Best Motorola phone 2023: Which Moto is right for you?
With so many Motorola phones to choose from, it can be hard to tell them apart. We’ve got you covered with options suited to all budgets
Motorola might not attract the frenzied hype of Apple and Samsung devices, but its smartphones are usually great alternatives, especially if money is a bit tight.
Catering to lighter wallets doesn’t mean that Motorola phones are lacking in quality, either. The ever-popular G-series models often have features that were previously unheard of for the price, while the mid-range Edge series of handsets offer extra quality for a little extra money, too. There’s even a rugged Moto for accident-prone buyers.
With so much to choose from, we’ve saved you time and listed our favourite Motorola models below, considering all-important factors from cost to battery life. After a read of our rundown, you’ll know which Motorola phone is best suited to your needs and budget.
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The best Motorola smartphones to buy
1. Motorola Edge 30 Ultra: The best Motorola phone
Price when reviewed: £650 | Check price at John Lewis
After producing a slew of excellent budget phones – many of which appear below – Motorola delivered a killer surprise in the form of the Edge 30 Ultra. Performance manages to keep up with flagships that cost hundreds more, the OLED display is colour accurate and supports a buttery smooth 144Hz refresh rate, and the 25-hour battery life is among the best we’ve tested. Even when depleted, the bundled 125W fast charger can juice the battery back up to full in just 20 minutes.
There are a couple of issues, however: the cameras aren’t as outstanding as the rest of the package, and weatherproofing is limited to IP52, so it doesn’t offer as much protection as other flagships. Still, it’s hard to focus too much on these minor problems when the Edge 30 Ultra delivers so much flagship quality for such an affordable price.
Read our full Motorola Edge 30 Ultra review for more details
Key specs – Processor: Octa-core 3.19GHz Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1; Display: 6.67in, 2,400 x 1,080; Storage: 256GB; Camera: 200MP, 50MP (ultrawide), 12MP (3x zoom); Operating system: Android 12; Weight: 199g
2. Motorola Moto G62 5G: The best value G series Motorola
Price when reviewed: £197 | Check price at Amazon
Dethroning the previous best-value option in Motorola’s G series, the Moto G62 5G takes everything that worked about the Moto G50 and builds even further upon the formula. The lacking display and awkwardly placed fingerprint sensor that plagued the G50 are both addressed here, replaced with a higher resolution 2,400 x 1,080 120Hz display and an under-screen optical fingerprint reader.
The higher resolution screen does dip the battery life slightly, but a score of over 21 hours is still impressive, and will shepherd you nicely into a second day of moderate use if needed. Topping it all off is the 5G connectivity, improved cameras and performance that easily outclasses all other phones in this price bracket. If £200 is your strict buying budget, the Moto G62 gets you the most phone for your money.
Read our full Motorola Moto G62 5G review for more details
Key specs – Processor: Octa-core 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 Plus; Display: 6.5in 2,400 x 1,080; Storage: 64GB; Camera: 50MP, 8MP (ultrawide), 2MP (macro); Operating system: Android 12; Weight: 184g
3. Motorola Razr 2022: The best Motorola flip phone
Price when reviewed: £950 | Check price at Argos
The Razr 2022 isn’t Motorola’s first contribution towards the recent resurgence of flip phones, but it’s easily the brand’s best effort to date. The Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset is blisteringly fast, ranking among the best performers on the market. Gaming performance is also very impressive, making great use of the 144Hz refresh rate to keep gameplay feeling responsive and smooth.
Though the Razr 2022 doesn’t escape the hinge crease that plagues all folding phones, it definitely has one of the least visible, barely obstructing the bright, vibrant 6.7in display when it’s unfolded. Folded up, the Razr 2022 slips easily into a pocket, with a 2.7in external display that allows you to reply to messages, as well as watch Youtube or play certain games.
