Verdict
The Moto G54 5G is a surprisingly succesful budget-focused telephone that provides higher efficiency than I anticipated. Its digicam may very well be higher and extra fully-featured, and the LCD show is disappointing these days, however for £179/$200, it’s one of many best-looking telephones in its worth bracket and provides near-stock Android 13 too.
Professionals
Surprisingly sturdy efficiency for the priceGood-lookingNear-stock method to Android 13
Cons
2MP macro lens instead of an ultrawideNot one of the best for gamingLCD display isn’t that vibrant
Excessive-res showCertain, it’s LCD, however at the least the decision here’s a sturdy 2400×1080 for the value, with a 120Hz refresh fee besides.
5G connectivityGet pleasure from lightning-fast obtain speeds in appropriate areas.
Close to-stock Android 13There’s no important bloatware in sight, and Motorola is providing three years of safety updates alongside the improve to Android 14.
Introduction
There comes a time in each telephone reviewer’s life when it’s arduous to get enthusiastic about, effectively, reviewing telephones.
Quite a lot of them are fairly homogenised, and whereas I’m not saying the Moto G54 5G has warmed this outdated cynic’s coronary heart, it’s the primary budget-focused 5G handset I’ve examined in a protracted, very long time that feels as if it may be a jack of just about any commerce with out sacrificing its soul for 5G.
The most effective half is that the Moto G54 5G is available in at simply £179/$200, and provides a bigger, sharper show than many barely dearer telephones, extra constant efficiency throughout just about all the things, and a greater digicam.
I’ll get into every of these factors on this overview, however it actually is a really stable purchase for a similar worth as 1 / 4 of an iPhone 15 – and the Android 13 expertise is pleasingly junk-free, too.
After all, there are downsides – the LCD panel right here is sharper however not brighter than numerous its rivals, and the digicam, higher than it’s, nonetheless feels damned with faint reward because of an absence of choices.
However I’d additionally argue it’s a great-looking telephone, one thing comparatively remarkable on this worth vary.
Design
That brings us properly to the design, and the Moto G54 5G simply appears smooth. It’s nonetheless fairly plasticky, notably on the edges, however the again has a matte texture that, whereas it doesn’t keep away from fingerprints, definitely feels good to the contact.
Sticking with the again, there are simply two digicam sensors stacked vertically right here, with the digicam bump itself so negligible that in the precise gentle, you’d swear the telephone’s again was totally flat.
The telephone’s curvature on the edges and rear make the 6.5-inch telephone simpler to carry, although at 8.9mm thick and 192g, it’s not precisely probably the most light-weight telephone round – even with that largely plastic construct.
On the left facet you’ll discover a SIM tray close to the highest, and on the precise, there’s a quantity rocker and an influence button that holds a hidden fingerprint reader. The highest is obvious, other than the Dolby Atmos emblem, and the opposite finish has a USB-C port, speaker grille, and headphone jack (keep in mind these?).
In case you’re questioning, this overview unit is the Midnight blue colourway, however there are Indigo blue and Glacier blue choices, too. If blue isn’t your color, there’s mint inexperienced, too, although not in all territories.
Display
In terms of the show, I’m greater than just a little upset to inform you it’s an LCD panel, so don’t anticipate vibrant colors and deeper blacks it’s possible you’ll discover from an OLED, however it’ll nonetheless do for many smartphone duties.
Nonetheless, after testing the TCL 40R 5G not way back and being delay by its 720p ‘HD+’ decision, I’m relieved that the Moto G54 5G manages to hit a 2400×1080 decision, with a notable crispness to textual content and pictures you don’t usually discover on actually funds telephones.
That will in all probability have been sufficient, however Motorola even managed to get a 120Hz refresh fee in there, too, which means scrolling is easy. After testing just a few 90Hz shows, the distinction has by no means been extra obvious. It does mirror rather a lot, although, with the below-average 560nits peak brightness making it trickier to make use of in direct daylight.
As with many units on this worth vary, bezels are uniform all through, other than a barely bigger chin alongside the underside, and there’s a hole-punch digicam within the centre of the highest of the show, too.
Cameras
There are two digicam choices on the Moto G54 5G, and whereas that’s down from the trio provided by a lot of its opponents, the primary one is definitely fairly good right here – though I’m nonetheless shocked that Motorola paired its 50MP main sensor with a 2MP macro slightly than any ultrawide choice.
You’re not going to get flagship-quality snaps, however you will discover that it does a greater job with color than a lot of its contemporaries. Many telephones on this worth vary can depart color, notably in delicate particulars, feeling washed out.
Take a look at the instance right here with Batman, although – if something, it’s just a little brighter than it was in actual life on the yellow, and perhaps just a little too gentle on the gray areas. Nonetheless, there’s loads of element.
Issues are rather more constant outside, too, catching shadows and darker areas and never doing what so many do and simply making the entire thing brighter. That applies to pictures at night time, too, with the Evening Imaginative and prescient setting doing job of softening harsh streetlights. It’s no Pixel 7a, however it’ll do for easy night time photographs.
Portrait mode, notably when used on something fast-moving (like a four-year-old or a really skittish cat), merely isn’t price utilizing on the again digicam, however the entrance digicam performs higher.
