What you need to know
- Motorola has announced two new phones: Moto G 5G and Moto G Power 5G.
- The Moto G will be priced at $199 and the Moto G Power will be priced at $299.
- Both devices are expected to launch later this month.
Motorola has announced two new devices that look set to force their way into the conversation for the best cheap Android phones of 2024. Both the Moto G 5G 2024 and Moto G Power 5G 2024 offer very impressive specs at very affordable prices. Both devices run Android 14 out of the box and have improved displays, cameras, and processors compared to their predecessors.
Of the two devices, the Moto G Power 2024 is the slightly more expensive model, priced at $299. To that end, you get a 6.7-inch FHD+ LCD display with an adaptive refresh rate of 120Hz. This screen is supported by a 5,000mAh battery that supports 30W wired charging and 15W wireless charging, which is pretty impressive for an Android smartphone under $300.
The phone is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 7020 processor with 2.2 GHz octa-core CPU. You can also expand the 8 GB of RAM to 16 GB using Motorola’s RAM Boost feature. This feature borrows the phone’s 128 GB of internal storage to provide additional virtual memory. If you need more storage for photos and everything else, it also supports microSD expansion up to 1TB.
G Power 5G 2024 has two rear cameras. One is a 50MP main camera with optical image stabilization, and the other is an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens with 118-degree angle and macro support. There is a 16MP selfie camera on the front. Video capture is available at 60 or 30 fps with the main rear camera and 30 fps with the wide-angle lens, but is limited to FHD.
The Moto G 5G 2024 is slightly smaller and features a 6.6-inch HD LCD display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It also uses a 5,000mAh battery and supports 18W charging, but there is no wireless charging feature. The price is also low at $199, a significant reduction compared to last year’s model, which cost $249.
The new Moto G uses a Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 chip with a 2GHz octa-core CPU, rather than the G Power’s Dimensity chip. The handset comes with 4GB of RAM, which can also be doubled to 8GB using RAM Boost. Like its bigger sibling, the phone comes with 128GB of internal storage and supports microSD cards of up to 1TB.
The camera is also slightly less powerful than the Moto G Power. The main camera is still 50MP, but the secondary rear camera is his 2MP macro unit without the ultra-wide angle. The selfie camera is 8MP.
Motorola claims that “improved light sensitivity means better photos at any time of day.”
Although both devices are described as “water repellent,” this is not quite the same as having an official IP rating for water resistance, so you should be careful when near water. Each comes with an audio jack for wired headphones and supports Dolby Atmos if you use your phone’s speakers. Also, unlike last year’s models, both offer NFC, which allows you to access Google Wallet for things like contactless payments.
The Moto G Power 5G 2024 will be available in the US on Cricket starting March 22nd, and later (unspecified) from other carriers. If you want the unlocked version, you can buy it from Amazon, Best Buy, or Motorola.com starting March 29th. Choose from midnight blue or pale lilac options.
The Moto G 5G 2024 will be available on Metro and T-Mobile starting March 21 (again, other carriers will start offering the phone later). The unlocked phone will be available starting May 2 at Motorola.com, Amazon, and Best Buy. You can buy a cell phone in any color you like, as long as it’s sage green.
