❤ Motorola G8 Power Lite

Table of Contents

 

 

The Moto G8 Power Lite is an affordable counterpart to the Moto G8 Power, which is in turn one of the Moto G8 siblings along with that phone, the Moto G8 Plus and G8 Play. It’s also arguably a more apt successor to the Moto G7 Power than the G8 Power, as it’s cheaper than the 2019 smartphone, rather than pricier as the G8 Power is.

The key selling point of the G8 Power Lite is, as the name suggests, its battery capacity: with a 5,000mAh power pack this is a phone that’s built to keep going for a long time, and thanks to its middling chipset and low screen resolution, it’ll see you through two days of use in a pinch. One downside, though, is its micro USB port, which only allows for modest charging speeds and data transfer speeds compared to the standard USB-C, and means that charging your phone back up again will feel like it takes two days. In some ways, it feels like Motorola is trying to prove something with the Moto G8 Power Lite’s specs. There are three rear cameras, although only the 16MP main snapper feels useful, and its 2MP macro and depth-sensing buddies feel tacked on. Similarly the 6.5-inch screen is as big as a plus-size premium phone’s display, but it’s only HD, and content looks so low-res blown up to this size that arguably a smaller screen would be better.

That’s not to say the Moto G8 Power Lite does a poor job of being a cheap phone that’s trying to be a mid-ranger, but the extra elements feel tacked on, while the phone nails the elements that are more common in cheaper phones: the rear fingerprint scanner feels intuitive to use, the plastic frame feels sturdier than those of other phones that use the same material, and the 3.5mm headphone jack is a welcome addition.

 

 

 

 

 

All in all, the Moto G8 Power Lite is one of the best phones you can buy at its price point, thanks to its long-lasting battery and the aforementioned design elements. We just think that Motorola could make an even better phone by fully embracing its low-end nature and cutting out some of the superfluous elements.

NETWORK Technology GSM / HSPA / LTE
2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 – SIM 1 & SIM 2 (dual-SIM model only)
3G bands HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
4G bands LTE
Speed HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE
LAUNCH Announced 2020, April 03
Status Available. Released 2020, April 03
BODY Dimensions 164.9 x 75.8 x 9.2 mm (6.49 x 2.98 x 0.36 in)
Weight 200 g (7.05 oz)
Build Glass front, plastic back, plastic frame
SIM Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
Water-repellent coating
DISPLAY Type IPS LCD
Size 6.5 inches, 102.8 cm2 (~82.2% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 720 x 1600 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~269 ppi density)
PLATFORM OS Android 9.0 (Pie)
Chipset Mediatek MT6765 Helio P35 (12nm)
CPU Octa-core (4×2.3 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A53)
GPU PowerVR GE8320
MEMORY Card slot microSDXC (dedicated slot)
Internal 64GB 4GB RAM
eMMC 5.1
MAIN CAMERA Triple 16 MP, f/2.0, (wide), 1.0µm, PDAF
2 MP, f/2.4, (macro)
2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)
Features LED flash, HDR, panorama
Video 1080p@30fps
SELFIE CAMERA Single 8 MP, f/2.0, (wide), 1.12µm
Features HDR
Video 1080p@30fps
SOUND Loudspeaker Yes
3.5mm jack Yes
COMMS WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
Bluetooth 4.2, A2DP, LE
GPS Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO
NFC No
Radio FM radio
USB microUSB 2.0
FEATURES Sensors Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity
BATTERY Type Li-Po 5000 mAh, non-removable
MISC Colors Arctic Blue, Royal Blue
Models XT2055-2

 

Should I buy the Moto G8 Power Lite?

 

 

 

 

Buy it if

You want a long-lasting phone

The Moto G8 Power Lite lives up to its name, and it’s one of the longest-lasting smartphones out there, so you won’t need to charge it up that frequently.

You don’t need top-end processing power

Many people don’t need smartphones that are as powerful as your average laptop, and while the Moto G8 Power Lite is pretty underpowered, you don’t need top-end performance if you’re only going to send texts and make calls, and check social media from time to time.

You don’t use all the newest tech

The Moto G8 Power Lite sports older tech, from its micro USB port and 3.5mm headphone jack to the Android 9 software on board, but some of this helps to keep the price down, and if you’re upgrading from an older phone you may be perfectly happy with what’s on offer here.

Don’t buy it if

You have smaller hands

The Moto G8 Power Lite is a big handset, in terms of both screen size, and weight and dimensions, and if you’re looking for a compact phone, or one that you can easily use one-handed, this phone probably isn’t right for you.

You need a great camera

You’re getting what you paid for with the Moto G8 Power Lite’s camera setup – that is, you’re not getting much. If you’re not a frequent phone-camera user, either because you’ve got a dedicated camera or you just don’t take many pictures, it’ll be fine for you, but if you want to be able to take good-looking photos with your phone you’ll need to look elsewhere.

You like playing mobile games

Because of its weak processor the Moto G8 Power Lite isn’t exactly a gaming powerhouse, unless you consider Sudoku the only game worth playing; you’ll need something with a more advanced chipset if you’re looking to play the likes of PUBG: Mobile or Fortnite.

 

Verdict

 

The Moto G8 Power Lite is cheap and has a long-lasting battery, and if that’s all you’re looking for from your phone, it’s likely a device you’ll be happy with. In some ways Motorola has tried too hard to hide the phone’s ‘budget’ roots, notably with the large screen and three rear cameras, and these attempts fall a little flat, but look past the pretences and this is one of the best cheap phones you can buy.

 

Pros

  • Long battery life
  • Very low price
  • 3.5mm headphone jack

Cons

  • micro USB port
  • Weak processing
  • Two redundant rear cameras