What’s the Catch?

Cheap phones are getting good – this phone is the Moto G Play for 2023 and hits the inbox with a price tag of $169

• 6.5 inch flat, 90 hertz LCD display, 720P, average brightness, and bad viewing angles from off-axis
• Plastic build that is durable, has bonus expandable storage, audio jack and water resistance
• 5,000 milliamp-hour battery, 7 hours of screen-on time, 10 watt charge
• Software similar to the $1000 flagship Edge phone, with near stock Android and Motorola’s extra features
• Decently-fast fingerprint reader
• Functional camera with three sensors (16MP main, 2MP macro and 2MP depth) with effects to adjust background blur, butshape of cutout is bizarre
• Not premium feel, but this phone can make phone calls, send text messages, navigate, play games and browse the web as well as take decent pictures and 1080p videos.

Old Flagships vs Potato Chips

• As phones become cheaper, the build quality, battery life and cameras are no longer the point of contention.
• The decisive factor is the speed and how the phone performs in everyday tasks.
• The Moto G Play has a MediaTek Helio G37 chip, 3 GB RAM and variable 90 Hz display. Other phones with this chipset include the Techno Spark 9, Infinix Hot 12 and HONOR X7a which all retail under $150.
• Comparing a Geekbench score of iPhone 14 to the Geekbench score of Moto G Play shows the latter lacks processing power and is slow in daily tasks.
• As the phone doesn’t have powerful hardware, portrait cutouts are not detailed and the UI constantly hangs up and stutters. This can be unpleasant to use.
• Instead of the Moto G Play, it may be better to opt for an older, formerly expensive flagship phone, like the OnePlus 7 Pro, at a similar price point.
• The OnePlus 7 Pro has a Snapdragon 855, a much nicer OLED screen, more built-in storage and a better set of cameras.
• It’s also important to consider future updates when making the choice, as older phones may not be supported as long.
• Going for older phones is also more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
• The decision between an old flagship and a budget phone is more debated as prices increase.
• However, at $169 the former may be generally favoured.

Advantages of the Pixel 7

• The Pixel 7 offers the benefits and advantages of software updates
• Despite the “prehistoric premium” that is often associated with $600 phones, the Pixel 7 still offers good value
• There are very few phones available right now at a lower price point than the Pixel 7 that offer the same, or better, benefits