Moto E7 Power Review

Motorola has taken an India 1st approach with the launch of the Moto E7 Power, a new entrant in the budget category. The phone is made in India and will be exclusively available via Flipkart at a sub-10K price. Some of its highlights include a near-stock Android software, a 5000mAh battery, eMCP storage, LPDDR4X RAM, and USB Type-C charging. With these, it aims to take on Poco C3, Micromax In 1b, Realme C15, Redmi 9i, and the likes.

So, in this Smartprix review of the Moto E7 Power, we will assess how power-packed this thing really is. And by the time we hit the closing line, you’ll know whether it fits your bill.

Page Jumps

• Moto E7 Power Battery and Performance
• Moto E7 Power Connectivity, Calls, and Audio
• Moto E7 Power Design and Display
• Moto E7 Power Camera

Now that the cold open is done, roll your eyes over a brief of its technical characteristics.

Moto E7 Power Specs and Price in India

And here’s what you get inside the dark blue colored box —

• Phone
• Charger
• USB-C cable
• Sim ejector tool
• Read Me papers

It’s now time to get the show on the road. So, let’s examine whether it’s a road warrior first.

Moto E7 Power Battery and Performance

The thing that comes to mind from that Power title has to be the battery. On the box, it claims up to 2 days. Well, E7 Power bags a 5000mAh cell that should easily run for a day and with modest use, even cover the major portion of the next day. That said, it scored 8Hr 38 mins (with 15% remaining) in the PCMark Work 2.0 battery test, which is an hour behind what we got with the Moto E7 Plus (review), but should be good enough for most users nonetheless. The bundled 10W charger takes around 2Hr 30 mins to fill the tank from 15% to full.

ALSO READ: Micromax In 1b Review

The rest of the innards comprise a 12 nm-based MediaTek Helio G25 CPU with 8x Cortex A53 cores clocked at a max speed of 2.0GHz. This configuration is backed by up to 4GB LPDDR4x RAM and 64GB eMCP ROM. This storage standard comes with a built-in memory solution for enhanced inter-chip communication. It should be hence theoretically faster and efficient than eMMC found within contemporary phones.

Well, we ran some tests, and here’s what we gathered —

In daily practice, you can make do most tasks with occasional hints of restraint. My maiden voyage post the system setup wasn’t smooth, but over time, it got usable.

This has been true in the case of gaming as well. While Asphalt 9 isn’t supported, I ran Asphalt 8 and much to my dismay, it crashed the first few times. However, besides the initial hiccups, I did play for an extended period of time in medium (at 30fps) and high graphics. As for Call of Duty, the game was playable at low graphics and high frame rates.

In half-hour gameplay, the temperature rose from 26.3 ℃ to 39.6 ℃ and the battery level fell from 97% to 89%.

Last, but not least, a major selling point of a Motorola phone is its software. It is stock with no ads, no bloat, no BS. Some nifty tricks like – Press the Power Button twice to launch the camera, swipe on the Moto mark to pull down the notification shade, quick chop-chop to turn on the flashlight, and the 3-finger screenshot. I also love that Google feed is just a right-swipe from the homescreen. While expecting Android 11 for an under 10K would be expecting too much, we were kind of hoping the stock essence would have made it possible.

Moto E7 Power Connectivity, Calls, and Audio

Connectivity options include 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, Dual 4G SIMs (hybrid slot) with VoLTE support, and 2×2 MIMO throughput.

As for call quality, I didn’t have any problem, nor did the other party.

The general sound quality is tinny. It comes from a small slit by the back that gets easily blocked depending on how you hold the phone and how you place it on a surface. So, you are better off with a headphone.

Moto E7 Power Design and Display

The jack is at the top. By the foot, there is a mic and a USB-C socket. Hallelujah! Moto wins a point in my book for its port choice. The right-arm side is where you’d find all the three perfectly tactile buttons — the power key, volume rocker, and the Google Assistant trigger. Whilst the placement of the latter at a finger’s stretch avoids accidental presses, I wish it was remappable.

