motorola moto g6 64GB 5.7-Inch Android 8.0 Oreo UK Sim-Free Smartphone with 4GB RAM and 64GB Storage (Dual Sim) - Deep Indigo (Exclusive to Amazon)

Even if you don’t need two SIMs, go for the two-SIM version of this phone. It has an impressive 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage, which means you don’t need to worry about all the apps, music and podcasts you download. And you have the freedom to add up to 128 GB more storage later if you want.Until 2017 I used an iPhone 5. Apple’s IOS still has a better on-screen keyboard than the default Android one, and with iTunes it has a better music player than Android. Other than that, to my mind Apple has lost its way. It’s still charging a premium for bleeding-edge technology, but it’s not delivering anything terribly new - in fact, in many ways it’s playing catch-up with Android now.So, a year ago when my iPhone suffered a hardware failure, I researched the options and went for the amazingly-priced Motorola G5 ( Motorola Moto G5 16GB with 3 GB RAM (Dual Sim) UK SIM-Free Smartphone - Lunar Grey ), which came with 3 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage, running Android 7.0, and was a fraction of the price of Apple, Google Pixel and Samsung products. I fitted a 64 GB micro-SD card for all my downloads, and I was absolutely delighted. I use Google Chrome and Microsoft Office, and I use the Microsoft Launcher, which I prefer to the default Google desktop (it has widgets that integrate nicely with my Office data).All very well, but in May I needed another phone (for another family member) and I bought the newer G6 version, this one. It runs Android 8.0, which has some nice tweaks like better SD card security and management. It has more RAM and a lot more storage, and the 8-core processor runs a bit faster too, although to be honest other than the startup time the phone is really quick.The default ringtones are a bit grim: I want my phone to sound like a phone, and I certainly don’t want the execrable Japanese-style “Hello-Moto” jingle. Thankfully, you can install your own ringtones and alarm sounds.The G6 is a bit taller than the G5, but pretty much the same width. This is useful when web-browsing, as you can see a bit more of the page at the same zoom. On both the G5 and G6, the fingerprint sensor is separate from the “home” button (which is on-screen) - this was something I had to get used to switching from the iPhone 5.Switching from the G5 to the G6 was really easy: I could back up and restore all my settings to the Google and One Drive clouds, and restore them onto the new phone. Almost all of my downloaded media was retained when I moved the micro-SD card from one phone to the other (some was lost because Android 8 is stricter about where files may be stored). So all I then needed to do was re-enter my passwords for some of the apps and I was up and running again.Moving from the G5 to the G6 was easy, and I didn’t really notice much difference. It’s only when I go back to the G5 that I notice the slight changes in the way things work. I’ve resisted having a larger phone, because I’m worried it won’t fit in my pocket. In fact, this phone fits just fine into my trouser-pockets, even with the case I chose to buy (incidentally, it comes with a silicone case which provides reasonable protection if you don’t like thicker cases).I listen to a lot of podcasts, and unlike Apple products, Android does not come with a default podcast app. I use Podcast Addict, which costs a couple of pounds. Other similar apps are available.Amazon Music and Audible are of course no problem. There are some Motorola features on the phone (such as an app to auto-unlock when it recognises your face) which I’ve chosen to ignore. They’re not at all intrusive.The G6 supports NFC, which is used for things like Google Pay and for sharing contacts. There are three (yes, three) cameras, one forward-facing and two rear-facing, at different resolutions. The speaker (which doubles as the telephone earpiece) gives a pretty good sound, although of course it makes sense to use an external Bluetooth speaker or earphones. For wired sound, the 3.5 mm jack is on the bottom edge of the phone (on the G5, it's on the top edge).My accessories:64 GB micro-SD card:  SanDisk Ultra 64GB microSDXC Memory Card + SD Adapter with A1 App Performance up to 100MB/s, Class 10, U1 . I store all my media on the SD card, leaving the inbuilt memory for the operating system and apps.Case:  Ferilinso Moto G6 Case, Elegant Genuine Real Leather with ID Gredit Card Slots Holder Flip Cover Stand Magnetic Closure Case for Moto G6 (Dark brown) . This slightly restricts access to the volume keys, but is otherwise pretty good.Charging cable:  USB C Cable [3Pack ] YOSOU Type C Charger Cable 1m/3.3ft Nylon Braided USB C Charging Cable for Samsung S8, S8plus, S9, Note 8, Huawei P9/P10/P20, MacBook, Sony XZ, LG, HTC10 Google Pixel and More . The G5 uses micro-USB, but the G6 uses the newer, faster and better USB-C connectors. These will eventually take over all USB applications, but in the mean time, I thought it would be handy to have some brightly-coloured USB-C cables so I can tell them apart from all the old-style cables.I cannot really overstate the value for money this phone is. You’re not tied to a network, so you can choose cheaper SIM-only deals. You can run any Android app, just like on more expensive models. I’ll be getting another soon, so that everyone in the household will have one. The G5 is also pretty good and a bit cheaper, but bear in mind that it’s running an older version of Android.

After a long run of Sony phones on contract I decided to go for a SIM-only contract and get a phone separately. I did a lot of comparisons and the Moto G6 looked like a decent compromise of cost and features. Having made that decision, the extra few pounds to double the storage from 32GB to 64GB was a no-brainer.So far, after a few weeks, I really can't find anything to complain about.Battery: I am not a big phone user, but I have been using this a lot more than my old one and it is never down to less than 50% by the end of the day. Charging with the rapid charger and USB-C cable that come with it is very quick.Screen: I am loving the bigger screen, having been using compact phones before. The 18:9 ratio works well because you can have two 'windows' open at once. I have found that useful for looking up contacts to get a phone number while typing it into a web form.Capacity: you can expand the capacity with an SD card, but a lot of apps won't let you install them on an SD card. On a 16GB phone I ended up deleting a load of apps because of space issues. One reason I am using this phone more is that I can now have them all again, with bags of room.Camera: I haven't explored all the functions yet, but have played with filters, cut-out and slo-mo video which all look fine. Norma photos look good too.Android: version 8 is installed, with virtually no extra modification by Lenovo/Motorola. With a lot of new phones you spend ages deleting or hiding all the extra rubbish the manufacturer has installed, but the only extra thing here is a Moto app that is actually worth keeping. You can set it up to do things like turning the torch on with a karate chop motion (took me ages to stop doing the Bruce Lee noises to go with it) or turn on the camera by wiggling the phone.Build: the phone feels solid enough and is comfortable enough to hold. I had bought a case for it, faux leather with slots for credit cards, because that is what I am used to, but that was a waste of time/money because I ended up using the clear case that comes with the phone. Its the first phone I have had that comes with a case and it is pretty decent.You can put two SIMs in this, although I only have one. The SIMs and MicroSD card all fit into a tray that pops out of the top of the phone. Getting the tray to pop out is a bit fiddly with the supplied tool. I'm sure it is a matter of getting the knack through practise but isn't something you will need to do often.There is a headphone socket at the bottom. I have been using both wired and bluetooth headphones with no trouble and connecting to a bluetooth speaker - using NFC to make the connection.There is a fingerprint scanner at the bottom of the screen. It is the first one I have used on a phone and so far it has been working very well. It even recognises the finger print for logging into my work email, which saves me fiddling with the password.The dual camera on the back, with the LED light under it, looks like a little smiling face, which matches my big smiling face.Overall I am really impressed with this phone. I know I could easily have got something costing twice as much that does not do much more.