Moto G Power 5G 2024 review: Two steps forward, one step back

The Moto G Power lineup has really stepped up its game ever since Motorola decided to include 5G chips in the phones, and the latest model is no different. The Moto G Power 5G 2024 is among the first new phones for 2024 to showcase Motorola's new design language for this year while also bringing plenty of unexpected but welcome upgrades.

That said, it's not all roses, and there are still plenty of compromises that were likely made to keep the phone affordable. Still, you'll find a number of flagship-level changes that you wouldn't expect to see at $299, which makes the Moto G Power 5G 2024 a phone you might want to consider picking up… that is, as long as you don't care about playing mobile games.

Moto G Power 5G 2024: Price & availability

Motorola announced the Moto G Power 5G 2024 on March 12, 2024, with availability set for late March. The phone retails for $299 with one RAM and storage configuration (8/128GB). IT will come first to Cricket Wireless on March 22, followed by other carriers such as T-Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile, AT&T, UScellular, Verizon, Straight Talk, Total by Verizon, Walmart Family Mobile, and Visible.

The phone will also be available unlocked through Motorola.com and retailers such as Amazon and Best Buy.

You can purchase the phone in two colorways: Midnight Blue or Pale Lilac.

Moto G Power 5G 2024: What I like

As I mentioned before, Motorola has switched up its design language this year, which is evident when you look at both the new Moto G Power 5G and the lower-end Moto G 5G 2024. Instead of the plastic build we've seen on previous Moto G phones, the company went with a vegan leather back for this year's models. This is the same texture you'd normally find on some of the company's higher-end flagship models, like the Motorola Razr Plus.

The new texture gives the phone a bit of a warmer, more comfortable feel in my hand, especially compared to glass or plastic, which is good because the back is completely flat. And while the new feel is a nice departure from the plastic build of previous phone models, I quite liked the look and feel of the Moto G Power 5G 2023. I couldn't say which has a better design, but they both have very distinct looks. The only downside is that the material can get scuffed easily, making the phone appear kind of dirty.

The phone comes in two colors, and the one I got is called "Midnight Blue," even though this phone is as dark as Seattle in December.

Meanwhile, the frame is still plastic, and the display still has fairly large bezels and a noticeable chin, so the phone doesn't exactly scream "flagship" from the front."

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The display is still an LCD panel, which is not too surprising at this price, even if it's a little disappointing. Colors and contrast aren't as good as what you'll find on an OLED panel, but the FHD+ display is plenty sharp, and color reproduction isn't bad, even while I kept the phone in Natural display mode (I prefer this over the Saturated mode). The 120Hz refresh rate is nice, and the MediaTek chipset seems to be able to keep up. The only issue with the display is that it doesn't get exceptionally bright and can be hard to see outdoors.

Speaking of the chipset, the phone uses a MediaTek Dimensity 7020, which is essentially a rebranded Dimensity 930, the very chip used to power last year's Moto G Power 5G. It's a quite capable chip that's great at handling regular use, and rarely did I notice it stutter. The 8GB of RAM also seemed to help a lot, and RAM Boost provides up to 8GB of additional virtual RAM, although I never found this necessary to use. That said, I did have some issues with performance in one particular area, which I'll get to later.

The Moto G Power 5G 2024 runs Android 14 out of the box, which is nice to see, even as other Motorola phones wait to receive the update. Motorola's take on Android is very minimal, so it feels like you're using a Pixel until you get into some of the settings. Personalization, gestures, and even the update screen all have the Motorola touch. Lock screen notifications also got a bit of an update, with Motorola offering three different looks. I personally love the Bubbles style, which separates different apps into icons that you can tap to view their notifications. The Chip style is similar, but it will put all apps into the same list instead of separating them by icons. 

Keeping the lights on is a 5,000mAh battery, which lasts all day and then some. On average, I get roughly 8 hours of screen-on time per charge, which is pretty good considering I'm on my phone pretty much all the time. I would've liked to see Motorola put a larger battery into this phone so it could really live up to the "Power" name, but the consolation here is that the company has given its charging specs a huge boost.

The Moto G Power 5G 2024 supports 30W wired charging, which is double that of last year's model and even faster than the base Galaxy S24 (25W). That said, you'll need your own adapter to reach those speeds since one isn't available in the box (although some carriers may include a slower adapter). Additionally, the phone also supports wireless charging (15W), which is rare to see on a phone at this price point.

