm): octa-core CPU (4x1.8 GHz Kryo 250 Gold & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 250 Silver), Adreno 506 GPU.
- Memory: 3/4GB of RAM, 32/64 GB storage; dedicated microSD slot for expansion.
- Battery: 5,000 mAh Li-Po (sealed); 15W or 18W charging.
- Connectivity: Single/dual SIM; LTE Cat. 7 (300Mbps download/50Mbps upload); Type-C USB2.0 port; Wi-Fi b/g/n; GPS, GLONASS; Bluetooth 4.2; FM radio.
- Misc: Rear-mounted fingerprint reader; single speaker - the earpiece; 3.5mm jack.
The Moto G7 Power is shaping as quite an interesting smartphone and should be a must-check for anyone who is after long battery autonomy. We are not that keen on the choice of chipset, but we guess it should perform admirably given the low 720p screen resolution.
Anyway, let's unbox the Moto G7 Power and get this review going.
Moto G7 Power unboxing
The Moto G7 Power is packed within one very nice looking green box. While it's not unique to this Moto, the maker definitely knows how to spice up its retail boxes and we give Motorola credit for that.
Inside the fancy box you'll find the G7 Power itself, a transparent rubber case, a USB-C cable, and a TurboPower charger rated at either 15W or 18W depending on your market.
Design
The Moto G7 Power is an all-plastic smartphone, which in spite of the large battery fitted inside, still looks cool and reasonably thin at that. While Motorola could have just opted for a regular polycarbonate back, it chose to spice it up a bit, for better or worse.
But let's start with the screen. There is a 6.2" IPS LCD screen occupying most of the front. It's a notched one, in line with the 2018 trends, and this way you can have more pixels and less bezels. It's not bezel-less though - there are black chunky bars around the screen, but the panel's curves follow those of the phone, and all these add up for a rather nicely looking faceplate.
The front is protected by a piece of Gorilla Glass 3. It's not the most shatter-proof one, but arguably it should be more scratch-resistant than the newer iterations. Also, cheaper, and that's probably the reason why it's on the Moto G7 phones, even the Play model.
The earpiece is within the notch and it also acts as a loudspeaker. The 8MP selfie snapper is also here and a couple of pretty invisible sensors.
The back panel of the Moto G7 Power is made of plastic with a very glossy finish. It's curved towards the longer sides - an approach that makes any smartphone look thinner than it actually is, and it sure comes in handy for the G7 Power.
The 12MP camera and its LED flash are behind a familiar glass circle, which looks somewhat unreasonably big as there is less stuff on the Power than on the G7 and G7 Plus models.
Below the camera plate is the always-on fingerprint sensor with the Motorola logo painted on it. It's fairly accurate and quite fast.
The frame is also made of plastic with the same glossy finish as the back.
Before you start using the phone it's all peachy, but ten minutes in your hands and the whole G7 Power is one big smudgy mess. It's also slippery, very slippery! And scratches start piling up in mere hours. While we appreciate Moto's effort to make this G7 stand out, we highly recommend using the provided case.
The Moto G7 Power has a triple- or dual-card slot depending on the model you get. The important thing is that the microSD slot is not a hybrid one - it is meant only for a memory card and nothing else.
The G7 Power also features a 3.5mm audio port, in case you were worried Moto could have gone the Apple's way.
Motorola says the G7 Power is splash-resistant. This means it should survive some rain or accidental water spills, but it's not waterproof so don't take it for a dip.
The Moto G7 Power measures 159.4 x 76 x 9.3 mm - that means 2mm taller and 1mm thicker than the vanilla Moto G7, which also packs a 6.2" display. The Power weighs 193g, about 20g heavier - but this is the price you pay for the extra 2,000 mAh battery capacity.
We found the Moto G7 Power to be a reasonably sized and cool-looking smartphone. It's not thick or heavy and will easily fit in any pocket. But it is slippery, and the grip is almost non-existent. On top of that the glossy surface is prone to scratches and if not used with a case, the back could be ruined in a week or two. You should have these in mind if you are considering the Power.
Display
The Moto G7 Power has a notched IPS LCD screen with somewhat thinned bezels. It's 6.2" in diagonal and has a resolution of 720 x 1,570 pixels or 279ppi - not the ideal sharpness, but still quite usable. These specs make for a very tall 19.5:9 screen aspect ratio.
