Motorola 2026 Moto G: $200 phone retains last year's hardware, improves camera

Motorola's 2026 Moto G is available for $200 and largely mirrors last year's model, according to a ZDNET review. The phone keeps a similar midrange design but grows slightly in size (167.15 x 76.40 x 8.44 mm) and weight (202 grams), and adds a soft vegan leather back and a striking Cattleya Orchid pink finish.

It retains a 3.5mm headphone jack and a 6.7-inch HD+ display (1,604 x 720) with a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 1,000 nits peak brightness, plus Dolby Atmos–tuned stereo speakers that ZDNET said help make it a "pocket-sized theater." ZDNET noted an improved two-camera setup with a 50MP main sensor and a 2MP ultrawide lens, saying colors are less oversaturated and low-light performance is better than the Moto G Play.

The phone uses the same MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chipset as last year, includes 128GB of storage (expandable to 1TB via microSD) and a RAM Boost feature, but still struggles with heavier workloads and graphically demanding games. Motorola advertises up to two days of battery life; ZDNET's continuous YouTube livestream test yielded about 24 hours.

ZDNET's buying advice says the 2026 Moto G is an easy recommendation for shoppers seeking a reliable low-to-midrange phone and is the better buy over the Moto G Play for storage, camera and performance.

Key Topics

Tech, Motorola, Moto G, Dolby Atmos, Moto G Play, Genshin Impact