good middle class, not for photo fans

Motorola is moving well in the budget segment, but what about the mid-range smartphones? Motorola calls its Moto G200 the best-performing phone of 2021. That’s quite a statement, especially without further context. Is the G200 indeed a bull’s eye, or is that good performance disappointing?

Motorola Moto G200

Motorola Moto G200 was announced in November 2021 as the successor to the Moto G100. The first notable difference is the price: the G200 is cheaper than its predecessor. Where you had to pay 499.99 euros for your Moto G100, you lose 50 euros less with Moto G200. The Moto Moto G200 is therefore a real mid-range device, but one with a powerful chipset: the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+. So it’s no wonder that Motorola praises its performance, but that does not apply to every aspect, as our test shows.

Specifications

Nice to see

When you take the Motorola Moto G200 out of the box, it is an experience. The phone looks luxurious at first glance. The blue back looks like mother of pearl and has the beautiful Motorola logo in the middle. Hopefully you like the blue, because your only other option with this device is green. The device fits comfortably in the hand and is nice and long, with three cameras on the back and the button with fingerprint scanner on the side. The camera island does stick out a bit: each camera has its own ledge where dirt gets in between and a kind of elevation has been made in the case with two hard cutouts in the plastic, where some dirt quickly gets stuck behind.

Although such a plastic housing is not very luxurious, Motorola has done a lot to make you forget that, partly thanks to the color effects. Plus, plastic also comes with its benefits: it’s less likely to crack if you accidentally drop it on the floor. Keys are also less likely to scratch it than, for example, with a glass housing. Plus, plastic is quite light to hold in the hand, which is certainly not a luxury in these times of video calling. The IP rating of IP52 is disappointing: this device can handle dust, glitter and sand, but without water resistance it is better to keep it as far as possible from taps, showers and falling glasses.

In terms of buttons, on the right side is the on/off button, which is also the fingerprint scanner. Above that you will find the volume buttons, with a Google Assistant button on the other side. A 3.5mm audio jack is not present, but there is a USB-c port to charge the device.

Remarkably high refresh rate

Although the screen of this new Motorola with its 6.8 inches is large, it is unfortunately an LCD screen, which means that colors appear a bit more faded than with an AMOLED. The screen has a resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels. The brightness is very good and the black is also fairly black, making it a device that you can use well in the dark as well as in the light.

What is not too bad for us is the refresh rate of 144 Hz, which gives you a very smooth scrolling experience if you use Instagram, for example. Also very useful if you like gaming. The battery life would deteriorate very quickly at 144 Hz, but it’s so good on its own that you don’t have to worry too much about that. If you use it a lot, you can certainly get through the day with this phone. Probably even two days, if you’re not constantly on it. Charging is also quickly fixed: you are half charged in half an hour with the 33W adapter.

Performance

The Motorola Moto G200 needs some time to wake up, but if you’re patient, it works like a charm. We owe that to the very good Snapdragon 888+ chipset. This is one of the fastest chipsets we know and there is really nothing to complain about. In combination with the high refresh rate of the screen, this device is not inferior to many of its high-end colleagues for everyday tasks.

Cameras

In itself Motorola has done well with this device, you would say. But there is also a part that makes us a little less lyrical about this device, because in photography this smartphone is disappointing and we would rather recommend a OnePlus Nord. The device itself has a multitude of cameras:

• 108MP main camera
• 8MP wide-angle camera
• 2 MP depth sensor
• 16 MP selfie camera

Photos quickly look very digital and it is difficult for the G200 to reproduce the colors realistically. This is especially noticeable when you take pictures in the evening and it is therefore dark. The menu of the camera app is also not very pleasant, making it seem as if the camera can do considerably less than it really is. This phone has a hard time especially on rainy days and there are no blue skies, but gray gray clouds. I could waste a lot of words on it, but a picture speaks a thousand, so here come a thousand words:

Daylight photo

Main camera vs wide angle camera

night mode

selfie camera

Very variable in light

Motorola’s MyUX

Motorola has installed MyUX on this phone, which is based on Android 11. Android 12 is coming for this device, but not yet. It is also a pity that the updated update policy of Motorola Edge 20 does not trickle down to this device: it is only supported for two years.

The operating system is known for being quite clean and that makes it pleasant to use. Few crazy buttons and extras, but an Android experience that compares well with that of the Pixel phones. Including the same kind of round icons, the app drawer and a large collection of Google apps. For a more personalized experience, it’s a good idea to go to the Moto app when setting up, because it allows you to give the phone different colors and styles, as well as set interactive wallpapers.

Conclusion

In the mid-range, Motorola Moto G200 is really only a good option if you don’t take photos or videos. The device is really disappointing and that is a shame: otherwise, this is a great device for its price. The refresh rate is higher than with many devices in this segment and the battery is also quite large with 5,000 mAh. The device looks nice and the fingerprint scanner on the side is easy to use. Combined with Motorola’s fairly bright, clear operating system, this phone is basically a high-flyer in its segment, were it not for the disappointing camera performance. The fact that the updates also continue for only two years does not help the sales talk for Motorola Moto G200.

Buy Motorola Moto G200

The Motorola Moto G200 is available in green and blue. You can buy the device from 449.99 euros at the following stores: