Lenovo Moto G6 preview: Everything we know so far

From the very first edition, the Moto G has continually been one of the best budget phones you can drop a relatively small amount of cash on. And the Moto G6 should continue that trend.

It hasn’t been officially announced just yet, but thanks to extensive leaks, we have a strong idea of what Lenovo’s next budget sensation will look like, how powerful it’ll be, and how much (or little) we’ll have to pay for it. And it looks a lot more stylish than the Moto G5 did, that’s for sure.

In addition to the core Moto G6, we should also see a larger and more powerful G6 Plus, as well as a G6 Play – but there aren’t as many details yet for the Play model. In any case, if you’re thinking about buying something cheap and impressive, we recommend holding off for now… and reading this roundup of everything we’ve heard about the Moto G6 so far.

When will the Lenovo Moto G6 be out?

Last year, the Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus debuted at Mobile World Congress at the end of February. That didn’t happen this year. But the official launch should be right around the corner.

Seriously: we’re talking the end of this week. Motorola has sent out invitations to an event in Sao Paolo, Brazil for this Thursday, 19 April, and the colour on the invite apparently matches the colour seen in the earlier leaks (the Moto G6 seen here).

Lenovo hasn’t confirmed that it’s a Moto G6 launch event, but it’s definitely for something – and that something is widely presumed to be the Moto G6. The release should follow pretty quickly, if not immediately thereafter.

Fact or fiction?

We believe it: the Moto G6 should break cover by the end of the week, and we’re looking forward to getting official word after months of leaks.

How much will the Lenovo Moto G6 cost?

Droid-Life got its hands on a monster leak for the Moto G6 (and other Moto phones in 2018), and they suggest that the Moto G6 will sell for around US$240, with the Plus at about US$330.

Quick conversions spin those out to about £168 and £230 respectively, which really aren’t far off from the UK launch prices for the Moto G5 and G5 Plus. Those phones sold for £170 and £250, and we suspect that the G6 models will come in at very similar figures. Lenovo’s game is affordability, after all.

Recently leaked listings from U.S. retailer Fry’s Electronics showed the Moto G6 at US$250 and the entry-level Moto G6 Play at US$200, as well.

Fact or fiction?

Based on the number of improvements in the G6 (keep reading), those price points seem almost shockingly low – but losing the cheapness aspect means losing the essence of the Moto G line. So we’d be surprised to see too much of a bump, really.

Also Read › The most anticipated smartphones of 2018

What will the Lenovo Moto G6 look like?

If the leaks really are legitimate, here’s what the Moto G6 won’t look like: the Moto G5, let alone any previous Moto G model.

None of the Moto G phones have been particularly eye-catching, opting for relatively spartan looks to match their affordable prices, while last year’s Moto G5 tried to look a bit expensive with mixed results. But the Moto G6 honestly looks like a pretty appealing handset.

They don’t pack quite as much visual punch as current, top-tier flagships, but the Moto G6 comes close. The curved 3D glass backing looks a fair bit like Samsung’s Galaxy S9, while the front is nicely rounded and the phones look pretty slim overall.

Trying to squeeze a fingerprint sensor beneath purported 18:9 displays could wind up being an ill-fated idea, and there’s still a fair amount of bezel here… and an awkward Motorola logo between the screen and sensor. But overall, there’s a lot to like from these leaks.

Expect the Moto G6 in black, silver, and gold varieties, while the Moto G6 Plus reportedly will have Deep Indigo (black), Nimbus (silver), and Dark Lake (dark teal) options available. MySmartPrice also found cleaner renders of the Moto G6 line, and they all match up perfectly with Droid-Life’s leaked internal slides.

Fact or fiction?

These look more like flagships than budget phones, but if that’s really what Lenovo has cooking, then other budget makers’ offerings are going to look mighty stale by comparison. And since other leaked renders are identical, this is certainly what we’re expecting to see.

What about the Lenovo Moto G6’s screen?

Extra-tall seems to be the order of the day, according to the leaks, with 18:9 displays pegged for all three Moto G6 devices.

