Motorola Moto G Play (2023) Review - PCMag

The Motorola Moto G Play ($169.99) is simply a low-cost smartphone that goes head-to-head with the precocious announced Samsung Galaxy A14 5G ($199.99) successful the entry-level segment. The biggest quality betwixt the 2 is that the Galaxy A14 includes 5G and the Moto G Play doesn't. There’s surely a spot successful the marketplace for a non-5G instrumentality similar the Moto G Play, particularly if you unrecorded determination that 5G isn't yet prevalent. Moreover, the dearth of full-featured smartphones beneath $200 means the Moto G Play is simply a worthwhile enactment for anyone connected a choky budget. That said, our existent apical prime successful this terms scope is the year-old Moto G Power ($199.99), which features akin specs to the Moto G Play but handily beats it successful artillery beingness and has a amended 50MP camera.

Visually Pleasing

The happening we similar astir astir the Moto G Play is the design—nothing astir it looks oregon feels cheap. If you placed it adjacent to a midrange smartphone, you astir apt wouldn't beryllium capable to archer which 1 costs a fewer 100 dollars little than the other. The integrative worldly feels sturdy and doesn't look to pull fingerprints oregon scratches. It lone comes successful Deep Indigo, an charismatic acheronian bluish color.

(Credit: Dave LeClair)

The 2023 Moto G Play is simply a comparatively ample phone, coming successful astatine 6.58 by 3.01 by 0.37 inches (HWD) and 7.16 ounces, though it’s successful enactment with erstwhile generations. It has a decent screen-to-body ratio of 86.45%. There are immoderate noticeable bezels astir the edges of the screen, which incorporate the selfie camera notch supra the display, but they're not excessively intrusive.

The surface is simply a bully size astatine 6.5 inches. The solution is alternatively debased astatine 1,600 by 720 pixels (HD+), but that's to beryllium expected astatine this price. What's astonishing is the 90Hz refresh rate. Sub-$200 phones often instrumentality with 60Hz, truthful the other velocity present is simply a invited change.

The backmost of the telephone features 3 vertically aligned cameras. A fingerprint scholar for unlocking the telephone is centered connected the precocious fractional of the rear panel. We tested the scanner rigorously and recovered it to beryllium close and fast.

(Credit: Dave LeClair)

Taking a rotation astir the remainder of the phone, you'll find a 3.5mm jack connected top. Headphone jacks are a rarity these days, truthful wired headphone users should beryllium pleased. The powerfulness fastener and measurement rocker are positioned connected the close borderline and you'll find a azygous talker and USB-C larboard connected the bottommost edge. Finally, there's a SIM/microSD paper slot connected the near edge.

The telephone holds an IP52 standing for mild extortion against particulate and absorption to airy h2o splashes. We don’t expect a instrumentality astatine this terms to person a afloat waterproof IP rating.

No 5G, But Good-Enough LTE

5G enactment is deed oregon miss successful phones that outgo nether $200. The Moto G Play lacks 5G, but it delivered coagulated LTE velocity and reliability successful our tests, which helps a lot. Perhaps the main contented facing the telephone is that 5G enactment often costs lone a small spot more. For example, the aforementioned Samsung Galaxy A14 costs conscionable $30 more. Everyone's fund is different, but if you tin plaything the other wealth and unrecorded determination with 5G coverage, it's worthy upgrading to a much future-proof handset.

(Credit: Dave LeClair)

We analyzed LTE show by driving retired to an country with anemic T-Mobile service, moving velocity tests, and comparing the results against the TCL 30 XE 5G with the 5G vigor turned off. The Moto G Play achieved download speeds of 2Mbps, portion the TCL 30 XE was person to 1.5Mbps. It's a flimsy difference, but it shows that you'll beryllium capable to usage the telephone adjacent successful a spotty sum zone. Results were a spot antithetic erstwhile we traveled to an country with beardown T-Mobile coverage, wherever the Moto mean 48Mbps down to the TCL 30 XE's 68Mbps.

The Moto G Play supports Wi-Fi 5 alternatively than Wi-Fi 6 oregon 6E, truthful speeds volition beryllium bully but not needfully spectacular. The telephone performed conscionable arsenic good arsenic the TCL 30 XE 5G (which is besides constricted to Wi-Fi 5). In the aforesaid country arsenic the router, the Moto averaged 201Mbps down, and the TCL averaged 203Mbps. We besides tested the phones adjacent the borderline of the router's scope and recovered that they posted astir identical results, with 4.0Mbps down for the Moto G Play and 4.2Mbps down for the TCL.

Call prime is excellent. Everyone we spoke to could perceive america intelligibly successful assorted conditions and the aforesaid was existent connected our end. The phone’s speakers are plentifulness loud. Volume peaks astatine 85dB for the earpiece and 92dB for the speakerphone. Both are perfectly audible successful astir environments.

The telephone supports Bluetooth 5.0 for connecting to accessories, alternatively than the latest spec, which is Bluetooth 5.3.

Unsurprisingly Slow Performance

As you mightiness expect from a telephone astatine this price, the show is thing special, and that's fine. The Moto G Play is simply a budget-friendly phone, and its velocity and show are wherever we expect them to beryllium for the price.

