Motorola Moto G22 review

Motorola has provided a strong variety of budget-to-mid-range telephones lately, and the Moto G22 slots into that lineup properly at £149/€189.

It seems good, with a matte end on the again that makes it really feel nice to the touch, and an enormous, 6.5-inch show that dominates the entrance of the system (albeit with a small “chin” on the backside). It’s additionally working Android 12, however it’s not likely the easiest way to expertise Google’s newest cell OS.

That’s as a result of the Mediatek Helio G37 chip inside feels prefer it’s consistently working at capability, limiting what the G22 can do – even in fundamental apps like images and shopping by way of the Play Retailer.

There are some positives, although. For one, the 50MP principal digital camera is strong, even whether it is flanked by much less spectacular choices that really feel superfluous, whereas the large 5,000mAh battery is an enormous boon for anybody working away from a charger for any time period.

That truly makes it really feel slightly like a dearer Moto e7i Energy. For the same worth, although, I’d go for the Nokia G21 for extra spectacular efficiency.

Design & Construct

• Plastic
• Enticing look
• Matt end

As I’ve famous above, the design of the Moto G22 is nice – notably if you happen to’re on the lookout for a smart-looking, business-minded system (even when it’s all plastic).

It is available in Cosmic Black (as per our overview unit) or Iceberg Blue, and each supply a matt end that not solely provides grip, however it avoids selecting up fingerprints, too – a rarity as of late. Within the high left nook, you’ll discover a digital camera setup that homes a 50 MP large digital camera and an 8 MP ultra-wide, together with a Macro possibility.

Flip it over and also you’ll discover a 6.5-inch show with a 90Hz refresh fee, and a decision of 1600×720, whereas a “hole-punch” with a 16MP digital camera inside, and a delicate “chin” that tapers across the decrease edge.

The SIM tray is on the left, whereas a quantity rocker and fingerprint scanning sleep/wake button could be discovered beneath. There’s a USB-C port for charging on the underside edge, whereas the highest edge includes a headphone jack – once more, one other rarity.

Display screen & Audio system

• 6.5in LCD
• 90Hz refresh fee
• Audio poor

That 6.5-inch display is a sufficiently big canvas for a boxset binge in a pinch, however I’m sorry to say that I’d suggest one other system carry that torch when you’ve got one.

That’s partially resulting from a 720p decision, which I could make peace with at this worth level, however it’s primarily resulting from simply how dim it’s. Watching brilliant YouTube content material was robust at something beneath 75% brightness, and even Android’s stark white menus had been a chore to navigate with out cranking it as much as 100%.

That’s not ultimate, and it’s made worse by restricted viewing angles, which means you actually do really feel like you must be wanting straight on the Moto G22 to learn messages or navigate apps. As you may think about, that will get worse whenever you step exterior.

Then there’s the 90Hz refresh fee. It’s a nice shock at this worth, however feels slightly pointless given how a lot the chip within the Moto G22 struggles with on a regular basis duties; it’s laborious to make the cellphone really feel fluid when it’ll ceaselessly lock up. 

Including to the media woes are a tinny speaker that’s not stereo – which means audio is unbalanced and missing in readability. There’s no discernible bass or treble, all of it simply flows into mids.

Lloyd Coombes / Foundry

Specs & Efficiency

• Very gradual
• Gaming a no-go
• microSD slot

The Helio G37 chip contained in the Moto G22 will not be doing any favours, I’m sorry to report. With a Geekbench rating of 956.3, the cellphone is without doubt one of the slowest we’ve examined, and even with out that, it’s apparent from simply turning on the cellphone. You additionally don’t get 5G connectivity.

Simply powering up the cellphone took round two minutes at one level, for it to then emit the traditional “Howdy Moto” jingle after which go proper again to a prolonged loading course of. As soon as it was on, it was stuttering earlier than Id opened any apps, and it actually does make the choice to go for a 90Hz refresh fee all of the extra puzzling.

GFX benchmarks had been additionally low, as you may think about; I noticed as little as 4.5fps on the Aztec Ruins Vulkan Excessive check, and even bumping all the way down to the traditional variant yielded 7.6fps.

That meant enjoying video games like PUBG Cellular was a reasonably tough expertise because of texture pop-in and enter lag, however even skipping by way of inventory Android apps like Gmail and Calendar felt prefer it was going to trigger a crash – the Helio G37 is solely working flat-out always, with such little headroom that it virtually feels prefer it’d be happier with you leaving the cellphone nicely alone.

Our overview unit got here with 64GB however there’s a 128GB possibility. There’s an growth slot for microSDXC playing cards throughout the SIM tray, too.

