Motorola Moto G Pure | 2021 | 2-Day battery | Unlocked | Made for US by Motorola | 3/32GB | 13MP Camera | Deep Indigo

So I just received this phone overnight which was great. Unfortunately after spending all morning working with this phone, I realized it just will not work effectively and it is supposed to be brand new. It is a gorgeous phone, sleek, big enough screen…BUT I was checking out the camera functionality and it refused to select the photo button when I pressed on it..the colors are horrible so opaque and it was like this from the moment it went on, no vibrancy whatsoever (this is not something that anyone should have to play around with) colors should always be vibrant on a cell phone. Also who sells a phone with just a USB cable? and no charge box included with the cable. So i’m supposed to what??? plug this USB port where ?? in my computer? It is beyond ridiculous, and not an error. If you look at what comes in the box..clearly states only USB cable (dumb of me to not notice that yesterday) but been going through some things so that mistake was inevitable. NO PICTURE as I just packed it up to return

The best part of this phone is it gets workable signal when others seem not to be able to do so.

Any phone can run apps but most have lousy RF performance. The RF performance of this phone seems to allow it to get a workable signal where other phones do not. I was often in areas which seemed to have no to marginal coverage. Now with this phone they all seem workable. Casually comparing its performance to other kinds of phones in use in the same area by others on various networks, this phone will typically be able to make calls when others cannot. It is clearly better than the phone it replaced. Perhaps it is realted to Motorola being an old line radio company. Who knows. But it is a superior RF performer.

I tested using different SIM cards and it works with both Verizon and T-Mobile (a GSM carrier) networks. This is pretty unusual because most phones are either Verizon or GSM but not both. The phone is advertised as working with ALL US carriers and this seems to be a good claim. Maybe the thing is an SDR? Wouldn’t that be nice.

The wifi section has both 2.4 and 5 Ghz bands. Both work very well. Using a directional beam as the access point I was able to get a workable 2.4 link at about a half mile. If you want to play with this I used a Ubiquiti Powerbeam PBE M2 400 which you can get on Amazon.

The phone is also very stable, having not yet crashed after a few months of use. The phone comes with Android 11, which is very good and it will ask you to upgrade to 12. Both versions are excellent and stable on this phone. There are no hangs or crashes.

The memory holds all the apps I need and is only about 60% used. Battery life can go way past two days if you are just on standby and have all the saver features turned on. The two days is with “normal” use as in my kind of normal use versus playing games or watching video all day. Charging is quite fast and considering you can run a day with far less than 100% battery, the time to refresh the battery is quite quick.

The camera is average, which in my case is good enough, but keep in mind it’s a cell phone. If you want to do real photography get a DSLR.

For the money you will not find a better deal. There is no way I would pay $1200 for a phone especially when I can get 90% of the way there for 5% of the cost.

Mot has really done a great job. I hope they keep up the great work because we need solid, good performing phones at this cost level.

If you want a phone that just works and does so very well and don’t care about fashion, get this.

Overall the Moto G Pure is a good phone for the money.

I do not play games or take a lot of photos. I do not have a lot of apps installed either. I use the phone for calls, texts, navigation, browsing the interwebs, and using a few apps (amazon, ebay, offer up, banking, health care). For these purposes, the phone is more than adequate. I am VERY happy with the purchase. I was going to use this phone as a temp phone until the new iPhone SE reviews came out. I like the G Pure so much that I might just keep it long term. So, if you have a similar use case, then do not be scared of the reviews showing horrible geekbench scores for the MediaTek Helios processor. Also, the near stock Android experience with no bloatware is refreshing. I like the little moto tweaks, like chopping twice for the flashlight.

However, there are some caveats:

There is no 5G and no NFC. So no google pay (do you trust google?). The lack of 5G is not a deal breaker for me as my carrier charges extra for 5G anyways.

The face unlock is unreliable (boo). I do not take selfies, so it could very well be that I am holding the phone incorrectly when trying to unlock the phone. However, I feel like an idiot moving the phone around trying to get the phone to unlock with facial recognition until the phone gives up and begs me to use fingerprint or PIN unlock. I was really hoping this feature was going to make me feel like I have a cheap iPhone. I was mistaken. This is not a deal breaker, but it is a let down.

