Motorola has been making cell phones since they were big bulky affairs that needed to be installed in cars or briefcases. So naturally, it was also one of the first companies to eagerly embrace the new era of mainstream smartphones in the late 2000s. Motorola’s 2009 release of the Droid was instrumental in turning Android into the dominant force it is today, and that’s grown into a wide range of devices covering every conceivable price range and need.
However, the company particularly makes its mark among the best budget Android phones, especially in the popular Moto G series. In fact, Motorola’s budget-friendly phones have elevated it to the third-biggest smartphone brand in the US. And with various wallet-friendly devices offering a range of features, there’s something for everyone here.
One quick note: you’ll see quite a few 2023 models on the list below. We’ve reviewed a few of Motorola’s 2024 phones, and so far recommend the Moto G Play, which you’ll find in the list below. But we don’t recommend the Moto G 5G or the Moto G Power 5G, neither of which lived up to our expectations when we reviewed them. Luckily, several of the 2023 models still represent good buys, especially now at lower prices, and we’ll be testing more of Motorola’s 2024 range as it releases.
Top cheap Motorola phones for any budget
Moto G Stylus 5G (2023)
An all-around solid smartphone
The Motorola Moto G Stylus (2023) is an excellent overall package with a 120Hz display, built-in stylus, and the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor. It also runs on Android 13 and supports C-Band 5G.
- 120Hz display
- Built-in stylus
- 5,000mAh battery for all-day backup
- No wireless charging
The latest model in Motorola’s Moto G Stylus series is an iterative upgrade over the 2022 model. But that’s not necessarily bad, as it keeps the features that worked for the previous generation while improving on the others. For example, the 2023 Moto G Stylus has an IPS LCD screen with a full-HD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate, the same as the last model. However, the company has slightly decreased the display size, leading to lower device weight for better overall phone handling.
The processor has also been upgraded to the newer Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chip, which is based on the 4nm manufacturing process. As our Moto G Stylus (2023) review noted, benchmarks show the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 brings a 20% boost in overall performance and a 40% increase in gaming performance. The new SoC also means you can now access faster C-Band 5G.
Among other features, Motorola has ditched the depth sensor, which was mostly useless, and has stuck with a 50MP primary shooter and an 8MP ultrawide camera. While the phone’s camera performance is nothing to shout about, it can take decent shots in good and low-lighting conditions.
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Lastly, as the name suggests, you get a stylus, which is quite capable, and you can use it to take notes, draw, and even input text if you want.
Motorola Edge (2023)
The Moto Edge (2023) is an affordable mid-range smartphone that packs in a solid processor for everyday use and a vibrant 144Hz OLED screen, along with impressive cameras (by Moto standards), and fast wired and wireless charging.
- Beautiful display
- Clean OS and UI
- Light and thin build
- No Gorilla Glass
- Slightly underpowered
- Moto software updates still a question
Although the $600 price tag of the Moto Edge (2023) pushes the limits for what we’d call a “cheap” Motorola phone, it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on as deeper discounts are frequent in Motorola’s smartphone family. Even at launch, Motorola was offering it for $100 off, so expect a sub-$500 price tag to make a comeback at some point.
Nevertheless, it’s solidly the premium pick among Motorola’s budget smartphone lineup, with specs to match. While it only comes in a single 256GB storage configuration, with 8GB of RAM and a nice Eclipse Black eco-leather finish, it packs enough power inside to satisfy any Moto fan looking for a budget flagship experience. This includes a MediaTek Dimensity 7030 — an upgrade from last year’s 1050 — plus a vibrant 6.6-inch P-OLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate that packs in HDR10+ certification and 1,200 nits of brightness.
While the display is top-notch for a smartphone in this price range, don’t expect to take full advantage of the 144Hz refresh rate, as the GPU on the Dimensity 7030 won’t be able to reach those heights. In our testing, the Moto Edge (2023) runs games like Genshin Impact and Call of Duty Mobile acceptably as long as you don’t push the frame rate and effect settings too high, but a gaming powerhouse, it’s not.