The display is protected with a Gorilla Glass 3. There is no factory-applied screen protector, but you can always opt for one.
The Moto G7 Power display has a maximum brightness of 500 nits - more than enough for the class. The black levels also turned out quite deep and helped for an excellent contrast ratio of 1674:1.
When in Auto mode, the G7 Power screen can boost the brightness up to 636 nits - excellent for when you are using the Power under bright sunlight.
For those following our tests closely - the lowest brightness level we could achieve with the slider on the G7 Power is 2.9 nits, which is easy on the eyes if you are using it in pitch darkness.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | ||
| 0.298 | 499 | 1674 | |
| 0.459 | 636 | 1386 | |
| 0.297 | 436 | 1468 | |
| 0.416 | 549 | 1320 | |
| 0.315 | 493 | 1565 | |
| 0.339 | 476 | 1404 | |
| 0.419 | 554 | 1321 | |
| 0.358 | 479 | 1338 | |
| 0.325 | 437 | 1345 | |
| 0.306 | 537 | 1755 | |
| 0.346 | 427 | 1234 | |
| 0.322 | 468 | 1453 | |
Sunlight legibility is nothing worth praising, although the score is still fine for a budget phone. In real-world terms, the handset remains usable outdoors. Just don't angle it straight at the sun.
Sunlight contrast ratio
- Apple iPhone XS
5.171 - Apple iPhone X
5.013 - Huawei Mate 20 Pro
4.965 - OnePlus 5T
4.789 - Samsung Galaxy S8
4.768 - Asus ROG Phone
4.765 - Samsung Galaxy S8+
4.658 - Samsung Galaxy S9
4.63 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
4.615 - Samsung Galaxy S9+
4.537 - Samsung Galaxy Note9
4.531 - Apple iPhone XS Max
4.516 - Sony Xperia XZ3
4.502 - Motorola Moto Z2 Play
4.459 - Oppo R11
4.454 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
4.439 - Oppo RX17 Pro
4.434 - OnePlus 3
4.424 - Samsung Galaxy S7
4.376 - Google Pixel 3
4.35 - Huawei Mate 20 X
4.337 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)
4.324 - OnePlus 6
4.321 - Xiaomi Mi Mix 3
4.291 - vivo NEX Dual Display (second display)
4.289 - HTC One A9
4.274 - LG V40 ThinQ
4.256 - Oppo R15 Pro
4.251 - Samsung Galaxy Note7
4.247 - Samsung Galaxy A3
4.241 - Nokia 8
4.239 - Google Pixel 2 XL (pre-update)
4.234 - OnePlus 3T
4.232 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018)
4.22 - Google Pixel XL
4.164 - ZTE Axon 7
4.154 - Samsung Galaxy Note8
4.148 - Meizu Pro 7 Plus
4.147 - OnePlus 6T
4.138 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
4.124 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)
4.124 - vivo V11
4.113 - vivo NEX Dual Display
4.108 - Huawei Mate 10 Pro (normal)
4.096 - Samsung Galaxy Note5
4.09 - Huawei P20 Pro
4.087 - Xiaomi Mi 8
4.086 - Meizu 15
4.082 - Nokia 6 (2018)
4.052 - Google Pixel 2 (pre-update)
4.023 - LG V30
4.022 - Huawei Nexus 6P
4.019 - vivo NEX S
4.012 - Honor Magic 2
4.01 - Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro
3.998 - OnePlus X
3.983 - Vivo Xplay5 Elite
3.983 - LG G7 ThinQ (outdoor)
3.978 - Oppo R7s
3.964 - Apple iPhone 7
3.964 - Apple iPhone 8 (True Tone)
3.957 - Huawei P9 Plus
3.956 - Oppo Find X
3.954 - Meizu Pro 6 Plus
3.935 - Lenovo Moto Z
3.931 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)
3.918 - OnePlus 5
3.914 - Samsung Galaxy C5
3.911 - Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
3.901 - Samsung Galaxy C7
3.896 - Samsung Galaxy A5
3.895 - Samsung Galaxy J7 outdoor
3.879 - Samsung Galaxy J2 outdoor
3.873 - Motorola Moto G6 Plus
3.865 - Samsung Galaxy A8
3.859 - Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
3.842 - Apple iPhone 6
3.838 - Microsoft Lumia 950XL
3.837 - Samsung Galaxy A6+ (2018)
3.834 - Sony Xperia XZs
3.818 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016)
3.817 - Motorola Moto X (2014)
3.816 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017)
3.812 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
