Even though Motorola unveiled the incredibly popular Moto G6 mid-range lineup in the spring of 2018, followed by an upgraded G7 family early this year, the company rushed the G8 Plus and G8 Play to market last month.
Curiously enough, there was no "regular" Moto G8 variant in sight, and at least for the time being, it doesn't look like those Play and Plus models are headed to the US. But while we still have no idea when Motorola might be planning to expand the G8 roster, Evan Blass is here to remind us a third main version will certainly break cover sooner or later.
This no doubt budget-friendly bad boy is today showing off its snazzy color options, as well as offering us a glimpse at its notched front panel, in a short "ev-leaked" promotional video. Unfortunately, the 6-second clip doesn't confirm anything about the key specs and features of the upcoming Moto G8, but we can definitely make some educated guesses based on the history of this mid-end smartphone family and what the G8 Play and G8 Plus have already brought to the table.
The design certainly seems familiar
Although it's not easy to make out all the fine details of the G8's appearance in this prematurely revealed promo material, both the rear-facing camera setup and screen cutout look similar to the same elements on the Moto G8 Play rather than the higher-end G8 Plus. That means we should probably expect a fairly conspicuous yet still small notch, as well as three shooters displayed in a 1+2 arrangement with the largest lens at the top, separated from the other two imaging sensors and LED flash.
Obviously, the camera specifications of the standard Moto G8 are up in the air, but we'll get to that a little later anyway. For the time being, we should point out the "unmissable" G8 will likely come with a pretty thick chin that's however no longer large enough to accommodate a full company logo. Naturally, that also means there's no room for a front-mounted fingerprint reader, with the biometric sensor instead presumably housed by the iconic "batwing" on the back of the handset.
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Said rear cover is almost definitely made from plastic rather than glass or metal to help keep the price point low, and the color palette will apparently range from black to blue and red, basically bringing together the G8 Play and G8 Plus hues announced so far.
The specs are a big question mark
Believe it or not, Motorola seems to have done a much better job than the likes of Google, Apple, or Samsung in keeping under wraps inside information regarding arguably the brand's most exciting impending device. That being said, the Moto G8 is obviously guaranteed to sit squarely between the G8 Play and G8 Plus on the Android handset totem pole of late 2019 (or early 2020).
Based on the similarities and differences between last year's G7 and G7 Plus, we expect the Moto G8 to "borrow" its 6.3-inch IPS LCD panel with a resolution of 2280 x 1080 pixels from the G8 Plus while possibly settling for a slightly humbler processor. Perhaps the Snapdragon 660, most likely paired with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage space. Meanwhile, since the G8 Play and G8 Plus share a sizable 4,000mAh battery, it would be absurd if the Moto G8 were to downgrade that number.
One number we can't hope to predict with a decent degree of accuracy right now is the total megapixel count of those three rear-facing shooters. The G8 Plus comes with a 48 + 16 + 5MP arrangement, while the G8 Play offers a significantly more modest combination of 13, 8, and 2MP sensors. All we can say is the Moto G8 should slot somewhere in between, and the same naturally goes for pricing.
The G8 Play starts at the rough equivalent of $220 in Latin America, with the G8 Plus priced around the $300 mark and the G8 therefore likely to fetch $250 when it eventually goes on sale stateside.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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