Over the past 12 years, Motorola’s Moto G family of low-to-mid-range smartphones has earned a reputation for striking just the right balance between quality, features, and price. Moto G phones are known for their excellent battery life, offering a variety of options to suit different customers at different price points. Sometimes, they even punch above their weight, delivering premium features typically reserved for more advanced models. The Moto G 5G is one such phone, packing several high-end features into a near-irresistible sub-$200 package.
In the box, users will find the phone, a male-to-male USB-C charging cable, a SIM removal tool, and a quick-start guide. For the purposes of this review, I was also sent a Motorola-branded 30W TurboPower charger, which is apparently not included by default. Remarkably, the Moto G 5G can go from zero to a full charge in approximately one hour and 10 minutes using a TurboPower-capable charger. Wireless charging is not supported, though it comes standard on the phone’s bigger brother, the Moto G Power. The Moto G 5G has only three buttons on its right side: a fingerprint sensor that doubles as the phone’s power/reset/Google Assistant button and the volume rocker’s +/- buttons.
Naturally, the first thing anyone notices when looking at a new smartphone is the screen. While the Moto G 5G’s 6.7-inch IPS LCD panel is by no means inadequate, it falls somewhat short of matching the deeper blacks and punchier colours typical of AMOLED screens, which are becoming increasingly common in budget smartphones. In fact, the Moto G’s direct competitor, the Samsung Galaxy A16, offers not only an AMOLED panel and a lower MSRP but also a higher screen resolution (1080 x 2340 pixels versus the Moto G’s 720 x 1604, or 1080p versus 720p, respectively).
“…the Moto G’s panel boasts a superior max brightness of 1,000 nits and a higher refresh rate of 120Hz, giving it an edge when viewing media in dark environments and enhancing overall visual performance.”
On the literal bright side, however, the Moto G’s panel boasts a superior max brightness of 1,000 nits and a higher refresh rate of 120Hz, giving it an edge when viewing media in dark environments and enhancing overall visual performance (more on that later). Its viewing angles are decent for solo viewing but may not be ideal for sharing unless you are sitting right next to a friend or loved one. Initially, I was disappointed to learn that the Moto G’s IPS panel was sub-1080p, but after streaming several hours of high-definition YouTube and Netflix content, I have to confess I didn’t notice the difference in the end. It’s a crisp, vibrant screen, especially for such an inexpensive device.
The real topic of conversation surrounding the Moto G 5G, however, isn’t the screen on the front but rather its vegan leather (a.k.a. “pleather”) backing—a popular and fashionable carry-over from last year’s 2024 edition of Moto G devices. The tactile feel of the material when holding the naked phone adds a touch of luxury, and it personally reminds me of the genuine leather back cover that came packaged with my long-departed LG G4 smartphone nearly a decade ago (though, sadly, the Moto G 5G’s back plate isn’t swappable). The Moto G 5G is offered in two colour variants: Forest Gray and Sapphire Blue.
Speaking of LG, the Moto G 5G and its sibling, the Moto G Power, continue to support features that were common in LG phones until the South Korean manufacturer exited the smartphone market in 2021. These features include a 3.5 mm headphone jack and stereo speakers. Nowadays, most low-to-mid-range devices, including the aforementioned A16, no longer offer these features, even though last year’s Galaxy A15 included an audio jack and mono speaker. Additionally, the Moto G 5G is enhanced with Dolby Atmos, which offers users a rich bass boost and surround sound, whether they are listening via the device’s built-in speakers, Bluetooth, or a wired headset.
“Dedicating a solid couple of hours to streaming music and movies through Spotify and Netflix left me quite fascinated by how ‘bassy’ the phone’s onboard speakers were able to get.”
Dedicating a solid couple of hours to streaming music and movies through Spotify and Netflix left me quite fascinated by how “bassy” the phone’s onboard speakers were able to get. There is a light touch of the tinniness one has come to expect from mobile devices in general, but the speakers still manage to provide a smartphone stereo speaker experience that is better than any other I have recently encountered. The phone is generally loud too, in a good way. There is very little danger of missing a ring or notification when the phone is not muted, even if it is sitting neglected in one’s coat pocket across the room.
The Moto G 5G is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chipset alongside 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage, with the option to add up to an additional 1 TB of storage via its MicroSDXC slot. On paper, one would expect a smartphone with a chipset that powerful to be capable of breezing through basic tasks like navigation, web browsing, and running simple games with no issues.
However, I found that even after the initial setup and necessary updates, the Moto G 5G appeared to struggle and display odd behaviour at times. For example, the device exhibited stuttering when switching screen orientation from portrait to landscape or swiping from one app page to the next. However, after some quick research both online and off, I discovered a helpful fix for these issues.
