The "1-Minute" Review
Verdict
Unless you love taking pictures or watching HD video, this phone ticks off any box you might want in the budget-friendly phone market. It's a sweet spot in Motorola's newest line up for sure.What's good
- Long-lasting battery
- Good middle-ground option
- Smooth experience
What's bad
- Poor camera
- Occasionally stutters in performance
- Low resolution display
Motorola is swiftly becoming one of the most reliable sources for cheap phones that work great. Does their newest collection keep with their reputation, and what can you expect from the G30? Let’s find out!
Design
The Motorola Moto G30 is relatively unassuming in the world of glass slab phones. Nothing fancy here, but it is well balanced—a fingerprint scanner in the middle on the back and very slight bezels.
There are three different buttons on the side of the phone: volume, power, and a dedicated Google Assistant button. The only negative design aspect reviewers mentioned is the color options—a mud green and pink color that are very unappealing.
Display
Reviewers were just okay with the display, a 6.5-inch HD panel with a 90Hz refresh rate. However, most agreed the 90Hz choice wasn’t a worthwhile tradeoff. They would have preferred a higher resolution. With low resolution and a high refresh rate, everything starts to get weird in a bad way.
Performance
You won't find stunning performance with this model, but you will find more than functional performance. Reviewers stated that the phone did its job for the most part, except in some gaming situations where it got hung up and stuttered a bit.
Software & Storage
The Motorola Moto G30 ships with Android 11 installed. There aren’t any fancy overlays unless you count Moto gestures. Storage is decent with 128GB, and most of it usable out of the box. But if that’s not enough, a MicroSD slot allows for affordable expansion.
Cameras
Photos were a big letdown. Reviewers said that the wide-angle lens underperformed, and the macro lens might as well not be there. It’s not the camera for you if you like taking artistic or dynamic photos.
Battery Life
The Moto G30 came out on top for battery life reviews. As a light phone user, reviewers stated you could expect two-day battery life. Even with heavy use, you should hit bedtime with a small charge left.
Audio
As with most phones, the speaker was mediocre. As a mono speaker, it only sounds so good. However, a headphone jack makes it easy to improve your audio experience.
Specs at a Glance
- Plastic chassis
- 6.5-inch HD display
- Qualcomm SM6115 Snapdragon 662 processor
- 6GB of RAM
- Android 11
- 128GB of storage with microSD expansion slot
- 64MP main lens, 13MP selfie camera
- 5000mAh battery
Bottom Line
The Motorola Moto G30 won’t win a battle with any of the high-tier smartphones out there, but it’s much more affordable. Besides a few performance hiccups and some minor compromises, reviewers felt it was at the high end for cheap phones. It won’t let you down for daily use, it just doesn’t have all the fancy features. It’s just a good, cheap phone.
Tech Radar says, “The Moto G30 is good for its price, and certainly beats out its G10 sibling, as a fine all-rounder. Save for its stellar battery performance there are no stand-out aspects to the phone though, and depending on what you’re looking for, another handset might offer more”
PocketLint comments, “Although the Moto G30 takes its share of criticism - three of the four cameras are poor (two a total write-off), the Pastel Sky finish is questionable (and that's being kind) - in the interests of context there's little else out there at this price point that can even compete”
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Alex Dennis, AusdroidThe Moto G30 does offer some great features for the price tag and I am pretty impressed with the phone in general. The Moto G30 does offer some great specs for those who don’t want all the bells and whistles that come along with a hefty price tag, if you are looking for a good low to mid-range phone...
- Somrata Sarkar, Tech AdvisorMotorola makes a predictable budget handset in the Moto G30. You get all the basics, great battery life and a 90Hz display, but underwhelming cameras may prompt eyes (and wallets) to wander elsewhere.
- Alex Kidman, finder.com.auThe Motorola Moto G30 doesn't do too much wrong for a budget phone. That 90Hz display is nice, battery endurance is good and it's capable enough for everyday smartphone apps and even games at lower settings without substantial fuss. The problem is that the Moto G10 exists, and it's cheaper while dro...
- Camila Rinaldi, NextPitI would recommend purchasing the Moto G30. The processor performance falls within the price band and Motorola does offer at least two years of security patches and one major Android update. This ensures that you can use the phone for at least two years before having to upgrade to a newer model in or...
- Marcus Herbrich, NotebookcheckIf you take the display out of the equation, then the Moto G30 looks like a good low-priced mid-range smartphone. The Motorola smartphone comes with 128 GB of slow eMMC memory, an NFC chip, a radio tuner and a 3.5-mm headphone jack. What is more, the mid-range smartphone is well-built and allows use...
Prices (Where to Buy)
Common Questions
Motorola backs up the Moto G30 with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.
If your Moto G30 has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact Motorola support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find Motorola's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.
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