O Motorola Moto Tab G70 is an intermediate tablet for those looking for the basic use of a product of its category: watching movies and series, reading, playing games and occasionally using productivity apps. Samsung has been swimming practically alone in this sector of Android devices in recent years, where its products are more expensive. This, in turn, is a more affordable option. Interestingly, the Moto Tab G70 is the Motorola version of a product already released by Lenovo parent company, the Tab P11 Plus. Both products are identical in everything from the presentation to the internal hardware.
Motorola Moto Tab G70 (Credit: Ronaldo Gogoni/Meio Bit) As there is already a complete review of this product on technoblog, here I will point out the pros and cons of the Moto Tab G70 after two weeks of testing. Of course, everything said about it goes for the Lenovo Tab P11 Plus too.

transparency note

Since 2004, the half bit publishes opinionated reviews in order to help readers make their own purchase decision, whether for a gadget, a game or a service/software/app. We are frank in our opinions and highlight positive and negative points alike, regardless of the nature of the products, in order to maintain the integrity and transparency of the site. No one outside the editorial staff of the half bit had access to this review in advance, and there was no interference, payment or direction from Motorola, or third parties, in relation to its content. The Moto Tab G70 was provided by Motorola as a loan and will be returned to the company after testing.

The good

Design: The general lines of the Moto Tab G70 are very reminiscent of what Apple does with the iPad Air line, without curves on the sides. It is a very sober and serious presentation, although the metallic green color of the back, in two different shades, draws a lot of attention. The stronger-toned upper offers a rubber-like feel (it’s not), and overall the grip is pretty solid.
Motorola Moto Tab G70 (Credit: Ronaldo Gogoni/Meio Bit) The Volume buttons are located on the upper right side, and the On/Off button on the top right, similar to an iPad. On the left side, you will find the POGO connectors for using physical keyboards and/or Smart Docks. At the bottom right is the microSD card drawer, as this is the Wi-Fi-only version of the tablet. In the model with 4G/LTE, there is also the slot for a SIM card. Overall, the Moto Tab G70 is a tablet that has a good overall presentation, it doesn’t seem like a cheap product, even though it’s in an entry price range (by current market standards).
Motorola Moto Tab G70 (Credit: Ronaldo Gogoni/Meio Bit)
Screen: Here the Moto Tab G70 surprises. Although equipped with an 11-inch IPS LCD display, the integrated component is of high quality, featuring a resolution of 2,000 x 1,200 pixels (5:3 aspect ratio) and a brightness of 400 nits, which deliver good image quality. For an intermediate product, it makes sense not to make it expensive with an OLED screen, but at least here, Motorola didn’t use just any display, probably because it understands that the component is the business card of any self-respecting tablet. Even without perfect black, the colors are vivid and the edges, of only 8 mm, allow a better use of space.
Motorola Moto Tab G70 (Credit: Ronaldo Gogoni/Meio Bit) Some might even complain about the 60 Hz refresh rate, but again, the focus was on offering an affordable but good tablet. It is possible to watch movies and series in comfort, and play games without problems, which leads us to…
Performance: The processor equipped in the Moto Tab G70 is a 12 nanometer octa-core MT6785 Helio G90T from MediaTek. At other times, the mention of these last two elements would raise the hairs (not a problem for me) of anyone, but here, the SoC performs pretty decently. Along with the 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM, the tablet had no problems when it came to running the most diverse apps, from productivity (G Suite, Office) to entertainment (Prime Video, HBO Max), and even some games, although there are some caveats . 3 different games of different genres were tested. The racing Asphalt 9: Legends, generally a benchmark software in its own right, ran well in the default graphics mode, although some sluggish moments could be noticed.
Motorola Moto Tab G70 (Credit: Ronaldo Gogoni/Meio Bit) Another game played was the popular open-world JRPG/gacha game Genshin Impact. This one had an understandable loss of graphics quality, but kept the frame rate steady; while the presentation wasn’t stellar, it’s perfectly playable. Finally, the shoot’em up Azur Lane ran without any kind of slowdown, even in moments with many elements (shots) on the screen at the same time. Being a 2D title, it was to be expected that it would be the least demanding of the hardware. Unless you’re going to run Crysis, the Moto Tab G70 is a good product for watching content and playing games, including here via streaming, thanks to services like Xbox Game Pass cloud games, either with touch controls or using Bluetooth controls. Finally, the kit comes with a folding cover, which allows you to use the tablet in stand mode, freeing your hands.
Sound: Another highlight, the Moto Tab G70 has 4 speakers and Dolby Atmos support, something totally atypical in a more affordable product. Sound quality is well above average here, although there are distortions at higher volumes.
Motorola Moto Tab G70 (Credit: Ronaldo Gogoni/Meio Bit) Those looking for sound quality first will prefer to use it with headphones or Bluetooth speakers, but the standard sound is definitely not bad.

