Motorola 2026 Moto G Power
ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Motorola’s 2026 Moto G Energy is obtainable for $300.
- It is a strong price range package deal with a protracted battery life and a Full HD+ show.
- Nevertheless, it is solely a modest improve over the 2025 mannequin.
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Over the previous a number of weeks, I have been testing the 2026 Moto G Power, the final of Motorola’s 2026 sequence — for now. Throughout CES 2026, the corporate unveiled the Razr Fold, its first foldable smartphone, so there may be extra to come back. However for the preliminary group, I would wish to assume that Motorola saved the most effective for final. It affords the most effective person expertise of its era, and I like to recommend it over the others.
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My greatest criticism of Motorola’s 2026 lineup is that it carefully mirrors the earlier era: many of those telephones really feel nearly equivalent to their 2025 counterparts. Nevertheless, although the 2026 Moto G Energy shares a number of DNA with the 2025 model, it introduces extra significant upgrades that enable it to face out by itself.
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Improved options
The most important upgrades to the 2026 Moto G Energy had been made to the battery and digicam system. It packs a 5,200mAh battery, which is barely bigger than the earlier era’s 5,000mAh cell. It does not appear to be an enormous change, however the additional dimension does enhance longevity. As a part of testing, I performed a 720p YouTube livestream nonstop, and the system lasted an excellent 20 hours earlier than tapping out. It’s attainable to double that run time by activating Most Battery Saver.
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What this does is prohibit many of the system’s options, aside from important capabilities and apps, akin to Telephone, Messages, Settings, and the Google Play Retailer. A Motorola rep instructed me that these 4 apps had been “designated as important”, so these stay energetic. It is a device meant to be used solely in emergencies. Activating it will probably prolong the battery life to over 40 hours, as was the case with my overview unit.
The selfie digicam has been upgraded to a 32MP lens, delivering sharper pictures with higher colour accuracy. Like the remainder of the 2026 sequence, the rear digicam on the Moto G Energy obtained the identical colour correction tweaks. Images taken by the cell system aren’t overly saturated. For instance my level, I’ve included an image I took of a bunch of plush penguins to exhibit the digicam’s high quality.
One other standout digicam function is Night time Imaginative and prescient. When the sunshine sensor detects a low-light setting, the telephone supplies the chance to activate the device, permitting the lenses to seize extra gentle for brighter, higher-quality nighttime pictures. You may have to hold your palms regular to get a transparent shot. Thankfully, Optical Picture Stabilization retains the digicam regular, minimizing blur from slight hand actions.
Motorola additionally instructed me that Night time Imaginative and prescient captures a number of frames, “choosing moments of minimal movement.” Beneath is a photograph I took of a distant home gentle utilizing Night time Imaginative and prescient, and I feel it turned out fairly nicely. You’ll be able to see all of the objects fairly clearly, regardless of the less-than-optimal circumstances.
Glossy and sturdy
Design-wise, the 2026 Moto G Energy is essentially unchanged from the 2025 mannequin, other than the brand new accessible colours. It is a 6.8-inch telephone weighing simply over 200 grams, and it is constructed to be robust. The display screen is made out of Corning Gorilla Glass 7i, which is very immune to scratches and may survive drops of as much as three ft onto asphalt. Motorola’s smartphone can also be rated IP69, that means it will probably deal with temporary submersion underwater.
Like the opposite fashions within the sequence, the again is roofed in vegan leather-based. I am unsure if Motorola made adjustments to the fabric or used a distinct one, as a result of the again of the Moto G Energy felt completely different, rougher, like precise leather-based. I truly choose this building. The opposite telephones had a softer again, nearly like material. This telephone had a nicer really feel.
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Returning to the show, it operates at Full HD+ decision (2388 x 1080 pixels), and it’s, far and away, the most effective display screen among the many 2026 trio. It constantly outputs high-res visuals with shiny and vibrant colours. On the opposite Moto G fashions, the display screen high quality was so low that it nearly ruins the digicam. Their shows do not do the pictures they take any justice. Fortunately, that isn’t a problem with the Moto G Energy.
Underneath the hood, the telephone is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chipset. I will be brutally trustworthy right here: I’ve nothing to say in regards to the 6300 that I have not already mentioned earlier than. It is a respectable piece of {hardware}.
Practically each Motorola smartphone from the 2025 and 2026 strains makes use of this chipset, and it is a strong midrange platform that is nice for informal web looking and lightweight images, however struggles underneath heavy workloads, like cell gaming. On this occasion, the Full HD+ show does a number of heavy lifting, elevating the 2026 Moto G Energy above the remaining.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
The Moto G Power is obtainable now for $300 on the corporate’s web site. You’ll be able to select from two colours: Night Blue and Pure Cashmere, which is a shiny, pearl-like white.
I’ve suggested readers in earlier critiques to contemplate the 2025 fashions if they need a cell system much like the 2026 model however at a cheaper price. On this occasion, nonetheless, I can confidently say that this Moto G Energy mannequin is best than its predecessor because of the enhancements made to the battery and digicam.
