Technologies
Moto G Play (2023) Review: Low Price, Lots of Compromises
The essentials-only Motorola phone cuts to the bone in order to hit its $170 price.

The Moto G Play for 2023 costs $170 (or even less at Amazon), making it one of the cheapest new phones you can get right now, and without the bloatware or wireless carrier restrictions we sometimes see on lower-priced devices. With a decent set of specs for the price — including a triple camera system with a 16-megapixel main camera, a 6.5-inch display with a 90Hz refresh rate and a 5,000-mAh battery that provides nearly three days of battery life — this should have been an attractive option for anyone looking for a decent, no-frills phone.
However, this phone has a number of performance issues that make it frustrating to use. And on top of that, Motorola chose to drop one of its best Moto gestures: twisting the phone to quickly open its camera. While some might consider these gestures a gimmick, they have been a signature element of Motorola’s phones for nearly a decade. Other gestures like «chop to turn on flashlight» are still here, making the absence of the camera gesture even more glaring.
Despite these important drawbacks, the 2023 Moto G Play does have some positive attributes. The battery life is great, the software is a fairly clean version of Android 12 and you’ll find rare ports like a headphone jack and microSD card slot for storage expansion. But the phone will only get one major software update to Android 13, which is less than I’d like to see but typical for this price range, as well as three years of security updates.
Yet every perk I list comes with another problem, which is important to consider if you’re tempted by the Moto G Play because of its low price.
Like
- Long battery life
- Clean version of Android 12
- Three years of security updates
Don’t Like
- Frequent lag, issues loading software
- Questionable refresh rate
- No «twist to open camera» gesture
Moto G Play design and performance
The Moto G Play looks nice for a phone that costs just $170. The Navy Blue color of its plastic body provides a hint of personality, while the phone’s low-resolution 720p display includes a screen cutout for the 5-megapixel front-facing camera. The fingerprint sensor is located in my favorite spot on an Android phone — the back.
But the problems begin once you start using the phone. The phone’s MediaTek Helio G37 processor and 3GB of RAM weren’t powerful enough to juggle multiple apps easily. In some cases, it wouldn’t even load certain apps. This was particularly bizarre considering it loaded a 3D game like Crazy Taxi (admittedly an oldie but still a goodie), but couldn’t run other modern 2D games like Exploding Kittens. With the phone’s tiny 32GB of storage, I’m lucky to even fit a couple games onto the Moto G Play, although there is a microSD card slot for storage expansion.
Geekbench V.5.0 single-core
Note:
Longer bars indicate better performance
Geekbench V.5.0 multicore
Note:
Longer bars indicate better performance
Email, news and video-streaming apps fared better in terms of performance, but not by much. Even though the Moto G Play touts a 90Hz refresh rate, which should smooth out animations, there is a lot of noticeable lag. I couldn’t even tell when the refresh rate reached 90Hz. The Settings menu lets you choose between «Auto» and «60 Hz,» with the former dynamically changing the refresh rate based on what you are doing. Having an auto setting does make sense, but a lot of the cheaper Android phones I’ve used also include the option to set the phone to a consistent 90Hz, alongside a 60Hz option for preserving battery life.
This brings me back to the phone’s 5,000-mAh battery — a bright spot considering it easily lasted two days on a full charge during my testing. I think it’s possible for the battery to make it to a third day, mostly because of how underpowered this device is. I typically got around three hours of screen time per day on the device during my testing, which included streaming, shooting photos and trying to play games for this review.
During a more active session on the phone, in which I streamed 22 minutes of a TV show at 100% brightness and then took a 24-minute video call, the battery dropped from 59% to 46%. On less active days, in which the phone was used primarily for listening to music while commuting, reading news articles and light texting, I could end the day with just over 50% remaining.
Charging times for the phone are generally less impressive than battery life. With the included 10-watt charger, it typically took just over an hour to charge from zero to 50%. Getting to 100% would take just over 2 hours, 30 minutes. When I tested charging speeds with my 18-watt charger, the results were slightly faster. The phone would get from zero to 66% after an hour and finish charging just past the two-hour mark.


