Am I ready for Ready For on the Motorola moto g100? I checked it out.

We already know the transformation of a smartphone into something that can be called a substitute for a computer. I remember this option since the times of Lumia 950 and Continuum mode, when Nokia was still in the hands of Microsoft. And that was a good 6 years ago. So many years have passed, and manufacturers such as Motorola, among others, believe that a smartphone can be turned into a computer. Or maybe they finally succeeded? I have checked and I have some information on this.

Continuum has already been mentioned by me. There is already a well-known Samsung DeX, which in the latest version can work wirelessly. There is also a solution called Huawei Share that connects the smartphone to the computer, but this is completely different. There would also be a few other, more kickstarter solutions. And now Motorola comes in, all in ... purple? And says Ready For finally we can have a "full computing environment" with the moto g100 at its heart.

What is the Motorola moto g100?

This is another model from the moto g family, which is supposed to make us not need a flagship. If someone had told me something like that during the premiere of the 2015 Moto GZ, I would have laughed out loud. They were always smartphones that offered something more in their category, but they were almost always such stronger mediums. This is also the case with the moto g100, because there are a lot of things on the plus side, but personally, I found a few that do not suit me very well.

Moto g100 is primarily a smartphone that works incredibly fast, responsive and without any cuts. In this case, it is not only due to the clean system (Android 11 right out of the box), but also the Snapdragon 870 processor and the screen with 90 Hz refresh. As for me, every smartphone should now have a minimum refresh of 90 hertz, because it totally changes everything. The moto g100 shows it almost every time we take this smartphone in our hand. He reacts faster, responds faster, and the comfort of using the device is incomparably greater. But, despite everything, I have the impression that such a Huawei Mate 40 Pro or an overlay from OnePlus is still a step away. It is close, but you still feel that you can do better and even smoother.

First of all, the moto g100 is a large smartphone.

Big, but in the sense that it is taller than other smartphones. Maybe it does not feel like the last Xperia, but the "remote" effect is noticeable. The 6.7-inch display does not improve the situation, so the samrtfon itself is over 168 mm high and weighs almost 210 grams. And again, on the one hand, such things are a bit disturbing, but on the other hand, if I have a 5000 mAh battery in the housing, they are less disturbing. We are dealing with a bit of a "block", but there is no chance to discharge this smartphone during the day, no matter what we do on it. He would take two days without any problems. It is a pity that fast charging is not that fast - we have TurboPower with a power of 20 W.

As it happens in "Czyściochu", basically all the functionality of the smartphone is based on Google applications. We probably have them all, connecting to the file manager, podcasting app or Google Fit. But, for example, there was no Google Keep for notes. I am glad that there are also known Motorola accessories, such as the gesture of shaking the phone to turn on / off the flashlight. I'll probably repeat myself, but it's extremely useful. Like the gestures for taking screenshots.

I have quite a problem with the appearance of this smartphone. Don't get me wrong, this blue-violet-sometimes-shimmering casing attracts attention and looks effective. But I have such an internal blockade that there is no "something" that is closer to flagships. Something that means that with PLN 2499 to spend, I would just buy something else. I do not like the thick frames around the screen, and in addition, the asymmetrical ones, and the two round cutouts on the front do not suit me. And even to the thickness I have some "buts", because you can safely say that these 9.7 mm are "up", not "only". In terms of design, the Moto g100 is on the same level as any skein of the last two years.

The Motorola moto g100 has a solid set of cameras, including a 64-megapixel one. And quoting the viral classic - Well, I would say average, average. For its price, it should take better photos and period. Such a Pixel 4a that can be pulled out for much less does it better. But the key function of the camera is macro photography. Somehow it is so overwhelmed there that it sharpens the blades closer and illuminates itself with an effective ring when it needs to. I am adding a few sample photos below and judge for yourself if there is anything to be delighted with.

Here are some photos in normal mode:

How does this whole Ready For mode work?

As I wrote at the beginning, Ready For is Motorola's idea of ​​how to make a computer out of a smartphone. I do not like to use this term very much, because I always ask "Is it possible?" I have one answer - you can't. However, it is possible to embrace the interface and functions so that when connected to a larger screen, you have a substitute for a computer environment. Something that in a sense will adapt to the horizontal, larger screen and will more or less resemble what is known from Windows or Linux. It is different with Ready For.

