Moto Tab G20 review: Great for kids at home

Name: Motorola
Item: Motorola
Author: Shweta Ganjoo

It is particularly good for people who have school-going kids at home.

By: SHWETA GANJOO
| Updated on: Nov 28 2021, 14:29 IST

The tablet market is booming in India owing to the work-from-home and study-from-home situation posed by the pandemic. Amid the circumstances, tech companies have focused on launching budget tablets in India, especially to cater to the demand that involves having multiple devices at home. This year we saw Realme launching the Realme Pad in India at the price of INR 13,999. Competing with that was Motorola's Moto Tab G20 at a price of INR 10,999.

The Moto Tab G20 -- which is what we will be discussing today -- is the first tablet launched by Motorola in India. It was launched in India with the aim of making learning fun for families and individual users amid the changed circumstances.

As far as the features are concerned, the Moto Tab G20 has everything that makes it ideal to be used by kids and individual users in a family. It has a metallic back and an IPS display that make it durable and resistant to minor scratches and falls. It also has a 5,100mAh battery that doesn't give up easily even on consistent usage. All of these features make -- at least on paper -- the Moto Tab G20 an ideal buy for budget users. The real question is: Is the Moto Tab G20 worth buying? We will try to answer that question and more in the review below...

Moto Tab G20: Design

As is customary, let's talk about the design first.

The Moto Tab G20 tablet comes with an all-metal body with curved edges that measures 199.1x121.8x8.15mm and weighs just 305 grams. It has a USB 2.0 port for charging at the bottom and a single front-firing speaker coupled with a 3.5mm jack on the top. It has a SIM card slot on the left side, and on the right, it has volume rockers that are coupled with a power button. At the back, you get a single rear camera setup with the Motorola logo in the middle and Dolby Atmos logo at the bottom.

What all these details translate into is the fact that the Moto Tab G20 features a design that is comfortable to use and light to hold even when you are using it for a prolonged period of time. The metallic back ensures that the Moto Tab G20's screen remains clean unless of course, you are not using it while having a meal (don't we all love those steaming hot aalu parathas?).

The overall design is clean and simple. If you are looking for a wow factot, there isn't one. However, if you are looking for something sturdy, the Moto Tab G20 checks the right boxes.

image caption — Moto Tab G20 (Shweta Ganjoo/HT Tech)

Moto Tab G20: Display

Coming to the display, the Moto Tab G20 features an 8-inch HD+ IPS display with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels. It has moderate bezels on the sides and thick bezels on the bottom and on the top. The top bezel has a punch-hole design that houses the tablet's front camera. Overall, the Moto Tab G20 looks like a Kindle e-book reader at least in terms of the design.

As far as usage is concerned, the Moto Tab G20 features a lacklustre display. I used this tablet for some time and in my time, I mostly used it for watching videos online and catching up on some reading. In my experience, while the Moto Tab G20 manages to do justice to the colours, it lacks clarity, which in my opinion is a bummer. If you plan on using the Moto Tab G20 mostly for reading or doing your homework or attending classes online, you shouldn't face any issues at all. However, your primary aim is to watch videos, the screen is a bit of a letdown.

Moto Tab G20: Camera

Next is the camera.

The Moto Tab G20 comes with a 5MP rear camera and a 2MP front camera. The Realme Pad, on the other hand, offers an 8MP camera in the front and at the back. As far as the performance is concerned, the Moto Tab G20 clicks decent images in bright light and well-lit conditions with its rear camera. The colours are bright with the right amount of contrast – given its price point – but don't expect too much on the clarity front. On the other hand, images clicked at night with some light are clear with no noise, especially with the tools it has in its hands.

Coming to the front, the images captured in daylight conditions have the right amount of contrast but they lack clarity. There is visible noise even in the images clicked in indoor light conditions. That said, it would be harsh to judge this tablet so strictly given that it caters to budget users and lacks the hardware to snap picture-perfect images.

Moto Tab G20: Performance

Let's talk about the performance now.

The Moto Tab G20 is powered by the MediaTek Helio P22T that is coupled with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage space. It runs on Google Android 11 OS. Coming to usage, the Moto Tab G20 is a decent performer as far as general usage is concerned. I didn't face any issues while reading online or while surfing social media. But there is a visible lag that you can easily make out, especially when you are trying to multitask.

On the software front, the Moto Tab G20 features a relatively clean interface that is easy to use. However, it comes with tons of pre-installed apps, some of which, like Google's Kids Space and YT Kids -- are focused towards the kids. In addition to that, you also get Google's entire suite of apps for your use, which is good if your kids are the ones who will be using this tablet primarily.

Lastly, the battery. The Moto Tab G20 features a 5,100mAh battery, which takes over two hours to charge completely. Motorola says that this tab will last for around two days but in my experience that totally depends on the usage. If you are using the Moto Tab G20 primary for light reading, watching videos and surfing the web -- like I did -- it will easily last for around two days.

Moto Tab G20: Conclusion

Now, the million-dollar question -- is the Moto Tab G20 worth buying?

In a nutshell: Yes. The Moto Tab G20 features a sturdy build that is resistant to smudges and can withstand minor cuts and bruises. True, it doesn't come with a waterproof coating and it has a sub-par camera. But it does have a decent display and a long battery life, which make it ideal for light usage. It is particularly good for people who have school-going kids at home.

Rating

3.5 out of 5

Price

INR 10,999/-

Product Name

Motorola

Brand Name

Moto Tab G20

Pros