The early Moto G devices redefined the budget phone, but with the G200 Motorola wants to take on the flagships.
On paper, the Moto G200 is the most exciting G device yet especially for those who value specs above all else. This is a phone that should be able to compete in many areas with the best Android phones.
The chipset powering the phone, for instance, is the current Qualcomm flagship Snapdragon 888 Plus. A seriously capable piece of silicon that you wouldn’t expect in a phone sitting at this price. This should ensure the Moto G200 performs admirably whether you’re gaming or just running some of the more intensive Android apps.
Plenty of power
That powerful chipset is backed up by 8GB RAM and you can choose between 128 or 256GB storage. There doesn’t seem to be any expandable storage, so pick wisely.
The screen looks like it’ll stand out at this price too. It’s very big (which might be a pro or a con depending on your feelings about larger phones) at 6.8-inches but it does have a snappy 144Hz refresh rate, a sharp 1080p resolution and a tall 20:9 aspect ratio. Motorola also says there’s HDR 10 support, though we’ll have to test it out to see just how visible that is.
What the screen isn’t though is OLED – though for the price we can live with a TFT LCD.
Cameras and other features
On the back you’ll find three cameras. There’s a main 108MP sensor with an f/1.9 lens; an 8MP 120-degree ultra wide with a dedicated macro mode and a 2MP depth sensor. It’s good to see software macro tricks replacing dedicated sensors as the effect is often much better. While the specs sound fine, we’ll have to review this phone to see how good the optics actually are.
There are a couple of other neat tricks, too. This is one of the few phones to support Snapdragon Sound for improved wireless audio on supported buds and there’s 33w charging for the huge 5000mAh battery. It also supports the Ready For platform for bringing some phone goodness to a bigger display and Wi-Fi 6E (something that iPhone 13 lacks).
So, what’s it missing? Well, we haven’t used the phone yet so can’t speak for the build. Although the blue and green colour options do look nice. There’s no Qi charging or a proper IP rating, though neither of these is a dealbreaker at the price.
Arguably the biggest disappointment is that you’ll only get one Android software update, and as the phone ships on Android 11 that’ll be an upgrade to the current version – Android 12.
Price and Release Date
Speaking of price, in Europe the Moto G200 will retail from 449 euros – a very impressive price considering what’s on offer. We’ll update this with more pricing and release details once we get it.
Trusted Take
While we’ll need to review the Moto G200 to really know whether it’s good or not, on paper it certainly feels like a like challenger to the best mid-range phones around.
You might like…
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