Right here, my greatest problem is simply the way in which during which it muddies pores and skin tones, notably indoors or anyplace missing in pure gentle. It does, nevertheless, do an honest job of making use of bokeh round hair and ears.
Producers preserve including Macro cameras, however other than some fast focusing, it’s a disappointment right here, as seen on this D20 which finally ends up simply trying a bit blurry and missing intimately.
Video-wise, you get 1080p video at 30- or 60fps, and both does a stable job of seize with the identical caveats of its nonetheless digicam setup.
Efficiency
The Moto G54 5G is a curious case of providing loads of processing energy however missing in GPU energy, sporting a MediaTek Dimensity 7020 together with a wholesome dose of both 8- or 12GB of RAM and 128- or 256GB of storage relying on the variant you go for.
Its Geekbench single and multi-core scores are much better than similarly-priced telephones, and multitasking is a delight with the 120Hz refresh fee. It retains issues shifting properly when switching between apps and scrolling by Instagram, with smooth animations and the like on Android 13.
Gaming is one other story, although, and whereas issues will be easy (notably the place the body fee feels improved by the show’s refresh fee), you’ll want to show some settings right down to get issues operating fairly effectively. Extra easy titles like Marvel Snap are nice, however once more, the reflective show could make darker UI components tougher to see.
The mono speaker on the telephone’s base is first rate sufficient, however it undoubtedly feels targeted on decrease to mids – voices sound decrease, and music is bassier, however for probably the most half, you’re higher off connecting earbuds as an alternative.
Software program
The Moto G54 5G comes operating the complete model of Android 13 out of the field, one thing you don’t all the time see on the funds finish of the market.
As I discussed earlier, the Moto G54 5G’s Android UI is fairly freed from litter – a pleasant change in comparison with the busy and bustling customized UIs you come throughout, notably on the funds finish of the market. It additionally comes with the useful Moto Actions that let you double-chop to activate the torch, double-twist to activate the digicam and extra.
There are just a few pre-installed lurkers on the homepage, however outdoors of an inoffensive sport of Solitaire and Bubble Rainbow, it’s mainly simply TikTok and Mistplay – and all that may be rapidly deleted in the event you like.
It’s straightforward to maneuver by the OS, too, because of the slick refresh fee, and Android 14 might be supported, too – together with three years of safety patches.
It’s not precisely the multi-year assist from extra premium Android telephones, however it’s welcome to see on such an affordable smartphone that, simply a few years in the past, would’ve seemingly not even gotten a single OS improve.
Battery life
Matching the TCL 40R 5G with a 5,000 mAh battery, the Moto G54 5G will get across the identical day and a half of regular use. Naturally, extra is all the time welcome, however in the event you’re shopping for the Moto G54 5G, you’re seemingly doing so to take it to work and residential once more, earlier than charging it at night time.
With that in thoughts, it’ll work properly and nonetheless have sufficient juice for some Marvel Snap on the practice residence, or remaining Google Docs changes on the way in which in.
In a shock twist, Motorola nonetheless consists of an AC adapter within the field, which means your £179 telephone comes with one thing a £1,249 telephone doesn’t. All kidding apart, there’s 20W quick charging, and the adapter within the field simply so occurs to be 20W – which means you will get an honest soar begin when your battery runs flat.
Simply don’t anticipate to make use of it to cost to full in a pinch – the Moto G54 5G requires greater than 2 hours to cost totally, so it’ll undoubtedly be one that you must depart in a single day.
Newest offers
Must you purchase it?
You need an affordable telephone that cuts minimal corners
The Moto G54 5G is nice for multitasking, and whereas it’s not likely minimize out for gaming, all the things else runs properly.
You need a fantastic show
An OLED show would’ve taken the Moto G54 5G to the following degree, however the LCD panel is just too dim and reflective.
Remaining Ideas
Should you’re in search of bang to your buck within the funds telephone enviornment, the Moto G54 5G has it in spades. You gained’t be getting one of the best display or digicam, and gaming efficiency is proscribed, however all the things else feels responsive and appears nice.
It’s additionally backed up by a smooth outer design and that all-important 5G connectivity, ticking most bins for a budget-focused purchaser.
How we check
We check each cell phone we overview totally. We use industry-standard checks to check options correctly and we use the telephone as our most important machine over the overview interval. We’ll all the time inform you what we discover and we by no means, ever, settle for cash to overview a product.
Discover out extra about how we check in our ethics coverage.
Used as a most important telephone for over per week
Thorough digicam testing in quite a lot of circumstances
Examined and benchmarked utilizing revered {industry} checks and real-world information
FAQs
Sure, you’ll get a 20W charging brick within the field.
There’s no official mud or water resistance, however Motorola claims that it’s “water-resistant”.
Trusted Critiques check information
Geekbench 6 single core
Geekbench 6 multi core
Max brightness
1 hour video playback (Netflix, HDR)
30 minute gaming (gentle)
Time from 0-100% cost
Time from 0-50% cost
30-min recharge (included charger)
15-min recharge (included charger)
GFXBench – Aztec Ruins
GFXBench – Automotive Chase
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