The Moto G71 5G: A Reliable 5G Smartphone With Stock Android And A Powerful Processor – But Is It The Best Option?
Motorola has made a name for itself in the budget 5G smartphone market with its G series, offering compelling options for users who prioritize value and performance. Their latest addition, the Moto G71 5G, features the Snapdragon 695 SoC, a first in India, and a 50-megapixel primary rear camera, promising impressive performance and excellent image quality. But does this new phone truly stand out from the competition? We put the Moto G71 5G through a rigorous testing process to understand its strengths and weaknesses and determine if it’s a worthy pick for your next smartphone.
Moto G71 5G Price in India
The Moto G71 5G, available in a single configuration with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, is priced at Rs. 18,999 in India. It is exclusively sold on Flipkart and comes in two color options: Neptune Green and Artic Blue.
Moto G71 5G Design: A Compact And Comfortable Experience
The Moto G71 5G stands out for its compact size, making it comfortable to hold for extended periods. Motorola has carefully considered ergonomics, incorporating curved sides that enhance grip and feel. The phone boasts a 6.4-inch display with a hole-punch camera and thin bezels, enabling effortless one-handed use, although reaching the very top of the display might require a slight adjustment.
While the plastic frame doesn’t feel cheap, the right side feels a bit cluttered with tightly spaced buttons: the textured power button, easily recognizable by touch, the volume buttons, offering satisfying clicky feedback, and the Google Assistant button, which could have been more conveniently placed on the left side. The left side houses the SIM tray.
The rear of the phone features a glossy finish, which attracts fingerprints and smudges easily, although the included case can mitigate this. The camera module protrudes slightly, yet it remains less obtrusive compared to many other phones.
The bottom edge houses the 3.5mm headphone jack, primary microphone, USB Type-C port, and loudspeaker, while the top edge has a secondary microphone. The phone is splash-resistant and weighs 179g, making it manageable in hand.
Moto G71 5G Specifications and Software: A Blend of Power and Stock Android
Motorola has opted for a slightly different hardware approach with the Moto G71 5G. It features a 6.4-inch AMOLED display with full-HD+ resolution and scratch-resistant glass, but it only includes a standard 60Hz refresh rate. While some phones like the Realme 8s 5G and Moto G51 offer higher refresh rates, they lack AMOLED panels, highlighting the trade-offs in this price segment.
Powering the Moto G71 5G is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695, making it the first smartphone in India to feature this octa-core chip clocked at 2.2GHz. The phone also includes 6GB of RAM with a RAM boost feature that utilizes 1.5GB of storage as RAM by default.
The Moto G71 5G sports a impressive 13 5G bands, leading the pack in India’s price range. Additional features include 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 5, NFC, dual-band Wi-Fi, and six satellite navigation systems. It packs a 5,000mAh battery and comes bundled with a 33W TurboPower charger.
Out of the box, the Moto G71 5G runs stock Android 11 with the December Android security patch. While a update to Android 12 is expected, the timeline remains unconfirmed. MyUX, Motorola’s customisation layer, is unobtrusive, ensuring those who prefer stock Android will feel right at home.
Further enhancements include Moto Actions, allowing you to perform actions through gestures. Legacy features like the double-chop gesture to toggle the flash and flip-to-silence are also present. The Moto Gametime app quickly mutes notifications and disables auto-brightness during gaming sessions.
Motorola has long been known for its minimal bloatware, with only essential Google apps preinstalled. However, the Moto G71 5G comes with Cred and Facebook, which thankfully can be removed.
Moto G71 5G Performance and Battery Life: A Smooth Experience With Long-Lasting Power
The Moto G71 5G delivers a smooth and snappy performance. Apps and games load quickly, and multitasking between them is a breeze thanks to the 6GB of RAM. However, a minor lag was noticeable in the camera viewfinder when the battery level dropped below 15 percent, even without enabling battery saver mode. Aside from this minor anomaly, the Moto G71 5G consistently impressed.
The rear-mounted fingerprint scanner is accurate and unlocks the phone with a single attempt. Face recognition is also reliable. The AMOLED display offered good viewing angles and adequate brightness, making it enjoyable for watching videos even outdoors.
