Moto g13 and moto g23 are two cheap Motorola smartphones – the first costs around 175 € and the second € 215. In addition to the price difference, they differ in RAM capacity, wide-angle camera and the power of the included charger. Other parameters of both phones are identical. We checked how comfortable it is to use cheap Motorola smartphones and whether it is worth paying extra for a higher model.
Appearance and performance
Both Motorola are similar to each other and differ only in color versions. They have the same dimensions, so the silicone case included in the set is identical. The housing of these phones is made entirely of a slightly matte plastic that makes a good impression. It’s good that the manufacturer decided not to imitate more expensive materials with plastic, because such a finish always looks worse. Matt partly hides touch marks.
Both Motorolas have a fingerprint reader in the power button, which is quick and effective. In my opinion, better than the recently tested and costing PLN 999 in the realme C55 promotion . In Motorolas, you can also configure face unlock.
The moto g13 and moto g23 have a headphone jack and good-quality stereo speakers – another element that realme lacked. According to the manufacturer’s specifications, the inside of the phone is protected against splashing water, but there is no official sealing standard.
Displays
Both models have the same screen specification – 6.5 inches diagonal, HD+ resolution of 1600 x 720 pixels, 90 Hz refresh rate and a maximum brightness of 400 nits. The panels are made in IPS technology.
Although there are already phones with an AMOLED screen, Motorola is not bad. Lower than FHD resolution does not interfere with use, the colors are saturated and do not change when we look at them from an angle. Brightness in moderate sunlight is sufficient. The weakest aspect of these screens is the sharply falling brightness when we look at them from an angle. For some users, this can be irritating, but most often we look at the phone straight ahead and many people probably won’t even notice this problem.
Specification, operation and system
Both Motorola are equipped with a Mediatek Helio G85 processor and 128 GB for the system and files. I am glad that even the model for PLN 799 is not offered with less memory, e.g. 64 GB. However, the phones differ in RAM capacity. The cheaper moto g13 has 4 GB RAM, and the more expensive moto g23 has twice as much – 8 GB RAM. RAM capacity has some, albeit small, impact on Antutu benchmark scores. The cheaper model scored 214,973 points and the more expensive one 249,612 points.
From the point of view of mobile games, the difference should not be noticeable. People who often switch between many applications will feel the greater importance of a larger RAM. Then the more expensive moto g23 will be much easier to keep all applications in the background.
The efficiency of both Motorola is five times less than today’s flagships. These are not models for demanding players and people who attach great importance to the speed of operation in demanding applications. And yet, good system optimization works in favor of Motorola . Both phones work without jams and system applications run without waiting. In the case of the tested realme C55 , which has a slightly higher model of the Mediatek Helio G88 processor, the system fluidity was noticeably worse. Perhaps a higher screen resolution or a more processor-intensive system overlay is to blame. It is important, however, that cheaper Motorola models provide better comfort than the competition.
You shouldn’t expect 5G in this price range – both Motorolas don’t support it. The communication package of both phones includes LTE, WiFi ac, Bluetooth 5.1 and NFC. The location uses GPS, GLONASS and GALILEO technologies. The set of sensors includes an accelerometer, a gyroscope and a proximity sensor. Motorolas don’t have a compass or barometer.
The phones operate under the control of Android version 13 with security updates from November 5, 2022. Although we will not find any goodies in the system, even the Ready For function known from the higher models of this manufacturer, smooth operation definitely rewards it. However, there are convenient moto gestures that allow you to launch the flashlight and camera even when the screen is locked and turned off.
Cameras
The main camera in both Motorolas is exactly the same, with a resolution of 50 megapixels, the brightness of the f/1.8 lens and with phase detection as a means of focusing. In daylight the camera is doing very well and it’s hard to have any objections to it. Less detail and tonal range than in more expensive phones is due to the price. However, the effects are satisfactory. Only indoor photos are clearly weaker than more expensive competitors, and night photos are simply quite weak. Unfortunately, in this price range you can’t count on good quality photos in low light.
Differences between the g13 and g23 relate to the additional cameras. The cheaper moto g13 has two additional cameras with a symbolic resolution of 2 megapixels, one for macro photos and the other for detecting the depth of the scene. This is only an element of housing design and marketing, because I do not see any practical use for these “cameras”.
The more expensive moto g23 model still has a 2-megapixel macro camera, which in my opinion is redundant, but the second camera has an ultra-wide angle and a 5-megapixel resolution. The photos from it are much worse in every respect than the main camera – less detailed, with a smaller tonal range, lower resolution and more noise. After all, in favorable conditions, you can take a sensible photo with an ultra-wide-angle camera, which will look good at least on the phone screen and in social media.
Video quality on both phones is very basic. The maximum supported resolution is FHD, detail is average, and digital stabilization works rather symbolically. Still, it’s not worse than the realme C55 .
Motorola moto G13 – sample photos:
Motorola moto G23 – sample photos:
Battery
Both phones have a battery with the same capacity of 5000 mAh. However, the chargers supplied in the set are completely different. The cheaper moto g13 model has the most basic 10W charger, and the moto g23 already three times more powerful 33W charger. The difference in charging time will be clear in favor of the more expensive model.
In our YouTube video streaming test with screen brightness set to half, both phones drained to 1% battery after just over 18 hours. This is a good result, giving full comfort and about two days of moderate use.
However, it is no better than phones with the same battery capacity, the fastest processor and a larger AMOLED screen. Once budget phones lasted longer than flagships, now the situation is reversed and a slower processor no longer gives the benefit of lower energy appetite than a faster unit under light load.
Summary
Both cheap Motorola can be considered successful phones. They have many compromises resulting from the low price, but for a less demanding user they will not be a problem. What pleases the most is the smooth operation of the system, which the more expensive model of the competition – realme C55 – could not boast of . From this point of view, the cheaper moto g13 for PLN 799 is all the more commendable.
The biggest compromises in both phones are the poor quality of night photos and the average quality of recorded video.
The more expensive model offers twice as much RAM, an additional wide-angle camera and a three times more powerful 33W charger. The least useful of these elements is the secondary camera with a relatively low resolution, but still enough to be able to use it. Additional RAM and a faster charger significantly affect the comfort of use.
We leave the final decision to the users, because both Motorola are good enough to use them on a daily basis.