The Moto G Play has three cameras, anchored by a 16-megapixel main camera.
Mike Sorrentino/CNETMoto G Play cameras
The Moto G Play has a triple-camera system anchored by a main 16-megapixel camera, which is accompanied by a 2-megapixel macro camera and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. But photos are consistently fuzzy, whether I took them indoors, outdoors, in bright environments or in the dark.


A foggy day in New York, taken on the Moto G Play.
Mike Sorrentino/CNETWhile it was nice to see Portrait mode on a phone at this price, I can barely see much of a bokeh effect in my photos. This is especially true when using the 5-megapixel front-facing camera, in which my photos looked consistently muddy.


My friend took a photo of me at the Taco Bell in Times Square using Portrait Mode, but it’s challenging to see if it made a difference.
Mike Sorrentino/CNET

The Moto G Play’s front-facing camera had a tough time keeping me in focus, even in a restaurant with decent lighting.
Mike Sorrentino/CNETI took the Moto G Play with me to Taco Bell — because yes, I’m going to go eat cheap food while reviewing a cheap phone. I had my friend take photos of me using the phone’s Portrait setting. You can sort of see a light blurring effect in the background, but it’s hard to perceive.
In another selfie taken at a restaurant with better lighting than the Taco Bell, I found the selfie camera to have a tough time keeping me in focus.
And when taking photos of my friend’s dog Daisy, the rear cameras struggled to capture much detail of her fur, even when she sat still. In the best of conditions, the phone’s cameras struggle to take sharp photos.


Daisy the dog sat relatively still for this photo, but the Moto G Play’s camera captures minimal detail.
Mike Sorrentino/CNETI compared the photos taken on the Moto G Play against the same images taken on the $160 Samsung Galaxy A03S, and found the picture quality to be roughly comparable for simple static shots. When shooting a bookshelf at CNET’s office, the Moto G Play got slightly more detail of the book covers than the Galaxy A03S, with the latter phone’s image appearing a bit darker.
However, when it comes to a photo with lots of detail and color, such as with this plant wall, the Moto G Play struggles to discern between the different shades of green. Meanwhile the Galaxy A03S performs much better with discerning the darker green shades from the lighter ones, making for a dramatically different photo.
Neither phone’s camera performs especially well, which is a common theme among phones that cost under $200. For me, this places the Moto G Play’s camera photos squarely into the category of being acceptable for group chats, but not much else. It’s going to take a lot of really good lighting and steady hands in order to make the most of these cameras, and that’s more effort than most people are going to want to make.
There are better options, even when you want to save money
Even when you’re looking for the cheapest possible phone, your device still needs to run most apps without issue and take decent-looking photos. I wouldn’t expect a phone that costs less than $200 to run Fortnite at the highest graphics settings, but I am expecting to use apps with minimal lag. While phones at this price are also typically lighter on features, the perks that are available should bring noticeable value to the experience. The Moto G Play’s Portrait mode and high refresh rate don’t succeed in this regard.
Instead of buying the Moto G Play at $170, you’re probably better off saving $10 and getting the $160 Samsung Galaxy A03S. While that phone also has unimpressive cameras, it was at least able to multitask more easily.
Although I haven’t reviewed it yet, you might also consider the $199 Samsung Galaxy A14 5G, since it has 64GB of storage and 5G connectivity. Later this year, a number of TCL 40 phones will arrive in the US, which will include 5G and 128GB of storage for under $200. Those devices might be worth waiting for if you aren’t in dire need of a cheap phone right now.
