Moto G6 (stylized by Motorola as moto g6)[1] is a series of Android smartphones developed by Motorola Mobility, a subsidiary of Lenovo. It is the sixth generation of the Moto G family. There are three models, the g6, g6 plus and g6 play. Only the g6 and g6 Play were available in the United States.

moto g6
Moto G6 running Android 8
BrandMotorola
ManufacturerMotorola Mobility
TypeSmartphone (G6 Play and G6)
Phablet (G6 Plus)
SeriesMoto G Family
First released19 April 2018
PredecessorMoto G5
SuccessorMoto G7
Form factorSlate
Operating systemAndroid 8.0 "Oreo" (upgradeable to 9.0 "Pie")
CPUG6: Snapdragon 450
G6 Play: Qualcomm Snapdragon 430
G6 Plus: Snapdragon 630
GPUG6: Adreno 506
G6 Play: Adreno 505
G6 Plus: Adreno 508
BatteryG6: 3000 mAh
G6 Play: 4000 mAh
G6 Plus: 3200 mAh
DisplayG6: 5.7 inches (14 cm)
G6 Play: 5.7 inches (14 cm)
G6 Plus: 5.9 inches (15 cm)
CodenameG6: ali
G6 Plus: evert
G6 Play: jeter
Development statusDiscontinued
Websitewww.motorola.com/us/products/moto-g-family

Release

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Announced as successors to the Moto G5, the phones were scheduled to be released on May 9, 2018 in several markets including Europe, South America, North America and parts of Asia; however, Motorola missed its release date for North America and India.

North America

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The G6 was made available in the United States by May 23, 2018 from Boost Mobile, and on the following day through Verizon Wireless.[2] It was later made available on Amazon for a discounted price.[3] On June 5, the G6 was made available for purchase in Motorola's United States website.[4]

The G6 Plus was not released in the United States,[5] likely due to its similarities to the already available Moto X4.[6]

South America

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The G6 series was released in Brazil on April 19, 2018.[7]

India

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The G6 and G6 Play were released in India on June 4, 2018.[8][9] The G6 Plus was released on September 10, 2018.[10][11]

Software

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The G6 series was released with Android 8 "Oreo". An update to Android 9 "Pie" for the G6 Plus was rolled out to various countries in January 2019.[12] In February 2019, the update was rolled out for the G6 Play and G6 in Brazil, and was expected to be released worldwide at a later date.[13]

The Pie update reached Australia on February 4 for the G6 Plus,[14] March 20 for the G6,[15] and the G6 Play a week later.

In March 2019 there were articles[16] claiming that the G6 series would receive an official Android 10 update. Later articles, however, claimed to quote a new Motorola policy wherein G-series phones would only receive one major Android version upgrade, i.e., the G6 would receive the upgrade from 8.0 (Oreo) to 9.0 (Pie) but not any other upgrade.

The Android Pie update was rolled out on February 6, 2019, to the United States, then reached Brazil on February 15.[16] Australian devices received the update on March 20,[15] and users in India received the update on March 21.[16]

G6 Play

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The Android Pie update reached G6 Play users in Brazil on February 16, 2019, then rolled out in India two days later. It reached United Kingdom users on April 1, 2019.

G6 Plus

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The Android Pie update was rolled out to G6 Plus users in India on December 31, 2018. It then reached the United States on January 8, 2019.[16]

Known issues

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Videos recorded on the Moto G6 sometimes have distorted audio: the audio cuts off when using headphones and volume levels below 50%.[17][18]

Several users reported on Motorola's forums about degraded audio quality after the Android 9 "Pie" update.[19]

Reception

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The G6 series has been received well by reviewers for its features relative to its low to mid range price. Wired praised the G6's "class-leading tech" and stated that the "accessible" price "highlights the impending identity crisis of expensive phones".[20] CNET rated the G6 four out of five stars, calling the G6 "a sublime value" and stating "a budget phone shouldn't be this good".[21]

In India, the price tag of 22,499 rupees for the G6 Plus drew some criticism for being the most expensive Moto G phone at the time of release, a sharp increase from the previous year's price of about 16,000 rupees for the G5 Plus and G5s Plus.[11]

Specifications

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The specification varies slightly between countries.[22]

