6.4-inch Android smartphone "Motorola moto g31" with organic EL installed but sold in the mid-20,000 yen range

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Photo: Impress Watch

Motorola's "moto g31" is a 6.4-inch smartphone equipped with Android 11. It features an organic EL display and a low actual selling price of 25,800 yen. [See another image about this article] There are various products from flagship smartphones with actual sales of over 100,000 yen to cheap models for entry, but the largest of this product is the 6-inch class large screen smartphone. The feature is that the performance itself is in the middle range, but it is reasonably priced at the middle of 20,000 yen. Moreover, the weight is 188g, which is also a merit that it is lightweight for this class. However, it is also a fact that I am worried that there may be some major drawbacks if it is so cheap. This time, based on the actual machine I purchased, I will check the usability centered on the use of e-books. ■ "Pixel 5a" with modest functions This product is similar to Google's "Pixel 5a (5G)" (hereinafter Pixel 5a) among the models introduced in the past in this series due to features such as screen size and weight. have. First, let's compare these two products. As you can see, many specs are similar to the Pixel 5a. The screen size is almost the same, the resolution is the same, and the weight is almost side by side. The memory is a little small, but the storage capacity is the same. Furthermore, the point that it is equipped with an earphone jack is similar. Unlike the Pixel 5a, it supports memory cards and has the advantage of being able to use face recognition. On the other hand, there are many points that are omitted in terms of functionality, such as Osaifu-Keitai support, USB PD compliant quick charging, and wireless charging being postponed. In addition, the camera function has a slight quirk in color, and especially the shooting performance around the night view is considerably different from the Pixel series that they sell. The price difference is also convincing in places such as the "Pixel 5a", which has a modest function. However, while cheap smartphones a long time ago had Wi-Fi compatible only in the 2.4 GHz band and the terminal was Micro USB instead of USB Type-C, the form factor itself was old, but this product Has no such problems. 5G is not supported, and (as with Pixel 5a) it is Wi-Fi 5 instead of Wi-Fi 6, so it is noticeable that the functions around communication are a little weak. Therefore, this product has a slightly harsh impression to be used as a main smartphone, but if it is used as a sub-terminal for e-book use as introduced in this article, it can be obtained at a reasonable price. It's very attractive. ■ Performance that sets it apart from low-end machines The setup procedure is general, and there is no particularly strange flow. As for the pre-installed apps, the company's original "Moto" app stands out, and it is as refreshing as the Pixel series. As with the "Moto e7" I introduced earlier, this simplicity is a common feature of the Moto series, and I personally like it. In terms of hardware, the button on the right side is characteristic. In addition to the power button and volume control button, it has a Google Assistant button. In addition, the power button is integrated with the fingerprint authentication sensor and can be unlocked with a light touch of your finger. However, as far as I actually used it, the placement of this fingerprint authentication sensor is a little difficult to use. This is because the lock can be unlocked seamlessly with either the left or right hand if it is placed in the front or center of the back of the main unit, but with this placement, the gripping method for smooth unlocking differs between the left and right hands. In fact, when unlocking with fingerprint authentication, it is often the case that one hand unlocks the lock and then the other hand holds it back, which can be a hassle. Since this product also supports face recognition, it is possible to cover it by using both, but you should be aware that there are also negatives. How about the performance? The benchmark app "Wild Life" has a score of "709", which is about half that of Google's Pixel 5a "1661". There is no problem with using e-books, but it can be seen that they are not good at processing that requires power, such as games. After all, this area will be suitable for the price. However, while the previous "Moto e7" had frequent forced terminations just by switching to double speed playback on YouTube, this product does not show such a level of problem. The score in "Sling Shot Extreme" is overwhelming with "1415" compared to "417" of Moto e7, which gives an impression that it is different from the low end. By the way, I also tried Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, but I will add that it was usable without any problems. ■ Highly practical as an e-book reader. Are the buttons good and bad? Let's take a look at ebook youth. For the sample, the comic is "Tokyo Toy Boxes Volume 1" by Ume, and the text is "Botchan" by Soseki Natsume. The ebook app uses Kindle. The resolution of this product is over 400ppi, and there is no problem with the display quality. The organic EL display of this product is highly saturated, and the primary colors tend to look flashy, but if it is a single unit, it will not bother you much. Especially for ebook use, which has a lot of black and white content. When browsing an e-book on a terminal with low specifications, it may take many times longer to download the book even if general operations such as page turning are not a problem, but 6 books in the Kindle store in the 11ac environment. It takes 14 seconds to download, which is comparable to the 11 seconds of the iPhone 13 Pro Max, and it does not accumulate stress. The advantage of this product is that the volume button is relatively light and easy to press. Even if it supports page turning with the volume button, it is a common story that the essential button is hard and the fingertips get tired while pressing it repeatedly, and it gradually becomes obsolete. In that respect, this product uses a fairly light switch, so you won't get tired even if you press it repeatedly dozens of times. Even if they can do the same thing, they can do it with high practicality. This is a big advantage if you think about using it heavily. A unique gimmick unique to this product is the ability to activate the launcher by double-tapping the surface of the power button. You can register up to 6 apps in this launcher, so if you register an ebook app, you can quickly read the continuation of the ebook on any screen, and it is easy to switch to another ebook app. However, if you hold the main unit so as to cover this power button, it may be judged as a double tap even though you do not intend to move your finger, and the launcher may start unexpectedly. Since there is no sensitivity adjustment function and there is no way to deal with it, I finally disabled it. This symptom is likely to occur when you put your finger on the volume button on the power button, so be careful. ■ One that is ideal for tailoring to your favorite sub-terminal Originally, Android has convenient specifications for handling e-books, such as page turning with the volume button and content can be purchased in the store. There is. However, recently, the choice of tablets, aside from smartphones, has been drastically reduced. In particular, products around the 8th type that can be held with one hand are almost extinct. Under such circumstances, Android smartphones with a screen size of 6 to 7 can be used as an alternative. Especially in the case of the SIM-free model, it is possible to operate it only with Wi-Fi without inserting a SIM card, so it will be introduced as a lightweight e-book terminal that you can lie down and enjoy at home, apart from the main smartphone. It is suitable for. In order to purchase a new product for this purpose, it must be inexpensive to some extent, but this product, which is sold in the 20,000 yen range, is ideal in that sense. It doesn't have the eye-catching features of a flagship model, but it doesn't have any obvious drawbacks, and it has enough specs around the resolution, which is important for e-books. It weighs about 181g, which is the lightest in this class of products. The gimmick around the button is a little question mark in terms of practicality, but if you notice a sloppy behavior, you can disable it and it won't hurt you. There is also the simplicity of not including extra apps, so it seems to be the perfect one to put in your favorite ebooks and video apps and tailor it to your favorite sub terminal.

PC Watch, Masahiro Yamaguchi