Moto G Play (2023) vs. Samsung Galaxy A03S, TCL Stylus 5G, OnePlus Nord N300 5G
Moto G Play (2023) | Samsung Galaxy A03S | TCL Stylus 5G | OnePlus Nord N300 5G | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Display size, type resolution, refresh rate | 6.5-inch IPS TFT LCD; 1,600×720 pixels; 90Hz refresh rate | 6.5-inch LCD; 1,600×720 pixels | 6.81-inch; 2,400×1,080 pixels | 6.56-inch IPS LCD display; 720p resolution; 90Hz refresh rate |
Pixel density | 269ppi | 269ppi | 395ppi | 269ppi |
Dimensions (inches) | 6.58 x 2.95 x 0.36 in | 6.5 x 2.9 x 0.3 in | 6.67 x 3.01 x 0.35 in | 6.4 x 2.9 x 0.3 in |
Dimensions (millimeters) | 167 x 77 x 9.4 mm | 165.8 x 75.9 x 9.1 mm | 169.6 x 76.5 x 8.9 mm | 163.8 x 75.1 x 7.99 mm |
Weight (ounces, grams) | 203 g (7.16 oz) | 202g (7.13 oz) | 213g (7.51 oz) | 190g (6.7 oz) |
Mobile software | Android 12 | Android 11 | Android 12 | Android 12 |
Camera | 16-megapixel (main), 2-megapixel (macro), 2-megapixel (depth sensor) | 13-megapixel (main), 2-megapixel (depth), 2-megapixel (macro) | 50-megapixel (main), 5-megapixel (wide), 2-megapixel (macro), 2-megapixel (depth sensor) | 48-megapixel (main), 2-megapixel (depth lens) |
Front-facing camera | 5-megapixel | 5-megapixel | 13-megapixel | 16-megapixel |
Video capture | 720p at 30 fps | 1080p at 30fps | 1080p at 30fps | 1080p at 30fps |
Processor | MediaTek Helio G37 | Octa-core processor | MediaTek Dimensity 700 5G | MediaTek Dimensity 810 |
RAM, storage | 3GB + 32GB | 3GB/32GB | 4GB/128GB | 4GB/64GB |
Expandable storage | Up to 512GB | Up to 1TB | Up to 2TB | Up to 1TB |
Battery, charger | 5,000 mAh; 10W charging | 5,000mAh; charger not included, does not support wireless charging | 4,000mAh; 18W charging | 5,000mAh; 33W charging |
Fingerprint sensor | Rear | Side | Side | Side |
Connector | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
Headphone jack | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Special features | 3-day battery life, Moto Gestures, Auto Smile Capture, Portait Mode | Stylus with built-in storage, producitivity software, NxtVision HDR mode | Dual speakers, NFC, Face Unlock, HDR, Portrait, Face retouching | |
Price off-contract (USD) | $170 | $160 | $258 | $228 |
Technologies
Zelle App Is Gone. Use These Alternatives to Send Money Digitally
You still have lots of free ways to send money to friends and family electronically.

If Zelle has been your go-to app for sending money digitally, it’s time to find a new method. The digital payment app shut down on April 1.
That doesn’t mean you can’t use Zelle altogether, however. Zelle has only discontinued its standalone app. You can still send money using Zelle if your bank belongs to the Zelle network. You’ll just need to do it through your bank’s app or website. You also have other services to choose from. Here’s what you need to know about this change and your options moving forward.
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Why the Zelle app is shutting down
When Zelle launched in 2017, only about 60 US financial institutions offered the service by the end of that year. Today, that number exceeds 2,200. As a result, less than 2% of Zelle transactions occur through the standalone app. Zelle has been phasing out the ability to make transactions on its mobile app since October 2024.
«Today, the vast majority of people using Zelle to send money use it through their financial institution’s mobile app or online banking experience, and we believe this is the best place for Zelle transactions to occur,» Zelle said in an October 2024 press release.
In December, Zelle was in the spotlight when the Consumer Financial Protected Bureau sued the company and three of the largest US banks for failing to protect consumers from widespread fraud on the peer-to-peer payment network. The lawsuit has since been dropped.
Other ways to send money digitally
You can still use Zelle through your bank’s app or website if it belongs to the Zelle network. You can also switch to another digital payment app, such as:
- Apple Wallet
- Cash App
- PayPal
- Venmo
Take some basic precautions when using Zelle or any other digital payment service. These apps are a frequent target for scammers, and Chase Bank has started blocking some Zelle payments it believes could be fraudulent. Only send money to people you know and trust, and watch for red flags like an urgent message claiming to be from your bank or an online ad for concert tickets that seem impossibly cheap.
