Motorola has just announced its ditching the single-digit naming convention, opting for a new bigger-number-equals-higher-features naming convention. Kicking off with this pair: the Moto G10 and Moto G30. But just how do they differ?

Moto G30 (128GB, 6GB) 6.5" Dual SIM GSM Unlocked 4G LTE, International Model XT2129-2 (Dark Pearl)

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Design

  • Moto G10 finish options: Aurora Gray, Iridescent Pearl
  • Moto G30 finish options: Phantom Black, Pastel Sky
  • Both: 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Both: Rear fingerprint sensor

To look at you'll not easily tell the differences between the G10 and G30. Both are the same size, complete with water-repellent finish (no official IP rating, though), rear-positioned fingerprint scanner, and 3.5mm headphone jack visible too.

Moto G10 vs Moto G30 photo 3
Motorola

The only telling visual differentiation will be the finish that you pick. The G10 comes in a so-called grey (but look at the photos - it looks more purple), while the G30 is deep black. There's also respective 'Iridescent Pearl' and 'Pastel Sky' options - names that are so loosely linked to colour it's hard to know what to expect from the words, but look at the pictures up top for the pearlescent, almost multi-colour properties.

Display

  • Both: 6.5-inch HD+ 'Max Vision' LCD display
  • Moto G10: 60Hz / Moto G30: 90Hz

So, the G10 and G30 are the same size, plus they share the same base screen make-up too: a 6.5-inch LCD panel with 20:9 aspect ratio. It's a fairly large panel, but the 'HD+' resolution - so expect 1600 x 900 pixels maximum here - isn't as pin-point sharp as you'll find in higher-spec devices.

Moto G10 vs Moto G30 photo 6
Motorola

The difference, then, comes from the refresh rate. The G10 refreshes at 60Hz, while the G30 goes 50 per cent better, at 90Hz, meaning smoother visuals (and probably less battery life as a result).

Cameras

  • Moto G10: 48-megapixel main, wide-angle, macro, depth sensor
  • Moto G30: 64MP main, wide-angle, macro, depth

The cameras may also look the same - a quad arrangement on the rear - but there's a critical difference here too. The G10 opts for a 48-megapixel main, the G30 a 64MP one. Both use four-in-one pixel processing, though, so expect 12MP and 16MP shots out of camera respectively.

Moto G10 vs Moto G30 photo 2
Motorola

The other cameras are a 118-degree wide-angle and a 2MP macro (close-up) and 2MP depth sensor. The wide-angle may come in handy, but as we've been seeing in recent budget phones those 2-megapixel add-ons are just there to up the numbers ("quad" sounds better than "dual", eh?).

Hardware & Spec

  • Moto G10: Qualcomm Snapdragon 460, 4GB RAM
  • Moto G30: Qualcomm SD662, 4/6GB RAM RAM
  • Both: 128GB storage, microSD card expansion
  • Both: 5,000mAh battery capacity
  • G10: 10W charging
  • G30: 20W charging
  • Both: NFC

As for core spec, part of the reason that the G30 has the more capable refresh rate is down to its hardware: a Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 processor (with 4GB RAM, there's a 6GB option too). The G10 is a lower-grade SD460 with 4GB RAM. At this level we'd opt for the G30 each and every time to help enable better gaming potential.

Moto G10 vs Moto G30 photo 5
Motorola

On the battery front, both handsets have the same 5,000mAh cell inside - which is really rather massive and should keep things chugging along for decent innings. The G30 is likely to last a little less, based on its spec, but it's also got fast-charging that's twice the speed on the G10 to help with speedy top-ups.

Price & Conclusion

  • Moto G10: €149.99 / Moto G30: €179.99
  • Available: Expected February 2021

Motorola has been very good at placing its G family in the entry-level section of the market, being a key player. The G10 and G30 follow suit, hitting affordable price points (we'd expect £130 and £150 in the UK, based on the official Euro price above).

So which to choose? The G30 is well worth its extra few quid in our view, as the processor and marginally smoother visuals ought to make for a more complete day to day package. But if all you care about is making calls and not much else then the G10 will tick all the major points that you need.