Motorola G8 Plus (2019) review: Insignificant Upgrade

How much do you care about the camera on your phone? Because, ultimately, the only meaningful difference between the Moto G8 Plus and Moto G7 Plus that launched earlier is the triple-lens camera on the back.

The Moto G8 Plus is great in all the ways that modern Motorola phones are but doesn’t really move the needle towards a place where they can readily compete with the increased competition in this particular price-segment.

Slick design; Clean software; Good battery life;

Uneven camera system; Mediocre performance;

Moto G8 Plus Review

If you have a Moto G7 Plus, or recent Motorola One-series smartphone, there's little reason to upgrade to the Moto G8 Plus. But for those with older handsets, the G8 Plus remains a solid mid-range Android device that gets nearly all the basics right. Notable shortcomings include a camera that could do with more work and a RAM count that's low by today's standards.

Good value for money; Ticks all the right boxes for most people; Best speakers you'll find on a mid-range phone;

Not a huge update on the G7 Plus; Camera has a few annoying limitations;

Moto G8 Plus Review

The Moto G8 Plus delivers in principal areas like imaging, performance and battery life. It also brings a premium-looking design, a clean user experience and some smart modifications on top the Android experience to the table. The 48MP main camera offers a greatly-improved photography experience, while the Action Cam, with its ultrawide angle lens, grants the phone some impressive cinematography skills too. Add to that a big battery with fast charging and decent mid-range performance, all for less than its predecessor and the G8 Plus is a tempting offering indeed. At least it would be if it weren't for the aggressive competition from the likes of Realme, Xiaomi and beyond complicating matters.

Motorola Moto G8 Plus review review

An above-average effort in almost every area; Battery life that goes and goes; Pure Android and decent budget performance;

Not the clear-cut value champ of previous years; Auto brightness can be a bit keen;

Motorola Moto G8 Plus review

Are you surprised the G8 Plus is a mostly brilliant budget phone? You shouldn't be. It was going to take something monumental to screw up the formula Motorola has carefully crafted over eight generations. The streamlined design is now more in keeping with Moto's other phones, while camera image quality and battery life have both taken big steps up over the G7 Plus. That Motorola has managed to drop the price in the process is a big win, too. Even so, there's a lot more competition at this more affordable end of the smartphone spectrum than there was when the G series was in its infancy. If you're happy to spend only a little more (and put up with a heavily customised version of Android), the Xiaomi Mi 9T packs in a bit more bleeding-edge tech for your cash, and the Honor 20 Lite gives camera fans a bit more flexibility for stills shooting. Not quite the default option under £250, then - but you'd be foolish to leave it off your shortlist.

An above-average effort in almost every area; Battery life that goes and goes; Pure Android and decent budget performance;

Not the clear-cut value champ of previous years; Auto brightness can be a bit keen;