Droid-Life says the Moto G6 and Moto G6 Plus will stick with 1080p screens, with a 5.7in screen on the Moto G6 and a 5.93in display on the Moto G6 Plus.

The Moto G6 Play will aim a bit lower, however, with a 5.7in display pegged at 720p resolution. That matches the cheaper price point, as well.

(Leaked Moto G6 Plus render shown from Android Headlines)

Fact or fiction?

A large, 18:9 screen on a sub-£200 phone? That’s kind of mind-blowing, but the Moto G has always impressed. We’ll see whether that pans out without a big price bump in tow.

How much power will the Lenovo Moto G6 pack?

A modest amount – the Moto G6 might look like a flagship phone, but it’s not packing top-of-the-line tech. Set your expectations accordingly.

It looks like we’re getting essentially the newer versions of each model’s previous Snapdragon chip. We’ll see a Snapdragon 450 in the Moto G6, according to the leak, with a Snapdragon 630 in the Moto G6 Plus.

Don’t know what that means? Well, they won’t produce the smoothest, most beautiful 3D graphics on the market – but those processors ought to be enough for strong Android OS performance across games, apps, and media. The Moto G5 Plus chip offered about twice the raw benchmark ability as the standard G5, so if that kind of comparison holds true, the G6 Plus should be mighty capable. And the G6 will probably be just fine, too.

The leak suggests 3GB and 4GB RAM options for both phones depending on which storage amount you choose (32GB or 64GB), along with an added 6GB RAM option for the G6 Plus – in case you want a little extra help with multitasking and the like.

Fact or fiction?

Look, it’s not like we were going to get the new top-end Snapdragon 845 in these phones, but they should be plenty capable all the same for everyday tasks and on-the-go fun.

What kind of cameras will the Lenovo Moto G6 have?

Like so many other smartphones out there, it looks like the Moto G6 and G6 Plus are jumping on the dual-camera bandwagon. That’s according to both the leaked renders and specs.

However, there will be a pretty significant difference in quality between the two, according to the specs, which could make the secondary sensor seem pretty so-so. The listings suggest a 12-megapixel main sensor with a 5MP secondary one – that’s a serious drop-off, if true.

In fact, it’s so big of a difference that it seems far-fetched. On the other hand, this is a budget phone, and having a dual-camera array is kind of a surprise in the first place. The Fry’s listing suggests an 8MP front camera for the Moto G6, although a previous leak claimed 16MP.

As for the cheaper Moto G6 Play, the leaked Fry’s Electronics listing claims a single 13-megapixel camera on the back and a 5MP selfie cam on the front.

Fact or fiction?

The renders show two cameras on both the Moto G6 and Moto G6 Plus, but the specs seem a bit jumbled. We’re not convinced about the details here just yet.

Is there anything else I should know about the Lenovo Moto G6?

The Moto G6 Play looks a bit different than the others. Most notably, it moves the fingerprint sensor to the back, plus Droid-Life says it’ll come in charcoal, gold, and deep blue colour options.

And it’ll win in terms of battery life, with a 4,000mAh cell within. The Moto G6 comes in at 3,000mAh according to the leak, while the Moto G6 Plus nudges up to either 3,200mAh or 3,250mAh. The Fry’s Electronics listings confirm those G6 and G6 Play battery capacity nubers.

Meanwhile, MySmartPrice suggests that all three phones will keep the 3.5mm headphone port while bringing in a USB-C port.

And the Fry’s listing also mentions microSD external storage support for both the Moto G6 and Moto G6 Play, which we expect to carry over to the Moto G6 Plus as well.

Fact or fiction?

The Moto G6 Play sounds like a slightly less feature-packed edition that puts a larger emphasis on battery life, which seems like a smart combo. It could be the most appealing of the bunch if you don’t mind the lower screen resolution.

About

Andrew writes features, news stories, reviews, and other pieces, often when the UK home team is off-duty or asleep. I'm based in Chicago with my lovely wife, amazing son, and silly cats, and my writing about games, gadgets, esports, apps, and plenty more has appeared in more than 75 publications since 2006.