Moto Edge (2023) review: It’s complicated
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However, you’ll still get more than enough performance here for everyday tasks, plus a camera system that’s surprisingly good by Motorola’s standards, with a 50-megapixel primary lens that pulls in more light and offers balanced colors with the right level of saturation. It’s head-and-shoulders above any other budget Motorola smartphone. Motorola is also known for delivering great battery and charging performance, and the Moto Edge (2023) is no exception, featuring 68W charging that can top it back up to 80 percent in about 30 minutes. There’s also 15W wireless and 5W reverse wireless charging, too, which are a nice bonus for a phone in this price range.
Moto G 5G (2023)
Bang for your buck
The Moto G 5G (2023) offers good value and is a rare sub-$200 phone to include a 120Hz panel. It also packs a massive 5,000mAh battery and a dual camera setup.
- 120Hz display
- Large 5,000mAh battery
- HD screen
- Just 4GB of RAM
The Moto G 5G (2023) isn’t a significant upgrade over the 2022 Moto G 5G model. But it improves on an already good budget phone. One of the most welcome changes is the inclusion of a 120Hz refresh rate display. It’s great to see it in a sub-$200 phone. But the screen size is still 6.5 inches with an HD resolution. While we would have appreciated the presence of a full HD screen, it isn’t surprising, given the phone’s pricing.
In other features, you get the Snapdragon 480+ processor. While it’s not an improvement over last year’s Moto G 5G, it’s a comparable processor. Unfortunately, it’s accompanied by just 4GB of RAM, and there is no 6GB RAM version, at least in the US. So, while the phone has no trouble with regular, basic tasks, it can struggle with multitasking.
The rear camera setup has been tweaked to include just two lenses, one wide-angle primary camera and the other for macro shots. And the new 48MP primary camera takes good photos in daylight. The same applies to the 8MP selfie camera, which has a wide f/2.0 aperture to capture more light in poor ambient lighting.
The battery is still a massive 5,000mAh unit, which now supports 15W fast charging. All in all, if you have a very tight budget, the Moto G 5G (2023) is good value. But if you can spend more, consider the Moto G Stylus 5G or the Moto G Power.
Moto G Play (2024)
Decent phone, low cost
This is a shockingly good specification for an inexpensive phone. It might not have a flagship-level performance, but it’s a serviceable device. The Motorola Moto G Play (2024) is a decent uplift from the 2023 model, and amazingly, it is cheaper.
- Now has a Snapdragon processor
- Decent camera performance
- Better battery life than some budget phones
- Only 4G, lacks 5G
- Not a phone for intensive gaming
- Display could have been brighter
The 2023 version of the Motorola Moto G Play cost $170 and, according to our coverage, had 2021 specifications. The new Motorola Moto G Play (2024) boasts a substantial upgrade in its features. It now has 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM, doubling the storage capacity and adding 25% more memory. The most notable improvement, however, is the processing power, with the inclusion of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 4G, a significant upgrade from the previous MediaTek Helios G37.
The camera is upgraded from a 16MP F/1.22 primary sensor to a 50MP (f/1.8) sensor with PDAF, which uses tried-and-tested pixel binning technology to deliver more accurate colors and generally better results.
What the Moto G Play (2024) doesn’t provide is the sort of power that is ideal for gaming, but for everyday surfing and using the Google applications, it’s more than adequate. This design’s other limitation is that it is only 4G LTE with no 5G support included, and depending on where in the world you are, this might be a problem or no issue at all.
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Probably the biggest strength of the new Moto G Play (2024) is that, with a modest but power-efficient SoC and 5000mAh of battery capacity, it will last most users through a full working day and until lunch the following day.
