Motorola is launching the 2024 version of its “Moto G” budget phone. Today we’ve got two versions, the “Moto G 5G 2024” and the “Moto G Power 5G 2024” to pick from. The base Moto G 2024 is $199.99, while the Power version is $299.99.
The specs on the base model Moto G are all over the place. We’ve got a low-resolution, high refresh rate 6.6-inch, 120 Hz, 1612×720 LCD and a Snapdragon 4 Gen 1. The phone has a whopping 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a 5000 mAh battery with 18 W wired charging. You get a lot of extras: a 3.5 mm headphone jack, NFC (!), a side fingerprint reader, and a microSD slot. The Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 is about as cheap of a chip as you can get from Qualcomm, a 6 nm chip with two Cortex A78 CPUs and six A55 CPUs. It seems criminal that these budget Qualcomm chips prioritize barely there 5G bands yet only support 802.11ac, AKA “Wi-Fi 5,” which first hit smartphones in 2013.
On the back of the base-model Moto G is one real camera, a 50MP rear sensor, and a just-for-looks 2MP “macro” sensor. The front camera is 8MP.
The 2024 Moto G and Moto G Power have similar names but share almost no parts at all. The Power version has a 6.7-inch, 120 Hz 2400×1080 LCD, a MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a 5000 mAh battery. The MediaTek chip is close to the Qualcomm one—a 6 nm chip with two Cortex A78 CPUs and six A55 CPUs. The “Power” name is justified only by faster 30 W charging and the surprise inclusion of 15 W wireless charging. It has all the same extras as the base model and the same 11-year-old Wi-Fi standard. Cameras are a 50MP sensor and 8MP macro in the rear, and a 16MP sensor in the front.
The designs of both phones look nearly identical, with flat front screens, asymmetrical bezels with a bigger bottom section, and flat sides. The backs have a “vegan leather” treatment, aka plastic treated to give off a sort of leather vibe, and while they aren’t submergible in water, Motorola says they are “splash resistant.” Both phones warn that you may not get a full-power charger in the box, depending on your carrier and region, so look out for that.
Both phones will be available at most pre-paid budget carriers, along with unlocked sales on Amazon, Motorola.com, and Best Buy. The Power model will first hit Cricket on March 22 with “subsequent availability” at other carriers, and unlocked sales start March 29. The base model starts sales on March 21, while unlocked sales will have to wait until May 2.