Technologies
Marvel Rivals Season 2 Starts Next Week, Devs Drop Big News
Emma Frost and Ultron are joining the Rivals roster in season 2, and developers are upping the pace to one new hero per month starting with season 3.

After surviving the endless night in New York City with the Fantastic Four, Marvel Rivals players are getting invited to the shores of Krakoa for the start of season 2 on April 11. The game dropped the first trailer for the new season, giving us our first official look at the new heroes, and a developer vision video dropped major news about the future of hero releases.
The trailer features the former foe and sometimes-leader of the X-Men, Emma Frost, inviting people from across Rivals’ various timelines to the mutant nation of Krakoa, where everyone gets dressed up for a fancy gala — even Wolverine puts on a white tux. The event, however, is unceremoniously interrupted when Ultron shows up preaching extermination.
We also got a look at some of the cosmetics in season 2, though it’s unclear which are from the shop and which might be in the battle pass. In addition to the dressed-up Wolverine, we also got looks at Magik and Psylocke in the traditional X-Men blue and yellow. Nonmutant guests are also getting in on the fun, with fancy attire for heroes like Cap, Widow and Luna Snow.
New Heroes and balance changes in Marvel Rivals Season 2
Emma Frost joins the roster as a Vanguard. We don’t have detailed information about her abilities yet but expect that information to drop ahead of next week’s season launch. Ultron is coming in the season 2.5 update, which should be in late May.
Some team-ups are changing in season 2, including three new team-up abilities that were previewed in the newest developer vision video.
- Emma Frost allows Magneto and Psylocke to create illusions of themselves.
- Doctor Strange teams up with Scarlet Witch allowing her to use small portals to seemingly increase her damage output via a rapid-shooting alternate fire.
- Cap finally teams up with Bucky, allowing the Winter Soldier to leap to allies.
A few existing team-ups are getting adjustments, with Psylocke, Winter Soldier and Doctor Strange being removed from older team-ups in favor of new ones, and Namor moving from working with Luna’s anchor to Hulk’s to empower his ultimate with gamma energy. Two team-ups are being removed entirely: Magneto can no longer team up with Scarlet Witch, and Thor is no longer anchoring Cap and Storm.
The developers vaguely teased other balance changes, including buffs to Peni, Mister Fantastic and Moon Knight, with Strange trading offensive pressure for more survivability and Rocket getting more utility while Loki and Adam Warlock receive nerfs to their Regeneration Domain and Soul Bond abilities.
Future seasons will be shorter, which means more new heroes
One of the most surprising moments in the developer video was the announcement that, beginning with season 3, seasons will be two months long instead of roughly three. There has been a lot of discussion online about whether Rivals’ pace of new heroes (about eight per year based on three-month seasons) was sustainable. Well, apparently the Rivals devs took that personally and are cranking up that pace to a new hero every month, meaning 12 new heroes per year.
This feels borderline ludicrous compared with other hero shooters that average about three new heroes per year, or even MOBAs like League of Legends, which has averaged about four new champions per year over the past five years. Rivals benefits from having an overflowing stable of Marvel characters to pull from rather than inventing their own hero concepts, and compared with Overwatch, the developers seem less worried about mechanical overlap in their heroes, as seen with many support ultimates. Still, a new hero every month feels unheard of for a hero shooter.
New Krakoa map and competitive changes
A new Krakoa-themed domination map is being added in season 2, and Yggsgard: Royal Palace (domination) and Tokyo 2099: Shin-Shibuya (convergence) will rotate out of the map pool for ranked modes, though they’ll still be available in quick play and custom games.
The threshold for competitive picks and bans, which currently only happen in diamond-ranked lobbies, will be lowered to gold 3. Players in Eternity or One Above All ranks will only be able to duo queue, instead of queuing with larger groups — a measure that’s likely intended to keep high-level teams from stomping lobbies.
Speaking of ranks, season 2 will drop everyone by 9 divisions, which is equal to 3 ranks. That means players in Eternity will drop to diamond, and any players at platinum 3 or below will start their climb from bronze 3 again. (AGAIN… AGAIN.)
