Moto G (2025) assessment: An affordable, no-frills telephone

Android is particular, not simply due to the superb telephones that decision it dwelling, however due to the flexibility it gives as a platform. Whereas flagship telephones just like the Google Pixel 9 and midrange monsters just like the OnePlus 13R get the majority of the highlight, many choices include a cheaper price level.

Motorola has been one of many trade leaders in relation to low-cost Android telephones for some time now. The corporate isn’t afraid to undercut the competitors by bringing a number of telephones to the market that retail for lower than $250. The Moto G (2025) is the most recent system in Motorola’s low-cost lineup, and should you hold expectations in examine, it delivers a stable expertise in a few key classes.

Value and availability

Cheap and accessible now

The Moto G (2025) was launched on January 30, 2025, and carries a pretty retail worth of $200. It’s accessible in a single colorway, Forest Grey, and could be discovered with 128GB of storage. The Moto G could be bought from Motorola or a retailer like Amazon or Greatest Purchase.

On the time of writing, it’s not accessible via wi-fi carriers. Nevertheless, final 12 months’s Moto G 5G (2024) could be discovered on numerous carriers, so we may even see the most recent Moto G sooner or later.

What’s good in regards to the Moto G (2025)?

Vegan leather-based and nice battery life lead the cost

The Moto G is a well-crafted telephone, particularly contemplating its $200 worth level. Motorola has been utilizing vegan leather-based on the again of gadgets just like the Motorola Razr (2024) for a while now. With what appears like each producer opting to make use of glass on the again of their gadgets, I applaud Motorola for bucking the development.

I’m an enormous fan of the textured vegan end. Not simply because it appears to be like and feels nice however as a result of it offers the Moto G some aptitude that helps it stand out in a crowd. The match and end could not matter a lot should you plan on tossing the Moto G in a case, however should you plan on going caseless, the Moto G has my approval.

At 167.05 x 76.3 x 8.16mm, the Moto G is a large system, nevertheless it’s comparatively skinny, making it simple to carry. At 193g, it’s additionally mild for its measurement however nonetheless feels hefty sufficient that it doesn’t really feel like an affordable toy. It has an IP54 score to maintain it protected from mild splashes and rain, nevertheless it received’t fare nicely in something greater than that.

The ability button on the proper edge doubles as a fingerprint reader, which was dependable throughout my testing. With 128GB, there’s loads of storage by default, however you may increase the storage as much as 1TB because of the microSD card slot. For those who want wired headphones, you’ll be joyful to know that Motorola included a 3.5mm headphone jack on the underside.

Motorola geared up the Moto G with a 5,000mAh battery, which ends up in a powerful battery life. I routinely bought over eight hours of display on time, lasting two full days earlier than I needed to plug it in. When it’s essential cost the Moto G, you may cost it by way of USB-C as much as 30W. It takes 25 minutes to go from useless to 50% and an hour and 16 minutes to cost absolutely.

I wasn’t anticipating a lot concerning the show, however the Moto G exceeded my expectations for such a low-cost system. It has a big 6.7-inch LCD panel with a 120Hz refresh fee for largely easy scrolling. I say largely attributable to some efficiency points, however extra on that later.

Some could complain in regards to the lackluster 1604 x 720 decision, however the extra I used it, the extra I spotted it didn’t matter. Is it the sharpest show on the market? Not by an extended shot. Did it hinder my expertise? Completely not. It was shiny sufficient for use outdoor and crisp sufficient for watching Netflix or YouTube movies. For a $200 system, that’s all I might hope for. Some gadgets on this worth vary have higher shows, just like the Samsung Galaxy A15 5G, however the show Motorola went with is completely succesful.

Software program is one other side that I loved throughout my time with the Moto G. It’s simple for producers to ship outdated variations of Android. Nonetheless, I used to be pleasantly stunned to seek out that it ships with Android 15 and a largely inventory model of Android. There’s additionally much less bloatware than I anticipated. A handful of Moto apps could be disabled however not eliminated, and 5 apps like Fb and Sweet Crush could be uninstalled.

One side of the Moto G that I liked was the chop gesture. Holding the telephone sideways and making a chopping movement prompts the flashlight, which I take advantage of every day. The Moto G may also take a screenshot by putting three fingers on the show.

What’s unhealthy in regards to the Moto G (2025)?

Efficiency leaves a bit to be desired

Whereas I loved the software program expertise of the Moto G, I can’t say that I belief Motorola in relation to software program updates. It’s good that this telephone comes with Android 15 as a result of, no matter what Motorola guarantees, there’s a robust likelihood that this system will obtain minimal assist. They simply aren’t good at retaining their telephones up to date. It’s a capsule that’s simpler to swallow because of its low worth level, nevertheless it’s nonetheless disappointing, to say the least.

There have been some efficiency woes, and that’s my largest gripe in regards to the Moto G. Outfitted with a MediaTek Dimensity 6300 processor and a paltry 4GB of RAM, you’ll encounter stutters. It occurs randomly. It doesn’t matter should you scroll an internet web page or bounce between apps. Stuttering limits the effectiveness of the 120Hz show, which could be irritating.

Motorola options RAM Enhance, which lets you reserve as much as 8GB of storage to make use of as extra RAM. It’s good in concept, however your system’s storage won’t ever match that of standard RAM. Whereas it makes a distinction, it wasn’t sufficient to cease the stuttering fully.

In Geekbench 6, the Moto G acquired a single-core rating of 787 and a multicore rating of 1,986. These scores aren’t a lot better than final 12 months’s mannequin and are roughly the identical as what you’d get on the Galaxy A15 5G. Benchmarks don’t inform a lot of the story, and I’m joyful to say that the Moto G handles fundamental duties like net searching, messaging, and checking your mail. It could even deal with intensive duties like mild gaming. It could play video games like Name of Obligation Cell and Genshin Influence at low settings and with minimal points, nevertheless it’s removed from very best should you get pleasure from cellular gaming.

Digital camera high quality and flexibility are missing on the Moto G. You get a 50MP, f/1.8 major lens, a 2MP f/2.4 macro lens, and a 16MP, f/2.4 front-facing digicam. The first digicam will get decent-looking pictures, however they usually lack element, particularly when wanting on the picture on a bigger monitor. It solely will get worse when the lighting dims, with the ensuing photos more and more dropping element and changing into muddy.

The macro lens isn’t value utilizing or speaking about, so that you primarily get a single rear digicam on the again. The front-facing lens is ok for the occasional video name, however it’s going to undergo from issues much like these of the first rear-facing lens.

Do you have to purchase it?

For those who’re available in the market for a low-cost, no-frills Android telephone that does the fundamentals nicely, the Moto G (2025) is an effective possibility. It’s well-designed and has phenomenal battery life. The show could be off-putting for some, though it shouldn’t, because it’s sufficient for every day use. I additionally loved the inventory Android expertise of the Moto G.

The primary features holding the Moto G again are its lackluster efficiency, Motorola’s poor replace historical past, and mediocre digicam efficiency. No telephone is ideal, and that’s evident right here. Making a $200 telephone is troublesome and requires cautious consideration of each element. Motorola did a stable job offering total expertise whereas nailing the worth. You may spend a bit extra and get one thing extra highly effective, but when $200 is your restrict, you are able to do far worse than the Moto G (2025).