Cameras

• Strong 50Mp principal lens
• Satisfactory low mild outcomes
• Horrible ultrawide

I could sound down on the Moto G22, however as famous earlier than, there are some positives to be discovered – even when a few of these do include vital caveats.

For one, the primary 50Mp digital camera is a strong snapper. It provides detailed photographs, and whereas the aforementioned 720p show might not be the easiest way to take a look at these recollections, there’s nonetheless loads of color in every shot. In low-light conditions, it’s not dangerous both, with the neon mild shot right here exhibiting the element on the wall the lighting is on.

Sadly, the caveat right here is that the ultrawide sensor simply isn’t value utilizing. It drops all the way down to 8Mp, which isn’t precisely low, however scrubs a variety of element from photographs. Then there’s the Macro lens, which once more feels slightly pointless because of an absence of element and fuzzy edges.

The front-facing digital camera provides extra utility, although, and also you’ll discover a respectable quantity of element for video calling or selfies. Portrait mode is on the market, however it struggles slightly across the ears, as you may see right here.

Battery & Charging

• 5000mAh
• Two-day longevity
• Very gradual charging

In my time with the Moto G22, wandering by way of a metropolis, taking loads of images, I didn’t have to cost for 2 days straight. That’s largely resulting from a sizeable 5000mAh battery, but additionally fairly possible as a result of internals requiring much less energy due to their extra modest efficiency, plus the dimmer display.

Disappointingly, the PCMark Work 3.0 battery life check crashed a number of instances whereas testing the Moto G22. I’d counsel that’s extra of a efficiency situation than something within the battery division, although, however it does make it difficult to work out the way it stacks up in opposition to comparable units. Nonetheless, in “actual world” utilization I discovered it lasting two days, with time spent scrolling by way of social media, watching YouTube, and responding to messages.

What I can inform you although is that there’s no quick charging of any type – even with a bigger energy brick. You’re caught with 15W right here, and it’s gradual. Actually, it could be the slowest charging I’ve seen in years with 12% in quarter-hour, and 25% in half-hour.

Software program & Apps

• Android 12
• All the time-on show
• Sluggish responsiveness

There’s excellent news and dangerous information with regards to the Moto G22’s onboard OS. The excellent news is that it’s working Android 12, Google’s newest OS, so customers can count on a wealth of customisation choices alongside an elevated give attention to privateness and security.

The Moto G22 additionally provides always-on show performance on your clock and notifications, which is good and doesn’t rinse by way of the battery as chances are you’ll count on on a non-OLED show.

Lloyd Coombes / Foundry

The difficulty is that it feels solely hamstrung by the included {hardware}, which means you may count on frequent situations of slowdown. One notably prevalent instance is coming into a passcode to unlock the cellphone (if you happen to’re not utilizing the fingerprint sensor). It really works high-quality till you must hit backspace to right a digit, after which there’s a second of lag each from time to time. 

It sounds minor (and it’s) however it’s one among a collection of nitpicks that quickly add as much as make utilizing Android 12 an virtually disagreeable expertise.

The curvature on the backside of the display also can imply the Google assistant software program button and Google Residence button are proper subsequent to one another, and each on the level of the display the place your thumb would naturally swipe as much as unlock. This implies most of the time you may summon Google Assistant when all you wished to do was unlock the cellphone.

Worth & Availability

The Moto G22 is on the market within the UK for £149.99 and in European international locations together with France €189 and Spain for €199. That is for the 64GB mannequin, which comes within the two colourways we talked about earlier, whereas some areas additionally get entry to the Pearl White possibility.

It is a very reasonably priced cellphone however the low worth displays simply how a lot efficiency and options you might be sacrificing to get there.

Verdict

Whereas the Moto G22’s digital camera and battery life are strong and nice respectively, neither are ready to put it aside from its greatest weak spot – an underpowered chipset that’s attempting to do an excessive amount of, notably with Android 12 working at 90Hz.

With so many competitively priced telephones that supply comparable options however with the benefit of extra grunt underneath the hood, it’s robust to suggest.

Specs

• Android 12
• 6.81in 720 x 1600 90Hz LCD
• Mediatek Helio G37
• 4GB RAM
• 64/128GB inside storage
• microSD as much as 1TB
• 50Mp, f/1.8 principal
• 8Mp, f/2.2 ultrawide
• 2Mp f/2.4 macro
• 2Mp f/2.4 depth
• 16Mp f/2.5 selfie
• Fingerprint scanner (side-mounted)
• Bluetooth 5.0
• GPS
• NFC
• 4G
• Twin-SIM
• 5000mAh non-removable battery
• 15W wired charging
• 164 x 75 x 8.5 mm
• 185g