IF SOMEONE ASKED what kind of pet you want Motorola’s phones are hamsters in this analogy. Still cute and definitely pets, but not necessarily the first or second one that comes to mind.
The company’s Android smartphones often play third fiddle to the likes of Samsung and Google. And if you’re an interested buyer, it can be hard to select the best Motorola phone because the company launches way too many models in a year. I’ve tested almost every Moto phone, and in this guide I break down the pros and cons and steer you toward my favorite models.
The Pros and Cons of Buying a Motorolafront and rear view of the Motorola Mot G Power 5G smartphones
Here’s what’s WIRED and TIRED about Motorola phones. This breakdown can help you decide whether to stick with Moto or buy something else.
What’s WIRED About Motorola Phones Motorola phones batteryhave a simple Android interface. This means the company hasn’t done much to gunk up the software. It’s simple and easy to use. There’s often some bloatware, but nowadays you can easily uninstall almost all of it.
These phones come with 256 gigabytes of storage. This isn’t true of every Motorola phone, but most now offer more than the 128-GB capacity you’ll find on their peers.
They have some of the best battery life. The company stuffs big batteries into these slim phones, and they’re frequently able to eke out two full days of use on a single charge, besting almost all of the competition.
There’s broad carrier support. While some Android phones have inconsistent carrier support in the US, Motorola phones often work on most if not all networks (the company lists carrier support details in the Specs section of all its phones). They all work on the big three—T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon. Make sure you buy them unlocked.
The prices dip quite often. Never buy a Motorola phone at its MSRP. They almost always go on sale a few months (or even weeks) after launch, sometimes at steep discounts.
What’s TIRED About Motorola PhonesMotorola’s software updates are lackluster. The company is slowly improving here—it promises to deliver three Android OS updates and four years of bimonthly security updates to its high-end smartphones—but it still lags behind its peers. Worse yet, the phones in the Moto G series only receive one OS Android update (with three years of security updates), so they miss out on new Android features fairly quickly.
Moto G phones lack NFC. Near-field communication sensors are what enable tap-to-pay on your phone, allowing you to use contactless payments at participating retailers. Phones as cheap as $200 have this feature, but Motorola is notorious for excluding it on (most) of its Moto G range.
The cameras are lackluster. Among the things Motorola behind the likes of Samsung putting and Google are the cameras. They can take fine photos, but they’re easily eclipsed by the competition.
There’s no always-on display. Most Android phones have a setting you can toggle on if you want an Always-on Display that will show a clock on your screen even when the screen is “off.” Motorola has Peek Display, which requires you to move the phone or tap the screen to see anything. It’s not a big deal, but that’s a feature you might miss if you’re coming from another phone.
Best Motorola PhoneThe best Motorola phone right now is the Motorola Edge+ (2023). It’s a tall, narrow device with a 6.7-inch OLED display that curves into the edges for a more immersive screen. I usually dislike these kinds of “waterfall displays” because my fingers tend to disrupt the screen, but I didn’t have many issues on this phone.
The Full HD+ screen is sharp and colorful, it gets bright enough to view on sunny days, and the refresh rate can ratchet all the way up to 165 Hz. It makes the screen look and feel more responsive, though I set it to 120 Hz , which is plenty for me and doesn’t suck up as much battery. The back of the phone has a glistening design that looks snazzy, and both the front and back are protected by the scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass Victus.
The Edge+ impresses with its raw specs. It’s powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor (along with 8 GB of RAM), which is what powers most high-end Android smartphones right now, and I rarely saw stutters, even with the most demanding apps and games.
There are dual stereo speakers at the top and bottom of this device to pump out loud tunes that sound pretty good, NFC for making contactless payments, dual SIM support, IP68 water resistance, and a whopping 512 GB of storage—well more than you’ ll find on any other smartphone at this price. There’s no microSD card slot to expand that storage, nor a headphone jack in case you want to plug in.
Most impressive is battery life. There’s a 5,100-mAh cell, and this Motorola Smartphone Battery easily lasted two full days of average use. Even heavy users should expect to get through a full day without requiring a top-up. When you do need to recharge , you can use the included 68-watt charging adapter or a wireless charger. Motorola is one of the few phone makers to still include a charger in the box.
Where it loses points is the camera system. A 50-megapixel primary camera is joined by a 50-MP ultrawide and a 60-MP selfie camera. In my photo comparisons, the Edge+ took some sharp shots, but it had a hard time keeping up with the $499 Google Pixel 7A. Motorola’s results are often oversaturated and overly brightened, and they tend to deliver slightly off skin tones. In low light, I frequently had to retake photos because the first result was blurry. If the camera is important to you, I’d avoid buying any Motorola phone. Consider the Pixel 7A or Samsung Galaxy S23 instead.
Motorola Phone battery Android OS upgrades promises four years of bimonthly security updates.