3.804 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) outdoor mode
3.802 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
3.798 - LG V20 Max auto
3.798 - Sony Xperia XZ
3.795 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
3.789 - Apple iPhone 6s
3.783 - Meizu Pro 5
3.781 - Microsoft Lumia 650
3.772 - Xiaomi Mi 6
3.767 - Sony Xperia XZ1
3.765 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
3.756 - Nokia 8 Sirocco
3.745 - Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
3.729 - Apple iPhone 8 Plus (True Tone)
3.725 - Oppo F1 Plus
3.709 - Vivo X5Pro
3.706 - Sony Xperia X Compact
3.694 - Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)
3.688 - Huawei P20
3.683 - Apple iPhone SE
3.681 - Huawei Mate 9
3.68 - Samsung Galaxy A7
3.679 - Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact
3.675 - Meizu PRO 6
3.659 - BlackBerry Priv
3.645 - Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
3.597 - Huawei Honor View 20
3.597 - Apple iPhone 7 Plus
3.588 - Sony Xperia XZ2
3.58 - LG G6
3.556 - Apple iPhone 6s Plus
3.53 - Motorola Moto Z Play
3.526 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016)
3.523 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016) outdoor mode
3.523 - Acer Jade Primo
3.521 - Microsoft Lumia 950
3.512 - Oppo R7 Plus
3.499 - Nokia 7 plus
3.479 - nubia Z11
3.466 - Huawei P10 Plus
3.456 - HTC U Ultra
3.453 - Motorola Moto G6
3.448 - Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra
3.445 - Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
3.445 - Samsung Galaxy J7
3.422 - Motorola Moto G6 Play
3.419 - Meizu MX5
3.416 - LG V20
3.402 - Samsung Galaxy A6 (2018)
3.397 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera
3.393 - LG G7 ThinQ
3.39 - Huawei P10
3.379 - Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
3.378 - Oppo R9s
3.352 - Honor Play
3.349 - Honor 8 Pro
3.341 - Oppo F7
3.333 - Oppo R7
3.32 - Lenovo P2
3.316 - Archos Diamond Omega
3.305 - Honor 9
3.289 - Xiaomi Mi 5s
3.276 - Nokia 5
3.261 - Nokia 6 (Chinese version)
3.244 - Nokia 6 (Global version)
3.238 - Samsung Galaxy J2
3.235 - Oppo Realme 2 Pro
3.235 - Sony Xperia X Performance
3.234 - Xiaomi Mi Note 2
3.228 - Motorola Moto X Play
3.222 - Oppo F3 Plus
3.218 - BlackBerry KEY2
3.212 - Huawei Mate 9 Pro
3.206 - Huawei P9
3.195 - Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
3.19 - Motorola Moto G7 Play
3.18 - Motorola Moto G7 Power
3.176 - ZTE Nubia Z17
3.159 - Oppo R11s
3.153 - Lenovo Vibe Shot
3.113 - Honor 8X
3.113 - Xiaomi Mi Max 3
3.061 - Xiaomi Pocophone F1
3.059 - Huawei Mate 20
3.052 - Huawei Mate 20 Lite
3.051 - Motorola One (P30 Play)
3.026 - Apple iPhone 6 Plus
3.023 - Asus Zenfone 4 ZE554KL
3.019 - Sony Xperia XA1
3.012 - Motorola Moto X4
3.012 - Motorola Moto G7
3.011 - Motorola Moto G7 Plus
3.01 - Oppo Realme 2
3.006 - Sony Xperia L1
2.994 - Sony Xperia X
2.989 - LG Q6
2.987 - Huawei P10 Lite
2.974 - Samsung Galaxy Note
2.97 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
2.966 - Huawei P20 Lite
2.952 - Xiaomi Redmi 5
2.951 - Huawei Mate 8
2.949 - Sony Xperia XA2
2.938 - Oppo Realme 1
2.932 - Razer Phone 2
2.932 - Xiaomi Redmi 4
2.92 - Xiaomi Redmi 3S
2.913 - Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
2.913 - Sony Xperia XA Ultra
2.906 - LG G5
2.905 - Huawei Honor View 10
2.896 - Xiaomi Redmi 3s Prime
2.893 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
2.893 - Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
2.884 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium (sRGB)
2.877 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
2.877 - Sony Xperia Z5
2.876 - Nokia 3
2.871 - Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium
2.867 - Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite
2.862 - Microsoft Lumia 550
2.851 - Nokia 3.1
2.837 - Realme U1
2.815 - Lenovo Moto M
2.813 - Nokia 7.1