(Credit: Dave LeClair)

Starting with the PCMark Work benchmark, which is designed to amusement however the telephone handles real-world tasks similar manipulating spreadsheets, penning text, and editing images, the Moto G Play scored 5,243. That's 1 of the lowest scores we've seen, but this is besides 1 of the cheapest phones we've reviewed. The $228 OnePlus Nord N300 scored an acceptable 8,159, by mode of comparison.

On the GeekBench 5 test, which quantifies earthy computing power, the Moto G Play notched 161 connected the single-core trial and 581 connected the multi-core test. Surprisingly, the 2021 version of the Moto G Play scored 255 and 1,269, respectively, connected the aforesaid tests. That's due to the fact that the 2021 exemplary uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 processor and the 2023 mentation uses the MediaTek Helio G37 SoC.

Unsurprisingly, gaming show is limited. We ran the telephone done the GFXBench Aztec onscreen and offscreen 1440p tests wherever it averaged 5.1 and 1.5fps, respectively. If you're superior astir playing graphically precocious games similar Genshin Impact, you volition request to walk much wealth connected a midrange phone.

(Credit: Dave LeClair)

Numbers aside, you tin consciousness the phone's sluggishness erstwhile launching apps and utilizing it passim the day.

On the positive side, artillery beingness from the 5,000mAh compartment is solid. The Moto G Play lasted 11 hours and 15 minutes successful our artillery drain test, during which we tally a YouTube video continuously portion connected to Wi-Fi with the surface brightness acceptable to the max. This is simply a important driblet compared with the 2021 exemplary Moto G Play, which lasted 18 hours and 42 minutes (likely owed to the alteration successful processor). However, the 2023 exemplary inactive rates supra average; for example, the TCL 30 XE 5G lasted lone 6 hours and 15 minutes connected the aforesaid test.

For recharging the phone, you get 10W wired charging support, which isn't the fastest but is inactive decent for the price. The 10W charger is included successful the box. There’s nary wireless charging, which isn’t a surprise.

Audio show from the azygous talker is lackluster. When listening to The Knife’s "Silent Shout,” bass was plainly lacking though determination wasn't overmuch distortion adjacent astatine maximum volume. We tested the precocious registers with Gojira's "Stranded" and noticed akin results. It sounds OK, but it's not an perfect mode to perceive to music. You’re amended disconnected with headphones.

Sadly there's nary NFC, truthful if you're looking for mobile outgo enactment you'll request to propulsion down much currency for a pricier phone.

Uninspiring Cameras

The camera strategy connected the Moto G Play is thing to get excited about, but for a $170 phone, it’s not bad.

It features a 16MP superior camera, a 2MP macro shooter, and a 2MP extent sensor. Around the front, there's a basal 5MP selfie camera.

(Credit: Dave LeClair)

We tested the rear cameras successful assorted lighting conditions and recovered that pictures travel retired rather bully successful daylight but are lacking successful debased light. There's a representation mode available, which adds a bokeh effect to photos, but the inheritance blur isn't arsenic cleanable arsenic we'd similar it to be.

(Credit: Dave LeClair)

The macro lens does a bully occupation of capturing item erstwhile adjacent to subjects, though astatine 2MP the resulting images are decidedly low-res.

(Credit: Dave LeClair)

The Moto G plays captures 1080p video astatine 30fps, which is good adjacent if it's not the highest imaginable solution and framework rate.

(Credit: Dave LeClair)

The selfie camera isn't great. Even successful bully light, the resulting images look washed out. It'll enactment for showing disconnected an outfit oregon thing basic, but if you mean to make societal media contented and you privation it to look good, you're going to request to spell up to a much costly device.

(Credit: Dave LeClair)

Overall, the cameras are astir what we'd expect from a telephone astatine this price. They won't stroke you away, but they'll instrumentality passable photos successful bully lighting. If camera capabilities are important to you, see upgrading to a midrange device.

An Average Android Experience

Though Android 13 has been disposable since past August, Motorola is shipping the Moto G Play with Android 12. The institution says it'll connection 3 years of bimonthly information updates, which is good, but lone 1 OS upgrade (to Android 13). Samsung and Google connection amended upgrade promises to the bulk of their devices, but for a $170 phone, this is simply a perfectly acceptable update policy—some companies don't adjacent warrant a azygous Android mentation upgrade connected their entry-level phones.

The consciousness of the Android tegument is adjacent to stock, which we like. Motorola doesn't see excessively galore other apps, either, which is nice. There's the Moto app, which enables a batch of other functionality [SUCH AS?], and immoderate different lightweight apps, but thing is weighing down the Android 12 acquisition excessively much.

Affordability Is Key

If there's 1 important spot of praise we tin propulsion astatine the Motorola Moto G Play, it's that it's ridiculously affordable. It's not a fast, high-performing phone, but erstwhile you see however inexpensive it is, it's casual to place immoderate of its shortcomings. The main contented is that you tin get a 5G telephone for arsenic small arsenic $30 more. And if you don't attraction astir 5G, you tin get amended camera prime and longer artillery beingness from the Moto G Power for the aforesaid price, oregon amended show crossed the committee and 5G with the $228 OnePlus Nord N300.