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Moto G Power 5G adds a flagship feature to a budget phone

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Motorola may be making a play for the flagship market with the Motorola Edge 40 Pro, but budget phones are what the American monolith is best known for. While it won’t be making as many waves as the latest Samsung phone or Apple iPhone launch, the newest iteration of the Moto G is always something worth paying attention to, as Motorola is a true veteran of the space and knows what makes an excellent cheap device.

Best of all, this new Moto G comes at a time when budget phone enthusiasts have never had it so good. Previously premium features are filtering down into lower-priced devices, without altering that sweet low price or the features everyone loves. That’s exactly what’s happening with the new Motorola Moto G Power 5G, which includes a 50-megapixel main camera lens, a larger amount of storage, and a big screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. With the big 5,000mAh battery the G Power range is known for, this could be the $300 phone to grab if you love a budget bargain.

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Super-smooth motion

Render of the Motorola Moto G Power 5G in a white color against a light purple background.
Motorola

While the headline feature of the Moto G Power phone has always been the beefy battery, it’s the display stealing the show this year. It’s a 6.5-inch FHD+ display, but that’s about all it shares with the display from last year’s Moto G Power. This year’s Moto G Power has seen a significant upgrade from a 720p resolution to a 1080p resolution, so your screen will have much more detail than before. However, the larger upgrade is in the refresh rate, which is jumping from a respectable 90Hz to the 120Hz more commonly seen on flagship smartphones like the Google Pixel 7 Pro or Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.

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If you’re unfamiliar with the role refresh rates play in smartphones, simply explained, it governs how often your display refreshes the image you’re seeing. On a 60Hz display, the standard for years, the display will refresh 60 times a second. On a 90Hz screen, it’ll refresh 90 times a second, and a 120Hz display will refresh — you guessed it — 120 times. While that rate is far too fast for you to consciously perceive, it makes a difference to how “smooth” a display feels, particularly when scrolling through an app or playing a fast-paced game.

The new Moto G Power getting this feature is a major win, but it’s not alone in including it — the Nokia G60 5G and Samsung Galaxy A54 both also sport a 120Hz refresh rate. This is especially astounding when you consider the iPhone 14, a flagship phone, still only has a 60Hz refresh rate.

Power for days

Product renders of the Motorola Moto G Power 5G.
Motorola

The new refresh rates are simply the newest toys in the box for the Moto G Power; what about the phone’s namesake? The Moto G Power range is known for its long-lasting battery, and while the 120Hz display is likely to add more power consumption, the 5,000mAh battery is probably up to the task. Past versions of the range have been capable of three-day battery life — almost unheard of these days — and even if the new processor and display take extra power, two days of battery life is still probable.

Recharging is limited to 15W, which isn’t the fastest available by any means — but if the phone is capable of a three-day battery life, that may be a sacrifice worth making. The Moto G Power will come with a charger in the box, too, unlike many flagship phones, though that charger will only be capable of 10W charging.

The Moto G Power will come with a charger in the box, too, unlike many flagship phones.

The rest of the specs aren’t flagship-level, but they are potentially good. There’s an octa-core MediaTek processor that will hopefully boost last year’s sluggish performance, but the other big upgrade is the jump from 64GB of base storage to 128GB, with a possible upgrade to 256GB. That’s a very welcome upgrade and doubles the number of movies, memes, and games you can save for a rainy day. The rear camera hasn’t seen an upgrade from last year and is comprised of a 50MP main lens and a pair of 2MP macro and depth lenses. The selfie camera has been upgraded to 16MP, a welcome addition for the selfie-lovers among us.

The Motorola Moto G Power 5G will cost $300 and will be available from Best Buy, Amazon, and Motorola from April 13. The phone will also be coming to Metro by T-Mobile, Spectrum Mobile, and Xfinity Mobile in the months to come, so if you’re looking to grab one from those carriers, keep an eye out.

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Mark Jansen
Mark Jansen
Contributor
Mark Jansen is an avid follower of everything that beeps, bloops, or makes pretty lights. He has a degree in Ancient &…
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