2.804 - Xiaomi Redmi 3 Pro
2.803 - Sony Xperia Z5 compact
2.784 - Honor 10 (Vivid)
2.757 - Nokia 2
2.752 - Meizu MX6
2.751 - LG V10
2.744 - Huawei Mate 10 (normal)
2.742 - Motorola Moto G5S Plus
2.737 - Xiaomi Redmi 3
2.735 - Huawei Honor 7X
2.734 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
2.714 - Meizu M5
2.71 - Xiaomi Mi A2
2.696 - Sony Xperia M5
2.69 - Xiaomi Mi A1
2.689 - Huawei P9 Lite
2.679 - Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime
2.679 - vivo V7+
2.671 - Vivo V3Max
2.659 - Xiaomi Mi Mix
2.658 - Huawei Mate 10 Lite
2.654 - Huawei P Smart
2.563 - Xiaomi Mi Max 2
2.561 - HTC U11+
2.556 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A (Y1)
2.556 - Lenovo Moto G4
2.544 - Lenovo K6 Note
2.544 - Oppo F1
2.528 - Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
2.525 - Huawei Honor 7 Lite / Honor 5c
2.506 - Sony Xperia M4 Aqua
2.503 - Huawei Honor 10 Lite
2.497 - BlackBerry Motion
2.494 - Oppo F1s
2.481 - Motorola Moto G
2.477 - Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus
2.473 - HTC 10
2.378 - Oppo F3
2.376 - vivo V5 Plus
2.371 - Meizu m1 note
2.362 - Huawei nova plus
2.329 - Razer Phone
2.328 - HTC One E9+
2.305 - Alcatel One Touch Hero
2.272 - Apple iPhone 4S
2.269 - Sony Xperia L2
2.266 - Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
2.254 - Sony Xperia C5 Ultra
2.253 - HTC U11+ (EU)
2.253 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (MediaTek)
2.249 - Sony Xperia C4 Dual
2.235 - Xiaomi Mi Note
2.234 - Motorola Moto G (2014)
2.233 - LG Nexus 5
2.228 - Huawei P8
2.196 - Meizu M5 Note
2.189 - Huawei Honor 6
2.169 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
2.166 - OnePlus Two
2.165 - HTC One X
2.158 - LG Aka
2.145 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (X20)
2.145 - Archos 50 Diamond
2.134 - Xiaomi Redmi Note
2.119 - Xiaomi Mi 4S
2.095 - Acer Liquid X2
2.084 - Huawei P8lite
2.078
The Moto G7 Power has three settings for color saturations - natural, boosted, and the default one - saturated. The color rendering, when left on Saturated, is very good with an average DeltaE of 4 and a maximum deviation of 8.6. The colors are mostly accurate with more saturated blue hues.
If you opt for Neutral, you will get even more accurate color presentation (to the sRGB color space) with an average DeltaE of 3.1 and a maximum deviation of 4.9.
Battery life
The battery section is shaping as the most interesting chapter for this review and we can't blame you if you jumped straight here. The Moto G7 Power packs a massive 5,000 mAh battery, which should last you for three days of normal usage according to Motorola's claims.
The G7 Power supports Moto's TurboPower fast charging - it's either 15W or 18W - depending on the market. We got a European unit which comes with an 18W charger and it fills 30% of the deleted 5,000mAh battery in 30mins.
Quite expectedly, the Moto G7 Power turned out to be one of the best all-time performers in our battery test with a 147-hour Endurance rating. It did a fabulous job of all tested scenarios - video, calls, web browsing and even stand-by performance.
Our battery tests were automated thanks to SmartViser, using its viSer App. The endurance rating above denotes how long a single battery charge will last you if you use the Motorola Moto G7 Power for an hour each of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. We've established this usage pattern so that our battery results are comparable across devices in the most common day-to-day tasks. The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritty. You can check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
Speaker
The earpiece on the Moto G7 Power also doubles as a loudspeaker. The good news is the speaker scored an Excellent mark on our loudness test and its audio is rich and deep enough.
