Are you looking all confused at your calendar, wondering if we somehow jumped to 2020? Well, so were we when we found out Motorola is launching the first Moto G8 devices already. The Moto G7 family came out in February this year, so naturally, we didn’t expect any Moto G8 phones before the start of next year. Lenovo (the company behind Motorola smartphones) seems to have other plans, however, and the first pair of G8s is already here: The Moto G8 Plus and the Moto G8 Play. We’re not ones to complain about new phones coming out, so let’s take a look!
Moto G8 Plus: More cameras, more speed, more battery!
One thing about the Moto G8 Plus becomes apparent right out of the gate: this is not some slight refresh of the earlier 2019 model. That might not be as obvious when you look at the front of the new phone, the display is barely 0.1 inches bigger and there’s still a waterdrop notch, although this time its curves are bit more tucked-in. Motorola appears to have removed its name from the bottom bezel which we applaud as it gives the new phone a cleaner look.
On the back, the circular camera bump is gone, replaced by, hmm… a reverse exclamation mark bump? Regardless of the shape, the new camera module appears to have impressive four cameras, but there are only two traditional ones. At the top is a 48MP lens with Quad Pixel technology and under it is a 16MP Action Cam, as Motorola calls it, with an 117 degrees field-of-view, so basically an ultra-wide camera. On there is also a 5MP depth sensor and the Laser autofocus module.
The front-facing camera gets a big bump as well, the one on the Moto G8 Plus has a 25MP sensor compared to the 12MP one of the G7 Plus. Now time to take a look at the main specs and how they compare to those of the Moto G7 Plus.
That last change should bring a significant boost to the Moto G8's battery life. The phone did gain 12g from it, but we'll exchange some extra weight for hours of screen-on-time any day! What's even better is that the Moto G8 Plus comes with an 18W TurboPower charger in the box so filling that massive battery in a rush is no problem.
What's disappointing to see is that the phone will be running Android 9 out of the box, but hey, at least the headphone jack is still there!
Somewhat in the shadow of the Moto G8 Plus comes the humbler G8 Play.
Moto G8 Play: welcome to the big boys' club
Until now, the Play version of the G series was relatively compact, the Moto G7 Play came with a 5.7-inch display. Not any more! The Moto G8 Play has a 6.2-inch display, making it almost identical in size to its Plus brother. Unfortunately, what hasn't changed is the resolution of the display, which is only 720p and at that size, it will be more obvious than ever that Motorola has made a compromise with the display. On the bright side, the notch has been reduced to a waterdrop one as well, so the device looks more up to date.
On the back, the styling is similar to the Moto G8 Plus. The cameras are downgraded but you still get pretty much the same lineup. You can check how the two phones stack up in the table below with the Moto G7 Play added as a second reference point.
Notable changes compared to the previous Play editions:
New ultra-wide camera and depth sensor
MediaTek's Helio P70 replacing the Snapdragon 632. Performance should be quite similar.
4,000mAh on this G8 as well
It's admirable that features we're used to seeing on more expensive phones such as the ultra-wide camera are now found on devices as cheap as the Moto G8 Play. But once again, the massive battery is what users are likely to get the most benefit out of. The Moto G8 Play comes with a 10W charger which might not be as powerful as that of the G8 Plus, but it's still more than the 5W one Apple gives you with its $700 iPhone 11.
Moto G8 Plus and Moto G8 Play price and release date
Here's the big bummer, however, Lenovo has no plans to release the Moto G8 Plus and G8 Play in the US. But don't despair! The company is yet to announce the regular Moto G8 and perhaps the Moto G8 Power, if the new lineup will consist of four phones once more. At least one of them is destined for the North American market, the question is only when they'll be released.
In Europe, the Moto G8 Plus will cost 269 Euro (about $300) and will become available by the end of October. However, in Brazil, Mexico and India you can get it starting today.
The Moto G8 Play is being released today Brazil, Mexico, Chile and Perú with other countries from Latin America to follow in the upcoming months. The price for it should be the equivalent of about 200 Euro (around $220).
All things considered, the Moto G8 Plus is an awesome bang-for-your-buck proposition which is what the G line is all about. Easily recommendable to people that just want a smartphone that works and they don't want to spend a fortune on it.
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