The E7 Power faces a 6.5-inch IPS LCD panel that is HD+ in resolution. A big surface offers more leeway for touch and vision. But, the 720×1600 pixels in such a canvas means less pixel density viz. 269 PPI in this case. My other quibble with the screen is that it is too dim outside. The adaptive brightness is aggressive. So, I had it off. As for indoors, it is alright for media and mundane activities.

ALSO READ: Moto G9 Power Review

Atop, there is a neat notification LED, an earpiece, and the customary drop notch with the sensor looking at you. It can’t scan face though. So, you have to rely on the rear fingerprint scanner (within the Moto logo), which is snappy enough. Rest, there’s just the main camera panel. More on that in the succeeding session.

Moto E7 Power Camera

Moto E7 Power is outfitted with a 5MP front camera and a 13MP+2MP duo by the back. You get to record 1080p@30fps from both sides.

Here are some sample shots —

In daylight, the results are pretty good with accommodating details. It falters when it comes to controlling the exposure, which is especially noticeable in highlights. Also, the colors are much lighter than they are actually. There seem worse when seen on the native screen. So, viewing them on a laptop screen is advisable for a better idea.

I’m glad Moto chose macro over depth or monochrome lenses. I’m all for the little things in life but here, let’s just say, the efforts don’t reciprocate well.

As nature’s clock strikes night, the camera starts to struggle. Still, provided with a decent light source, you can capture some legible stills.

When it comes to selfies, Zoom meetings, and portraits, the spotty edge detection, and brushed-off details make it bearable at best.

And at last…

Moto E7 Power Review: Verdict

Motorola sticks to the basics so much so that the E7 Power is a cookie-cutter budget phone. While it could go the extra mile in terms of battery mileage, vanilla Android, sustainable storage, and peripheral solutions, there are some areas where it falls short – and we’d say that’s perfectly acceptable for the price. Performance from the low-geared processor is passable at best. Similarly, the camera and speaker output albeit serviceable, won’t take your fancy.

So as we remarked in the beginning, what matters is whether this is power-packed enough to meet your needs. The cutbacks would mar a power user, but that’s not for whom this is out for. Rather, this might interest the common folk who just needs something that does the basic smartphone-y things well. If you are such, Moto E7 Power is among the few phones worth considering in the under 10K segment.

Pros

• Battery mileage
• Stock Android
• USB-C port

Cons

• Paltry loudspeaker
• Dull display

Moto e7 Power: First Impressions Video [in Hindi]

Moto E7 Power FAQ

Q. Does Moto E7 Power has a dedicated microSD slot? How much is the supported memory card size?

A. Moto E7 Power supports memory card expansion up to 128GB using a hybrid slot.

Q. What is the SAR value of Moto E7 Power?

A. Moto E7 Power SAR values are 1.10 W/kg @ 1gm (Head) & 1.13 W/kg @ 1gm (Body)

Q. Does Moto E7 Power feature Gorilla Glass Protection?

A. No, the glass protection is unspecified.

Q. Does Moto E7 Power have FM Radio?

A. Yes, Moto E7 Power features FM Radio. You need to connect a headphone to use it.

Q. Does Moto E7 Power support Dual 4G VoLTE?

A. Yes, Moto E7 Power does support Dual 4G VoLTE.

Q. Does Moto E7 Power support dual-band WiFi?

A, No, Moto E7 Power doesn’t support dual-band WiFi.

Q. Does Moto E7 Power support VoWiFi or WiFi calling?

A. No, Moto E7 Power doesn’t seem to feature VoWiFi.

Q. How many microphones are on the Moto E7 Power?

A. Moto E7 Power comes with a single microphone by the bottom. There is no dual-mic system here.

Q. Which is the Android update on Moto E7 Power?

A. Moto E7 Power ships with Android 10 stock software. At the time of writing, it has the December security update. The Google Play System update is dated Jan 01, 2021. Motorola is mum about Android 11 or an Android 12 upgrade.