Motorola’s popular Moto G line of smartphones recently saw five new models announced for global markets and they are now starting to be available in India. These phones range from the high-end Moto G200 to the mid-range G71 and budget G31. Moto G31 is the first of five smartphones to India, priced at Rs 12,999 for the base 4GB RAM version and 64GB storage variant, while the 6GB RAM option and 128GB storage option are priced at Rs. 14,999.
I received the 4GB RAM variant for review in the Meteor Gray finish. There is also a Baby Blue finish, which is a combination of blue and purple. The phone’s polycarbonate outer shell has a small groove-like pattern on the back that further enhances the grip. Even though it’s made of polycarbonate, it doesn’t come cheap and is even IPX2 rated for water resistance. However, when compared, Moto G30 (Review) has an IP52 rating for dust and water resistance.
Moto G31 has a dedicated button to call up the Google Assistant
The 3.5mm headphone jack is at the top, while the single speaker and USB Type-C port are at the bottom. All buttons are on the right side. The dedicated Google Assistant button is at the top, followed by the volume rocker and power button below. The fingerprint sensor at the back has the Moto logo on it. The SIM tray has a hybrid dual-SIM setup with space for two Nano-SIMs or one Nano-SIM and one microSD card (up to 1TB).
The Moto G31 has a punch-hole 6.4-inch AMOLED display, which is becoming common among smartphones in this segment. However, it has a standard 60Hz refresh rate, which seems like a downgrade over the G30’s 90Hz panel.
Moto G31’s AMOLED panel has thick bezels at the bottom
Motorola has switched from the Qualcomm silicon in the Moto G30 to the MediaTek G85 SoC for the Moto G31. This processor has a maximum clock speed of 2GHz and is manufactured on a 12nm fabrication process. The 5,000mAh battery capacity is the same as before, and that also comes with a 20W charger. Motorola has included this 20W charger in the box specifically for the Indian market – the global variant has been announced with a 10W charger.
The Moto G31 has three rear cameras although the G31 has four. There’s a 50-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 2-megapixel macro shooter. Selfie tasks are taken care of by the 13-megapixel front-facing camera. Motorola claims that the 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera doubles as a depth sensor, so it doesn’t need a dedicated sensor like the G30. The main camera also has a slight drop in resolution, going from the 64-megapixel sensor on the G30 to a 50-megapixel sensor, but actual image quality depends more on this number.
The 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera doubles as a depth sensor when in Portrait mode
Motorola’s Moto G31 is packed with features, and you also get near-stock Android 11, which is hard to find in this segment. This phone has a slightly different design from its predecessor, but has some more practical details like the AMOLED panel. It had one less camera on the rear, but made up for that with a dual-role ultra-wide-angle camera. I would also expect some performance difference when switching to a MediaTek processor, and that should also apply to battery life. So stay tuned to Gadgets 360 for my full review, coming soon, to find out if the new hardware changes are worth it and if the Moto G31 can deliver on its full appeal. the face of Moto G30 (Review).
