Moto G Power 5G 2024 vs. Power 5G 2023: Who's got the power?

Motorola is the king of budget phones in North America and the company's 2024 models have upped the ante in quite a few ways. The Moto G Power 5G was a fairly impressive phone for the price in 2023, but in 2024, things have improved in ways I didn't expect.

So should you stick to last year's model, which has seen quite a steep discount, or should you spend a little extra for the Moto G Power 5G 2024 and all the upgrades that come with it? Hopefully, this comparison will help answer that question.

Moto G Power 5G 2024 vs. Power 5G 2023: Design and display

Motorola's 2023 Moto G Power 5G launched with a rather traditional design, featuring an attractive plastic build. It's not dull by any means, and the plastic feels somewhat premium, as if it's frosted glass like what you'd find on the Galaxy S24 series. The back is slightly curved, and the cameras are situated in a glossier housing.

Meanwhile, the 2024 model is a rather large departure from Motorola's previous budget phones. Like the Moto G 5G 2024, the phone has a vegan leather finish on the back rather than the traditional plastic or glass. It harkens back to the Moto X days of yore, and it's normally the kind of finish you'd find on a higher-end phone like the Razr Plus, so it's nice to see it trickle down to the cheaper models. It has a nice feel and is a bit warmer to the touch than the 2023 model. The back is also completely flat, and the frame is also flatter, allowing the phone to stand up on its own.

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On the front, the phones aren't too different. The display on the Moto G Power 5G 2024 is a bit larger at 6.7 inches, but otherwise, the specs are nearly identical. Both displays feature a FHD+ resolution with a 120Hz refresh rate. The bezels are also fairly large on the phones, particularly at the bottom.

While we don't have figures on display brightness, you shouldn't have trouble viewing them indoors. However, the displays aren't the brightest, and you may have some trouble viewing them outdoors. The color science of both displays is slightly different, as the 2023 model shows brighter highlights, while the 2024 model has a bit more contrast.

One thing Motorola excels at is ensuring its displays are ideal for PWM-sensitive users, and these phones are no different, meaning you shouldn't have any problems when viewing content.

Moto G Power 5G 2024 vs. Power 5G 2023: Hardware and specs

When it comes to internal specs, the two phones are very similar but also very different. While the Moto G Power 5G 2024 comes with plenty of upgraded and even new specs, both have similar performance. The newer phone sports the MediaTek Dimensity 7020, which is basically just a rebranded version of the Dimensity 930 that powers the 2023 model. The biggest difference here, however, is the memory, with the 2024 model featuring 8GB of RAM. That's the same as you'd find on some flagship Samsung phones and does great for app management.

Both phones perform well with most tasks, whether it's scrolling through social media, taking photos, consuming media, or juggling multiple apps. However, neither of these phones does particularly well when it comes to gaming, and you'll be stuck with medium settings on games like Honkai: Star Rail if you wanna have a decent gaming experience.

Where the Moto G Power 5G 2023 beats the Moto G Power 5G 2024 is storage capacity, with the phone sporting double the amount at 256GB. Battery capacity is also the same between the two phones, but the 2024 model comes out on top thanks to the faster 30W charging and the inclusion of wireless charging, a feature normally found on higher-end phones.

In addition, the Moto G Power 5G 2024 also has a feature that isn't often found on Motorola's budget phones: NFC. Unlike the 2023 mode, the Moto G Power 5G 2024 lets you make contactless payments and such with Google Wallet. That alone is a huge upgrade over its predecessor.

Moto G Power 5G 2024 vs. Power 5G 2023: Cameras

Motorola phones aren't known for having particularly competitive cameras, and at $299 and less, you can't really expect too much out of these cameras. You can, fortunately, get some decent images from both phones as long as you're somewhere with good lighting, but these aren't camera champs by any means. Both phones feature 50MP primary cameras that are largely the same, but the differences come from the other cameras.

The 2023 model comes with rather useless and under-specced depth and macro sensors that you'll likely ignore much of the time. Meanwhile, the Moto G Power 5G has a secondary ultrawide camera that also doubles as a macro sensor, so you can get the best of both worlds.

As noted, good lighting gets you good photos, but deviate from that at all, and photos will suffer. Don't expect a lot of detail, but do expect plenty of noise depending on your shooting conditions.

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Interestingly, I find that I can't really choose between the two when it comes to the point-and-shoot output of the main camera. Sometimes, the 2023 model will put out an image with a smidge more saturation and contrast than its successor, and other times I'll find the Moto G Power 5G 2024 puts out more contrast and saturation. Again, neither camera is particularly strong, but I wouldn't say that the newer model is any better than its predecessor.

That said, you still get the extra benefit of the ultrawide sensor, which gives you a different focal length. For that alone, the camera system on the Moto G Power 5G 2024 is already a win.

Meanwhile, both phones top out at FHD 60Hz when it comes to video capture, something Motorola isn't particularly strong with. On the plus side, you get the extra benefit of audio zoom, so you can focus the mics on the zoomed-in area in the viewfinder. You also get a Pro camera mode for users who want more control over their shots.

Moto G Power 5G 2024 vs. Power 5G 2023: Which should you buy?

Motorola's budget phones are becoming more compelling each year, and while there is still some room for improvement, you're still getting plenty of value with the Moto G Power series. That said, when it comes down to these two models, there's a clear winner here.

The Moto G Power 5G 2024 comes with many of the upgrades that I wish the 2023 model had when it launched, such as NFC, an ultrawide camera, 8GB of RAM, and wireless charging. The vegan leather also adds a premium touch to the phone that you will be hard-pressed to find on another device at this price point.

Sure, you get double the internal storage on the Moto G Power 5G 2023, but both phones support microSD cards, so that's inconsequential.

Unless you wanted to save some money and grab last year's model at a discounted price, the Moto G Power 5G 2024 is one of the best Android phones you can buy under $300, and you should consider grabbing one if you want to spend no more than that on a phone.