The Moto G6 series of last year was praised with its premium design for an affordable price and with the recent release of Moto G7 lineup, particularly the Moto G7 Play, could it still be a good value, at least compared to the Xiaomi Mi Play — one of the most affordable phones out there.
Moto G7 Play and Xiaomi Mi Play Differences
Advantages of Moto G7 Play
- polycarbonate body for better drop resistance
- splash resistant
- Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
- better Snapdragon 632
- dedicated microSD slot, up to 512GB
- up to 4K @ 30fps video recording
- larger 13MP single camera sensor
- FM radio
- USB Type-C
Advantages of Xiaomi Mi Play
- glass and metal body for reflective design and more premium feel in the hands
- smaller notch
- higher 80.1 percent screen-to-body-ratio
- 1080p+ resolution
- higher 4GB/64GB RAM and storage
- dual 12MP main and depth sensors
Moto G7 Play and Xiaomi Mi Play Similarities
- equal GPU performance
- microSD support
- Android 9.0 Pie
- IPS LCD display
- 8MP selfie camera
- BT 4.2
- rear-mounted fingerprint scanner
- 10W fast charging
Which is a better buy between the Moto G7 Play and Xiaomi Mi Play?
Looking at the Moto G7 Play, it seems like its premium design stays with the more expensive Moto G7 variants as it pales in comparison to the Xiaomi Mi Play with reflective gradient backing thanks to its glass material. Furthermore, it provides more screen real estate due to its smaller notch.
In terms of display quality, the Mi Play will provide a sharper-looking image. But do take note that the G7 Play comes with splash resistance making it perfect for clumsy users.
When it comes to usability, the Snapdragon 632 provides better performance but GPU power are equal against the MediaTek Helio P35. The better performance from the Moto variant comes with a price as it only features 2GB/32GB of RAM and storage.
If you want to join the dual camera trend, the Mi Play features 12MP + 12MP main sensors while the G7 Play sticks with a single (but more sensitive to light) 13MP single shooter. But if selfies are in play, it’s a toss-up between their respective 8MP sensors.
Moto gets the advantage of the better USB Type-C cable compared to the micro USB of Xiaomi, but in terms of charging and battery, both are equal at 3000mAh and 10W of power delivery.
The Moto G7 Play is unreasonably priced at ~Php14,000 given its meager configuration across the board compared to the generous offering of Xiaomi Mi Play that only costs ~Php9,000.
Read: Snapdragon 710 vs 712 – Which Midrange Processor Is Better?
| Specs | Moto G7 Play | Xiaomi Mi Play |
| Display | 5.7-inch IPS LCD HD+, ~294ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 3, 19:9 ratio | 5.84-inch IPS LCD, 1080 x 2280, 432ppi, 19:9 ratio |
| Dimensions | 147.3 x 71.5 x 8 mm, 149g | 147.8 x 71.9 x 7.8 mm, 150g |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SDM632 Snapdragon 632 (14 nm) | MediaTek Helio P35 (12 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 506 | PowerVR GE8320 |
| Memory | 32 GB, 2 GB RAM | 64 GB, 4 GB RAM + microSD, up to 256 GB |
| Main Camera | 3 MP, f/2.0, 1.12µm, PDAF | dual 12 MP, f/2.2, 1.25 μm, PDAF |
| Front Camera | 8 MP, f/2.2, 1.12µm | 8 MP |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, hotspot, BT 4.2, A2DP, LE, USB Type-C, headphone jack | Wi-Fi 802.11 /b/g/n/, WiFi Direct, hotspot, BT 4.2, A2DP, LE, micro USB 2.0, headphone jack |
| Battery | Non-removable Li-Ion 3000mAh battery (10W charging) | Non-removable Li-Ion 3000mAh battery (10W charging) |
| OS | Android 9.0 (Pie) near-stock with Moto features | Android 9.0 (Pie) with MIUI 10.0 |
| Official Price | $270 (~P14,000) | $190USD or estimated at Php9,000 |
