These Motorola Phones Will Make You Rethink Paying $1,000 For a Samsung or iPhone
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Motorola has created a nice area for itself in the mid-range smartphone world. Sure the overlords of flagship phones are essentially Samsung and Apple iPhone, but not everybody is in a position to afford a premium $1,000 plus phone. And year after year, prices on those flagship phones just seem to creep higher and higher.
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Motorola is making buyers reconsider the purpose of forking out that much money for a phone. Motorola phones — with exception of the Razr (we’ll get to that later) — range from $700 all the way down to $120. But here’s the kicker, even their most affordable phones are impressive in several aspects, whether it be unparalleled battery life or strong camera setups.
Before you buy a brand new iPhone or Samsung, you should consider the best Motorola phones below. Who knows, you might find exactly what you’re looking for in a phone and save a ton of money in the process.
1. Motorola Edge
BEST OVERALL
Aesthetics alone, this is one of the coolest and most stylish Motorola phones available. The Edge isn’t just a clever name as the display looks like it is spilling over the edge of the phone. No ugly bezels, just a continuous, gorgeous 1080 x 2340 OLED display that also has a built-in fingerprint scanner inside. The battery life matches the aesthetics lasting a full day without any issues and the Snapdragon 765G chipset makes the phone rather zippy. This is a great Motorola phone, and a great phone overall compared to the premium competition.
Motorola Edge
2. Moto One Zoom
SOLID CAMERA
The four-camera setup is something you’d find on the likes of a flagship Samsung phone, yet it’s a snippet of the price on the Moto One Zoom. There’s a telephoto lens, wide-angle, depth and main sensors to capture great pictures. The compromise you make with a phone this inexpensive is the lack of processing power. Sure, the camera is great, but running multiple apps and gaming can bog the phone down some. If camera is king in your eyes, this is an excellent choice.
Moto One Zoom
3. Moto G Power (2021)
BIG BATTERY
When you think of “power” with the Moto G Power, the name doesn’t come from unparalleled processing or storage, but from battery life. The battery can go without a charge for up to three days. That’s serious battery power. The memory and storage go by the way of 4GB and 64GB, which isn’t Earth-shattering, but the Snapdragon 662 creates a smooth user experience.
Moto G Power (2021)
4. Moto G Stylus
WORK DIFFERENTLY
The included stylus allows you to interact with your phone in a different, yet more connected way. It is great for making quick edits and sketches and provides more precision. Beyond the stylus, the two-day battery life is equally as impressive as well as an upgrade to 5G connectivity.
Moto G Stylus
5. Motorola One 5G Ace
GREAT MID-TIER OPTION
The Motorola One 5G Ace is a solid handset that is ready for the 5G future. Thankfully you don’t have to pay premium phone prices for the Ace, which only runs about $350. If the price gets you excited, the two-day battery life is equally as enticing. The Snapdragon 750G is quick and does a decent job while gaming while the 6.7-inch Full HD+ screen displays bright picture quality.
Motorola One 5G Ace
6. Moto G Fast
AFFORDABLE
We aren’t quite sure why it’s called the G Fast since the Snapdragon 665 along with the 3GB of RAM don’t necessarily scream performance. That being said, the two-day battery life is nothing to balk at — that is impressive. The screen is only 720p and the camera isn’t as nice as other Moto phones, but the price is right at sub $200 and the lengthy battery life makes it worth a go.
Moto G Fast
7. Moto G Play
BEST VALUE
The Play originally didn’t hit the market in the U.S., but 2021 is different (for a lot of reasons) and the Moto G play is finally here with its 6.5-inch HD+ display and two-day worth of battery life. For a phone this affordable, it’s no surprise that it’s a little underpowered with the Snapdragon 460 and only 3GB of RAM, but for a comfortable and usable phone for under $200, it’s pretty hard to complain, right?
Moto G Play
8. Motorola One Hyper
LARGE DISPLAY
The Hyper One provides a display that stretches from end to end like flagship Samsung and iPhones. It provides excellent viewing for videos especially considering there isn’t any notch. The battery life is equally impressive. We only wished there was a telephoto lens included in the camera set. Although it seems like a weird omission, the 64MP sensor does balance out the blow.
Motorola One Hyper
9. Moto G9 Power 2021
BIG SCREEN AND BIG BATTERY
Like the G power, the G9 power isn’t necessarily a powerhouse in terms of performance, but it is in terms of battery power as well as a large 6.8-inch display with only the slightest bezels on top and bottom. That being said, this isn’t a dud in the processing department either. With 4GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 662 create a decent user experience. But the real kicker comes in the form of 512GB expandable microSD storage. That certainly makes this phone look more powerful.
Moto G9 Power 2021
10. Motorola Razr 5G
WORTH MENTIONING
If we’re being honest, the comeback of the Moto Razr went kind of like Ronda Rousey’s comeback after her loss to Holly Holmes — to put it nicely, it didn’t go well. But that didn’t stop Motorola from trying again, and even though it still doesn’t have the Amazon approval rating we like to see, it’s worth mentioning. They fixed some design flaws like broken screens at the fold and made this Motorola phone more powerful and cheaper than the previous version. It’s still not our favorite, but it is a cool idea and a phone that small is rather convenient and nostalgic.
Motorola Razr 5G
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