Being the first in India to feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695, we were curious about the Moto G71 5G’s performance against the competition. In the AnTuTu benchmark, it scored 3,78,268 points, surpassing the MediaTek Dimensity 810-powered Redmi Note 11T 5G. In Geekbench 5’s single-core and multi-core tests, the Moto G71 5G scored 668 and 1,900 points, respectively. It also achieved 60fps and 18fps in GFXBench’s T-Rex and Car Chase tests, respectively, and 4,159 in 3DMark’s Sling Shot test.
Playing Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) on the Moto G71 5G defaulted to ‘HD’ graphics and ‘High’ frame rate, showcasing smooth gameplay without any issues. After 33 minutes, the battery level dropped by six percent, an acceptable rate. The phone remained cool to the touch even after this extended gaming session.
The Moto G71 5G consistently provided around a day and a half of battery life, with casual users potentially squeezing even more out of it. Heavy users can expect at least a full day of use. In our HD video loop test, the G71 5G lasted for 17 hours and 58 minutes, a commendable result for a 5,000mAh battery. The bundled 33W charger efficiently recharges the phone, taking it from zero to 54 percent in 30 minutes and about 91 percent in an hour.
Moto G71 5G Cameras: Delivering Decent Daylight Performance, But Struggling in Low Light
The Moto G71 5G packs a triple camera setup consisting of a 50-megapixel primary camera with an f/1.8 aperture, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle camera with a 118-degree field of view, and a 2-megapixel macro camera. For selfies, it has a 16-megapixel front camera.
Motorola’s camera app is straightforward and easy to use. The commonly used photo and video shooting modes are prominent, while others are neatly tucked away in a menu. Notably, the app remembers the last shooting mode, speeding up the process of picking up where you left off. Aside from the occasional lag in the viewfinder, the camera app worked smoothly.
The Moto G71 5G swiftly locked focus and exposure. It saves photos at 12.5 megapixels by default. Daylight photos demonstrated decent detail, with objects at a distance remaining identifiable. However, dynamic range was limited to average, resulting in blown-out highlights in bright scenes. Ultra-wide angle photos suffered from lower detail and exhibited warping at the edges of the frame.
Close-ups were crisp and colors were accurate. The wide aperture softens the background, creating a pleasing blur effect that enhances subject isolation. The camera UI intelligently suggests switching to the macro camera when you’re near a subject. Macro shots lacked the same level of detail, but the camera offered a close-up perspective. Portrait mode displayed precise edge detection, allowing you to adjust the blur level before taking the shot.
Low-light camera performance was a weak point. Photos lacked detail and appeared grainy upon closer inspection. Activating Night mode significantly brightened output, particularly in shadowy areas, taking about four to five seconds per shot. However, artifacting was visible upon closer examination.
Selfies taken with the Moto G71 5G were crisp, and portraits displayed a convincing background blur effect. Low-light selfies were decent enough for social media sharing.
Video recording maxed out at 1080p for both the primary and selfie cameras. The phone exclusively relies on electronic image stabilisation (EIS), which is enabled by default. Footage captured while walking had a subtle shimmer during the day, becoming more pronounced in low-light conditions.
Verdict: A Solid Option For Stock Android Lovers, But With Some Camera Caveats
The sub-Rs. 20,000 smartphone market is witnessing a growing number of 5G-enabled options from every major manufacturer. The Moto G71 5G emerges as a capable contender in this price range, offering compelling features that warrant consideration. Its powerful processor, lasting battery life with fast charging, and respectable cameras, make it a strong contender. Those who prioritize a no-frills design and stock Android experience will find the Moto G71 5G especially appealing.
The low-light camera performance constitutes the primary drawback, hindering the phone’s quest for all-around excellence. Potential buyers should weigh this factor carefully.
If you’re seeking alternatives in this price range, the Redmi Note 11T 5G, Realme 8s 5G, and iQoo Z3 are worthy contenders. Each possesses its own unique advantages, making it essential to compare features and prioritize your needs before making a decision.
