Motorola telephones usually play third (or fourth) fiddle to Samsung and Google, however the winds are altering. Motorola is now one of many fastest-growing cell corporations on the planet, and the corporate claims its Razr folding smartphones are the primary within the flip class in North America. The corporate has additionally been experimenting with colourful Android telephones and enjoyable textures, making its units stand out from the ocean of boring glass handsets.
If you happen to’re an purchaser, selecting the perfect Motorola cellphone could be powerful as a result of the corporate launches many fashions yearly. I’ve examined virtually all of them, and on this information, I break down the professionals and cons and steer you towards my favourite Moto fashions—from the Moto Razr to the Moto G Stylus 2025.
Take a look at our cell shopping for guides for extra, together with the Finest Android Telephones, Finest Samsung Telephones, Finest Low-cost Telephones, Finest Pixel Telephones, and Finest Telephones With a Headphone Jack.
Up to date April 2025: We have added the Moto G Stylus 2025 and Motorola’s new Razr units.
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What’s WIRED About Motorola Telephones
{Photograph}: Julian Chokkattu
Motorola telephones have a easy Android interface. This implies the corporate hasn’t performed a lot to gunk up the software program. It’s easy and straightforward to make use of. There’s more and more numerous bloatware, however you’ll be able to simply uninstall virtually all of it.
They arrive with plenty of storage. The corporate stuffs 256 GB as commonplace into most of its smartphones, even a few of the low cost fashions. Most Android flagship units nonetheless include simply 128 GB. Motorola can also be one of many solely cellphone manufacturers to nonetheless embody a microSD card slot to increase storage on lots of its units, and the Moto G telephones retain the headphone jack.
There’s broad service assist. Whereas some Android cellphone manufacturers have inconsistent service assist within the US, like Nothing, Motorola telephones usually work on most if not all networks (the corporate lists service assist particulars within the Specs part of all its telephones). All of them work on the large three—T-Cell, AT&T, and Verizon. Be sure to purchase them unlocked.
The costs dip very often. By no means purchase a Motorola cellphone at its MSRP. They virtually all the time go on sale just a few months (or weeks) after launch, generally at steep reductions.
What’s TIRED About Motorola Telephones
Motorola’s software program updates are lackluster. The corporate is slowly bettering right here—it guarantees to ship three Android OS updates and 4 years of bimonthly safety updates to its high-end smartphones however nonetheless lags behind its friends. A lot of the Moto G telephones solely obtain one OS Android replace—although that is altering in 2025 with new units getting two upgrades—together with three years of safety updates. Fewer updates imply you miss out on new Android options rapidly. Even when a cellphone is promised updates, they take a lengthy time to reach.
The cameras are lackluster. Among the many issues placing Motorola behind the likes of Samsung and Google are the cameras. Moto telephones can take tremendous images however they’re eclipsed by their friends. Motorola made some enhancements with its high-end telephones however it’s nonetheless behind.
There’s no always-on show. Most Android telephones have a setting you’ll be able to toggle on if you’d like an always-on show that can present a clock in your display screen even when the display screen is “off.” Motorola has Peek Show, which requires you to maneuver the cellphone or faucet the display screen to see something. It’s not a giant deal, however it’s a function you would possibly miss if you happen to’re coming from one other cellphone. The 2024 Razr units lastly broke the mildew with always-on shows, however it’s nonetheless not current in different units.
The Finest Motorola Telephone
If you are going to purchase a Motorola and cash is not a lot of a priority, it ought to be an announcement cellphone just like the Razr+ (2024). This third-gen folding flip smartphone (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is rather more refined, including options you have come to anticipate in a modern-day handset, like an IPX8 water resistance ranking that retains it secure from dips within the pool and a vivid 165-Hz OLED display screen that’s simple to learn in sunny situations. And sure, you’ll be able to flip open the cellphone to reply a name and flip it shut to finish it.
When closed, the enlarged 4-inch OLED cowl display screen can present you notifications, apps, and helpful widgets to examine the climate, calendar occasions, and information. It even enables you to play some enjoyable mini-games. You should utilize the superior main cameras—usually on the “again” of the cellphone however at the moment are on the entrance—to snap selfies and see previews on this exterior display screen. They’re a few of the sharpest selfies you’ll snap.
Open it up and there is a 6.9-inch display screen that features like an ordinary cellphone. There’s nonetheless a crease on the display screen the place the gadget folds, however I did not discover it annoying. It is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset, a barely lesser-performing processor versus the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 discovered on different high-end Android units in 2024. That mentioned, efficiency was easy, because of the 12 GB of RAM, even when enjoying video games. You get different standard-fare accouterments like NFC for tap-to-pay through Google Pockets, wi-fi charging, and 256 GB of inside storage.
This Razr+ solely makes use of Motorola’s new Photograph Enhancement Engine, which the corporate says makes use of synthetic intelligence to provide higher photos. Certainly, these images are a few of the greatest you will snap on any Motorola cellphone, however it’s nonetheless enjoying catch-up with a lot of the competitors. Pictures take a while to course of, too, so you will should get used to that. It is not an ideal digital camera system, however I used to be typically proud of many of the outcomes.
I want Motorola had saved the ultrawide digital camera. In its predecessor, utilizing the entrance display screen as a preview made it easy to take selfies with others. Now, with the default 50-MP foremost digital camera, becoming extra individuals into the body is a problem. The ultrawide has been changed by a 2X telephoto lens. Whereas I am often a fan of zooming in, the zoom stage is underwhelming, and the standard is mediocre.