A poorly advertised feature buried in the Moto G’s settings called “RAM Boost” can be used to dedicate a 4 GB portion of the phone’s 128 GB memory pool to boost performance, effectively increasing the phone’s dedicated RAM to 8 GB. In conjunction with the ability to lock the screen’s refresh rate to 120 Hz (as opposed to allowing the Moto G to dynamically enable or disable it by default), engaging RAM Boost eliminates these performance issues and results in a smoother and snappier user experience in exchange for some additional power consumption.
I would be more concerned about the above compromise if the Moto G had a weaker battery, but after more than a week with the device, I found that it takes over two days to fully drain the 5000 mAh battery, even with intensive daily tasks, YouTube streaming, and playing games.
Sacrificing a tiny fraction of that power to gain smoother performance overall seems worth it. Yes, it does feel like a bit of a feature cheat, and it does make me wonder how the Moto G will continue to perform in two years’ time, but in the here and now, the bottom line is that the Moto G holds its own against its budget competitors in terms of horsepower.
When first glancing at the back of the phone and its camera layout, one could be forgiven for thinking that there are four cameras on the device, but in fact, there are only three. The rear-facing cluster comprises a 50 MP Quad Pixel main lens, a 2 MP macro lens, an LED flash, and a light sensor. The front-facing, hole-punch-style selfie camera is located at the top centre of the touch panel.
The 50 MP lens employed for Photo Mode is decent. It takes very good, fairly colour-accurate pictures when there is daylight, natural or artificial, but as with most sub-$200 smartphone cameras set to auto, the results tend to vary wildly.
I spent about half my time with the Moto G taking photos in Pro Mode, which removes the training wheels and allows the user to manually adjust settings like focus, bokeh, and macro shots. Capture Assistant tools found via the settings, such as an “Assistant Grid” and “Leveler,” can be toggled on to enable easier alignment of shots. However, there is no “focus peaking” mode to highlight the focal depth of a shot, making it difficult to deliberately create distance blur.
Consequently, users who are after that bokeh magic will have to rely on the Moto G 5G’s screen and their eyes alone. Photo enthusiasts may steer clear of Pro Mode, but it is still a feature that is nice to have at one’s fingertips.
Beyond the standard Photo Mode and Pro Mode, there are a plethora of other modes, including Night Vision, Portrait, Panorama, Dual Capture, Photo Booth, Tilt-Shift, Slow-Motion, and Timelapse. I consider these to be the “fun” modes and do not rely on them much beyond entertainment, as the results can be somewhat inconsistent.
For instance, a Portrait Mode photo may blur out the arm of a subject that should have been in full focus. Nonetheless, I appreciate their inclusion, and for most users, I can see these modes being their primary means of capturing images. Quick tutorials that appear on first use make them easy to learn. Tilt-Shift is particularly neat for transforming areas into miniature dioramas. The macro camera is good for getting right up close to a subject, though it quickly made me realize just how dusty everything in my apartment has become!
One of the most appealing aspects of owning a Moto G phone is its “Moto Actions,” which are gesture-activated commands that serve as shortcuts to frequently used apps or functions. For example, holding the phone tightly while making a double-chop motion turns the torch on or off, while quickly twisting the phone like a doorknob opens the Camera app.
Several of these gestures have become second nature for Moto fans. While none of them are likely to be a decisive factor in purchasing the Moto G, they are a pleasant discovery for those new to the brand.
There are few complaints I can make against the Moto G 5G, especially considering its price point. However, one issue stands out: the Moto G 5G’s navigation buttons. While they can be rearranged, they are ridiculously small and cannot be resized, making them visually difficult to find on a busy screen.
Ironically, the interactive area around these buttons is larger than they appear, making it far too easy to press them by accident when typing or swiping just above. This results in frequent and unwanted exits from important actions to the home screen, making it an adjustment for new users. It is also unfortunate that the Moto G’s video capture is limited to 1080p at 30 fps. With the IPS panel being only 720p, it cannot display recorded footage at full resolution on the device’s screen.
To conclude, the Moto G 5G is a pleasant surprise of a smartphone challenger that I did not see coming, especially at an MSRP of $199.99 USD. By no means is it a perfect device. More RAM, wireless charging support on par with the Moto G Power, and a full HD resolution for the IPS panel would elevate it further.
However, at such a low cost, you cannot have everything. If you are looking for an inexpensive 2025 smartphone with excellent battery life, a fast, crisp, colourful screen, great speakers, and a variety of manual and auto camera features, the Moto G 5G (2025) might be just for you.
- Unlocked: Compatible with all major U.S. carriers, including Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and other major carriers.
- Super-bright 6.7″ display + Bass Boost: Take your entertainment to the next level with a fast-refreshing 120Hz display* and stereo sound with more powerful bass****.