Rivals developers also announced that individual player performance will be weighted higher when determining competitive progress after a match, meaning if your stats outperform your team’s, you’ll earn more for winning and drop less for losing. This change can help elevate smurfs and other high-skill players in lower-ranked lobbies by getting them into their appropriate ranks faster. However, it can also lead to players stat-farming, instead of playing in a way that is most effective for winning games. Overall, given that Rivals doesn’t use any sort of competitive placement matches, this should be a net positive for the game.
Other announcements
Rivals is adding new skin recolors to certain hero skins and (finally) giving players the option to gift costumes to their friends so they can surprise someone for their birthday, which you definitely did not forget about.
Missions are changing a bit, with the addition of weekly missions and a redistribution of where battle-pass-progressing chrono tokens are earned. The devs framed this as creating a «smoother expectation» of how to earn chrono tokens, but the surface-level description sounds like they’re just making it harder to earn battle pass progress over the season by tucking away more progress under missions with shorter time limits.
The developer vision update also gave us our first look at the competitive distribution, showing how many Rivals players are in each tier as of season 1.5.
The Hellfire Gala trailer says season 2 will start on April 11. While it doesn’t give a specific start time, expect the between-seasons maintenance to finish sometime in the middle of the night in the US.
For more on Marvel Rivals, check out which heroes and roles you should play and how to get free skins.
Technologies
Nintendo Switch 2 vs. Switch 1: Every Detail Compared
The Nintendo Switch 2’s official specs aren’t too different, but the new console has a lot of upgrades on the original Switch.

The Nintendo Switch 2 may look like its predecessor, but there’s been a lot of changes to its features and under the hood. The new console has «10x the graphics performance» compared to the original Switch, says Nvidia, which built the custom processor powering the Switch 2.
The Switch 2, with a release date on June 5, is priced at $450 alone or $500 in a bundle with Mario Kart World, the headliner of the console’s launch games. Here’s all the info on how to preorder the Switch 2.
Note that we’re mostly comparing the Switch 2 to the original Switch 1 released in March 2017, because looping in the Switch Lite and Switch OLED gets complicated.
Design
Broadly, the Switch 2 is a larger version of its predecessor, with everything looking slightly inflated: bigger footprint, bigger screen, bigger Joy-Cons.
Original Switch: The original Switch, with Joy-Cons slotted into the side rails, is a little over 9.4 inches wide, 4 inches tall, a little over half an inch thick and weighs about 10.5 ounces (297 grams). The Joy-Cons slide into place from the top of the device’s sides, while a thin wedge of plastic pops out of the back of the console to serve as a kickstand.
The Switch also came with a dock, which the console could slot into to for recharging and outputting to a TV or large display via HDMI port.
Switch 2: The new Switch 2 is bigger in every way, but it has the same overall shape and layout as the original. The new Joy-Cons will indeed be held in place on the console magnetically, and connect to the console via pins. The new console also sports a wide U-shaped kickstand that spans almost its entire rear width, which can be moved around to prop up the Switch 2 at a variety of angles. Nintendo says the console has more powerful speakers, which we’re looking forward to testing.
The Switch 2’s dock is largely similar in function though it has rounded edges and an internal fan to cool down the console during long game sessions. More importantly, it can output games in 4K to TVs, but only for select games.
Joy-Cons
The Joy-Cons were a marvel when they arrived on the first Switch, and while they’re functionally similar in its successor, there have been upgrades in the Switch 2’s controllers.
Original Switch: The Switch Joy-Cons are simple but powerful controllers that slid on and off the console via plastic rails, connecting and recharging via pins on the side. Detach and they become their own micro-controllers, with little shoulder buttons to boot.
Switch 2: The new console’s Joy-Cons are larger to fit the Switch 2, and lock into the side of the console via powerful magnets — there are small inward-facing buttons to the side of ZR and ZL to detach the controllers from the console. The larger-size Joy-Cons have longer L and R outside shoulder buttons, as well as much wider SL and SR internal shoulder buttons, which are accessible when detached from the console.
