The Motorola Moto G9 Plus and Samsung Galaxy A71 are premium intermediary phones – a segment that usually has models priced between R $ 2,500 and R $ 3,500 – for sale in Brazil. Smartphones have common technical characteristics, such as the quad camera with 64 MP main sensor and 128 GB of storage, but they differ in other points – battery capacity, RAM and design are some examples.
To find out which phone has the best cost-benefit ratio for your day to day, see the comparison below.
Price and availability of Motorola Moto G9 Plus and Samsung Galaxy A71
With a difference of one semester between launches, the Moto G9 Plus arrived in Brazil cheaper than the Galaxy A71. See prices below.
| Motorola Moto G9 Plus | Samsung Galaxy A71 | |
| Suggested price | R $ 2,499 | R $ 2,799 |
| Release (in Brazil) | September 2020 | February 2020 |
Full HD + screens with different technologies
Both smartphones are suitable for those who like big screens – while the Galaxy A71 comes with a 6.7 inch panel, the Moto G9 Plus goes further, with 6.8 ”. The resolution is Full HD + in both cases, which will provide good image clarity.
It is in technology that the panels are most different: the Galaxy A71 has a Super AMOLED Plus display, which in addition to being more economical, delivers more intense contrasts than the LTPS screen of the Moto G9 Plus. Still, Motorola brings HDR10 to improve color fidelity and contrast.
Galaxy A71 has screen with centralized hole for front camera
The front camera is housed in a discreet hole in the screen. In the Samsung model, this solution is centralized, which in practice ends up being more comfortable to avoid glances lost when taking selfies. In Moto G9 Plus, the hole is aligned to the left.
The Galaxy A71 also has Gorilla Glass 3 to avoid scratches and accidental scratches on a daily basis.
Winner: Galaxy A71
Design and colors
Starting from the rear of the smartphones, we have similar designs, with a rectangular module to house the photographic set. On both the Moto G9 Plus and Galaxy A71, this frame is on the left.
Moto G9 Plus in rose gold color
It is worth mentioning that the Moto G9 Plus is thicker and heavier: it is 223 grams, due to the greater battery capacity. The Galaxy A71 weighs 179 g. The dimensions are as follows:
| Motorola Moto G9 Plus | Samsung Galaxy A71 | |
| Height | 170 mm | 163.6 mm |
| Width | 78.1 mm | 76 mm |
| Thickness | 9.7 mm | 7.7 mm |
| Weight | 223 grams | 179 grams |
Both have a USB-C port for charging and a P2 input (3.5 mm) for headphones. In the Galaxy A71, the fingerprint reader is embedded in the screen, which provides convenience and security in unlocking – in the Motorola cell phone, the sensor is on the side of the device.
The Motorola smartphone is available in rose gold and blue colors, while the Samsung phone has models in silver, gray, black and light blue.
Winner: Galaxy A71
Performance: processor and RAM
Smartphones use similar processors (Snapdragon 730 on the Samsung model, and Snapdragon 730G on the Motorola model), octa-core chips that reach 2.2 GHz and can run even the most demanding applications without major difficulties.
It is in RAM that the Galaxy A71 stands out, with 6 GB – against 4 GB of the rival. In practice, these 2 GB more deliver a lot of fluidity in the animations of the system and extra breath to open heavy games quickly.
| Motorola Moto G9 Plus | Samsung Galaxy A71 | |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G | Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 |
| CPU | Octa-core (2 x 2.2 GHz Kryo 470 Gold + 6 x 1.8 GHz Kryo 470 Silver) | Octa-core (2 x 2.2 GHz Kryo 470 Gold + 6 x 1.8 GHz Kryo 470 Silver) |
| GPU | Adreno 618 | Adreno 618 |
In storage, there is a tie: the two smartphones have 128 GB of internal memory, with the possibility of expansion via microSD of up to 512 GB.
Winner: Galaxy A71
Operational system
Both models leave the factory with Android 10 and are guaranteed to update to Android 11, the latest version of Google’s system.
The difference is due to the interfaces, while the Moto G9 Plus brings a look closer to pure Android, with few pre-installed apps, the Galaxy A71 has the One UI 2.0, which in addition to the various themes and apps from Samsung, brings layout designed for one-handed use on larger screens.
Winner: depends on the user’s taste
Quadruple camera on both models
The Galaxy A71 and Moto G9 Plus are quad-camera phones that feature a 64-megapixel main sensor and basically the same versatility for photography. Despite this, the sets reserve differences in the other sensors.
Overall, it is the Samsung model that takes the best, with higher resolution for ultra-wide, macro and portrait photos. The device received praise in this regard in the tests of the Tecnoblog, with emphasis on very saturated colors. See some photos below.
Both phones support 4K @ 30fps video recording. To avoid unwanted flicker, manufacturers are betting on electronic image stabilization (EIS).
For selfies, the A71 has 32 megapixels, against 16 MP of the rival. Both have HDR.
| Motorola G9 Plus | Samsung Galaxy A71 | |
| Back camera | 64 MP (f / 1.8) + 8 MP (f / 2.2) ultra-wide) + 2 MP (f / 2.2) macro + 2 MP (f / 2.2) depth | 64 MP (f / 1.8) + 12 MP (f / 2.2) ultra-wide + 5 MP (f / 2.4) macro + 5 MP (f / 2.2) depth |
| Frontal camera | 16 MP (f / 2.0) HDR | 32 MP (f / 2.2) HDR |
| Video recording | 4K @ 30fps, 1080p @ 30/60 / 120fps, gyro-EIS | 4K @ 30fps, 1080p @ 30 / 240fps, 1080p @ 960fps; gyro-EIS |
Winner: Galaxy A71
Up to 5,000 mAh battery is an asset of the Moto G9 Plus
On battery, the Moto G9 Plus promises to stand out with a capacity of up to 5,000 mAh, against 4,500 mAh of the Galaxy A71. Still, the Samsung cell phone showed good autonomy in our practical tests, withstanding a whole day of use away from the outlets.
Motorola’s fast charging is also up front – 30 W versus 25 W. Neither has wireless charging.
Galaxy A71 25 watt charger
The Moto G9 Plus and Galaxy A71 feature Bluetooth 5.0, plus NFC for payments by approach.
Winner: Moto G9 Plus
Moto G9 Plus vs Galaxy A71: which phone is more cost-effective?
The Galaxy A71 is superior at several points in the technical sheet, but always narrowly – this means that if you are a regular user who wants (or needs) to save the $ 300 difference between these products, you will have no performance problems when opt for the Moto G9 Plus (and the bigger battery is definitely a good attraction).
However, if you are very demanding with the screen and the auxiliary cameras, the Galaxy A71 is the best option. It will also be the best choice for those who want high performance with heavier games and apps.