Motorola’s £89 Moto G04 is the new champion of ultra-cheap phones

Motorola has been probably the greatest operators within the funds telephone marketplace for years now, however its newest launch is bound to place that status to the check. Why? As a result of the Moto G04 solely prices £89!

Certainly not even an organization like Moto can prove one thing respectable when working with these unbelievable budgetary constrictions? I take the G04 for a check run to see if bargains actually do exist. 

Check out the G04’s competitors in our greatest funds telephones chart.

Design & Construct

• Easy, sensible design
• Facet mounted fingerprint sensor
• Not waterproof

It wouldn’t be completely unreasonable to anticipate a telephone at this worth to be held along with gaffer tape and rubber bands, so it’s all of the extra shocking to search out that the Moto G04 appears like a well-made, sturdy machine. The aesthetic is easy however sensible, with clear traces and no evident indicators that this can be a low-budget mannequin. 

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Sure, the rear panel is a skinny plastic, however that’s high quality because the frosted matt end provides it a satisfying look, plus as most telephones find yourself in circumstances anyway, so who actually cares what materials is used on the rear?

A raised digital camera module is the one interruption to the panel, housing the primary lens and a big flash, which I’ll cowl later within the evaluate.

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

On the flanks there are the requisite energy and quantity controls all of which have tender however particular clicks when pressed. No mush right here. The ability button additionally doubles as a fingerprint sensor, which turned out to be quick and dependable all through my time with the machine. You too can use facial recognition to unlock the G04, by way of the entrance going through digital camera discovered on the high of the 6.6-inch show. 

Skinny bezels across the panel permits for a display screen to physique ratio of 89.5%, which retains the scale down, with the display screen ratio at 20:9 for a tall however not overbalanced really feel. 

Alongside the highest edge, there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack, whereas the underside is residence to a USB-C charging port, microphone, and the solitary speaker. All of this provides as much as dimensions of 163.49 x 74.53 x 7.99mm, and a weight of 179g, which sits comfortably within the hand. 

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Clearly at this worth, there are a number of omissions, which take the type of no waterproofing (Moto says the telephone is water-proof, in that it could most likely survive water being spilled on it, however no immersions), no NFC (so no Google Pay capabilities), and it solely helps as much as 4G community connections (though there are twin nano-SIM slots).

To be sincere, these are all comprehensible limitations, commensurate with the value that’s on the field. The Moto G04 is obtainable in three colors – Harmony Black, Sea Inexperienced, and Satin Blue. 

Display screen & Audio system 

• 6.6-inch IPS LCD
• 90Hz refresh fee
• Single speaker with Dolby Atmos assist
• 3.5mm headphone jack

A 6.6-inch IPS LCD panel is the middle level of the Moto G04, and it’s a good one too. Working at a decision of 1612 x 720 (269 ppi), it’s not the complete 1080p expertise that you simply’ll discover on increased priced rivals, however it doesn’t must be.

The calls for of these shows want a higher-spec processor to deal with the entire rendering, so Moto has made the proper selection right here. Efficiency over prettiness. Let’s face it, it’s labored on the iPhone SE for years, with even the 2022 mannequin sporting a 750p panel, and that prices almost 5 instances as a lot because the Moto G04. 

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Particulars are sharp and the colors are okay, if somewhat washed out on the subject of reds, however not a lot as to go away you disillusioned. It nonetheless seems to be good and positively not like a cheap-as-chips telephone. Motorola says that the panel maxes out at 537 nits of peak brightness, it the traditional brightness mode I measured it at round 320 nits, which is ok for indoors use and fewer sunny days, however you would possibly discover it troublesome to learn the panel if summer time is in full glow. 

A 90Hz refresh fee is a shock at this worth and will imply that scrolling is easy and freed from any juddering. Nonetheless, the low RAM allocation might be accountable for the lower than buttery look at instances on image-heavy pages, such because the Google Information feed that lives to the left of the House Display screen. 

Sound is dealt with by a single speaker on the underside fringe of the Moto G04. It delivers fairly skinny audio, with frequencies getting a bit crowded at increased volumes. It’s definitely ok for YouTube movies, though music doesn’t sound balanced. Motorola says that the speaker helps Dolby Atmos, however I feel that’s considerably bold with solely the solitary output on a tool that could be a low-cost as this. 

In case you want to utilize audio system or headphones, then you possibly can both plug them into the three.5mm headphone jack or join wirelessly via the Bluetooth 5.0 capabilities of the handset. 

Specs & Efficiency

• Unisoc T606 processor
• 4/64GB
• microSD card assist as much as 1TB

You would possibly anticipate issues to disintegrate on the subject of the perfomance facet of issues, so it’s a pleasant shock that the Moto G04 equips itself nicely, as long as you’re life like. The machine is fitted with a UniSoc T606 octa-core processor, comprised of 2x A75 1.6GHz and 6x A55 1.6GHz cores, aided by an ARM Mali-G57 MP1 GPU.  

Once I first turned on the machine, apps took a short time to load up and change between, which had me a bit frightened. However, after these preliminary boot-up stutters, the efficiency improved to the purpose the place issues moved alongside easily. It’s not the quickest machine round, in fact, however the barely ponderous components are positively within the acceptable vary reasonably than annoying. 

It may take longer than regular to render images after you’ve taken them, which may very well be right down to the minimal RAM allocation on this mannequin. 4GB is restrictive nowadays, though Motorola does provide an 8GB model in some areas, so verify listings when you’re pondering of shopping for one.

