phones

My week with the Motorola moto g fast

Ting Staff • September 4, 2020

Hi! My name is Marilynn and I’m the facilities manager here at Ting Mobile HQ. As a long-time Moto fan, I was the obvious choice when Ting Mobile needed someone to test drive the moto g fast. And I do mean long-time. I still miss the original Motorola RAZR, even though it was the color of pavement. On a related note, there’s a heartbreaking tale of what happened when it fell behind my car tire, but that’s another story.

Motorola has always appealed to me because my job as facilities manager requires being impeccably organized, lots of multitasking and the ability to complete a task quickly. Moto phones rock at this; more on that later. The set up is also super easy (though I wish Motorola would bring back their excellent Migrate transfer tool). Between using Google’s sync tools and Bluetooth, transferring my settings and data took almost no time. 

What’s great is that you can get the moto g fast in the Ting Shop for just $199. Anyway, on with the review.

Features

Screen

My last upgrade was to the 2019 G7 Power. The g fast screen is just a bit larger than the Power, while the image quality is comparable. I might give a slight edge to the Power, but that could just be personal preference.

Battery

With the Power’s focus on longevity, its battery does last longer.  The battery on the g fast was no slouch, though. It lasted more than a day with moderate use, and with the included fast charger it went from zero to hero in about an hour.

Camera

While it’s not comparable to the cameras on high-end (and high-priced) phones, I found the g fast triple-lens camera to be a good all-round one for the price. It has some nice features like spot color and wide shots, and the resolution is good.

Performance

I’d say that the g fast does live up to its name–once we’re being realistic. It certainly won’t give a premium phone a run for its money in the horsepower department. However, its performance is snappy, and I experienced no problems with slow down or multitasking issues. In short, it performs very well for a sub-$200 phone and for what I need it to do.

Moto actions

My real love for the Moto fam comes from the gestures, or “Moto Actions” as they’re called. In my work as a facilities manager, I find myself in situations where, for example, I need a light or picture but only have one hand free. Try taking a picture the conventional way while you’re holding open a panel or crawling under a desk. It ain’t easy. Gestures like two shakes for the flashlight or two twists for the camera aren’t just time savers, they’re lifesavers to those of us that are often physically multi-tasking. The three-finger-touch screenshot is so much easier than the button-pushing combos I’ve had on other phones. The Moto even gives you a tutorial on the gestures – how useful!

Build and finish

Moto phones have always felt solid to me. I’ve been a bit rough with them but I have never had an issue with scratches or cracks.  The white color of the g fast’s back panel hides fingerprints well–and dirt deposited is a good reminder to clean your phone daily! I do use a case to protect from drops (maybe I did learn something from my RAZR experience).

At $199 in the Ting Shop, the moto g fast is a solid phone that performs well and will last for years. I like to buy my phone outright, and I can’t justify spending over $1,000 on a phone as a status symbol when, for me, it is a tool for connecting. At this price, it’s a no-brainer. With moto g phones I have all the features I need, the Play Store for any apps I want, and money in my pocket for everyday expenses.