Moto G9 Power review

Introduction

The Motorola Moto G9 Power may not be a powerhouse, but it sure feels like a powerplant. The Power models were introduced as part of the Moto G7 series, got upgraded nicely with the Moto G8, and now we see a more streamlined Moto G9 with one of the largest batteries to date - a massive 6,000 mAh unit!

The Moto G9 Power isn't your typical upgrade, where you'd see more powerful hardware, better cameras, a nicer screen. No, it's more of a rethought version of the Moto G8 Power, where the unnecessary features are gone, and the focus has fallen on performance and battery life.

See, this new Moto G9 Power has a larger screen but of lower resolution, and the good sharpness was waived for performance reasons. Motorola has kept a similarly budget Snapdragon chip, but it's powerful enough to run games on an HD screen, and it does that well now.

The quad-camera from the G8 Power is gone, and we are not sure if we will miss it. While it was a pretty versatile setup with main/tele/ultrawide/macro snappers, the new 64MP primary on the G9 Power should be enough to replace the missing zoom camera (by just cropping from its center), plus it can do high-res panoramic shots - as long as your objects aren't moving much.

The one thing we find it hard to get over is removing the stereo speakers. We loved the Moto G8 Power's speakers, and we are already missing them on the G9 Power. This downgrade - we don't get.

In an attempt to make up for that, the Moto G9 Power comes with two proper upgrades over the Moto G8 Power. You get double the base storage - now up at 128GB, and you also get a larger battery - it's now 6,000mAh (up from 5,000mAh).

Motorola Moto G9 Power specs at a glance:

• Body: 172.1x76.8x9.7mm, 221g; plastic back, plastic frame; Water-repellent coating.
• Display: 6.80" IPS LCD, 720x1640px resolution, 20.5:9 aspect ratio, 263ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM6115 Snapdragon 662 (11 nm): Octa-core (4x2.0 GHz Kryo 260 Gold & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 260 Silver); Adreno 610.
• Memory: 128GB 4GB RAM; microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot).
• OS/Software: Android 10.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, 1/1.97", 0.7µm, PDAF; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4, AF; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.2, 1.0µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 1080p@30/60fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 6000mAh; Fast charging 20W.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (rear-mounted); NFC; FM radio; 3.5mm jack.

Just like other Moto phones, the Moto G9 Power offers many fan-favorite tweaks like water-repellent coating on the internals, a 3.5mm jack, a microSD slot, FM radio, and NFC. And there is a bundled 20W charger that should top-up the 6,000mAh fast enough. Hopefully!

Unboxing the Moto G9 Power

The Moto G9 Power retail box contains a 20W Turbo Charger, a USB-C cable, and a transparent silicone case for out of the box protection.

We like how Motorola is shipping the phone with the case already on the phone - this way, it is safer during transportation and is ready to rock right away. Yes, putting a case is a minor hassle, but we appreciate the extra effort. Oh, and not having a paper compartment for the said case most probably saved a tree, or two.