Motorola is expanding its line of mid-range Moto G series smartphones with two new phones. The Moto G100 packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 processor, making it the first Moto G phone with an 800 series chip. It also has a 90 Hz FHD+ display.

The phone debuted in Europe and Latin America in March, and now it’s available in the United States. With a list price of $600 (it’s on sale for $500 during a launch promotion), it’s the most expensive Moto G series device to date. But the company is also offering a lower-cost Moto G50 in select markets (not including North America). starts at €230 and which still has a 90Hz display and 5,000 mAh battery.

The Moto G100 has the kind of specs that would have seemed premium a few years ago, including support for fast charging, a triple camera system, and that Snapdragon 870 processor.

But it’s basically a solid upper mid-ranger by 2021 standards, with a 2520 x 1080 pixel LCD display, 8GB of LPDDR5 memory, and 128GB of storage. It has a 5,000 mAh battery, 20W fast charging, and three rear camera plus two front-facing cameras.

One nice thing about mid-range phones, though, is that they tend to have a few features you don’t find on premium models as often. In this case, that means there’s a headphone jack and a microSD card reader capable of handling cards up to 1TB.

If you’re in an area where the Moto G50 is available, that model sells for about 230 Euros and up and also has a 90 Hz display, but it’s a lower resolution screen and the phone has a slower processor, slower charging, a less impressive camera system, and a few other compromises. But it’s still nice to see features like high refresh rates trickling down to truly mid-range or budget phones.

Here are some of the key specs for Motorola’s latest G series phones:

Moto G100Moto G50
Display6.7 inch
2520 x 1080
IPS LCD
90 Hz
HDR 10 support
6.5 inch
1600 x 720
IPS LCD
90 Hz
ProcessorQualcomm Snapdragon 870Qualcomm Snapdragon 480
RAM8GB LPDDR54GB
Storage128GB UFS 3.1
microSDXC (up to 1TB)
64GB or 128GB
microSDXC (up to 1TB)
CamerasRear:

  • 64MP primary
  • 16MP ultra-wide
  • 2MP depth
  • ToF laser autofocus

Front:

  • 16MP primary
  • 8MP wide-angle
Rear:

  • 48MP primary
  • 5MP macro
  • 2MP depth

Front:

  • 13MP
Battery5,000 mAh5,000 mAh
Charging20W fast wired charging10W wired
SecurityFingerprint reader (side)
Face Unlock
Fingerprint reader (back)
PortsUSB 3.1 Type-C
3.5mm audio
USB 2.0 Type-C
3.5mm audio
AudioBottom-facing speaker
3 microphones
Headset jack
Mono speaker
2 microphones
Headset jack
WirelessSnapdragon X55 5G
WiFi 6
Bluetooth 5.1
NFC
GPS/GLONASS
5G
WiFi 5
Bluetooth 5.0
GPS/GLONASS
Dimensions168.4 x 74 x 9.7mmm164.9 x 74.9 x 9mm
Weight207 grams192 grams
Price€500€230

One more thing that sets the Moto G100 apart is that it supports Motorola’s new “Ready For” platform which lets you connect the phone to an external display to watch videos, play games, or use your Android apps in a desktop-like view. It’s a feature that Motorola first introduced in the United States last week for the Motorola Edge+ smartphone on Verizon, but now it’s making its way to an additional device and additional markets… but not to lower-cost phones like the Moto G50 apparently.

The Moto G100 is available in select countries in Europe and Latin America starting today, while the Moto G50 is headed to Europe in the coming weeks. And if the Moto G100 looks familiar, by the way, that’s probably because it appears to be nearly identical to the Motorola Edge S which launched in China in January. the only difference I can see is that the Chinese model has 6GB of RAM and a lower starting price of around $310 in that country.

Moto G100

Moto G50

This article was originally published March 25, 2021 and last updated July 22, 2021. 

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2 replies on “Moto G100 and Moto G50 launch with 90Hz displays and big batteries”

  1. Big batteries are actually very inconvenient…yes, note i said NOT convenient, for firefighters that is. Headlong rush into dystopian futures. An inconvenient truth until some better battery design make it to mainstream markets. Fire, like covid, is a public commons nuisance, its only about what you buy personally.

    1. Apparently it’s also becoming a big issue for waste/recycling employees. Lots of cases of injuries, or damage from discarded electronics blowing up in their workspaces.

      It will be nice when we come up with a suitable rechargeable battery chemistry that isn’t a bomb in your pocket.

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