Moto G Stylus (2023)
The cheapest stylus-equipped phone around
Motorola has cut quite a few corners to make the Moto G Stylus (2023) a budget smartphone, but this one is still hard to beat if you want a stylus-equipped phone without spending a lot. The 720p display and 4GB RAM are nothing to write home about, but at least you still get a decent camera system, a 90Hz screen refresh rate, and great battery life.
- Smooth 90Hz display
- Great battery life
- Headphone jack included
- No 5G support
- Middling 720p resolution
- Only 4GB RAM
If you’re on a tight budget but like the idea of having a stylus, then the non-5G version of the Moto G Stylus (2023) is worth a serious look. Although the 2022 version had slightly better specs, that one’s still stuck on Android 12. However, this year’s model ships with Android 13, and Motorola promises it will eventually get Android 14. Although the MediaTek Helio G85 processor and 4GB of RAM inside aren’t the most impressive specs, the phone still manages to offer decent performance for everyday tasks — as long as you’re not expecting it to be a gaming powerhouse.
On the back of the Moto G Stylus, you’ll find a 50 MP main shooter joined by a 2 MP macro lens. Around the front, you get a 6.5-inch HD+ IPS display with a 90Hz refresh rate. While the faster display is a nice bonus in this price range, it only offers a resolution of 1600 x 720. It also packs 64 GB of built-in storage, which is expandable with a Micro SD card, and you get a 5000mAh battery for all-day battery life and a fingerprint sensor built into the power button.
Moto G Power (2023)
Excellent affordable Motorola phone without a stylus
The Moto G Power 5G (2023) shares many features with the Moto G Stylus 5G but in a non-stylus package. It also uses the MediaTek Dimensity 930 processor and has three rear cameras.
- Impressive battery life
- Smooth 120Hz display
- Lackluster gaming experience
If you don’t care about the stylus or a wide-angle shooter, the Moto G Power 5G (2023) is a good alternative to our best overall pick: the Moto G Stylus 5G (2023). It also packs a full-HD+ screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, Android 13, 6GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a 5,000mAh battery.
While it lacks unique or exciting features, it’s reliable and affordable. Its MediaTek Dimensity 930 processor delivers a good experience in everything except graphics-intensive games. If you play a lot of them, it’s best to avoid and consider the G Stylus or something from our best budget phone recommendations.
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Moreover, the phone has a triple rear camera setup that is headlined by a 50MP primary shooter and a 16MP selfie camera. The main camera can take decent photos in good lighting conditions. But like any other budget phone, it struggles in low lighting.
Affordable Motorola phones for everyone
When looking for a budget phone, you need to find one that checks all the boxes. It needs to be fast, take good pictures, and last all day. Of course, a budget device won’t have all the bells and whistles of a premium phone, but these phones can and will get the job done.
Motorola’s budget Moto G series has a wide range of phones, giving plenty of options for smartphone shoppers. But if you want an all-around excellent smartphone, the Moto G Stylus 5G (2023) is a solid pick. As the name suggests, it has 5G and a built-in stylus, plus a 120Hz display, all of which are uncommon features in a sub-$500 smartphone.
However, if the stylus doesn’t impress you, and you’re willing to spend a bit more, the Moto Edge (2023) could be worth the premium for Motorola fans as it packs many helpful goodies over the cheaper Moto G-series phones. This includes a gorgeous and vibrant OLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate, a more powerful processor, and fast wired and wireless charging. It doesn’t come cheap, but you shouldn’t have a problem finding it available for considerably less than its normal asking price, especially during deal seasons.
At the other end of the spectrum, bargain hunters will appreciate the latest successor to the original Moto G: the Moto G 5G (2023). For under $200, you still get a 120Hz display, a 5,000mAh battery, and a capable processor. It even has a decent primary camera for its price.
Moto G Stylus 5G (2023)
An all-around solid smartphone
The Motorola Moto G Stylus (2023) is an excellent overall package with a 120Hz display, built-in stylus, and the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor. It also runs on Android 13 and supports C-Band 5G.
