Moto G13 reviewGood 4G phone under Rs 10,000?

By Ankita GargThe Moto G13 is a new entrant in the Rs 10,000 segment, which used to be one of the hottest segments a few years back as the OEMs used to target it a lot to offer users a better smartphone. Now, the focus has shifted to higher segments because many consumers are willing to pay more for a good phone. But, the companies haven’t stopped offering decent phones in the budget segment. The new Moto G13 has a 90Hz display, a 5,000mAh battery, clean software, a premium design and a lot of other things. On paper, this seems to be a good deal, but what about real-world usage? Is Motorola’s new 4G phone worth your money? Let’s find out.

Design, display

The Moto G13 has a standard design that we usually see in the budget segment. Motorola has made some changes to make the design look more attractive and offer a premium feel. It has an acrylic glass back design with a beautiful blue gradient finish. The company has incorporated the rear sensors on a glass-made camera module that gives a premium touch to it. For some reason, OEMs have started offering boxy design with several phones and the Moto G13 is no different. It has chiselled frames and edges as well for a better grip. The device has metallic frames and the build quality is seemingly pretty solid. It is good to see that the brand didn’t go for a plastic build in the budget segment.

This one has a 5,000mAh battery under the hood, a headphone jack and stereo speakers, but Motorola has managed to offer a lightweight device. It also doesn’t have a thick profile. I can say that Motorola has done a good job in the design department, considering not many pay attention to this in the lower segment. Though, I feel that the side buttons on the Moto G13 should have been more clicky and prominent to offer better tactile feedback. Also, the buttons could have been placed a little lower because it is a bit difficult to reach them while using the phone with a single hand.

The brand has added Dolby Atmos logo on the top frame of the phone, which is unnecessary. While it is not as prominent, the company must have sculpted it to remind users that the device has support for this tech to offer a richer and spacious sound. This is one feature that we haven’t seen in the lower segment yet.

All-in-all, people are getting most of things at an affordable price. You rarely get a smartphone in the Rs 10,000 segment that even has a premium-looking design. On the front, you get a 6.5-inch screen. It is good enough for the price. Though, support for FHD+ resolution would have been nicer and this is something that a few phones have offered in its range.

The display setting is by default set to “saturated,” so everything on the device pops out and makes the content look pleasing. But, the screen is not as bright in sunlight, which is not surprising because the phone has support for 400nits of peak brightness. It is impressive to see that Motorola has offered support for 90Hz refresh rate for a smoother scrolling experience.

Performance

Since the Moto G13 is a budget smartphone, my expectation in terms of performance was not high. For the price, you get a smooth enough experience as long as you stick to basics. From calling to messaging to social networking, I had no issues in using the Moto G13 smartphone. But, don’t expect it to run smoothly while playing graphically demanding games because this is a budget phone and it has a low-end chipset. I was able to multi-task as well on this 4G phone without much of a lag. The apps don’t take more than a second to launch open. Also, the vibration motor of this handset is pretty strong and so, it gives a good haptic feedback experience for the price.

But, the disappointing part is the Moto G13 is running on Android 12 OS, which is pretty old now. Google will be introducing the Android 14 OS after a few months and seeing one year older Android operating system on a new phone could be disappointing for many. Having said that, I had no issues with the user interface considering Motorola phones have a simplified UI and it is cluttered.

What I most like about Motorola phones is that you don’t get bloatware on them. There are no pre-installed apps, giving you all the storage space that is otherwise consumed by unnecessary apps that a user might not even use. There are just two or three native apps of Motorola, which is another thing that I liked. The devices from other OEMs not only ship the phones with Google apps and other third-party apps, but you also see a bunch of their native apps. All this consumes a lot of storage space. It is good to see Motorola isn’t doing things like these and is offering a smooth and clean experience to users.

Camera

The Moto G13 is priced under Rs 10,000 and it managed to offer some attractive shots in ideal lighting conditions. I got better and more detailed shots with the regular photo mode, instead of the 50MP mode. The images are well-defined. For instance, in one of the building shots, you can see that the details in foliage and colours are not lost. The device has also managed to capture building details almost clearly. The dynamic range is also above average and decent enough for the price.

The colours might seem a bit vibrant on the phone and that is because the display setting is by default set of “saturated.” The camera actually manages to capture natural colours, which is impressive because this is a budget device and it is offering pleasing shots in its range. The post-processing makes the shots look brighter and clearer. So, Motorola has done a good job of fine-tuning the camera. Though, I did notice purple fringing in some of the shots. There is also haziness on the side of the frame. But, it is fine because you are getting a lot better shots at its price range compared to some other phones.

The depth of field is great in portrait shots and the subject is also well-established. The colours and sharpness are pretty much on point. I was impressed to see that the device can adjust exposure pretty well and deliver a clear well captured shot in daylight. Though, the camera did sometimes struggles to immediately click images and there was a shutter lag, especially in low light.

Speaking of which, the dynamic range goes for a toss in low light. The details, sharpness and everything else are lost. The night mode does help retain these elements, but one shouldn’t keep their expectations very high.

Battery

The Moto G13 has a big battery and since the chipset isn’t very consuming, you get a full-day battery very easily if your usage remains limited to basics, including calling, texting, and using a few social media apps. If you do a few photography sessions and play some casual games, then expect the battery to drop a little faster because the device will be handling heavy loads while also running other things in the background. There is a 5,000mAh battery under the hood. However, the bundled 10W charger takes a little longer to top up the battery. It takes close to two hours to fully charge the device. But, one shouldn’t be bothered by this because this is a budget phone.

Moto G13 reviewShould you buy it?

The Moto G13 is a good buy. Yes, this is a 4G smartphone, but we haven’t yet started seeing 5G units in under Rs 10,000 segment because the 5G chips would cost more to the company and increase the price of the phone. As for the value, the Moto G13 is priced at Rs 9,499 and it is worth your money if you are on the lookout for a phone that can perform basic tasks well. The camera is also pretty capable and can take attractive shots without losing much on details, which is pretty impressive for the price. People who want their phone to last at least for day and need a clean UI with smooth performance on budget for basics should consider buying this Motorola phone.