ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Motorola’s 2026 Moto G is offered for $200.
- It has a greater digicam, and retains standout options like loud Dolby Atmos audio system and a long-lasting battery.
- It additionally retains the identical {hardware} as earlier than, so the telephone nonetheless struggles with heavier workloads.
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“If it ain’t broke, do not repair it” — that easy phrase appears to have been Motorola’s mantra with the 2026 Moto G, a midrange smartphone that carefully mirrors final yr’s mannequin. On one hand, that is an excellent factor. I appreciated the 2025 Moto G so much — it is an incredible system with a long-lasting battery and options that made it a “pocket-sized theater”.
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The draw back to adhering so carefully to the unique components, nonetheless, is that it retains most of the similar points. Let’s check out the 2026 refresh of this eye-catching $200 Android smartphone.
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Glossy and daring
One of the crucial noticeable adjustments within the 2026 Moto G is its barely bigger type issue, measuring 167.15 x 76.40 x 8.44 mm (6.58 x 3 x 0.33 inches) and weighing 202 grams. This further heft does not make a lot of a distinction, because it’s nonetheless smooth and light-weight. It is also snug to carry, because of its rounded corners and delicate vegan leather-based backing, which provides it a particular look.
Motorola made some daring design decisions, too. The telephone boasts a placing Cattleya Orchid pink end, a way more eye-catching colour scheme in comparison with the Forest Grey of the 2025 mannequin. I additionally respect the inclusion of a headphone jack in an period dominated by Bluetooth earbuds.
Return of the pocket theater
The Moto G homes a 6.7-inch HD+ show with a decision of 1,604 x 720 pixels. Whereas the display is not 1080p, it nonetheless impresses with its brilliant and correct colours, robust peak brightness of 1,000 nits, and a clean 120Hz refresh price. It is a stable mixture of options, enabling vibrant video playback and fluid scrolling.
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Just like the older mannequin, the 2026 Moto G has a sturdy speaker system fine-tuned by Dolby Atmos. Audio output is wealthy, detailed, and immersive. Certainly one of my favourite moments testing the smartphone was once I kicked again and watched Area Jam on YouTube for the primary time in years. The film highlighted the speaker’s capacity to churn well-balanced audio, from the soundtrack to character voices, with nothing feeling overshadowed or undertuned.
Improved digicam
Across the again of the telephone, you can see a two-camera system consisting of a 50MP most important and a 2MP ultrawide lens. Certainly one of my largest points with earlier fashions was their tendency to oversaturate colours. That downside has largely been fastened.
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Just like the 2026 Moto G Play (the opposite at the moment obtainable 2026 mannequin), colours seem extra balanced, leading to higher photographs — for me, anyway. Some individuals like the additional saturation. Moreover, not like the Play mannequin, the Moto G holds up higher in low-light conditions. Beneath is a picture I took with my smartphone, which I consider successfully illustrates its high quality. You may see the squirrel within the shade pretty clearly. That is one thing that the G Play would’ve struggled to seize.
I like to recommend importing your photographs to Google Drive or one other cloud storage service and viewing them on a pc monitor. The Moto G’s HD show does not do justice to the pictures taken by the digicam. They’ll look much less detailed than they really are.
Light-weight efficiency
The efficiency of Motorola’s 2026 Moto G is a well-recognized story. The smartphone runs on the identical MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chipset as final yr’s mannequin, delivering the identical nice expertise. Leaping between a number of apps, streaming films on Netflix, and shopping the web all felt seamless, helped alongside by the 120Hz refresh price and RAM Enhance function.
For individuals who might not know, RAM Enhance converts unused storage into digital reminiscence. It is extra helpful right here than on the Moto G Play, because of the larger 128GB storage drive. I also needs to point out that you could broaden the quantity as much as 1TB through a microSD card. Nevertheless, most of the similar limitations stay. It nonetheless struggles beneath heavier workloads. Graphically demanding video games like “Honkai: Star Rail” and “Genshin Affect” nonetheless set off stuttering and transient freezes on the system.
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Battery life is one other robust level. Motorola advertises as much as two days of steady utilization. To check this, I ran a YouTube livestream at 720p nonstop at a low display brightness till the battery gave out. And I managed to get an excellent 24 hours out of it. Not fairly the claimed two days, however nonetheless excellent.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
Motorola’s 2026 Moto G is at the moment obtainable on the Motorola web site for $200, making it a straightforward advice for consumers in search of a dependable low-to-midrange telephone — particularly if you happen to favor the daring pink end. If the colour is simply too garish, it is also obtainable in Slipstream blue.
In comparison with the Moto G Play, this mannequin provides extra storage, a greater digicam system, and barely stronger efficiency, making it the higher purchase between the 2 for my part. Selecting between it and the 2025 mannequin is trickier, since they’re largely the identical telephone except for just a few refreshes. Go for the newer telephone if digicam upgrades are vital to you, or contemplate final yr’s Moto G for $150 if you happen to’re on a finances.