Gaming was even potential, with Asphalt 9: Legends taking part in with none noticeable stutters or crashes. The machine did get marginally hotter throughout prolonged periods, however not in order that it was uncomfortable or worrying. I wouldn’t suggest PUBG or video games of that ilk, because the telephone struggled extra, however even doing nicely with Asphalt is above the place I believed the efficiency ranges could be on the Moto G04. 

There’s the flexibility to make use of a few of your onboard storage as digital RAM, as much as a most of 4GB, which does assist. You’ll must work out how a lot house you might have obtainable although, because the 64GB storage provides you round 58GB of usable disk capability. This may be elevated by as much as 1TB by way of a microSD card, however keep in mind none of this can be utilized for the RAM Enhance characteristic.

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Motorola Moto G04 benchmarks

Cameras

• 16Mp f/2.2 rear digital camera
• 5Mp f/2.2 entrance digital camera
• Common images and movies

Motorola doesn’t muck about with a great deal of 2Mp pointless cameras to make issues look extra spectacular than they’re, as an alternative there’s a easy 16Mp f/2.2 shooter on the again and a 5Mp f/2.2 on the entrance. True, the rear module does have the flash designed in order that it seems to be like a second lens, however that’s only a good aesthetic selection in my eyes. 

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Pictures captured on the primary digital camera are acceptable and at instances fairly good. They’re not going to idiot anybody into pondering you’re utilizing a Google Pixel 8 Professional, however there haven’t any proper to. In all honesty, for a telephone that prices as little as this, it’s superb that the pictures are any good in any respect. 

However, give the Moto G04 some respectable gentle and also you’ll have the ability to seize images and movies that might be greater than serviceable for social media posts. Low gentle proves a bit extra of an issue, however you probably have a gentle hand then you should still prove some usable photos. 

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

The entrance digital camera is the weaker of the optics, once more requiring a lot of gentle to have the ability to take photos you’ll wish to use. I can’t stress this sufficient although, when paying lower than £100 for a smartphone, you shouldn’t expect something respectable within the digital camera division. Motorola has accomplished very nicely certainly to ship one thing as usable for fundamental photographs because the G04. 

Right here’s a set of photos taken on the 2 cameras:

Battery Life & Charging

• 5000mAh battery
• Included 10W charger (helps as much as 15W)
• Spectacular battery life

One space the place the Moto G04 shines in battery life. Utilizing the telephone throughout most days, with some browsing, messaging, social media and the occasional sport or two, left loads of cost obtainable by bedtime. In case you’re not a heavy person, then that is simply a two-day telephone. 

In our normal PCMark battery benchmark check, the Moto G04 scored an enormous 14 hours and 53 minutes, which makes it probably the greatest we’ve examined this 12 months. 

Charging instances can’t fairly match the spectacular endurance, because the included 10W charger and USB-C cable don’t provide any type of quick charging, with the telephone going from 0% to 7% in quarter-hour, 19% in 30 minutes, and a full cost taking round two and a half hours.

Wi-fi charging isn’t supported both, however that’s extra thanfair sufficient for a telephone at this worth. 

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

One factor value noting is that Motorola does embody the charger and cable within the field, which is a pleasant contact contemplating how a lot the G04 prices, particularly when this isn’t the case for loads of far more costly units available on the market – even when it it 5W wanting what the telephone can deal with.

Software program & Apps

• Android 14
• Preliminary bloat (however it may be eliminated simply)
• 2 years of safety updates

One other nice shock is that Motorola bestows the newest Android 14 OS on the Moto G04. All of it runs fairly easily too, which is a bonus. As with all Motorola telephones in recent times, the OS is just about inventory, with just a few Moto apps and options baked in.

There’s a small assortment of third-party apps that must be put in as a part of arrange, however these can all be deleted immediately. You’re additionally prompted to put in extra, however this time you possibly can refuse, which ends the pestering and allows you to get on with utilizing the telephone. 

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Motorola hasn’t confirmed that the G04 will obtain any Android updates, so when you’re hoping for Android 16 or past then you might be disillusioned, however it would no less than get two years of safety updates, which means you should use it safely for some time.

Longer would clearly extend the lifespan of the G04, however once more, there’s a price to engaged on patches to software program, one which doesn’t appear to make the steadiness sheet work for Motorola. 

Worth & Availability

The Moto G04 is obtainable from the Motorola website for £89/€129 in addition to Amazon and Currys, however it doesn’t appear to be heading to the USA. At this worth, there aren’t too many rivals that may compete.

There’s the Nokia C32, which does have the same spec sheet, albeit with a bigger pixel depend on its 50Mp essential digital camera.

An alternative choice, with a reputation near that of the Nokia, is the Realme C35, which you’ll decide up for round £150 and comes with a Full HD show and a good essential digital camera. Motorola additionally has its personal alternate options, together with the Moto G13 that provides further cameras for round £129, however I feel the G04 is the higher machine total. 

Listed below are the most effective contracts offers obtainable in the intervening time:

You may try different alternate options in our greatest funds telephones chart.  

Do you have to purchase the Motorola Moto G04? 

The Moto G04 isn’t for everyone, and it doesn’t fake as such. The cameras are common, efficiency is just too, however each are far above what you’ll usually anticipate of a telephone costing as little as this one does.

In case you’re on the lookout for a flagship killer, this isn’t it, however if you need a telephone for younger youngsters or aged kinfolk, then this can be a actually sturdy candidate. Or probably one thing low-cost to tackle vacation or to a pageant the place dropping it received’t be the identical catastrophe as your standard handset.

It does the fundamentals nicely, prices hardly something, and appears sensible sufficient to make you suppose the value tag was a bit increased.