There is a 4,000-mAh battery on the Razr+, and it will get you thru a full day with common use, however heavy customers almost definitely might want to prime up earlier than the day’s finish. That is nearly the one foremost gripe I’ve with this cellphone. It is tremendous enjoyable and satisfying to make use of, appears to be like nice within the new sizzling pink colour, and runs properly with a stable digital camera system. My professional tip? Look ahead to a sale.
That is the most affordable folding cellphone you should purchase within the US, particularly on sale. In comparison with the Razr+, the Razr (7/10, WIRED Recommends) has a barely smaller entrance display screen. You possibly can’t see as a lot info at a look, however it’s nonetheless large enough to view some apps, notifications, and entry widgets. Inside is an identical OLED 6.9-inch display screen with as much as a 120-Hz refresh price. It retains the ultrawide as an alternative of the telephoto, and the digital camera system is general stable—not horrible, not superb. The 4,200-mAh battery does last more than the Razr+, although the gadget falls quick in efficiency. Powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 with 8 GB of RAM, I simply encountered extra sluggish habits that generally made it annoying to make use of.
The Finest Trad Moto Telephone
This cellphone is regularly on sale for $330, and it is a no-brainer for anybody on a price range. You get a big 6.6-inch AMOLED display screen with a 144-Hz display screen refresh price and speedy efficiency because of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset. It is not a flagship chipset, however sufficient to ship snappy app launches and lag-free gameplay, and it is leagues higher than the efficiency you will discover on the opposite Motorola telephones featured under.
It has all of the fundamentals from NFC so you’ll be able to pay together with your cellphone through Google Pockets, plus an IP68 water resistance ranking, making certain it will not succumb to a drop within the pool. It helps wi-fi charging, comes with 256 GB of storage, and packs some fairly loud Dolby Atmos stereo audio system. I used it as my each day cellphone for 2 weeks, and it carried out remarkably properly. The 5,000-mAh battery comfortably lasts a full day with common use and infrequently can go properly into the second day earlier than a top-up. Use the Edge closely, and it is firmly within the charge-once-a-day territory.
I do have just a few gripes, although. The Edge makes use of a so-called waterfall show, the place the glass on the entrance curves into the sides for a extra immersive look. It definitely appears to be like fancy, however I’ve had a number of moments the place my fingers holding the cellphone’s edges disrupted an motion I used to be making an attempt to finish with my different hand. This has lengthy been a difficulty on telephones with curved screens. It is simple to get used to and alter your grip rapidly, however it’s annoying.
Second, the 50-MP foremost digital camera has a little bit of shutter lag, which could be irritating once you’re making an attempt to seize shifting topics (like my canine, who will not sit nonetheless). The pics you may get out of it are stable, completely acceptable photos through the day. The distinction is slightly too sturdy generally, and it does not deal with high-contrast scenes all that nice, however there’s good element. In low gentle, you will encounter just a few extra blurry images as a result of that shutter lag and shaky arms, but when the situations are proper, you may get some sharp, in-focus pictures. That is the place a cellphone just like the Google Pixel 9a handily beats the Edge 2024.
Sadly, Motorola guarantees solely two Android OS upgrades (as much as Android 16) and three years of safety updates to the Edge 2024. The Pixel 9a will get seven years of software program assist. That is considered one of Motorola’s greatest weaknesses, however this might not be as a lot of a difficulty at its frequent $330 sale value. If you happen to’re questioning a couple of successor, the Motorola Edge launched in June 2024, so you’ll be able to anticipate a follow-up this summer season.
Finest Moto G Telephone
The Moto G Stylus 2025 is the perfect Moto G cellphone proper now, which could be a given contemplating it is the priciest mannequin within the household. Nonetheless, for $400, it is among the best smartphone values in the marketplace. Because the title suggests, it comes with a built-in stylus—the one different cellphone with that feat is Samsung’s $1,300 Galaxy S25 Extremely.
It is a slim and fantastically blue cellphone. My mother mentioned it regarded good. Even a stranger stopped me to ask what cellphone I used to be utilizing! The “Surf the Internet” blue actually pops with the vegan leather-based again, although you may get it in a extra muted “Gibraltar Sea.” You will discover a headphone jack on the underside, a rarity in as we speak’s smartphone local weather, and pop open the SIM tray to discover a spot so as to add a microSD card, one other quickly disappearing function. Motorola additionally contains 256 GB of storage, a pleasant bump in comparison with pricier smartphones that solely provide 128 gigs.
You get a 120-Hz AMOLED 6.7-inch display screen that is lots vivid in sunny situations, and passable, stutter-free efficiency with the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset. It won’t really feel the speediest, however that is the smoothest performing Moto G; I’ve hardly ever seen uneven animations within the interface. Talking of, there’s a great deal of bloatware apps within the Android 15 working system, however they’re simple to uninstall.
The 5,000-mAh battery in tow has regularly lasted a full day for me with roughly 35 % left by bedtime, with common to excessive use. It is not fairly a two-day cellphone. You possibly can prime it again up pretty rapidly with Motorola’s 68-watt TurboPower charging system, however I’ve largely juiced it with my Qi wi-fi charger with no issues.