And yes, you can use the Switch 2 Joy-Cons as mice by placing their inner edges flat on a surface. During the Nintendo Direct, we saw it being used to control active action games like the wheelchair basketball-simulating DragXDrive and strategy games like Civilization VII.
Display size
Original Switch: The original Switch has a 6.2-inch LCD screen with 1,280×720-pixel resolution, which was reasonably impressive at launch in 2017 but has been outclassed by newer handhelds with sharper displays. The Switch OLED upgraded this with a larger 7-inch display showing deeper blacks and colors, but no upgrade in resolution. The Switch Lite has a 5.5-inch LCD screen.
Switch 2: Unsurprisingly, the Switch 2’s larger size means a larger display. The new console has a 7.9-inch 1080p LCD screen that can get up to 120Hz refresh rate in handheld mode, or up to 4K when docked and outputting to a TV.
Why no OLED display? Possibly to save on costs… or possibly to give Nintendo room to release a Switch 2 OLED version down the line.
CPU/GPU
Original Switch: The original Switch runs on an Nvidia custom Tegra X1 processor split into four ARM Cortex A57 CPU cores, and according to Hackaday, there are four extra A53 cores that aren’t used.
Switch 2: Once again, Nintendo hasn’t released any official info on the Switch 2’s specs, even after the Nintendo Direct reveal stream — and they most the company reveals is that it has a «custom processor made by Nvidia» on the Switch 2’s official specs page. Nvidia confirmed it also has a custom GPU, claiming that the new console has «10x the graphics performance» of the Switch 1, and the custom processor’s AI-powered features include Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS), face tracking and background removal for video chat and real-time ray tracing.
We do still have more supposed details from previous leaks. Months ago on X (formerly Twitter), leaker Zuby_Tech posted that the Switch 2’s CPU will be an eight-core Arm Cortex A78C. They also suggested that the GPU will be an Nvidia T239 Ampere, aligning with years of similar rumors reported on by Eurogamer and others about the custom chip, which derives from Nvidia’s Tegra line of chips for smartphones and mobile devices.
RAM and storage
Original Switch. The Switch has 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 32GB of onboard storage, expandable up to 2TB via microSD cards in the slot beneath the kickstand.
Switch 2: Even after the reveal stream, Nintendo didn’t release official specs for RAM. Leaker Zuby_Tech posted on X back in September suggesting the Switch 2 will have 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. That leak also suggested the new console will have two internal fans, up from the single one in the original Switch.
Nintendo did confirm that the new console will have 256GB of onboard storage, which can be expanded with special microSD Express cards — sorry, your old Switch-compatible microSD cards won’t work on the Switch 2.
Battery life
Original Switch: The original Switch packs a 4,310-mAh battery, which gives between 4.5 and 9 hours of battery life depending on screen brightness and other factors.
Switch 2: Though Nintendo didn’t release details on the Switch 2’s capacity in the reveal stream, the company does list specs on its website, showing it packs a 5,220mAh battery. While that’s notably larger than the one in its predecessor, Nintendo estimates this will only get players between an estimated 2 and 6.5 hours, depending on games played.
Ports
Original Switch: The first Switch sports a single USB-C port out the bottom, a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top and Wi-Fi 5 plus Bluetooth 4.1 connectivity. On the top is a slot at the top for Switch game cartridges as well as the microSD slot beneath the kickstand on the rear of the console.
Switch 2: The Switch 2 retains the original’s USB-C port on the bottom and 3.5mm jack on the top while adding another USB-C port topside, and now we know what it’s for: to connect with accessories like the Nintendo Switch Camera, a webcam-like camera on a stand to let you do Nintendo’s version of FaceTiming while you play games with your friends.
Nintendo hasn’t clarified the console’s connectivity options, and rumors are scarce on the subject.
As for cartridges, Switch 2 will play some original Switch games in physical versions. The cartridge slot is to the right of the headphone jack in the above image, which is where the slot is on the original Switch. You can tell game cartridges from the two console generations apart by color: ones for the new Switch 2 are red, while older Switch 1 games are black.
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