Motorola has proven itself a master of mid-range phones in recent years, with the Moto G series gaining significant traction with smartphone buyers looking for a low-cost device with long battery life and solid photography The handset maker hopes the new year will bring more of that success
To kick off 2021, Motorola has announced three popular Moto G models (Moto G Power, Moto G Stylus, and Moto G Play) as new models for 2021, which were unveiled today (January 8)
The Moto G Power (2021) and Moto G Play (2021) focus on longer battery life and better cameras, while the Moto G Stylus (2021) adds some new features to its built-in stylus
While these three models remain LTE-only, Motorola has not forgotten about 5G Last year's Motorola One 5G was also refreshed, and the new version, the Motorola One 5G Ace, will debut at the lowest price ever for a Motorola 5G device
Here is a closer look at each new device Motorola will ship this month, including their price and availability
All of the phones Motorola announced today are available for pre-order and will go on sale next Thursday, January 14 All models are unlocked at Amazon, Best Buy, B&H, Walmart, and Motorolacom Wireless carriers will offer their own models in the coming months
The Moto G Stylus (2021) is the most expensive model in the Moto G series, priced at $299, and will appear on Boost Mobile, Cricket, Consumer Cellular, and Republic Wireless in the coming months
Two models have been announced: a $249 model with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, and a $199 model with 3GB of memory and 32GB of space
The amount of storage is pretty meager these days, but the long-lasting Moto G Power model is now available for under $200 Boost Mobile, Cricket, Consumer Cellular, Google Fi, Republic Wireless, US Cellular, Verizon, and Xfinity Mobile all offer the new Moto G Power
As for the Moto G Play, it is the cheapest model available here, priced at $169 The phone will soon be available on AT&T, Cricket, Boost Mobile, Consumer Cellular, Google Fi, Metro by T-Mobile, T-Mobile, Republic Wireless, Verizon, and Xfinity Mobile
5G Mobile
If 5G is your thing, the Motorola One 5G Ace is priced at $399, making it the first Motorola 5G phone available for under $400 In addition to the unlocked version, you can purchase the new Motorola One from AT&T, Consumer Cellular, Google Fi, Metro by T-Mobile, T-Mobile, Republic Wireless, Verizon, Xfinity Mobile
Motoola One is available for purchase from Google Fi, Metro by T-Mobile, T-Mobile, Republic Wireless, Verizon and Xfinity Mobile
The Moto G Power continues to be the most attractive model in Motorola's Moto G lineup The latest version is capable of 16 hours and 10 minutes of continuous web surfing on LTE, topping our list of best smartphone battery life
The phone relies on a 5,000mAh battery, and that massive power pack is back in the Moto G Power 2021 model As before, Motorola promises three days of battery life, and while we won't know for sure how this version compares to previous models until we get a chance to test it, we have every reason to believe that the Moto G Power (2021) will keep its crown of longest lasting phone [This year's model has a 66" LCD panel with HD+ resolution, up slightly from the 64" of last year's model
Memory and storage are unchanged from last year's 4GB and 64GB figures - at least in the $249 version - but Motorola has gone with a Snapdragon 662 system-on-chip instead of the Snapdragon 665 in last year's phone But the performance difference shouldn't be noticeable
Another major change to the Moto G Power is the camera Gone is the ultra-wide-angle lens of last year's model, but the main camera has been upgraded from a 16MP sensor to a 48MP sensor, and the quad-pixel setup should improve low-light performance A dedicated depth sensor and macro sensor make up the other two lenses of the Moto G Power's new rear camera array
The Moto G Power is not the only Motorola phone to support a high-capacity battery; the Moto G Play (2021) also comes with a 5,000mAh power pack that promises several days of battery support
Other Moto G Play specs are modest compared to the Moto G Power: there is only a single configuration with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage (As with the Moto G Power, capacity can be expanded with a microSD card)
A modest Snapdragon 460 chipset gets things going, perhaps explaining the sub-$200 price tag; it has a 65-inch display with HD+ resolution for gaming and video, but a teardrop notch on top of the screen (Other Moto G phones have a punch-hole cutout for the front camera)
This may be a budget phone, as the plastic body immediately suggests, but the Misty Blue color option is attractive, given my hands-on time with the device There is also a flash gray option
There are only two sensors on the back of the Moto G Play, a 13MP main shooter and a 2MP depth sensor; the Moto G Play's camera has other It supports the photo features found on Moto G phones However, the Moto G Play does not appear to have a night vision mode for low-light images
The Moto G Stylus debuted last year with a stylus that can be stored in the phone's frame Pop it out and you get a tool for editing photos, marking documents, and sketching drawings While not as sophisticated as Samsung's S Pen, it was a great productivity tool for a sub-$300 phone
The Moto G Stylus (2021) brings back the stylus and greatly increases the screen area you can work with, from the 64-inch screen of last year's model to 68 inches Motorola says the stylus also has new features, as the Moto Notes app allows users to customize colors, input, images, and text
Motorola has changed the processor to a Snapdragon 678 system-on-chip, a step up from last year's Snapdragon 665 Other specs such as memory (4GB), storage (128GB), and battery size (4,000mAh) remain unchanged from year to year [The main camera is still 48MP, and the Moto G Stylus has an ultra-wide-angle lens (8MP sensor with a 118-degree field of view) that is missing from this year's Moto G Power A macro lens and depth sensor finish off the rear camera
Some features are common to the Moto G lineup, such as the unobtrusive My UX interface and Moto Actions, which allows users to activate shortcuts with gestures By dragging a finger horizontally back and forth, the Moto G phone's screen can be split to run two apps at once
All three Moto G phones have a power button that doubles as a fingerprint sensor Tapping the button twice can also launch apps and shortcuts from a quick menu that pops up on the screen
Users of the Moto G series may be less impressed by the fact that these phones ship with Android 10 and Android 11 will be the only major update Motorola has promised two years of software patches
As for the 5G devices Motorola announced today, the Motorola One 5G Ace seems to improve on last year's Motorola One 5G by offering a more affordable phone This may be why the new model is powered by the Snapdragon 750 chipset as opposed to the Snapdragon 765 chipset of the older model According to Motorola, the 5G Ace's chipset supports Snapdragon Elite Gaming, which promises desktop-quality gaming for mobile devices
Motorola estimates that the 5,000mAh battery can power the Motorola One 5G Ace for two days, and the 67-inch FHD+ display provides ample screen real estate, especially with minimal bezels at the top of the screen due to punch hole cutouts
Moto
Like the Moto G Stylus, the Motorola One has a 48MP main camera and an 8MP ultra-wide angle lens However, there is only a macro camera on the back of the 5G phone [When looking at the Motorola One 5G Ace, it is hard not to note the $399 price tag Motorola's new model is $100 cheaper than the Pixel 4a 5G, one of the better mid-range 5G phones However, Motorola will have to contend with cheaper models like the OnePlus Nord N10 5G, which is $100 cheaper than the new Motorola One 5G
We will be reviewing all four models announced by Motorola at the start of the New Year, and again to find out what we think about the 2021 Moto G Stylus, Moto G Play, Moto G Power, and the new Motorola One 5G Ace Please come back
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