The Motorola Moto G9 Power is a budget smartphone that wants to distinguish itself with its long battery life. Is that successful and how good is the device in general? Computer! Totally catch up in this Motorola Moto G9 Power review.
Motorola Moto G9 Power
MSRP € 199, –
Colors Green and blue
OS Android 10
Screen 6.8 inch LCD (1600 x 720, 60 Hz)
Processor 2 GHz octacore (Snapdragon 662)
RAM 4 GB
Storage 128 GB (expandable)
Battery 6,000 mAh
Camera 64, 2 and 2 megapixels (rear), 16 megapixels (front)
Connectivity 4G (LTE), Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi b / g / n / ac, GPS
Format 17.2 x 7.7 x 0.97 cm
Weight 221 grams
Other Headphone port, fingerprint scanner
Website www.motorola.com/en/ 7 Score 70 
- Pros
- Battery life and fast charging
- Lots of storage memory
- Design
- Negatives
- Old software and moderate update policy
- Screen resolution
- Limited useful cameras
- Dimensions and weight
Motorola sells a wide range of budget smartphones, so I can imagine that you will find it difficult to distinguish them from each other. In any case, the new Moto G9 Power does have a clear selling point and that is its enormous battery capacity. This smartphone is intended for those looking for the best battery life.
Design and screen
The focus on battery life is reflected in the design. At 221 grams, the Motorola Moto G9 Power is one of the heaviest smartphones at the moment. You notice this when you hold it or put it in your pocket. The hefty weight is also due to the large 6.8-inch screen. The Moto G9 Power is one of the largest devices and that is nice if you find the average smartphone screen too prickly.
Unfortunately, Motorola drops a stitch on the screen: the display does not look sharp. This is due to the relatively low HD resolution; which is simply too low to provide a sharp image. Full HD resolution would have been better. Furthermore, the screen is fine. The brightness is fine, colors look nice and the hole for the selfie camera is compact. The long ratio of the screen is striking. At 20.5: 9, the display is longer than an average screen and you will notice that immediately. You cannot easily reach the top of the screen, which is inconvenient if you want to operate the Moto G9 Power with one hand. An advantage of the elongated screen ratio is that it simply fits more into the picture. So you don’t have to scroll as much.
The Moto G9 Power is made of plastic and is not very luxurious. It does feel sturdy enough and has a USB-C charging port, a headphone connection and a fingerprint scanner. It is in the Motorola logo on the back and is placed quite high, especially if you have smaller hands. It is nice that Motorola includes a (simple) cover and puts a 20 Watt charger in the box.
The best battery life
With that fast charger – certainly not standard in this price segment – it takes a few hours to charge the smartphone. That sounds and is long, but don’t forget that the Moto G9 Power has a huge 6000 mAh battery. The Poco M3 is one of the few competing smartphones with an equally large battery. In practice, the Moto G9 Power delivers an excellent battery life. I can use the phone intensively for at least one and a half to two days before thinking about a charger. If you slow down, I think you’ll make it for three to four days.
Specifications
The other specifications of the Moto G9 Power are fine, but not striking for this type of device. The Snapdragon 662 processor used is a well-known one and works with 4 GB of RAM. The device is fast enough for popular apps, but feels a bit slow. With 128 GB, the storage memory is nice and large.
The 64 megapixel main camera shoots good photos and videos in sufficient daylight. Keep the smartphone still, otherwise the pictures will move quickly. The usefulness of the macro camera is limited. It is true that you can take a photo from very close, but the camera often does not focus well and the photos themselves are of poor quality due to the low resolution (2 megapixel). The depth sensor helps blur the background and does a great job.
Software
Motorola has been messing around with its software policy for years, and the Moto G9 Power is no different. A shame, because it is not that difficult. Motorola could have installed Android 11 (the 2020 version) on the smartphone but opts for version 10 from 2019. An update to Android 11 will come, which is only logical. Anyone who thinks that the device can expect more Android updates will be disappointed. After Android 11 it ends in terms of version updates. Shameful if you ask me, even if you look at how much better other brands are doing. The Moto G9 Power will receive an occasional security update for two years, which is the minimum for a modern Android smartphone.
The software itself is nice. Motorola does not adjust much, so you almost use stock Android. The few changes actually add something, for example in the form of gesture control.
Conclusion: buy Motorola Moto G9 Power?
The Motorola Moto G9 Power is an excellent choice if you are looking for an affordable smartphone with the longest possible battery life. But if that great battery life is less important to you, the Moto G9 Power is suddenly less interesting. It is bulky, has a blurry screen, runs old software and comes with a substandard update policy. For 199 euros you can of course not expect too much, but secretly I expected more from the device.
Interesting alternatives are the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T (229 euros), with 5G support, good battery life and better specifications. The Poco M3 lasts as long as the Moto G9 Power but offers a nicer screen and costs 149 euros. You can find more daring devices in our buying guide with the ten best smartphones up to 200 euros.
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