Motorola Moto G04: Detailed Review with Pros and Cons
The Motorola Moto G04 is a budget smartphone aimed at users who want a basic smartphone experience without the extra bells and whistles. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the phone, covering key aspects like display, performance, battery, and more, along with pros and cons for each section.
Display
The Moto G04 features a 6.6-inch IPS LCD display with a 720 x 1600 resolution. The display is adequate for general tasks like browsing and social media, but the 720p resolution results in lower pixel density at 266 ppi, making it less sharp than higher-resolution displays. The 90 Hz refresh rate is a welcome addition, providing smoother scrolling, but the phone lacks adaptive refresh rate technology, meaning it can’t adjust based on content. Brightness is capped at 500 nits, making outdoor usage challenging in direct sunlight.
Pros:
90 Hz refresh rate provides smoother scrolling compared to standard 60 Hz screens.
6.6-inch display is a good size for everyday tasks.
Cons:
720p resolution is low, especially for a 6.6-inch display.
500 nits max brightness makes outdoor visibility difficult.
No HDR support for richer video content.
Lack of adaptive refresh rate means it doesn’t save battery by lowering the refresh rate when unnecessary.
Build and Design
Weighing 180 grams and just 8 mm thick, the Moto G04 is lightweight and slim, making it comfortable to hold and use. It has an IP52 rating, which protects it from dust and light water splashes, adding durability to the design. The phone is made from plastic for both the rear and frame, which reduces costs but also compromises the premium feel. The side-mounted fingerprint scanner is convenient, but other biometric features are missing.
Pros:
IP52 rating offers some protection against dust and water splashes.
Lightweight and slim design make it comfortable to use.
Side-mounted fingerprint scanner is easy to reach and responsive.
Cons:
Plastic build feels less premium compared to metal or glass designs.
No advanced water resistance (just splash-proof, not submersible).
Limited color options, and the phone may not feel as sturdy.
Performance
The Moto G04 is powered by the Unisoc T606 chipset, which is designed for entry-level devices. It has an 8-core CPU (2 Cortex-A75 and 6 Cortex-A55 cores) clocked at 1.6 GHz, suitable for light tasks like browsing and messaging. The 4 GB of LPDDR4X RAM limits multitasking abilities, and switching between apps can be slow. Benchmark results are modest, with 375 on Geekbench 6 (Single-Core) and 1397 (Multi-Core), reflecting its basic performance. The Mali-G57 MP1 GPU is only adequate for casual gaming and struggles with more graphically demanding tasks.
Pros:
Suitable for light tasks like browsing, social media, and calls.
8-core processor for basic multitasking and efficiency.
Cons:
4 GB RAM leads to sluggish performance when multitasking.
Unisoc T606 is an entry-level chipset, making gaming and heavy tasks difficult.
Low benchmark scores reflect weak performance compared to even mid-range competitors.
No NPU (Neural Processing Unit), so AI tasks are limited.
Battery
The 5000 mAh battery is one of the phone’s biggest strengths, providing great battery life that can last up to two days with regular use. However, the phone only supports 10 W charging, which means it takes a long time to fully charge the battery, especially when compared to modern fast-charging standards. There is no support for fast charging, wireless charging, or reverse charging, limiting flexibility.
Pros:
5000 mAh battery provides excellent battery life, lasting up to two days on a single charge.
Efficient power consumption due to lower resolution display and modest hardware.
Cons:
10 W charging is very slow, taking hours to fully recharge the battery.
No fast charging support, which is now common even in budget devices.
No wireless charging or reverse charging, limiting charging options.
Camera
The Moto G04 features a 16 MP rear camera with digital zoom and digital stabilization. The camera performs reasonably well in bright conditions but struggles in low light due to the lack of optical image stabilization (OIS) and a small sensor size. The 5 MP front camera is serviceable for video calls but lacks autofocus and produces average selfies. Video recording tops out at 1080p at 30 FPS, which is expected at this price point but may disappoint users looking for higher-quality video capture.
Pros:
16 MP rear camera captures decent photos in good lighting.
1080p video recording is sufficient for casual use.
Cons:
Only one rear camera—no ultrawide, macro, or telephoto lenses.
Digital zoom instead of optical zoom reduces image quality when zooming in.
Poor low-light performance due to lack of optical image stabilization (OIS).
5 MP selfie camera delivers average results with no autofocus.
Connectivity
The Moto G04 supports Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1, offering stable wireless connections. It also comes with a USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer, but the USB version is 2.0, which limits data transfer speeds. The phone supports dual SIM cards, but there’s no 5G support or NFC. The inclusion of Dolby Atmos helps improve sound quality, but the absence of 5G means it isn’t future-proofed for faster network speeds.
Pros:
Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1 provide stable connections.
Dual SIM and expandable storage with a MicroSD card slot.
Dolby Atmos enhances audio experience.
Cons:
No 5G support, limiting future-proofing for faster network speeds.
USB 2.0 limits data transfer speeds.
No NFC, so contactless payments and quick data sharing are not possible.
Sound
The Moto G04 has stereo speakers and supports Dolby Atmos, providing a good audio experience, especially for a budget phone. However, the sound output is not as loud or rich as more premium devices, and the max loudness is capped at 82.2 dB, which is relatively low for media consumption in noisy environments. It retains a 3.5 mm headphone jack, which is a big plus for many users, but there’s no FM radio feature.
Pros:
Stereo speakers provide a better audio experience compared to mono speakers.
Dolby Atmos support improves sound quality.
3.5 mm headphone jack allows easy connection of wired headphones.
Cons:
Max loudness of 82.2 dB may not be loud enough in noisy environments.
No FM radio, which could be a desirable feature for budget phone users.
Summary of Key Features:
6.6-inch IPS LCD with 720p resolution and 90 Hz refresh rate.
Unisoc T606 processor with 4 GB RAM provides basic performance.
5000 mAh battery offers great battery life but is slow to charge.
16 MP rear camera performs decently in bright conditions.
Limited connectivity with no 5G or NFC.
Pros and Cons Table
Pros
Cons
90 Hz refresh rate provides smoother scrolling.
720p resolution is low for a 6.6-inch screen.
5000 mAh battery offers long-lasting endurance.
10 W charging is very slow.
Expandable storage with MicroSD card support up to 512 GB.
No fast charging, wireless charging, or reverse charging.
What do you think?
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