Motorola Moto G Fast

Many reviewers have nicknamed the Moto G Fast the new Moto G7 Play. Like the rest of Motorola’s G family of phones, it boasts a budget price without skimping too much on features. But is the negligible difference in price between this phone and its slightly higher priced sibling worth the compromises?

Design

On the larger side of Moto G phones, the Motorola Moto G Fast has a striking finish. Its pearlescent white plate comes in handy for hiding fingerprints while its chrome accents provide a bit of visual flair. It’s also rated for resistance to dust and small splashes but definitely won’t survive a dunk in the pool.

The power button and volume rockers both sit on the right side of the phone while the Motorola emblem on the back doubles as a fingerprint scanner. Overall, reviewers liked the look of the phone, noting it is shiny without being slippery.

Display

The Moto G Fast has a 6.4-inch display. The screen is bright and has awesome color accuracy. However, it lacks the sharp image quality of other budget phones and text is ever so slightly blurred. This is not really a deal-breaker but it might cause extra eye strain over extended periods of use. Being a 720p display puts it at a disadvantage when for a little more its big brother, the Moto G8 Power, has a 1080p display.

Performance

The word “fast” in the phone’s name was based on comparisons to rival budget phone processing speeds. In that regard, it outperforms the budget models of LG or Samsung.

The phone has less RAM than Motorola’s own Moto G8 Power model though, coming in at 3GB of RAM versus 4GB.  But this might not mean much unless you’re an avid mobile gamer or multitasker. Just be wary: the more things you have open, the less responsive and “fast” the phone becomes.

Software & Storage

Moto G Fast comes with Android 10 installed. However, this is a budget phone and some sacrifices were made. Namely, a lack of storage space compared to similarly priced phones. The phone only comes with 32GB of internal storage space. But worry not, they made it easy to add a microSD card slot for up to 512 GB more storage.

Cameras

The triple-rear camera is an exciting idea at this price point. But the cameras disappointed many reviewers. It’s not all bad news though.

The phone offers 4k video capture and in good lighting the camera’s all do fine. It was mostly in low light or indoor applications which reviews noted performance suffers. A lot of reviewers complained of added noise and blurring to pictures without adequate lighting.

The Moto G Fast includes a selfie camera at the front of the phone but many reviewers were disappointed to discover it only boasts 8MP compared to the 16MP offered by many phones in 2020.

Battery Life

When tested, reviewers reported easily making it through an entire day without needing to charge the phone.

Love to watch movies or TV shows? You’d be pleased. Despite the less than crisp picture, the phone was reported to offer 14.5 hours of battery life when playing HD video at full brightness. If you run low on battery you won’t have to worry as the phone supports fast charging.

Audio

Audio on the Moto G Fast is the most negative aspect in most reviews. Tinny with a lack of bass and all-around flat sound, the audio leaves a lot to be desired.

If you like wearing headphones, this might not be important though. The phone has a headphone jack which is a plus since many phones are moving to only support Bluetooth or USB Type-C headphones.

Specs at a Glance

• Plastic body with chrome accents
• 6.4 inch, 720p display
• 2GHz Snapdragon 665 processor
• 3GB of RAM
• Android 10
• 32GB of internal storage with optional SD added storage
• Rear-triple camera (16MP/2MP/8MP)
• Front-facing 8MP selfie lens
• 4,000mAh Battery

Bottom Line

Buying a phone on a budget involves sacrifices. Many reviewers question the value on offer with the Moto G Fast. However, if you can find a good deal, the phone offers respectable performance.

CNN says, “In comparison to the Moto E, if you care about photography and don’t mind spending [a little] more, we’d suggest going for the Moto G Fast. Along with a better set of cameras, you get a faster device with a larger display and better battery life.”

PC Magazine, “If [the price of the Moto G Fast] is the absolute top of your budget, the Moto G Fast is a perfectly fine choice, but if you can spend a little more, we recommend going [for the] Moto G Power.”