KPH tech blog

Moto G30 vs Galaxy S21

Here we are, then. The Final Four becomes the Final Two. I’ve said goodbye to the Pixel 4a and Pixel 5, and now I’m left with just the Motorola Moto G30 and Samsung Galaxy S21 5G.

This isn’t going to be an easy choice, but it’s the one I’ve been building up to since 3 August 2020 – when I started blogging about my journey.

And it’s come down to just two devices: the Motorola Moto G30, and Samsung Galaxy S21 5G. Here’s my final, but hopefully very brief thoughts and feelings on both:

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Motorola Moto G30

I never expected a Motorola phone to enter the running this late in the process, yet, here we are!

The Moto G30 itself only made my list because my father got one for himself, and I was so surprised by how good it was, that it made me have a re-think about what I really want in a phone.

Does size actually matter? Could I cope with a much bigger phone? The price would mean I could buy it myself, and continue with a SIM only plan – or move to another network.

It’s certainly an option. But for all the good things that the Moto G30 offers, I’m still not sure I want a big 6.5″ screen. It’s too big.

That said, it ticks nearly every box, including providing a new experience – which the Galaxy S21 won’t.

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Samsung Galaxy S21 5G

The Galaxy S21 would be more of the same for me. That’s not necessarily a bad thing – it’s just that I yearned for a new experience.

I think what I really wanted is an LG phone – they used to do things in a similar fashion to Samsung, but just a bit differently.

I remember a few years ago, looking at the LG G5 – and, later, their LG G6. I was impressed by the ultrawide camera on the LG G5, the replaceable battery and the Mods they brought out for the phone.

But while I wasn’t impressed by the G5’s build quality, at least they tried to do something different – an idea which Motorola perfected with their series of Moto Mods.

In fact, going even further back than that, before I got my HTC Desire Eye, one of the devices I looked at was the LG G Flex 2. A phone with a curved display and body. It was certainly very unique at the time, and still is unique.

The LG G Flex2 was also the first device that got me into mobile tech blogging, and also got me into watching reviews of phones on YouTube. Until I saw it for the first time and was able to gold it ink my own hands, I wanted to know how it looked, and what reviewers thought about it.

This curiosity is how I discovered channels like Tim Schofield, DetroitBORG, Unbox Therapy, MKBHD, Android Authority, Android Central, Pocketnow, and the then-brand new Mr Mobile.

But LG seem to have vanished altogether from the market. And, as of this month, it appears LG are quitting the smartphone market altogether – confirmed by The Verge, and also by the official LG Newsroom.

That’s a shame, as I’ve always loved LG’s ideas in the mobile phone segment. If it wasn’t for my interest in the Sony Xperia 5 II, the Pixel 4a or the Pixel 5, I almost certainly would’ve picked an LG phone.

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And this is basically where I’m at. I’m looking for something a bit different to the same old, same old. The Moto G30 would fit the bill perfectly, but then, so would any phone from that segment of the market – maybe even a HMD Nokia?

The only things holding me back from getting the Moto G30 is the size, and the performance. I’ve noted that there were only a couple of stutters after exiting the camera app, but if I were to fill up the phone with loads more apps and media files, would that overload the phone and make it even slower?

That’s where the Galaxy S21 would be much better. It’s the same old, same old… but it would also be powerful enough to handle my demands, needs and tasks.

Would the smaller S21 be hampered by performance issues? Hopefully not. I know its the smallest of the three new flagships – the S21 Plus and S21 Ultra being the other two siblings – but with the same Exynos 2100 chipset as the other two, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t still be able to handle what I’m used to doing on my S9 Plus. That includes typing, watching videos, listening to music, taking photos, gaming and texting.

If it can handle all of those – and, as a Galaxy S phone, it should be more than capable – then there’s no reason that the Galaxy S21 shouldn’t be my next phone.

It just won’t be anything different to what I have now – just a bit smaller.

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Conclusion

I’ve now posted about the Moto G30 and the Galaxy S21 together. That’s it. I can blog no more on either – not until I’ve made a decision. I’ve attacked it from all angles – specs, cost, photo quality, requirements and my feelings on each.

All that’s left to do now, is read through my own blogs, and figure out which one I’m going with.

Stay tuned for the result – which I’ll post this time next week!

Thanks for reading, and sharing this journey with me!

– Chris JK.