But because the speaker is not very powerful, its output is quite directional meaning it feels this loud only when it's pointed at you. Otherwise, it doesn't strike us as being a super loud one.
| Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Ringing |
Overall score | |
| 62.6 | 68.0 | 71.0 | Average | |
| 64.9 | 70.5 | 71.9 | Average | |
| 67.1 | 72.9 | 81.6 | Very Good | |
| 66.6 | 74.4 | 81.8 | Very Good | |
| 67.5 | 77.8 | 77.6 | Very Good | |
| 69.1 | 74.8 | 81.4 | Very Good | |
| 70.2 | 71.9 | 84.6 | Very Good | |
| 70.8 | 72.4 | 84.9 | Excellent | |
| 69.5 | 73.6 | 86.0 | Excellent | |
| 69.8 | 71.5 | 90.5 | Excellent | |
| 75.8 | 75.2 | 82.5 | Excellent | |
| 81.1 | 75.7 | 83.7 | Excellent |
Audio quality
The Motorola Moto G7 Power started brightly in our audio quality test, delivering flawless output with an active external amplifier and matched that with a well above average loudness.
And the performance was just as good when we hooked up our standard headphones where the stereo crosstalk hike was well under control. While the loudness fell short of the stunning G7 Plus, the G7 Power still remained one of the most talented musicians in the mid-range right now and markedly better than the vanilla G7.
| Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
| +0.04, -0.04 | -90.6 | 90.5 | 0.0016 | 0.014 | -89.9 | |
| +0.05, -0.05 | -93.1 | 93.0 | 0.0065 | 0.072 | -68.4 | |
| +0.04, -0.04 | -93.6 | 90.9 | 0.0034 | 0.0100 | -94.8 | |
| +0.06, -0.03 | -90.5 | 93.2 | 0.0036 | 0.048 | -62.5 | |
| +0.04, -0.04 | -90.7 | 90.7 | 0.0015 | 0.014 | -94.5 | |
| +0.05, -0.29 | -92.5 | 92.5 | 0.024 | 0.296 | -55.0 | |
| +0.02, -0.02 | -93.1 | 93.0 | 0.0039 | 0.0088 | -81.9 | |
| +0.64, -0.38 | -88.6 | 91.9 | 0.0069 | 0.606 | -50.6 | |
| +0.04, -0.04 | -93.5 | 93.4 | 0.0011 | 0.0070 | -93.4 | |
| +0.45, -0.18 | -93.4 | 93.4 | 0.021 | 0.457 | -54.9 | |
| +0.01, -0.04 | -92.3 | 92.4 | 0.0041 | 0.0085 | -80.7 | |
| +0.45, -0.54 | -92.2 | 92.8 | 0.0084 | 0.492 | -51.5 |
Motorola Moto G7 Power frequency response
You can learn more about the tested parameters and the whole testing process here.
Vanilla Android Pie with a few Moto extras
Motorola has always opted for a near-stock Android versions and the G7 series is no different. The Moto G7 Power continues the purist tradition with its Android 9 Pie ROM, that, for the most part, is almost identical to what you would find on a Google Pixel device.
Lock screen • Home screen • Folder view • App drawer
We get a standard looking interface - the Pie notification shade, quick toggles area, the new Pie task switcher and its multi-windows capabilities, and even the list of recent apps in the task switcher that can be expanded into the app drawer - Android Pie through and through.
Notification shade • Quick toggles • Editing Quick toggles • Recent apps • Split screen
The launcher does also include an optional Google feed screen on the far left and lends itself to a certain degree of customization, like editing number or rows and columns and toggling things like notification dots, app suggestions and home screen rotation.
Google feed • Launcher settings
There are, however, some tweaks, sprinkled in in a really subtle manner. We appreciate Motorola's efforts to keep the Moto assistant additions tidy and well organized under one roof - the Moto app.
The familiar customizations like Moto Display and Moto Actions are available all within the Moto app.
With Moto Display you can enable the Peek Display - it shows the clock and notifications upon lifting your Moto G7 Power. Attentive Display, when turned on, won't lock the screen while you are looking at it, but it may affect the battery life.
In Moto Actions you can enable Lift to unlock, Fast flashlight, Quick capture, Pick to silence, among other useful gestures. One-button nav is also available and it's closer to Google's own implementation than the full-screen gestures of other makers. Basically, you swipe left on the bar to go Back, swipe right to quickly switch between the last two apps, swipe up for the task switcher, tap the bar to go Home, and tap-hold for Google Assistant.
