At a look
Skilled’s Ranking
Execs
- Distinctive two-day battery
- Clear near-stock Android
- Large display screen
Cons
- Dated teardrop show
- Mediocre digital camera
- Notable app launch lag
Our Verdict
For just a bit greater than the usual G06, the Moto G06 Energy delivers a tremendous expertise, making it a sensible funds alternative – however these with greater than £200 to spend can get extra bang for his or her buck.
Worth When Reviewed
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Finest Pricing Immediately
Finest Costs Immediately: Motorola Moto G06 Energy
What’s the one factor higher than an Android cellphone with a giant display screen and a giant battery? The reply is: an excellent larger battery.
That’s the excellence between Motorola’s Moto G06 and the Moto G06 Energy – a near-identical twin with one key distinction. Spend just a few extra quid and also you’ll get a considerably bigger battery that pushes this funds machine into endurance territory normally reserved for rugged telephones or energy banks.
It’s not glamorous, nevertheless it’s sensible – and for the precise purchaser, it’s a surprisingly whole lot.
Design & Construct
- Snug really feel
- 3.5mm jack
- Protecting case
The G06 Energy doesn’t appear to be a contemporary smartphone however at this worth, look is negotiable.
The 6.88in HD+ (1640×720) show dominates the entrance, framed by a chunky chin and a dated teardrop notch that feels straight out of the early 2010s.
Nonetheless, it’s useful – and a minimum of Motorola has stored the three.5mm headphone jack on the prime, a small however welcome nod to practicality. The USB-C port sits on the underside edge, alongside a single downward-firing speaker.
Adam Smith / Foundry
At 220g, the G06 Energy isn’t the lightest, however the weight offers it a reassuring solidity. The plastic again, completed in a soft-touch vegan leather-based texture, resists fingerprints and provides grip. Motorola additionally features a easy clear case within the field, which is greater than you possibly can say for some far pricier telephones.
Motorola’s penchant for this design does imply that the machine seems to be lower than premium, even when in comparison with different low-cost smartphones such because the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G – though that’ll set you again twice as a lot because the G06 Energy.
The best-mounted fingerprint scanner doubles as the ability button. It really works tremendous, though left-handed customers could discover it awkward, and a rear or under-display sensor would have been extra handy.
The machine seems to be lower than premium, even when in comparison with different low-cost smartphones such because the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G
Display screen & Audio system
- 120Hz refresh fee
- Satisfactory colors
- First rate sound
Regardless of the G06 Energy’s huge display screen and, at 120Hz, a formidable refresh fee for a funds cellphone, the show is comparatively mundane.
Adam Smith / Foundry
Even scrolling by apps doesn’t appear to benefit from the excessive refresh fee, which stays a bit blurry till motion stops.
Audio efficiency is ok, however nothing to brag about. The built-in audio system work decently for informal listening, however each funds smartphone ought to be paired with headphones to get probably the most out of any content material.
Specs & Efficiency
- 4GB RAM
- 64GB of storage
- ‘RAM Increase’ mode
The Moto G06 Energy has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, which is sufficient to hold the machine working operationally. It’s a notably small quantity of baseline storage, however that shouldn’t concern because the cellphone comes with a slot for a 1TB microSD card to simply retailer extra motion pictures and music.
The precise working of the machine is one thing of a blended bag. On the one hand, apps akin to Gmail, YouTube, Netflix, and Google Maps all run adequately utilizing its Helio G81 processor – however solely as soon as the whole lot has loaded.
This isn’t a tool for somebody who can be utilizing it closely all day
Open social media and it takes the G06 Energy a bit time to convey up the keyboard and settle in, though as soon as it has carried out that, typing is comparatively easy.
This isn’t a tool for somebody who can be utilizing it closely all day, however reasonably for infrequent use. Finally, you get what you pay for in the case of processing energy.
Adam Smith / Foundry
Gaming is feasible however restricted. Light-weight titles akin to Sweet Crush or Block Blast run easily, however graphically-intensive video games akin to Pokémon Unite push the {hardware}. It’s removed from a super expertise.
Motorola telephones can use a part of the cellphone’s storage to spice up processing energy by Moto’s ‘RAM enhance’ mode, which creates ‘digital RAM’ out of your cellphone’s inner storage – shifting much less vital background processes into this digital house, liberating up precise RAM for the apps you’re actively utilizing.
In principle, this improves multitasking capabilities however, in apply, I didn’t discover a distinction and it could possibly drain the battery quicker and put wear-and-tear on the storage chip.
Moto G06 Energy benchmarks
Cameras
- 50Mp, f/1.8 rear digital camera
- 8Mp, f/2.1 selfie lens
- Video at as much as 1080p 30fps
The G06 Energy’s single 50Mp f/1.8 rear lens is a modest affair. In good mild, it captures natural-looking photographs with correct color steadiness – much less saturated than many rivals, which makes photographs look extra sensible, if much less social-media pleasant.
Taking just a few fast snaps of flowers in a late autumnal backyard, it struggles to convey the delicacy of the petals or the crisp define of a drop of water on a leaf.
Its zoom capabilities are additionally greatest left unmentioned. Whereas this cellphone can attain six occasions the magnification, an absence of devoted {hardware} leaves outcomes too blurry to be of a lot use. And though costlier Motorola telephones include a Macro Imaginative and prescient mode that robotically activates when shut as much as objects, that function is absent right here.
