Why I recommend this $200 Motorola phone over budget Google and Samsung models

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Motorola's 2026 Moto G is disposable for $200.
• It has a amended camera, and keeps standout features similar large Dolby Atmos speakers and a long-lasting battery.
• It besides keeps the aforesaid hardware arsenic before, truthful the telephone inactive struggles with heavier workloads.

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"If it ain't broke, don't hole it" -- that elemental operation seems to person been Motorola's mantra with the 2026 Moto G, a midrange smartphone that intimately mirrors past year's model. On 1 hand, that's a bully thing. I liked the 2025 Moto G a batch -- it's a large instrumentality with a long-lasting artillery and features that made it a "pocket-sized theater". 

Also: Thousands of readers bought these phones past year, but nary of america expected no. 1

The downside to adhering truthful intimately to the archetypal formula, however, is that it retains galore of the aforesaid issues. Let's instrumentality a look astatine the 2026 refresh of this eye-catching $200 Android smartphone. 

Sleek and bold

One of the astir noticeable changes successful the 2026 Moto G is its somewhat larger signifier factor, measuring 167.15 x 76.40 x 8.44 mm (6.58 x 3 x 0.33 inches) and weighing 202 grams. This other heft doesn't marque overmuch of a difference, arsenic it's inactive sleek and lightweight. It's besides comfy to hold, acknowledgment to its rounded corners and brushed vegan leather backing, which gives it a distinctive look.

Motorola made immoderate bold plan choices, too. The telephone boasts a striking Cattleya Orchid pinkish finish, a overmuch much eye-catching colour strategy compared to the Forest Gray of the 2025 model. I besides admit the inclusion of a headphone jack successful an epoch dominated by Bluetooth earbuds.

Return of the pouch theater

The Moto G houses a 6.7-inch HD+ show with a solution of 1,604 x 720 pixels. While the surface isn't 1080p, it inactive impresses with its agleam and close colors, beardown highest brightness of 1,000 nits, and a creaseless 120Hz refresh rate. This is simply a coagulated operation of features, enabling vibrant video playback and fluid scrolling.

Also: This $180 Motorola proves you're overspending for bully cameras and artillery life

Like the older model, the 2026 Moto G has a robust talker strategy fine-tuned by Dolby Atmos. Audio output is rich, detailed, and immersive. One of my favourite moments investigating the smartphone was erstwhile I kicked backmost and watched Space Jam connected YouTube for the archetypal clip successful years. The movie highlighted the speaker's quality to churn well-balanced audio, from the soundtrack to quality voices, with thing feeling overshadowed oregon undertuned.

Improved camera

Around the backmost of the phone, you volition find a two-camera strategy consisting of a 50MP main and a 2MP ultrawide lens. One of my biggest issues with erstwhile models was their inclination to oversaturate colors. That occupation has mostly been fixed.

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Similar to the 2026 Moto G Play (the different presently disposable 2026 model), colors look much balanced, resulting successful amended photos -- for me, anyway. Some radical similar the other saturation. Additionally, dissimilar the Play model, the Moto G holds up amended successful low-light situations. Below is an representation I took with my smartphone, which I judge efficaciously illustrates its quality. You tin spot the squirrel successful the shadiness reasonably clearly. This is thing that the G Play would've struggled to capture.

Cesar Cadenas/ZDNET

I urge uploading your photos to Google Drive oregon different unreality retention work and viewing them connected a machine monitor. The Moto G's HD show doesn't bash justness to the images taken by the camera. They tin look little elaborate than they really are.

Lightweight performance

The show of Motorola's 2026 Moto G is simply a acquainted story. The smartphone runs connected the aforesaid MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chipset arsenic past year's model, delivering the aforesaid large experience. Jumping betwixt aggregate apps, streaming movies connected Netflix, and browsing the net each felt seamless, helped on by the 120Hz refresh complaint and RAM Boost feature.

Cesar Cadenas/ZDNET

For those who whitethorn not know, RAM Boost converts unused retention into virtual memory. It's much utile present than connected the Moto G Play, acknowledgment to the bigger 128GB retention drive. I should besides notation that you tin grow the magnitude up to 1TB via a microSD card. However, galore of the aforesaid limitations remain. It inactive struggles nether heavier workloads. Graphically demanding games similar "Honkai: Star Rail" and "Genshin Impact" inactive trigger stuttering and little freezes connected the device.

Also: Why I urge this inexpensive Motorola implicit fund phones by Samsung and TCL

Battery beingness is different beardown point. Motorola advertises up to 2 days of continuous usage. To trial this, I ran a YouTube livestream astatine 720p nonstop astatine a debased surface brightness until the artillery gave out. And I managed to get a bully 24 hours retired of it. Not rather the claimed 2 days, but inactive precise good.

ZDNET's buying advice

Motorola's 2026 Moto G is presently disposable connected the Motorola tract for $200, making it an casual proposal for shoppers seeking a reliable low-to-midrange telephone -- particularly if you similar the bold pinkish finish. If the colour is excessively garish, it's besides disposable successful Slipstream blue.

Compared to the Moto G Play, this exemplary offers much storage, a amended camera system, and somewhat stronger performance, making it the amended bargain betwixt the 2 successful my opinion. Choosing betwixt it and the 2025 exemplary is trickier, since they're mostly the aforesaid telephone speech from a fewer refreshes. Opt for the newer telephone if camera upgrades are important to you, oregon see past year's Moto G for $150 if you're connected a budget.