Moto app • Moto Actions • Moto Actions • Moto Display
The Moto G7 Power has an always-on fingerprint sensor on its back, but in case Face Unlock is your thing, you can go for it but it's not as secure.
Fingerprint and security options
There are pretty much no additional apps worth mentioning pre-installed on the Motorola G7 Power and that's the way we like it. You pretty much get the Google app package and anything else you might need is easily attainable via the Play Store.
Photos • Google Music • FM radio
There is an FM radio receiver and an app to go with it.
Performance and benchmarks
The Motorola Moto G7 Power rely on the modest but still perfectly acceptable Snapdragon 632 chipset. It has an octa-core Kryo 250 CPU with 4x Gold and 4x Silver cores all working at 1.8GHz (don't you just love Qualcomm nomenclature).
There is one very familiar Adreno 506 GPU to handle the graphics. The Play and the Power models have lower-res 720p displays to go with their Adreno 506, which will give them an edge in real-life onscreen performance, while the high-res 1080p Moto G7 Plus has the upgraded Adreno 509 GPU.
Finally, the G7 Power comes with either 3 or 4 gigs of RAM depending on the storage option (we got the 64GB+4GB one).
Now, let's see what the benchmarks tell us.
GeekBench is always our first stop and it shows that there is nothing worrisome about the G7 Power's processor. While both the single- and multi-core performance are slightly trailing behind the Realme and Redmi competition - that's to be expected as the CPU has a lower clock than those. But the processor is still more than capable and seems future-proof enough.
GeekBench 4.1 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Realme 1
5741 - Realme 2 Pro
5531 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
5411 - Motorola Moto G7 Plus
4927 - Motorola Moto G7
4755 - Xiaomi Mi A2
4625 - Motorola Moto G7 Power
4534 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite (Redmi 6 Pro)
4388 - Motorola One (P30 Play)
4183 - Motorola Moto G6 Plus
4160 - Motorola Moto G7 Play
4154 - Motorola Moto G6
3972 - Xiaomi Redmi 6
3639 - Motorola Moto G6 Play
2328
GeekBench 4.1 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
1650 - Xiaomi Mi A2
1617 - Realme 1
1511 - Realme 2 Pro
1462 - Motorola Moto G7 Plus
1334 - Motorola Moto G7
1255 - Motorola Moto G7 Power
1252 - Motorola Moto G7 Play
1199 - Motorola Moto G6 Plus
882 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite (Redmi 6 Pro)
881 - Motorola One (P30 Play)
867 - Xiaomi Redmi 6
820 - Motorola Moto G6
754 - Motorola Moto G6 Play
639
The Adreno 506 has been around since the dated Snapdragon 625 chipset and while it had some nice punch, it just can't keep up with the 1080p tasks today.
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
15 - Xiaomi Mi A2
15 - Realme 2 Pro
14 - Realme 1
12 - Motorola Moto G7 Plus
10 - Motorola Moto G6 Plus
9.8 - Motorola Moto G6
9.3 - Motorola Moto G7 Power
6.9 - Motorola Moto G7 Play
6.9 - Motorola Moto G7
6.9 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite (Redmi 6 Pro)
6.5 - Motorola One (P30 Play)
6.4 - Xiaomi Redmi 6
5.9 - Motorola Moto G6 Play
4.6
3DMark SSE 3.1 Unlimited
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
1409 - Xiaomi Mi A2
1380 - Realme 2 Pro
1291 - Realme 1
1072 - Motorola Moto G7
569 - Motorola Moto G7 Power
567 - Motorola Moto G7 Play
562
Luckily, the G7 Power and G7 Play have 720p screens and the GPU handles everything effortlessly, even some demanding games. Nice!
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Motorola Moto G7 Power
14 - Motorola Moto G7 Play
14 - Xiaomi Mi A2
14 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
13 - Motorola One (P30 Play)
13 - Realme 2 Pro
12 - Realme 1
12 - Xiaomi Redmi 6
11 - Motorola Moto G6 Play
10 - Motorola Moto G7 Plus
9.7 - Motorola Moto G6 Plus
9.3 - Motorola Moto G6
8.8 - Motorola Moto G7
6.4 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite (Redmi 6 Pro)
6.1
The Moto G7 Power scored a respectable score on the compound AnTuTu benchmark and it clearly shows the potential of the Snapdragon 632 when coupled with an HD screen. The G7 Power ended well above the average and that's more than enough.