The dual-camera array next to the outer display is solid, with the 50MP main lens capturing crisp and vibrant images, and the 13MP ultrawide sensor retaining a decent amount of colour. Night photography is on the weaker side, and the promised software updates aren’t as good as certain rivals, but otherwise, the Motorola Razr 2022 is a terrific return to form for one of the biggest names in the flip phone game.
Read our full Motorola Razr 2022 review for more details
Key specs – Processor: Octa-core 3.19GHz Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1; Display: 6.7in, 2,400 x 1,080 (cover: 2.7in, 800 x 573); Storage: 256GB; Camera: 50MP, 13MP (ultrawide); Operating system: Android 12; Weight: 200g
4. Motorola Edge 30 Fusion: The best mid-range Motorola phone
Price when reviewed: £400 | Check price at Motorola
While the brand has several offerings in this price range, the Edge 30 Fusion just manages to assert itself as the best mid-range Motorola smartphone. A big part of that is the design, with the slender profile and glass-coated rear both looking and feeling more premium than the usual chunky plastic. The display carries on this level of quality, with a stylishly curved OLED panel that offers a 144Hz refresh rate and excellent colour accuracy.
Performance and cameras, though not outstanding, are competent enough for this price, and the battery lasted for a respectable 19 hours in our test. You don’t get the same 125W fast charging as the Edge 30 Ultra here, but the 68W charger that comes bundled with the phone is still decent, bringing the battery from empty to full in around 40 minutes. If your budget doesn’t quite reach the Edge 30 Ultra, the Fusion is a solid silver medal.
Read our full Motorola Edge 30 Fusion review for more details
Key specs – Processor: Octa-core 2.99GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 Plus; Display: 6.55in, 2,400 x 1,080; Storage: 128GB; Camera: 50MP, 13MP (ultrawide), 2MP (depth); Operating system: Android 12; Weight: 175g
5. Motorola Moto G31: The best budget G series Moto
Price when reviewed: £120 | Check price at Argos
Though it doesn’t exceed its predecessor, the Moto G30, as much as we would have hoped, the latter’s discontinuation has made the Moto G31 the defacto best budget entry in the G series. That’s not to say that the G31 is a consolation prize, there’s a lot to like here: the biggest and most notable of the improvements over the G30 is the display, which has leapt from a 720p IPS panel to a much more attractive 1080p AMOLED number.
On top of the gorgeous display, the battery life is also absolutely outstanding, lasting nearly 24 hours in our testing. In practical terms, this will easily see you through a day of moderate use, and well into a second if you forget to charge it overnight. The cameras, while not likely to induce gasps from serious photographers, are decent enough for general needs, though video recording did leave quite a bit to be desired for clarity and stability.
Read our full Motorola Moto G31 review for more details
Key specs – Processor: Octa-core 2GHz Mediatek Helio G85; Display: 6.4in 2,400 x 1,080; Storage: 64GB; Camera: 50MP, 8MP (ultrawide), 2MP (macro); Operating system: Android 11; Weight: 181g
6. Motorola Defy (2021): The most durable Moto
Price when reviewed: £200 | Check price at Argos
The Motorola Defy isn’t like other smartphones. As rugged and hard-wearing as it gets, the Moto Defy is built to withstand military standards of pressure from extreme temperatures and repeated drops (tested from heights of 1.8m onto a steel surface). Despite all this, it somehow retains a smartphone-style appearance, even if it is a bit on the thick side.
In terms of performance, our tests showed it to have similar speeds to the G30 – not the greatest, but not out of the ordinary either – while retaining a massive battery life of over 20 hours on a single charge.
If you’re after a high-performance phone, the G50 is a better bet for the price, but if you live an outdoorsy life or you’re just a bit clumsy, then the Motorola Defy is a great fit for your day-to-day needs.
Read our full Motorola Defy (2021) review for more details
Key specs – Processor: Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 662; Display: 6.5in, 1,600 x 720; Storage: 64GB; Cameras: 48MP, 2MP (macro), 2MP (depth); Operating system: Android 10; Weight: 232g
