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Motorola will be making waves in 2024 with its high-end Razr and Edge devices, but Lenovo’s brand hasn’t forgotten about budget phones.
The Moto G line has long been a staple of our best budget phones, combining respectable specs and clean software with an impressively low price.
However, Motorola isn’t our best cheap phone pick at the moment. Of all the phones released this year, we consider the CMF sub-brand’s Phone 1 (£209/$199) and the Samsung Galaxy A15 5G (£199/$199.99) to be the best all-round experience you can get at this price to get.
But Motorola is fighting back. Judging by the price, the new Moto G35 (£149.99/€199) and G55 (£199.99/€249) look like decent options in the crowded budget market, albeit not in the US, where they aren’t sold.
Can they beat Samsung, Nothing and others to regain the top spot? I tried out both new budget bikes at the launch event in Belgrade and have plenty of ideas.
Grand designs
One of the first things that is usually sacrificed on budget phones is build quality, but not on the Moto G35 and G55. On both phones you can choose between a matte plastic or vegan leather finish.
I tried the latter and was pleasantly surprised by how premium it felt. Vegan leather not only looks great, it also adds a lot of grip to the back of the phone and cushions the impact of drops.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Nevertheless, the vegan leather models weigh only 182 grams (G55) and 192 grams (G35) respectively. Coming from significantly heavier flagships, these phones felt refreshingly light in my hands.
Then there are the colors. Motorola has become known for its vibrant phone finishes in recent years, and the new budget models are no different.
I tried out the ‘Vibrant Purple’ model of the G55, which is about as bright and striking as a phone’s finish gets. In addition to ‘Smoky Green’ and ‘Forest Grey’, it’s nice to see Motorola moving away from the traditional muted colors we see on modern phones.
The ‘Midnight Black’ version of the G35 I tried is about as safe as it gets, but there are also options for ‘Leaf Green’, ‘Guava Red’ and ‘Sage Green’.
Display for days
Another thing that impressed me in my short time with these phones was their displays.
Of course, you won’t get flagship-level screens at this price, but Motorola has been smart in finding compromises. The 6.49-inch G35 and 6.72-inch G55 both have FHD LCD panels and benefit from 120Hz refresh rates.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Neither phone will wow you with its display, but decent color accuracy and impressive detail make them a solid choice for everyday use and video watching. And even in challenging lighting conditions, I found visibility to be good on both handsets.
Decent performance
If you buy a budget phone, you probably don’t plan to use it for gaming or other demanding tasks. You just want a device that can handle everyday use without lasting ages or crashing.
And based on early impressions, that’s exactly what the new Moto G phones offer. The G35 uses the Unisoc T760, while the G55 moves up to the MediaTek Dimensity 7020. While not the fastest, I found both phones relatively smooth and responsive, although you may need more than the initial 4GB of RAM.
Still many unknowns
Of course, my few minutes with the devices can only tell you so much. And while the signs are encouraging, there is still so much we don’t know.
What do the cameras look like in real life? Is the battery life good? How ‘water-repellent’ are the phones without an official IP rating? And can these devices realistically be used for their full software support of two years of OS updates and three years of security patches?
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
For all this and more, you’ll have to wait for our full reviews. But based on specs and first impressions, the Moto G35 and G55 look like impressive phones for the price.
But topple Samsung and Nothing to become the kings of budget phones again? That will be very difficult.