The new Moto G7 is the leading smartphone of four handsets to bear the 'G7' name, and it directly replaces the budget-friendly Moto G6 from 2018.
Motorola hasn't reinvented its popular G series brand with the G7, rather it's provided a series of incremental upgrades over the Moto G6 to ensure its affordable smartphone stays relevant in 2019.
We've pitted the two handsets against each other in this versus to bring you all the differences – as well as the similarities.
- Read our hands on reviews: Moto G7 | Moto G7 Power | Moto G7 Play
Moto G7 vs Moto G6: design
There aren't many major design changes that are set to shock you between these phones.
In fact, each of these phones have a similar design with glass used on the rear of each. The larger display on the Moto G7 means the fingerprint scanner has moved around to the rear of the phone, while on the G6 it sits just below the screen.
The weight is similar, but the G7 is slightly heavier at 172g compared to the 167g Moto G6.
Last year's phone has dimensions of 153.8 x 72.3 x 8.3 mm, while the new device is a touch different in every direction at 157 x 75.3 x 8 mm.
Neither of these phones are waterproof, but they are splashproof so you shouldn't be worried about using either of them in the rain. There's also USB-C port at the bottom edge of each phone, and each comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Moto G7 vs Moto G6: display
The big headline here is that you'll get a notch on the Moto G7. There's a much larger screen on this next-generation phone, and it feels like it can keep pace against the flagship phones in this generation.
The Moto G6 features a 5.7-inch 18:9 aspect ratio display making the phone's display longer than handsets like the Moto G5, but there isn't a notch at the top of the display. The newer phone features a larger 6.2-inch phone at a 19:9 aspect ratio.
The resolution is Full HD+ on both models, but the Moto G7 loses out a little with 405 pixels per inch, while it's up to 424 pixels per inch on the older G6.
It's the same kind of IPS LCD technology on both models of the phone, so you can expect around a similar level of brightness and quality on each of these devices. It's just the size that's different.
Moto G7 vs Moto G6: camera
We've yet to have time to play around with the Moto G7 camera properly, but we can look at the spec on paper compared to what Motorola has told us so far.
Each phone has a dual sensor rear camera with a 12MP doing the heavy lifting and a 5MP there to work as a depth sensor for the bokeh effects. The selfie camera on each phone is also an 8MP shooter.
The latest Moto G7 also comes with a variety of new software updates including a mode that allows you to just focus on one color in an image and another called Cinemagraph that allows you to make keep part of an image moving while freezing another part.
You can read all about these camera upgrades in our Moto G7 hands on review.
Moto G7 vs Moto G6: battery
Although we don't currently have a clear idea of the battery life on the Moto G7, both the handsets are similar in this area on paper.
In fact, under the hood each of these phones is a 3000mAh battery with fast charging onboard. That's all achieved through the USB-C port at the bottom edge of the phone.
Moto G7 vs Moto G6: specs and software
Under the hood of the Moto G7 is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 chipset, which is a major upgrade upon the Snapdragon 450 chipset that features in the Moto G6.
Whether that's reflected in every day usage remains to be seen, but we'll be sure to put the Moto G7 through its paces at the time of our full review. While the Moto G6 was available in both 3GB and 4GB variants, the G7 only comes in a 4GB version.
The same goes for storage where you could get the G6 in a 32GB configuration but this time you can only buy it with 64GB of onboard storage.
Both phones feature microSD support, but the Moto G7 is much more useful in this regard as it allows for 512GB cards while the G6 is only 256GB cards.
Moto G7 vs Moto G6: price
More expensive than the Moto G6 was at launch, the newer Moto G7 costs $299 / $239 (about AU$420) on day one. There is only a 64GB variant this time, so that may be why the price is higher this time around.
The Moto G6 is now a year old, so you'll be able to get it for significantly less. In fact, at the time of writing you can buy it for $190 / £160 / AU$229. If you're looking to save money though, it's worth considering also considering the Moto G7 Play that has much lower specs but only costs $199 (£149, AU$280) at launch.
