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Like the Moto G8, camera performance is a bit of a mixed bag. The Moto G9 Play’s main camera takes 12-megapixel still images (via a process called pixel binning) and, as far as I could tell, there’s no option to take a full 48MP image. Provided you’re graced with plenty of light, still images look quite lovely for the price, with a decent amount of detail and clean, neutral-looking colours.
There’s even a pleasant surprise for night shooting. Typically, lower-end phones in the Moto G series do not have Motorola’s Night Vision shooting mode, but the Moto G9 Play does. It scores 1,376 in Geekbench 5, far better than the ~900 you’d see from the Moto G8 Play. This phone uses the same processor as the step-up Moto G9 Power. Finally, the Moto G9 Play can only record video at up to 1080p (Full HD) resolution at 30fps. There’s no option to record at 60fps or higher resolutions but the footage is fully stabilised at least. Motorola Moto G9 Play review: Verdict The two other display modes on offer – “Saturated” and “Boosted” – tinker with the vibrancy of certain colour tones but these are a bit too saturated and candy-coloured for my tastes. One saving grace, however, is that the Moto G9 Play’s contrast ratio is rather good, at a measured 1,999:1. Motorola Moto G9 Play review: Performance and battery life
The Moto G9 Play has a perfectly solid screen. However, we are now quite accustomed to 90Hz and 120Hz screens, and the switch down to a 60Hz one with clearly sub- OLED pixel response times did take a day or two to bed into.
Peek shows you the time and icons representing notifications, to let you know if there’s anything you need to take a closer look at. Battery life This is not a brilliant sensor. It offers poorer detail and dynamic range than the rival Sony IMX586, used in a bunch of higher-end phones.
Supports up to 512 GB microSD card, microSD cards sold separately. Content with DRM restrictions may not be able to be moved to the card. The Moto G9 Play has an entry-level camera overall then, but with a little know-how you can tease some pleasant photos from it.
It comes as no surprise, then, that performance is practically identical between the two models. Running the Geekbench 5 single- and multi-core CPU tests, the Moto G9 Play achieved the same score as the Moto G8, as well as the other Snapdragon 665 phone on the list, the Nokia 5.3. The only phone it managed to pull away from was the Samsung Galaxy A21s and its Exynos 850 chipset. Google Lens is a trademark of Google LLC. Not all languages supported. A list of current languages supported by Google Lens can be found here: lens.google.com. Tenth on this list is the ultra-thin case for the Motorola Moto G9 Play. Unlike the Armor cases, this case is processed with a matte finish, giving your phone a sleek and minimal look. With 4 layers of independent dying process, it prevents the case from yellowing, fading and scratching. The raised bezels lift the screen and camera off flat surfaces and the pronounced buttons are easy to feel and press, while precise cutouts fit most cables, making it the perfect thin cover for your phone. The Moto G9 Play has three rear cameras but this feels like a single-camera phone because you only get one field of view. There’s no zoom, no ultra-wide. Color is good, just not ultra-saturated even if you use the ‘saturated’ color profile. The Moto G9 Play does not support HDR video but -whisper it -HDR is a bit pointless in phones anyway.
A repackaged Moto G9 for Europe, the Moto G9 Play is much the same as the G8, with a few changes and a slightly cheaper price
Its two supplementary cameras are a 2MP macro and a 2MP depth aid for the Portrait mode. As usual, the low-res macro is barely worth using. And the depth aid is so basic it cannot handle challenging scenes, resulting in weird patterns of blurred and non-blurred areas if your subject is complicated or too far away. In the MTP store, you'll find a wide range of useful items at low prices. Great phone cases, high-capacity power banks, Bluetooth headphones and headsets, screen protectors, and chargers are all waiting to be added to your basket. When it comes to battery life, however, that’s when the Moto G9 Plus begins to pull ahead. Lasting 19hrs 46mins on a single charge in our video rundown test, the Moto G9 Plus’ stamina is increased by roughly 8% when compared with the Moto G8, and it lasted longer than both the Nokia 5.3 and Xiaomi Redmi Note 9.
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