Another nice thing to see on this phone? NFC. When it comes to the Moto G lineup, Motorola usually reserves this basic feature for the Stylus phones, so to see it on the Power was a nice surprise as it finally lets you take advantage of contactless payments with Google Wallet.

Moto G Power 5G 2024: What could use some work

As noted before, performance is pretty decent if you're scrolling through menus, using apps, taking photos, etc. Essentially, you can get away with the basic stuff without noticing any slowdowns. That said, don't expect much from this phone if you like to play games.

The Moto G Power 5G 2024 struggles to run some of the best Android games like Honkai: Star Rail, which it can barely handle on medium settings (the default settings for this phone). Doing things like walking around will result in a noticeable amount of dropped frames, which is frustrating. Some less demanding games like Gyee and Hogwarts Mystery also struggle to run on this phone.

Performance could also be better when it comes to the camera. You can probably manage a decent photo in good lighting, but this phone demands a bit of patience, especially since it feels like there's very minimal processing going on behind the scenes. Photos are lacking in much detail, the color science between the primary and ultrawide cameras seems to be a bit off, and low-light images are particularly troubling for this phone. 

It's nice to see Motorola continuing to rid the unnecessary macro and depth sensors, and the ultrawide camera doubles as a macro sensor, meaning you can get a wider photo or very close to your subject. Still, the 8MP camera won't produce the most attractive images, but it's still fun to use if you wanna get a close-up of a flower or Google's "The Bot."

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Ingress protection (IP) is another area that's lacking on the Moto G Power 5G 2024, given that there is no actual IP rating for this phone. As is often the case with Motorola's lower-end phones, the device features a water-repellent design, meaning it can only withstand "moderate exposure to water such as accidental spills, splashes, or light rain." I live in Seattle, which is often wet, so no IP rating is a little problematic for me.

As for the software, it's nice that Motorola lets you opt out of much of its bloatware when setting up the phone, but the inclusion of Glance is a questionable one, throwing content like news headlines onto your lock screen. It just feels a little intrusive and superfluous when Google's Discover panel is accessible from your home screen. And even when Glance is turned off, a wrong swipe from your lock screen will open a full-screen prompt to enable Glance, which has annoyed me on more than one occasion.

Lastly, it's great that the phone runs Android 14 out of the box, but Motorola isn't known for having the most stellar track record with updates, particularly on low-end devices. The company hasn't told us how many updates to expect on the Moto G Power 5G 2024, but based on the trends of Motorola's lower-end phones, we can probably expect one major OS upgrade and three years of security patches. That's not terrible for a $300 phone, but it still pales in comparison to Samsung's promise of three OS upgrades and four years of updates.

Moto G Power 5G 2024: Competition

The market for budget phones in North America isn't exactly robust with big names and is mostly dominated by Motorola. That said, there are some other options for Android phones under $300 that are worth looking into. The Galaxy A25 is a great phone with a great design, a bright FHD+ AMOLED display, a 5,000mAh battery, and Samsung's multi-year update promise. It also has a pretty performant Exynos 1380 chipset, and it matches the higher-end S24 with 25W wired charging. That said, there's no wireless charging onboard, it has less RAM than the Moto G Power 5G 2024, and it still has an old-school notch on the display.

The OnePlus Nord N30 is also a good phone under $300, and despite its older Snapdragon chipset, overall performance is pretty decent. You won't find great gaming performance here, but the phone comes with a 108MP primary camera, a flagship design, and great battery life with 50W wired charging. Unfortunately, the camera is fairly limited with no ultrawide sensor, instead opting for depth and macro cameras.

Moto G Power 5G 2024: Should you buy it?

You should buy this if...

• You're looking for a cheap phone.
• You want wireless charging.
• You want long battery life and fast charging.
• You want expandable storage.

You shouldn't buy this if...

• You like to play mobile games.
• You want a great camera.
• You don't like large phones.

It's easy to get complacent with a yearly upgrade, especially if it's a lower-end phone. With the Moto G Power 5G 2024, Motorola went a little beyond expectations with its new design and upgraded specs. The vegan leather texture on the back is a nice touch, while the inclusion of 30W wired charging and 15W wireless charging see the affordable phone tiptoeing into flagship territory, punching way above its price tag.

Gaming performance may be lacking and the camera output could be better at times, but you really can't expect to have it all in a phone that costs just $299. Still, despite its shortcomings, Motorola made some surprising changes and additions (NFC, anyone?) that add even more value to an already wallet-friendly phone. I wouldn't have much problem recommending this to anyone not willing to spend an arm and a leg on a new phone.