Based in Illinois, USA, Motorola has predominantly worked in networking solution systems. The company ventured into feature phones in the early 2000s and made a space of its own thanks to the innovative design and compact form factor.
The company didn’t have the same luck with its smartphone lineup, however. The competitive market combined with a shifting vision saw Motorola drop out of the premium smartphone market. But that didn’t stop Motorola from making excellent mid-range and entry-level devices. In fact, the device at hand today, the Moto G52 launched on 20th April in India may very well be the best mid-range android device for 2022.
Key Specifications of Motorola Moto G52
Design and Build Quality
The early 2000s were the peak of Motorola’s design innovations. Whether it’s the uber compact futuristic C113 or the iconic Razr series which made the brand an international sensation. Motorola phones weren’t just a utility device, it was a style statement.
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But when the company tried to implement the same design innovation in the smartphone market, it didn’t see as much success. So, the company went back to the basics, focused on utility, and over the years, perfected the craft.
The Moto G52 despite being a plastic device has a matte reflective back along with a polished frame. At just 7.99 mm, the device is one of the thinnest phones out there. But that didn’t mean Motorola compromised on the internals as will be apparent in the latter parts of the article.
The back also features a slightly oval raised camera housing which has its own textured finish.
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The port selection on the device is all as usual. Users will be getting a 3.5 mm headphone jack, secondary mic, stereo speaker, hybrid sim slot, and a power button that doubles as a fingerprint scanner. The phone is also IP58 dust and splash-resistant. It's surprising to see that Motorola managed to stuff the G52 with so many features which aren’t present in most mid-range smartphones. The feature selection provides the device with an edge over its competitors. Especially considering the aggressive pricing.
The Display
The Moto G52 has several strong points. Something that can’t be said about a lot of devices in this price bracket. But the display has to be one of its highlights. The device features a 90 Hz FHD+ pOLED 6.6-inch panel. The large screen has a 20:9 aspect ratio with a 403 ppi density. The panel provides a rich contrast of color and blacks only found on AMOLEDs. The peak brightness of the device isn’t explicitly mentioned by Motorola but by the performance, it has decent enough outdoor visibility.
AMOLED panels in the lower tier tend to have color shifting issues and not-so-decent viewing angles. But thankfully, none of those are present in the G52’s pOLED panel. Even though the display doesn’t support HDR 10+ content, the 90 Hz refresh rate provides a smooth viewing experience. At this price range, it’s safe to say that there isn’t any competitor to the G52 when it comes to media consumption.
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The Camera
Budget to mid-range camera systems has one thing in common – the use of excessive sensors to make it look better. But in pursuit of triple or quad sensors, they often miss out on the basics of photography and videography.
Moto G52 has a triple-lens setup and the choices here are functional, to say the least. The main sensor is a 50 MP wide-angle f/1.8 shooter with PDAF. It is accompanied by an 8 MP f/2.2 ultrawide sensor and a 2 MP macro shooter. The front features a 16 MP standard shooter.
Speaking of performance, the camera does an excellent job in outdoors and well-lit environments. The colors look sharp and the contrast is a bit on the warmer side. Motorola has greatly improved its camera system and post-processing software compared to previous iterations.
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However, the performance in low light or indoor environments still needs some work. Other than a few exposure issues here and there, the low light performance of the camera is also satisfactory.
The video resolution is slated to be 1080P at 30 fps. Even though the sensor is capable enough to push better resolutions, it doesn’t due to the processor constraints. Overall, the Moto G52 has a decent camera that is on par with most of its competitors.
Processor and Performance
The Motorola Moto G52 is powered by Snapdragon 680 4G based on the 6 Nm architecture. It might be a bummer that the device doesn't support 5G. But the market it was intended for doesn’t still have 5G coverage all around so that shouldn’t be a big deal.
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The octa-core processor has a 4 2.4 GHz Kryo 265 Gold and 4x1.9 GHz Kryo 265 Silver chip configuration. The GPU here is the Adreno 610. On paper, the device is good enough for everyday tasks and light gaming. 3D titles run relatively smoothly on medium graphics. Though the device does tend to get heated pretty easily. It’s a device geared towards casual usage that requires relatively less processing power.
The device comes with Android 12 out of the box with a scheduled Android 13 rollout and 3 years of security patch updates.
Battery and Charge Time
There is a 5000 mAh Li-Po battery in the Moto G52. The efficient processor and the AMOLED panel help to churn out around 8 to 10 hours of usage at a stretch. The huge battery is also complemented by a 33 W fast charger.
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Price of Motorola Moto G52
The price of the Motorola Moto G52 for the 4/64 GB variant is 14,999 Rs which roughly amounts to 16,798 BDT. The 6/128 Gb variant is available for 16,999 Rs or 19,038 BDT. The price is subject to changes when Motorola officially launches the device in Bangladesh.
Verdict
It's rare for a mobile brand, especially one that isn’t a frontline producer to come up with a device that hardly has any flaws. It's almost as if Motorola took a deep dive into what people want and incorporated all of that within a price that is sure to turn heads. The display, design, and processors are undoubtedly one of the strong suits here. Just for nitpicking’s sake, the camera could have performed a bit better. But as an overall package, the Motorola Moto G52 set the standard to beat in the lower mid-range segment.