The color steadiness of the G06 Energy is far more pure than different smartphones
The G06 can also be lower than best for taking pictures in dim spots. Whereas black areas in photographs are definitely inky, there isn’t a lot variation inside the tones themselves. This cellphone digital camera is supposed for use in shiny, well-lit areas – and actually, solely when it needs to be.
The silver lining, nonetheless, is that the color steadiness of the G06 Energy is far more pure than different smartphones, which may err on the facet of excessive distinction so as to make photographs pop on social media.
Because it’s not making an attempt to compete utilizing over-saturation, the outcomes are photos that, whereas extra muted, are gentler and extra pleasing aesthetically.
The front-facing digital camera performs decently for video calls, however like the primary sensor, it advantages from shiny lighting.
Battery Life & Charging
- 7000mAh battery
- 18W wired charging
- No wi-fi charging
The G06 Energy stands out with an unlimited, 7000mAh battery that simply lasts all day and properly into the following – really surpassing a few of Motorola’s different telephones just like the G86 Energy, which solely has a 6720mAh battery.
Net shopping, messaging, watching movies, listening to music and extra did little to faze this low-cost, high-power machine.
The cellphone helps 18W wired charging speeds. Though this smartphone doesn’t include a charging brick, Motorola has supplied a USB-C to USB-C cable within the field, reasonably than the USB-C to USB-A that also comes with a few of its units.
Adam Smith / Foundry
Utilizing that, and a 9V charger, the G06 Energy reached 13% in quarter-hour and 32% in half an hour.
Software program & Apps
- Clear, near-stock Android
- Useful focus options
- Annoying preinstalled apps
The Moto G06 Energy ships with Android 15, and Motorola’s tackle Android stays one of many higher ones round. You’re getting a near-stock expertise with just a few genuinely helpful extras.
Motorola has bundled in some considerate touches borrowed from its higher-end telephones
There’s Moto Unplugged, for instance, which helps you to block off-screen distractions solely for a set interval – excellent should you really wish to focus. Sadly, it nonetheless can’t be scheduled robotically, so that you’ll want to recollect to show it on your self.
Motorola has bundled in some considerate touches borrowed from its higher-end telephones. “Chip view” notifications neatly group alerts into floating bubbles on the house display screen, making them simpler to handle with out the visible litter, though they don’t replace with every new notification so that you’ll have to test your cellphone after 4 totally different notifications to clear the web page.
Adam Smith / Foundry
The place issues begin to grate is with the preinstalled software program. The G06 Energy comes with a scatter of third-party apps proper out of the field – TikTok, Temu, Reserving.com, even Monopoly Go – which isn’t best. Although it possible helps hold the sticker worth low, clearing out the bloat is likely one of the first chores you’ll most likely wish to sort out.
Worth & Availability
You should buy the Motorola Moto G06 Energy from Motorola within the UK and Argos for £89.99, and from Currys for £89, in addition to all the standard retailers and carriers. It’s not formally out there within the US.
That is actually a really low worth for a cellphone with this type of battery capability however you possibly can see the way it stacks up towards our prime suggestions in our round-up of the very best funds telephones.
Do you have to purchase the Motorola Moto G06 Energy?
The Moto G06 Energy isn’t flashy, nevertheless it doesn’t must be. It’s a workhorse funds cellphone with stamina that outpaces most of its rivals, and for just a bit extra outlay than the common G06, the 7000mAh battery makes it the smarter purchase by far for these weighing up the 2 units.
The compromises are predictable – middling efficiency, primary cameras, and a dated design – however the trade-off is outstanding longevity, respectable software program, and a show that’s massive sufficient to get pleasure from streaming and shopping with out criticism.
In order for you a cellphone that may final a weekend away with out a charger, or one thing you may give a youngster or an older grownup with out fear, the Moto G06 Energy is a genuinely inexpensive possibility. Past that, nonetheless, it will likely be value setting your sights a bit increased.
Specs
Working System: Android 15
Show: 6.88in, 1640 × 720 HD+, 20.5:9 ratio, LCD, 8-bit colour, 120Hz refresh, 450 nits typical / 600 nits peak brightness, Gorilla Glass 3
Processor: MediaTek Helio G81 Excessive
RAM/Storage: 4GB / 64GB, microSD expandable as much as 1TB
Entrance Digicam: Single lens, helps video, timelapse, gradual movement
Rear Digicam: 50MP f/1.8
Biometrics: Facet fingerprint reader, Face Unlock, ThinkShield for Cellular, Moto Safe
Connectivity: 4G LTE, 3G WCDMA, 2G GSM, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4/5GHz, Bluetooth, GPS/GLONASS/Galileo/QZSS, NFC (market dependent), Twin SIM + microSD
Audio: 3.5mm headphone jack, single microphone
USB: USB Sort-C 2.0
Battery: 7000mAh, 18W charging
Sturdiness: IP64 water resistant, Gorilla Glass 3 entrance, vegan leather-based rear, plastic body
Dimensions: 171.35 × 77.50 × 8.82mm
Weight: 220g
Launch Colors: PANTONE Tapestry, PANTONE Laurel Oak