AnTuTu 7
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
139075 - Realme 1
138524 - Realme 2 Pro
132958 - Xiaomi Mi A2
130927 - Motorola Moto G7 Plus
117829 - Motorola Moto G7 Power
107495 - Motorola Moto G7
106292 - Motorola Moto G7 Play
97230 - Motorola Moto G6 Plus
90263 - Motorola One (P30 Play)
81024 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite (Redmi 6 Pro)
77964 - Xiaomi Redmi 6
75182 - Motorola Moto G6
70845 - Motorola Moto G6 Play
58757
The Moto G7 Power isn't as powerful as the Redmi Note 7 or Realme 2 Pro, which are some if its direct competitors. But it's powerful enough to last you a couple of years without worrying too much for the upcoming apps and games. It's not a powerhouse, but it handles pressure very well and that's more than enough for its price.
We observed no warm spots on the G7 Power's body even long benchmark sessions and there is no throttling at all.
Finally, Android Pie ran hassle-free on the Power and app execution was great. We didn't have any issues or stutters and we think everyone will be happy with the real-life performance.
A 12MP camera with an f/2.0 lens
The Moto G7 Power has a 12 MP snapper behind an f/2.0 lens and its sensor has 1.25µm pixels. The camera has phase-detection autofocus and has a single-LED flash that should be more useful as a flashlight rather than low-light photos, but still, it's there.
Hardware-wise, we can't really say we're all that impressed. However, Motorola has made a habit out of trying its best to improve the overall camera experience, as best it can, sprinkling on extra features. Often times, rather surprising ones.
For instance, 4K video recording is rather surprising to see on a budget phone. Then there is EIS available for the 1080p clips. And the Portrait mode has made it to the G7 Power, too, even though there isn't a depth sensor.
Camera app
The Manual mode is surprisingly full-featured and includes shutter speed and ISO controls, even manual focus.
Image quality
The camera supports Auto HDR and it comes with this enabled by default. When shooting in Auto HDR the phone will always stack multiple images for a clearer picture with boosted dynamic range.
The pictures we shot with the camera's default settings - meaning Auto HDR - turned out pretty great for the class. The 12MP shots have plenty of detail, low noise levels, nice sharpness, and lively and accurate colors. The dynamic range isn't spectacular, but it's quite decent.
Moto G7 Power Auto HDR 12MP samples
If you turn off the HDR, the camera shoots very good photos, too. The noise levels are higher, and the images are a bit softer, but that's to be expected. And the dynamic range is a bit lower, of course.
Moto G7 Power 12MP samples
Snapping a photo with HDR takes about one second, while without HDR - it's around half a second. But we still recommend sticking to using Auto HDR - it really improves the photos.
HDR off • HDR on • HDR off • HDR on
Auto HDR doesn't bring any benefits in the low-light scenes, at least not on the Moto G7 Power. The images are noisy and lack detail, the exposures are somewhat too dark for our taste and that's with all the sources of light already clipped pretty high. Nighttime photography is not this phone's strongest suit.
Moto G7 Power 12MP low-light samples
Once you're done examining the real-life samples you can have a look at our Photo compare tool for some studio shots. We've pre-selected the Redmi Note 7 and the Moto G7 but you can pick any other set of phones to compare once you're there.
Moto G7 Power against the Redmi Note 7 and the Moto G7 in our Photo compare tool
Portraits
There is a dedicated portrait mode on the Moto G7 Power even though there is no depth camera on its back. The edge detection is alright when certain conditions are met, but nothing super accurate. All the shots we took look blurry and noisy. We can't see many people using this mode unless they have a portrait-friendly haircut and background.
Moto G7 Power 12MP portrait shots
Selfies
Just like the Moto G7 Play, the Motorola G7 Power relies on an 8MP f/2.2 camera, but there is no LED flash.
The 8MP photos we snapped with the front snapper turned out pretty good with lots of resolved detail, good sharpness, high contrast, and true to life colors.
Moto G7 Power 8MP selfie samples
You can snap portrait shots with the selfie camera, too, and surprisingly those came out better than the ones we took with the main snapper. The edge detection is mostly fine, the blurred background looks nice and the transition between the subject and the blur isn't abrupt.