The bad

Biometry: The tablet’s selfie camera has facial recognition features that, in practice, are just a gimmick. For every 10 attempts to unlock the device, the Moto Tab G70 only hit 4. In my opinion, Motorola should have added a fingerprint reader, which would be much more useful. It’s needed.
Internal space: 64GB of space on a tablet is too little, period. As an item used more as a media and leisure consumption tool, manufacturers should be aware that such a product requires at least 128 GB. Motorola, like other companies, plays with as little as possible, so different user profiles will have different experiences. A person who only uses a tablet to watch movies may not be bothered, but those who play mobile titles (which are getting bigger) need to be very selective about what to install.
Motorola Moto Tab G70 (Credit: Ronaldo Gogoni/Meio Bit)
Drums: It’s not a weak point, but the 7,700 mAh could do more. In my tests, I unplugged the Moto Tab G70 at 8:00 and ran 2 hours of streaming video, 2 hours of streaming audio, 1 hour of browsing via Edge, 30 minutes of G Suite and 1 hour of gaming, Asphalt 9: Legends and Azur Lane (30 minutes each), always at maximum brightness.]At around 9pm, the battery was at 37%, which I expected at least 45%. It’s not bad, but it could be better.

The ugly

Android updates: once again again, the company did not pay attention to after-sales. The Moto Tab G70 comes out of the box running Android 11, and Motorola has guaranteed an update to Android 12. And that’s it, the same policy as the Moto G line. The fact that the product comes standard with a previous version of the operating system from Google, and will only have access to the one launched in 2021, once again it shows that Motorola/Lenovo is not interested in guaranteeing system updates to their products, even the cutting-edge ones, see the roll with Edge+ and the Moto G100 workaround, a premium cell phone, but for being from the Moto G line, it only got an update. The G10, not even that. In addition, the Moto Tab G70 will have access to 2 years of security updates, but compared to what Samsung has been doing, it’s very little. Put Apple in the mix and Motorola takes an even bigger beating in the aftermarket. Of course, there is always the possibility of using Android forks to extend the life of a device, but as in this case the SoC is from MediaTek, don’t count too much on it (the statement is from 2018, but the company’s position has not changed since then).

The rest

Cameras: Tablets are not the best gadget to be used as a photographic device. Overall, the main camera is more for clicking and scanning documents, and the selfie for video calls. So the kit on the Moto Tab G70 is pretty basic. The main one, with 13 megapixels, captures photos with OK definition and shoots in 1080p, the same goes for the selfie, of 11 MP.
Photo taken with Moto Tab G70’s main camera (Credit: Ronaldo Gogoni/Meio Bit)
Photo taken with the Moto Tab G70’s selfie camera (Credit: Ronaldo Gogoni/Meio Bit) You can’t ask for more than that from an intermediate tablet, not least because, again, they’re not the most comfortable and ergonomic device for taking pictures and record videos.
Software: Android 11, with Motorola’s My UX interface, is not very different from what is seen on the company’s cell phones, with two differences. The first (below) is the Google Entertainment Space, a kind of hub accessible by an icon on the left, on the home screen. It concentrates audio and video streaming apps, games and books, and works more like a suggestion center, something some might find useful.
Motorola Moto Tab G70 (Credit: Ronaldo Gogoni/Meio Bit) The other is the Google Kids Space, which, once activated, transforms the Moto Tab G70 into a device intended for use by children, restricting access only to apps and children’s content, with monitoring and parental control options, which can unlock the tablet’s default mode. Other than that, there’s not much to invent in terms of software, and Motorola doesn’t.

Conclusion

The Motorola Moto Tab G70 is an intermediate tablet, which is between high-end options such as iPads and the Galaxy Tab S8 line, and the simplest, but impossible to use. It competes directly with Samsung’s Galaxy Tab A8 (2021), which has a similar price and also runs Android 11. The Wi-Fi-only version, tested in this review, has an official MSRP of R$1,799, followed by some retailers. However, its “twin” Lenovo Tab P11 Plus can be found for R$ 1,549, in what are the same product. They only differ in the color of the rear, green in the first and gray in the second.
Motorola Moto Tab G70 (Credit: Ronaldo Gogoni/Meio Bit) If you find a promotion where one is priced lower than the other, get the cheaper one and you’ll have the exact same experience. All in all, the Motorola Tab G70 and the Lenovo Tab P11 Plus are an affordable tablet that doesn’t sacrifice performance and user experience. On the contrary, there are features and performance that owe nothing to more expensive models.

Motorola Moto Tab G70 — Technical Data

Screen: 11-inch IPS LCD, 5:3 aspect ratio, 60 Hz refresh rate, 400 nits brightness and 2,000 x 1,200 pixel resolution (212 ppi);
Processor: MediaTek MT6785 Helio G90T (12 nm), octa-core with 2 2.05 GHz Cortex-A76 cores and 6 2 GHz Cortex-A55 cores;
GPU: Mali-G76 MC4;
RAM memory: 4 GB;
Internal storage: 64 GB;
External storage: Expandable via microSD up to 1 TB;
Back camera: 26 mm (Wide) 13 megapixel, f/2.2 aperture, autofocus and LED Flash, records in 1080p at 30 frames per second (fps);
Selfie Camera: 8 megapixels, f/2.0 aperture, records videos in 1080p at 30 fps;
Sensors: Proximity, accelerometer, gyroscope;
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5), Bluetooth 5.2, AD2P, BLE, A-GPS, GLONASS;
Drums: 7,700 mAh, with support for 20W fast charging;
ports: USB Type-C 2.0 and POGO connectors for keyboards/smart docks;
Operational system: Android 11 with My UX interface;
Dimensions: 258.4 x 163 x 7.5 mm;
Weight: 490 g;
Color: Green.

Strong points:

Well built; Quality screen, even LCD; Exceptional sound for a tablet.

Weaknesses:

Again, just an Android update; Tablets need more than 64GB of space; Facial recognition misses more than it hits, so… …a fingerprint scanner would be more useful.