Motorola may have some excellent flagship and midrange smartphones, but for a long time, it was the budget range that was the shining star of its range. Motorola’s budget offerings have been a little less impressive in recent years, but the Moto G and G Play phones have never stopped being great options.

We’ve seen the launch of the Moto Edge 70 and Moto G57 Power today, and now it’s the turn of the budget offerings to shine. Motorola has unveiled the Motorola Moto G 2026 and Moto G Play 2026, offering some solid specs and features for less than $200 each.

Solid budget specs with some nostalgic additional extras

The Moto G Play being used outdoors.
Credit: Motorola

The Moto G and Moto G Play are Motorola’s two cheapest offerings in the US, and while you might expect the two phones to share a lot of key specs, outside some basic elements, the two devices have more differences than you’d expect for similarly priced options.

First, the shared elements. Both the Moto G and G Play use the Dimensity 6300, a budget-tier processor, and include 4GB of RAM. The 6.7-inch 720p LCD displays on both are a little disappointing, but they do pack a 120Hz refresh rate, and are protected with Gorilla Glass 3. A 5,200mAh battery should last a while, thanks to the budget specs, and both have an IP rating of IP52 — which means they’re splashproof, and not much else.

The designs are pretty nice, for budget phones, and feature PANTONEcolorways, like Slipstream (metallic gray), Cattleya Orchid (purple), and Tapestry (blue). Both have a leather-like finish as well, adding to the faux-premium style.

Importantly, this marks the first time that 5G has been available across all of Motorola’s range, as the Moto G Play 2026 is the first Play model to include a 5G connection, joining the Moto G and the rest of the Motorola range.

The Moto G play being used on a sofa.
Credit: Motorola

The Moto G is the more feature-rich of the two here, so it gets higher numbers in all the best areas. That translates to 128GB of storage, a dual-lens rear camera setup made of a 50-megapixel main lens and a 2MP secondary, as well as a 32MP selfie lens around the front. Charging goes up to a respectable 30W, threatening some flagship phones.

The Moto G Play is a more modest affair, peaking at 64GB of storage, a single 32MP rear lens, and an 8MP selfie shooter around the front. Charging is limited to 18W.

There’s nothing there to challenge midrange or flagship phones, of course — but you will find some extra features here that you won’t find on the majority of more expensive smartphones.

Both the Moto G and G Play include headphone jacks and optional MicroSD card storage expansion slots. Both of these features have long been assigned to the dustbin of history where most phones are concerned, and it’s always nice to see they’re still alive in certain parts of the market.

Motorola’s budget phones are still strong competitors

The Moto G Play laid down on its face.

It’s always nice to see new Motorola phones, and the Moto G range has a lot of nostalgic appeal for many of us. Of these two new budget phones, the Moto G seems like the better buy, offering more storage and stronger camera specs for only a smidge more money — but with access to MicroSD storage expansion, it’s important to remember the G Play can punch up in this regard, making it a more tempting proposition.

The Motorola Moto G 2026 will be available for sale from December 11, and will start from $200.

The Moto G Play 2026 will be available much earlier, from November 13, and will start from just $170.


  • moto g play 2026

    Moto G Play (2026)

    Display type

    LCD

    RAM

    4GB

    Storage

    64GB

    Battery

    Up to 48 hours

    SIM support

    Dual SIM (1 physical Nano SIM + eSIM + 1 microSD)

    Operating System

    Android 16



    Wi-Fi connectivity

    Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac | 2.4 GHz y 5 GHz | Zona Wi-Fi

    Connectivity

    GPS, A-GPS, LTEPP, SUPL, GLONASS, Galileo

    Dimensions

    167.15×76.40×8.44 mm

    Weight

    202g


    $170 at Motorola


  • moto g 2026

    Moto G (2026)

    Display type

    LCD

    RAM

    4GB

    Storage

    128GB

    Battery

    Up to 48 hours

    SIM support

    Dual SIM (1 physical Nano SIM + eSIM + 1 microSD)

    Operating System

    Android 16



    Wi-Fi connectivity

    Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac | 2.4GHz & 5GHz | Wi-Fi hotspot

    Connectivity

    GPS, A-GPS, LTEPP, SUPL, GLONASS, Galileo

    Dimensions

    167.15×76.40×8.44 mm

    Weight

    202g


    $200 at Motorola