Motorola's Moto G31 starts at Rs. India 12,999

Earlier this year, we evaluated the Moto G30, and the results proved that it is a safe all-round product. It takes beautiful photos during the day and provides stable battery life. In addition, the 90Hz refresh rate display is a good bonus. . Although the G31 has not changed much in terms of design, it has undergone some upgrades and is now acceptable to new competitors. So, is the new Moto G31 as versatile as the Moto G30?

The Moto G31 starts at Rs. 12,999 In India, there are two versions. There is a basic 4GB RAM and 64GB storage version at a price of Rs. 12,999, and 6GB RAM and 128GB storage version, the price is Rs. 14,999.

Moto G31 looks very similar to its predecessor, Moto G30. It is made of polycarbonate and has a one-piece design that feels very strong. Due to the fine groove-like texture on the back, it provides good grip and is relatively slim, measuring only 8.54 mm. Its slight waterproof grade is IPX2, which is slightly lower than G30. The dustproof and waterproof grade of G30 is IP52.

Motorola Moto G31 is made of polycarbonate

Thanks to the texture and matte finish on the back, the phone leaves no fingerprints. During the review, its display was also unsmudged. I often find it hard to find a fingerprint reader with almost no recesses. It is located on the back under the Motorola logo, but it can instantly unlock the phone. There is only one speaker, which is located at the bottom next to the main microphone and USB Type-C port.

The Moto G31 is equipped with an AMOLED display with a punch-hole cutout for the camera, which looks very modern compared to the notched display on the Moto G30. Although the top, left, and right borders look thin enough, the bottom border is significantly thicker.

There are four buttons on the right, including a dedicated button for Google Assistant

I don't like the layout of the physical buttons on the Moto G31. There is a dedicated Google Assistant button, which is located almost in the upper right corner of the device, higher than the power button and volume keys. Due to the inconvenient location, the "Assistant" button has no meaning, but considering that this device cannot wake up and perform operations when locked in response to voice commands, it may come in handy.

Moto G31 uses MediaTek Helio G85 processor, providing up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage space. Using the microSD card in the hybrid dual SIM card tray, the storage can be expanded up to 1TB. Communication standards include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5 and multiple satellite navigation systems. This phone is equipped with a 5,000 mAh battery and a 20-watt charger in the box.

Motorola provides the Moto G31 with a close-to-stock version of Android 11. It does have some customization options, including the ability to change accent colors, fonts, and icon shapes. There are also common Moto gestures and Moto peek display functions that allow you to interact with notifications when the phone is locked. The software experience does not include any third-party apps we see on most competing smartphones, but there is a Dolby Atmos app to enhance the audio experience.

The software experience of Moto G31 is generally smooth and often used. Upgraders will miss the smooth 90Hz display of the Moto G30, but the performance is good, and the application stays in the memory for a long time. The 6.4-inch AMOLED panel provides deep black, providing an immersive viewing experience when watching movies and playing games. The phone has Widevine L1 DRM certification and can achieve full HD playback resolution in streaming media applications. The Moto G31 has a bottom launch speaker that is loud enough, but not as immersive as the stereo speakers on competing smartphones.

Moto G31 is equipped with AMOLED display, the standard refresh rate is 60Hz

I received the 4GB RAM version for review, which managed the average score of budget smartphones in our benchmark. In Geekbench's single-core and multi-core tests, Moto G31's AnTuTu score was 1,55,315 points, 346 and 1,241 points respectively. The G31 achieved 39fps and 8.7fps in GFXBench's T-Rex and Car Chase benchmark tests, respectively, and scored 1,799 and 1,408 points in 3DMark's Sling Shot and Sling Shot Extreme benchmark tests, respectively. However, in this price range, smartphones equipped with MediaTek Helio G88 and G95 SoC perform better.

Moto G31 provides a basic budget smartphone gaming experience. This phone can handle most games at low graphics settings, but nothing more. When playing Call of Duty: Mobile with the default low graphics and medium frame rate settings, I encountered some stuttering and delays. Asphalt 9: Legends runs smoothly under the default graphics settings, and occasionally delays when there is a lot of movement on the screen. After about 30 minutes of gaming, the phone does warm up, and performance will be affected after this time. In fact, this is a smart phone designed mainly for simple daily tasks and playing casual games.

Moto G31 has a hybrid dual SIM card tray

The battery life of the Moto G31 is quite good. Its 5,000mAh battery lasted for a day and a half, including some games. In our high-definition video cycle battery life test, this phone has a battery life of 18 hours and 32 minutes. The bundled 20W charger has a good charging speed. Moto G31 takes 2 hours and 33 minutes from a dead battery to a full charge.

Motorola has reduced the number of rear cameras on the Moto G31. Moto G30 has four, including a dedicated 2-megapixel depth sensor. On Moto G31, when using portrait mode to take photos, the 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera can double as a depth camera. The main camera is now equipped with a 50-megapixel sensor instead of the 64-megapixel sensor on the Moto G30, and there is also a 2-megapixel macro camera. The selfie task is handled by a 13-megapixel front camera.

Motorola Moto G31 is equipped with three rear cameras

The camera application interface is usually Motorola, with a customizable list of camera modes, and the layout is very simple. Most settings are hidden under the gear icon. The strange thing is that the camera interface does not provide an option to select the video recording resolution, and there is no symbol or icon to tell you the resolution it is recording.

Motorola Moto G31 daylight camera samples. From top to bottom: close-up, main camera, ultra-wide-angle camera (click to view full size)

Photos taken in daylight mainly show natural colors and good dynamic range. Due to the aggressive HDR, most of the photos I took ended up looking a little dreamy, but this also ensured good detail in the darker areas of each frame. The ultra-wide-angle camera is not good. In the end, most of the scene is overexposed, resulting in blurry details and obvious barrel distortion.

Moto G31 close-up proofs. Top: Macro camera, bottom: Main camera (click to view full size)

Autofocus lock is a bit slow, especially when the subject is close-up. These photos show good detail, but usually the background is overexposed or the highlights are overflowing. Macro photos don't have much detail. I prefer to use the main camera because the photos taken are clearer, more detailed, and can be cropped. If I did not use portrait mode, the self-portrait effect would be great, which usually causes the background to be blurred.

Moto G31 low-light camera samples. Top: automatic mode, bottom: night mode (click to view full size)

Low-light photos are very blurry. The night mode manages to make the lens clearer, but the details are still low. Portrait mode never seems to work in low light. The overall video quality is good at best, and the exposure changes quite a bit when panning. Low-light video is very poor.

Prices start from Rs. Motorola Moto G31 is priced at 12,999, offering high-quality AMOLED display, waterproof body and Android software experience close to stock. However, it is not on par with its predecessor in some respects, and its imaging capabilities are also uneven and far from consistent. It is not a generalist, but may still be very suitable for those looking for a native Android software experience. The Nokia G20 is the only other phone in this price range that offers this feature, and as I pointed out in the comments, it is an underpowered device.

If you don’t mind certain Android custom and pre-installed apps, there are also some smartphones, such as Infinix Hot 11S (review), which have lower prices (starting at Rs 10,999), but offer better specifications and better Gaming and camera performance. There is also Realme Narzo 30 (review), which offers a high refresh rate display and Helio G95 processor at a slightly higher price, starting at Rs. 13,499. Finally, there is the Redmi 10 Prime (review), which offers a larger battery and a 90Hz display at the same price.

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