{"id":242750,"date":"2026-05-08T06:34:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T10:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/moto-g-2026-and-g-play-2026-review-a-bad-year-for-motorolas-budget-phones\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T01:45:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T05:45:13","slug":"moto-g-2026-and-g-play-2026-review-a-bad-year-for-motorolas-budget-phones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/moto-g-2026-and-g-play-2026-review-a-bad-year-for-motorolas-budget-phones\/","title":{"rendered":"Moto G (2026) and G Play (2026) review: A bad year for Motorola’s budget phones"},"content":{"rendered":"

Moto G (2026) and G Play (2026) review: A bad year for Motorola’s budget phones<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/motorola-moto-g-play-2026-review-3635255\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Publish Date: 2026-05-08 06:34:00<\/a><\/p>\n

Source Domain: www.androidauthority.com<\/a><\/p>\n

The Moto G (2026) is a little bit better than the Moto G Play (2026), but the bar is pretty low. While it adds a second rear camera, it doesn’t benefit from an updated chipset, and it still suffers from limited durability and a poor update commitment that will probably have you researching your next phone within a year or two.<\/p>\n

Back in the day, each of Motorola\u2019s cheap phones had its own identity. Each one had a slightly different design, chipset, and cameras, all of which made their price points feel justified. And even though I\u2019d review one after the next after the next, I always found something to praise for those Android users living with a pretty limited budget.<\/p>\n

Now, though, I feel like Motorola\u2019s strategy makes no sense. After spending time with both the $169 Moto G Play (2026) and the $199 Moto G (2026), I don\u2019t know why anyone would pick from the very bottom of Motorola\u2019s barrel. Although they\u2019re some of the cheapest phones that money can buy, there\u2019s no doubt in my mind that it\u2019s time to reach higher, and here\u2019s why.<\/p>\n

Pointing Spider-Man meme? Pointing Spider-Man meme.<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

Ryan Haines \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve spent a generation or two praising Motorola for making its budget-friendly phones look interesting. I gave it plenty of credit when it added colorful Pantone-based vegan leathers to Moto G devices from the top of the price range down to the bottom, and I stand by that. Its cheap Android phones still look better than the glossy plastic options that have come out of Samsung in recent years.<\/p>\n

However, there comes a point when a little bit of overlap is a bit too much, and I think we\u2019ve hit that. More specifically, here are the dimensions and weights for Motorola\u2019s two cheapest phones:<\/p>\n