The storage is a pitiful 32 GB. The OS alone with the preinstalled google aps uses about half of that. So if you have/need lots of apps look elsewhere. My previous 2017 phone also had the same amount of storage but more carrier bloatware. Still, the 32 GB feels cramped for me and will definitely feel cramped for most people.

The OS is android 11. This is already one version behind the current android 12 (at the date of purchase Feb. 2020), but the G Pure is supposed to get updated to android 12 and then that’s probably it. This is the reason that I chose the G Pure over the G Play. The G Play has a bigger battery and a more commonly targeted Qualcomm processor. But the G Play has android 10 and will only get updated to android 11. Why does Motorola makes such good phones and have such a horrible update policy? If any Motorola bots are reading this, please note that I would buy a more expensive Motorola phone AND recommend Motorola to others if this were not the case. As it stands, I expect every Motorola phone purchase to result in being abandoned before you even get your new phone in the mail.

I know that there are more “cons” listed than “pluses”, but I think some of the “cons” would be deal breakers for a lot of people. BUT, overall I am VERY happy with the purchase for my use case and expect to sue the phone for quite some time at the moment. So if you have similar needs, then you should expect to be happy as well.

Moto G Stylus 2023: Terrible Disappointment
I recently purchased the Motorola Moto G Stylus 2023, and I must say, it has been a complete disappointment in every aspect. This phone fails to deliver on its promises and falls short in terms of performance, design, and functionality. Here’s why I strongly advise you to avoid this device:

Lackluster Performance: The Moto G Stylus 2023 is painfully slow and sluggish. It struggles to handle even basic tasks like opening apps or browsing the internet. The overall user experience is frustrating, and you’ll find yourself waiting for ages just for simple actions to complete. It’s as if the phone is stuck in the Stone Age!

Inferior Build Quality: The build quality of this phone is subpar at best. It feels cheap and flimsy in hand, lacking the premium touch you’d expect from a modern device. The materials used are of low quality, making it vulnerable to scratches and damage. Moreover, the design is uninspired and outdated, making the Moto G Stylus 2023 look like a relic from the past.

Mediocre Camera Performance: Despite the marketing hype surrounding its camera capabilities, the Moto G Stylus 2023 fails to deliver impressive results. The photos captured are often grainy, lack detail, and suffer from poor color accuracy. The supposed “stunning” low-light performance is nothing but a marketing gimmick, as the images turn out noisy and unusable. If you’re looking for a phone with a good camera, this is definitely not the one.

Frustrating Software Experience: Motorola’s software experience on the Moto G Stylus 2023 is a nightmare. The device is loaded with bloatware, which not only eats up valuable storage space but also slows down the phone even further. The user interface is cluttered and unintuitive, making it difficult to navigate through the menus. Updates are infrequent, leaving users stuck with outdated features and security patches.

Lack of Display Quality: The display on the Moto G Stylus 2023 is a letdown. It lacks vibrancy, and colors appear washed out. The resolution is mediocre at best, resulting in a pixelated viewing experience. Whether you’re watching videos, playing games, or simply browsing the web, the display fails to provide an immersive visual experience.

In conclusion, the Motorola Moto G Stylus 2023 is an absolute disappointment in every aspect. From its poor performance and inferior build quality to its underwhelming camera and frustrating software experience, this phone simply falls short of the competition. There are far better options available in the market at similar price points. Save yourself the trouble and look elsewhere for a reliable and feature-rich smartphone.

Love this phone. It runs very fast and really enjoy having a stylus for the first time. Pros battery lasts a long time, games and streaming run amazingly, it stays connected a lot better to weaker wifi and cell signal than my previous phone, and its easy to switch from app to app. The cons it comes with a lot of installed apps (I did know this from reviews before buying but still), general camera quality is sucky although it does have nice close up, and SD card cannot be formatted as internal. It’s a nice phone especially for the price just would have more memory had I know about the SD card.