I have to write about the fact that in the set we have the absolute minimum to attach Motka to something bigger. There is a special cable that has HDMI and USB-C. One is connected to the monitor or TV, and the other is connected to the phone. And here's a curiosity, the moto g100 does not need additional power to enter Ready For mode. We go on what is in the battery, but you can always connect the charger. This thicker HDMI end still has a USB-C socket.

It is a pity that the moto g100 cannot be purchased in a bundle with a dedicated Ready For Dock. If you want something like that, you have to spend PLN 199 additionally.

First of all, I connected the skein to a 55-inch TV to check what it looks like and most of all - whether it is possible to play something. My first objection is that the cable is too short. In my setup, it was not possible to use a smartphone freely and at an appropriate distance from the screen. The cool thing is how fast it all works. After connecting, choose whether it should be desktop mode, Games, something like TV mode and chat. We click and it is, without any delays, cuts or the like. With this setting, I prefer to dig out a wireless keyboard and mouse from the drawer, obligatorily on Bluetooth. I used the MX Keys and MX Master 3 because I tried to connect the set with the nano-receiver via the hub and it didn't work out. Android simply does not support accessories in this form, and this is not Motorola's fault, but the system's.

Have I launched any game? Yes, even two. Did I play something? Unfortunately not.

I have specially installed Genshin Impact and Need for Speed: No Limits on moto g100. While it was possible to control it with the smartphone screen, neither the mentioned Logitech set nor the Bluetooth controller did it completely. Therefore, if you think that you will connect your smartphone to a larger screen with one cable, sit comfortably and play something, then not. You won't. A pity, because you could see that the smartphone was making. Even when I increased the details in Genshin.

The "TV" and "Video Chat" modes are nothing more than a kind of bookmarks that collect thematic applications already installed on the phone. In the case of the TV mode, it was, for example, a shortcut to YouTube or Google Movies. I only had the Google Duo app available for chat. It didn't interest me at all, because I don't like shortcuts very much. In this matter, it is nothing more than a nice overlay for some functions. They might as well have added a fifth "Music" tile and put a Spotify shortcut in it.

Fortunately, the main mode, i.e. the desktop mode, works quite tolerably.

I admit that in terms of appearance, location of elements and finally operation, the mobile desktop even suited me. And most of all, it worked as it should, i.e. fast, with nice animations and every time I wanted to do something. The "Start" bar was classically on the left (just like the ribbon with applications, photo below), and the tray with all the necessary options on the right. Just on the right we have, for example, Wi-Fi, a screenshot, date and time or notifications. You could open applications in a window and switch them to full screen. When they were in fullscreen mode, the top bar would appear as the cursor approached the top edge.

There is access to all applications that we have on the phone in a slightly desktop form. These always open in a window that can then be enlarged. Theoretically, you can work on it, but ...

There is clearly a problem with scaling elements and content and adapting to a larger screen just lies. Take a look at the homepage in Chrome, for example. Two big white stripes on the sides. It is similar with YouTube, only that the entire content is glued to the left side and takes up about 30% of the screen. Poorly. This can be saved by manually setting the scaling and font size higher, but still does not completely solve the problem.

The problem is also that not all elements of the system fire properly. I noticed this mainly on the calendar, to which we have an abbreviation in the toolbox on the right. We click and only a white window appears with no content.

Am I ready for the Motorola Ready For?

The cool thing is that Motorola is constantly developing its smartphones and solutions, a perfect example of which is Ready For. Even with the previous generation, this was not the case, even with top models such as Motorola RAZR or Motorola edge. But in fact, Ready For is nothing new and nothing that introduces a revolution in the use of a smartphone in the so-called desktop mode. Maybe it looks nice, maybe these main elements of the "system" are conveniently used, but it is still a half-measure that will not make the smartphone suitable for everything. Even if we connect it to a larger screen and pair it with a keyboard and mouse.

Somehow I do not see it in its current form, and Ready For did not make me want to switch to such a solution, even for a week. I miss a few things here, but a lot is also irritating (like action with this calendar or unadapted pages). But I always cheer on and believe in success because I know it's a matter of fine tuning the software. Who knows, maybe in a year or two, Ready For will be wireless, and all interface problems will be fixed. May!