Stat G6 G6 Plus G6 Play
Price (Euro) 249 299 199
Release Date Brazil: April 19, 2018
Mexico: April 29, 2018
Europe: May 9, 2018
United States: May 23, 2018
Colombia: June 7, 2018
India: June 4, 2018 India: September 10, 2018 India: June 4, 2018
Operating System Android 8.0 Oreo (upgradeable to Android 9.0 Pie in some countries)
Display Size 5.7 inches (14 cm) 5.9 inches (15 cm) 5.7 inches (14 cm)
Display Resolution 1080p @ 18:9 720p @ 18:9
Processor Snapdragon 450 octa-core Snapdragon 630 octa-core Snapdragon 430 octa-core
Graphics Adreno 506 @ 600 MHz Adreno 508 @ 700 MHz Adreno 505 @ 450 MHz
RAM 3 GB/4 GB 4 GB/6 GB 3 GB
Storage 32/64 GB 64/128 GB 32 GB
Expandable Storage Up to 128 GB
Wi-Fi Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.2 5 4.2
GPS (US model) GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BEIDOU GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
Fingerprint Scanner Yes, Front Yes, Rear
Rear Camera Stills 12 MP + 5 MP dual. f/1.8 12 MP + 4 MP Dual. Dual AutoFocus Pixel, f/1.7, 1.4 um 13 MP, f/2.0
Rear Camera Video 1080p @ 30/60 FPS

720p @ 30 FPS

4K @ 30 FPS

1080p @ 30/60 FPS

720p @ 30 FPS

1080p @ 30 FPS

720p @ 30 FPS

Rear Flash Yes
Front Camera 16 MP or 8 MP (varies by market)

1080p @ 30 FPS

720p @ 30 FPS

8 MP

1080p @ 30 fps

720p @ 30 FPS

Audio Front speaker & 3.5 mm jack
Waterproof P2i P2i (US Only)
Battery 3000 mAh non-removable 3200 mAh non-removable 4000 mAh non-removable
Charging TurboPower (15 W) over USB-C TurboPower over Micro-USB
Dimensions (mm) 153.8 x 72.3 x 8.3 160 x 75.5 x 8 154.4 x 72.2 x 9

References

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  1. ^ "The new moto g family – designed with you in mind". Motorola. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  2. ^ Gao, Richard (May 23, 2018). "Moto G6 US availability: pre-orders, release date, carriers, and more". Android Police. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  3. ^ Gottsegen, Gordon (May 30, 2018). "Moto G6 discounted to $235 as an Amazon Prime Exclusive". CNET. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  4. ^ "moto g6 - Android smartphone". Motorola US. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  5. ^ Mundy, Jon (May 29, 2018). "Moto G6 Plus review". TechRadar. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  6. ^ Jonnalagadda, Harish (January 15, 2019). "Should you buy an international Moto G6 Plus in 2019?". Android Central. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  7. ^ Gordon, Scott Adam (April 19, 2018). "Moto G6, Moto G6 Plus, and Moto G6 Play launched in Brazil". Android Authority. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  8. ^ "Moto G6, Moto G6 Play launch in India today: Live stream timings, expected price, etc". The Indian Express. 3 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  9. ^ "Meet the new members of the Moto G series..." The Telegraph. Archived from the original on July 19, 2018. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
  10. ^ Simons, Hadlee (September 11, 2018). "Moto G6 Plus launches in India but there are better, cheaper phones". Android Authority. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Vijayasarathy, Sanket (September 11, 2018). "Moto G6 Plus is the first Moto G phone to go beyond Rs 20,000 and that's not a good sign". India Today. New Delhi. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  12. ^ Lynch, Doug (January 22, 2019). "Moto G6 Plus' stable Android Pie update is rolling out now". XDA Developers. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  13. ^ Rahman, Mishaal (February 16, 2019). "Moto G6 and G6 Play are getting the Android Pie update, starting in Brazil". XDA Developers. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  14. ^ Plowman, Scott (February 4, 2019). "Motorola rolls out Android 9.0 Pie to yet another handset — Moto G6 Plus". Ausdroid. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  15. ^ a b Plowman, Scott (March 20, 2019). "Motorola rolling out Android 9.0 Pie to Australian moto g6 phones". Ausdroid. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  16. ^ a b c d Malani, Kapil (March 22, 2019). "Moto G6 Pie update news and more: Android 9 arrives in India". The Android Soul. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  17. ^ Motorola Confirms Existence Of Moto G6 Audio Issues
  18. ^ "Motorola confirms multiple audio-related issues with Moto G6 series". 25 June 2018.
  19. ^ "Moto g6 audio quality degraded after Android 9 update". Lenovo Forums. March 18, 2019. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  20. ^ Williams, Andrew (April 24, 2018). "The Moto G6 exposes the identity crisis plaguing Android's top-end". Wired. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  21. ^ Holland, Patrick (December 7, 2018). "Motorola Moto G6 review: A budget phone shouldn't be this good". CNET. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  22. ^ Black, Marie. "Budget Moto G family gets a premium makeover". Tech Advisor. Archived from the original on 2018-04-23. Retrieved 2018-04-23.