Motorola has launched the new Moto G Play 2024, the latest iteration of its popular and affordable Moto G Play series. The new smartphone is priced at only $149.99, making it even cheaper than the previous Moto G Play 2023. But does the lower price mean lower quality? Not necessarily. The new Moto G Play 2024 has some notable improvements and features that make it a worthy upgrade for budget-conscious consumers.
The first thing that catches the eye is the design. The new Moto G Play 2024 has a sleek and modern look, with a matte finish on the back panel and the frame. The edge of the phone is slightly curved, which enhances the grip and comfort. The phone is made of plastic, but it feels sturdy and light, weighing only 185g. The dimensions are 163.82 x 74.96 x 8.29mm, which makes it a bit bulky, but not too much.
The display is a 6.5-inch IPS LCD screen, with a resolution of 1600 x 720 pixels and a 90Hz refresh rate. The screen is bright and responsive, but it suffers from low contrast and poor color accuracy. The bezels are also quite thick, especially the bottom one, which gives the phone a dated look. However, considering the price point, the display is acceptable and functional.
The camera department is where the new Moto G Play 2024 shines. The phone has a single 50MP main camera on the back, which is a huge upgrade from the 16MP camera of the previous model. The camera can capture detailed and sharp photos in good lighting conditions, and it has features like HDR, panorama, and night mode. The camera can also record videos in 1080p at 30fps, with electronic image stabilization. The phone has ditched the macro and depth sensors, which were of little use, and instead focused on the main camera performance.
The front-facing camera is also improved, and it is now an 8MP sensor, instead of a 5MP one. The selfie camera can take decent selfies, and it has a portrait mode and a beauty mode. The camera is housed in a waterdrop notch on the top of the screen.
The performance of the new Moto G Play 2024 is also enhanced, thanks to the new chipset. The phone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 4G, a 6nm octa-core processor, with four Cortex-A76 cores clocked at 2.0GHz and four Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 1.8GHz. The chipset is paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, which can be expanded up to 512GB via a microSD card. The Snapdragon 680 4G is a significant improvement over the MediaTek Helio G37, which was used in the Moto G Play 2023. The new chipset offers better gaming and CPU performance, and it supports more RAM and storage. The phone can handle games like PUBG Mobile at medium settings, with a smooth frame rate. However, it is not suitable for more demanding games like Genshin Impact or Fortnite.
The battery life of the new Moto G Play 2024 is also impressive. The phone has a 5,000mAh battery, which can last for more than a day of moderate usage. The phone also supports 15W fast charging, which can charge the battery from 0% to 50% in about 40 minutes. However, there is a catch. The phone comes with a 10W charger in the box, which is not enough to utilize the full potential of the fast charging feature. This is a disappointing move by Motorola, and it feels like a cheap trick to cut costs.
The software of the new Moto G Play 2024 is another letdown. The phone runs on Android 13, which is not the latest version of the operating system. Android 14 was released in September 2023, and it brought many new features and improvements, such as privacy dashboard, chat bubbles, smart home controls, and more. However, the new Moto G Play 2024 does not have any of these features, and it is unclear when or if it will receive the Android 14 update. The phone also lacks 5G connectivity, which is becoming more and more common and important in 2024. The phone only supports 4G LTE, which can limit the speed and coverage of the internet.
The new Moto G Play 2024 also has some other features, such as a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB-C port, a dual SIM slot, a dedicated Google Assistant button, and a water-repellent coating. The phone also comes with some pre-installed apps from Motorola, such as Moto Actions, Moto Display, and Moto Gametime, which offer some useful gestures and customizations.
The new Moto G Play 2024 is a budget smartphone that offers some good value for money. The phone has a decent design, a great camera, a powerful chipset, a long-lasting battery, and a fast charging feature. However, the phone also has some drawbacks, such as an outdated software, a lack of 5G connectivity, a low-quality display, and a mismatched charger. The phone is suitable for those who want a basic and reliable smartphone, without spending too much. However, for those who want a more advanced and future-proof smartphone, the new Moto G Play 2024 might not be the best choice.
The new Moto G Play 2024 is available for purchase from Motorola’s website and other online retailers, starting from January 17, 2024. The phone comes in two colors: Misty Blue and Flash Gray.
For more information, check out the Moto G Play 2024 specs and our full review, coming soon.