Moto G7 Power 8MP portrait selfie samples
4K video recording
The Motorola Moto G7 Power can record videos at up to 4K@30 fps. It also has a surprisingly good EIS algorithm working in the background for the 1080p@30fps clips. You can toggle that stabilization off, in case you really need to use the entire frame, without any crop or have a tripod handy.
Videos shot on the Motorola G7 Power in 4K and 1080p resolution at 30 fps get saved in a rather standard configuration of a 17-ish Mbps AVC video feed and a 48kHz stereo AAC audio track, inside an MP4 container. The frame rate remains pretty steady at 30 fps.
Quality is actually quite good with plenty of detail for the class, high contrast, and lively colors. The dynamic range is about average.
The 1080p at 60fps videos have the same bitrate as the 30fps ones and thus they lack in detail but match everything else - contrast, colors, dynamic range.
As usual, we're providing you with unedited short samples to download and examine - 2160p@30fps (12s, 26MB), 1080p@30fps (11s, 23MB), and 1080p@60fps (11s, 24MB).
The last stop is, of course, our Video compare tool where you can compare the Moto G7 Power's output against other phones we've tested. We've pre-selected the Realme 2 Pro and the Moto G7, but a different set of devices is only a few clicks away.
Moto G7 Power against the Realme 2 Pro and the Moto G7 in our Video compare tool
The competition
The Moto G7 Power is more of a niche smartphone rather than targeted at the mass market.
But if you are willing to live with the phone's bulkier body, the G7 Power's will reward you with a spectacular, if not record-breaking, battery life. And this alone makes it is worthy of serious consideration.
But the G7 Powers has a few other tricks that could make it an even better purchase - a nice looking design, splash-proof at that, skillful cameras (in daylight), and clean Android.
The first smartphone that comes to mind around the Moto G7 Power's price and class is the Redmi Note 7. It has a bigger and higher-res screen with much smaller notch, faster chipset, better camera department - all of this wrapped in a dual-glass body. The Note 7 can't do 4K clips with its default app, but while its battery is just 4,000 mAh, its endurance isn't a match for the Power, but it's still quite respectable. Oh, and did we mention the Note 7 is cheaper where available?
Then the Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite costs as much as the Moto. It has a better design, screen, chipset, and cameras, but inferior battery life and no audio jack.
The Realme 2 Pro costs as much as the G7 Power, once again - where available. It has a higher-res screen with a droplet notch, a faster chipset with more RAM, and its main camera can do better portraits. The Realme 2 Pro battery is a 3,500 mAh one, but still offers some great battery life.
Now, if you live in a market where both Xiaomi and Realme aren't available officially, then you surely have access to Huawei or Honor smartphones. The Honor 8X has a larger screen with higher resolution, an eye-catchy design, and once again - a faster chipset. The cameras on both ends are also more capable. The battery of the Honor 8X is a 3,750 mAh one, but its endurance rating is close to 100h, so it should last you enough.
Finally, the Huawei P Smart 2019 is more or less a reworked Honor 8X. It has a bit smaller display and battery than the 8X, which means the Smart matches the G7 Power in size but can't offer the same battery life, not by a longshot.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 • Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite • Realme 2 Pro • Honor 8X • Huawei P smart 2019
The verdict
Obviously, the Moto G7 Power isn't the most powerful smartphone in its price bracket. Motorola is no Xiaomi or Realme, so we never really expected for Moto to match their budget offers. And yet, the Power comes very close, which is quite the surprise.
The G7 Power has a large screen and a long-lasting battery, something that few makers are ready to offer. You can even use it as a power bank if you purchase the appropriate cable.
The camera is good, yes, and the chipset is dependable. But the other key strength lies in the vanilla Android Pie. The ninth major Android version is still a rare sight on budget phones and yet Moto has it on all of its devices.
So, as far as recommendations go - it's quite simple. There is nothing wrong with the Moto G7 Power and it's worth your attention. It may not have the fancy tricks of the competition but seems quite dependable in both hardware and software.
Pros
- Large display (with a notch)
- Splashy design with splash resistance
- Massive battery and chart-topping battery life, and decently fast charging
- Very good camera experience in dayling and 4K video capturing
- Latest Android with a few nice Moto enhancements on top
Cons
- The competition would offer better features at that price
- Quite slippery, back is easy to scratch too
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