How affordable can a smartphone be and nonetheless be serviceable? Motorola has proved with the Moto G50 that it truly is achievable to develop a good handset for beneath £200: it could not split speed records, attribute stunning style, or use the very newest factors, but it does have excellent battery lifestyle and 5G guidance.

Motorola has an comprehensive stable of Moto handsets, headed by the mid-range Moto G100 (£499.ninety nine inc. VAT), which will come complete with a desktop dock. Then there is the Moto G50 (£199.ninety nine, reviewed in this article), G30 (£159.ninety nine) and G10 (£129.ninety nine), not to point out the G9 Plus, Participate in and Electrical power, and the G 5G Plus and G Pro. 

motorola-moto-g50-in-hand.jpg

Moto G50: six.five-inch IPS display screen, Snapdragon 480 5G SoC with 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage (expandable by way of MicroSD card).


Image: Sandra Vogel / ZDNet

The Moto G50 is reasonably chunky and weighty, measuring seventy four.9mm wide by 164.9mm deep by 8.95mm thick, and weighing 192g. The bundled clear bumper adds a tiny to the proportions and weight, but protects the plastic chassis. Motorola states the shell is ‘water-repellent’, but doesn’t go into any more facts or give up an IP ranking. Finest not to fall it in the sink. 

The six.five-inch display screen is an IPS instead than AMOLED panel, which signifies it is a bit missing in vibrancy. Which is not a massive issue and it truly is nice to see a 90Hz refresh charge, but the display screen resolution is disappointing at 720 by 1,600 pixels (269ppi). If you read through a lot of text on your cellphone a degree of graininess will be evident, as will a sure volume of fuzziness all-around text as you scroll. By comparison, the six.seven-inch Moto G100 has a resolution of 2,560 by 1,080 pixels (409ppi). 

There are sizeable bezels on all sides of the display screen, significantly at the base, resulting in a moderate screen-to-body ratio of eighty two.six{36a394957233d72e39ae9c6059652940c987f134ee85c6741bc5f1e7246491e6}. The entrance digital camera sits in a ‘teardrop’ in centre of the display screen, wherever it truly is really inoffensive.  

All of these things blend into a display screen that’s flawlessly usable, but which is just not going to be the most effective option for any person who does a lot of examining on their cellphone. 

motorola-moto-g50-back.jpg

There are a few rear cameras on the Moto G50: 48MP wide-angle, 5MP macro, 2MP depth.


Image: Sandra Vogel / ZDNet  

Top rated ZDNET Evaluations

There are two color possibilities for the backplate: Steel Grey and Aqua Inexperienced. My grey evaluate unit confirmed off a reflective end to superior effect. Regrettably it was also very keen on grabbing fingermarks. The backplate homes the triple digital camera array in a vertical lozenge, plus a fingerprint sensor — a uncommon sight in this locale these times. The sensor is a truthful way up the backplate, wherever it sits easily for the prolonged-fingered but could possibly prove uncomfortable to access for consumers with lesser fingers. People who are fans of Google Assistant will like the shortcut button on the ideal aspect of the cellphone. 

motorola-moto-g50-side-buttons.jpg

Facet buttons: electrical power, volume up/down, Google Assistant.


Image: Sandra Vogel / ZDNet  

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 480 5G SoC plus 4GB of RAM tends to make for a distinctly reduced-close platform, so do not assume to run anything at all that demands a excellent offer of effectiveness. For daily functions, even so, Moto G50 is responsive sufficient. Storage could possibly prove to be a bigger issue: there is just 64GB constructed in and 17GB employed out of the box, leaving just 47GB for your very own use. Fortuitously, you can boost storage capability by way of a MicroSD card, while you’ll want to sacrifice the 2nd SIM slot to do so. 

Battery lifestyle is amazing: while the Moto G50 refused to run my standard PCMark for Android rundown test, the five,000mAh battery received me properly into a 2nd day of usage prior to needing a demand. The reduced-resolution IPS display screen could possibly not be the most effective to appear at, but it absolutely will help eke out the battery lifestyle. Rapidly charging is available, but — as common at the budget close of the current market — not wireless charging. 

The entrance digital camera is a 13MP f/2.2 unit that can take flawlessly satisfactory selfies. There are a few cameras on the back: 48MP f/1.seven wide angle, 5MP f/2.four macro and a 2MP f/2.four depth-sensing digital camera. Issue-and-click images are Ok for social sharing, but if you want a smartphone with a digital camera that’ll acquire shots you’ll be keen to preserve as reminiscences, appear in other places. 

The Moto G50 is an affordable 5G handset that’s properly truly worth looking at if flagship phones are off the scale, budget-clever. Do not assume a great deal in the way of display screen or digital camera good quality from the Moto G50, but you’ll get a capable and prolonged-long lasting 5G cellphone at a superior value.

Latest AND Associated Information

Motorola Moto G100 evaluate: A capable mid-variety 5G cellphone with desktop aspirations

Motorola Moto G9 Plus, fingers on: Huge display screen, huge battery, reduced value

Moto G Stylus 5G: Powerful budget productivity system at $399.ninety nine with an enterprise play

Motorola Moto G 5G Plus evaluate: A excellent budget smartphone, with added 5G guidance

Finest low cost cellphone in 2021

Browse far more critiques