Technologies
Moto G 5G (2023) Review: A Tough Buy, Even for $250
Motorola’s newest affordable phone provides plenty for $250, but you may want to consider cheaper options.

The $250 Moto G 5G is not a bad phone. It’s just that you might get more value looking around.
I kept returning to that feeling throughout my weeks reviewing the phone, despite the dramatically reduced price this year’s model hits compared with last year’s $400 Moto G 5G. For instance, I like the phone’s 6.5-inch 120Hz display. But the screen isn’t dramatically better than the 90Hz displays I see in $200 phones like the Moto G Stylus or the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G.
The 5G connectivity is noticeably fast compared with 4G-only phones like the Stylus, but the Moto G 5G’s slower Snapdragon 480 Plus processor coupled with 4GB of RAM aren’t quite enough to power resource-heavy multitasking that truly take advantage of 5G speeds.
Even though the Moto G 5G’s cameras are similar those on other Moto G phones, photos are hit or miss. Images come out nice in bright outdoor areas but struggle with getting detail in low-light environments. I took the phone on a sunny Central Park picnic and got a lot of vibrant photos that I’m super happy with. But the opposite was true when I took the phone to a Kim Petras performance thrown by Motorola, where my photos on the crowded indoor dance floor came out blurry, noisy and lacked a lot of detail. It’s typical for this price range, and is a similar issue across all of the Moto G phones that I’ve tested this year.
When I compare the Moto G 5G against phones that are just $50 more, I realize how much I’m sacrificing. If you can swing it, $300 phones offer a lot of perks that are worth the upcharge. The $300 Moto G Power 5G for instance doubles your available storage space to 256GB, which is the cheapest phone I’m currently aware of offering that much internal space. The $300 OnePlus Nord N30 5G can quickly recharge its battery from nothing to 100% in 45 minutes with its included charger. By comparison the Moto G 5G takes well over 90 minutes to do the same thing.
And whenever the Pixel 6A is on sale for $299 — its power, performance, photography and longer software support outshine all of these $300 and under phones.
The Moto G 5G tries to hit a strange middle ground between $200 phones and $300 phones, but I think it’s more likely you’ll spend slightly less money or slightly more money on a different phone. Again, that’s not to say the Moto G 5G doesn’t offer a lot for $250. It’s just that you can get a very similar phone and save $50, or get a substantially better phone by spending $50 more.

Moto G 5G design, specs, performance
The Moto G 5G is one of the cheapest phones I’ve seen that has a 120Hz refresh rate display. I found the phone animates very smoothly when reading websites, scrolling apps and playing games, and that’s quite appreciated even with the display’s lower 720p resolution. But like I mentioned earlier, due to that lower resolution I don’t feel like the screen looks that much better than the 90Hz 720p displays I see in phones that cost less. It also left me missing the more detailed 120Hz 1,080p displays I see on the $300 Moto G Power 5G and the OnePlus Nord N30 5G.
The phone’s otherwise basic design comes in two color options: Harbor Gray or Ink Blue. The display includes a hole punch for its 8-megapixel selfie camera. The back of the phone highlights its two cameras, a 48-megapixel main camera and a 2-megapixel macro camera. It’s a simple matte plastic design, which does pick up smudges.
Along the sides of the phone are a power button that doubles as a fingerprint sensor, a headphone jack, a SIM card tray and a microSD card slot. It continues to be notable that the headphone jack and microSD card remain standard features in this price range, as they are otherwise rare finds on more expensive phones.
The phone’s performance is adequate. I didn’t experience problems with most tasks such as making phone calls, reading articles, listening to music or playing games. However, more demanding apps might overwhelm the phone’s processor and 4GB of RAM, which I consistently experienced when I tried to play Marvel Snap while toggling between other tasks. The game reloaded whenever I switched apps, which was an issue because I usually like to play it while multitasking since Snap is a card game.

Those who just need a phone for making calls, sending texts, listening to music and reading news articles will likely be satisfied with the Moto G 5G. The phone’s 128GB of space should be plenty of room for storing apps, photos and media — but the option to expand with a microSD card means you can add more if you need to.
The issue with the Moto G 5G, however, is that its middling performance makes me question whether I get that much more value out of this it compared with the cheaper Moto G Stylus. In my Geekbench testing the Moto G 5G’s processor does run faster than the Stylus. Yet in real-world use, I felt like performance between the two phones was about the same — slightly sluggish but gets me through most tasks.
Geekbench 6 Benchmarks
- Single-core
- Multi-core
For some people, a faster data connection is worth the extra money. 5G networks are starting to hit a point of maturity where many devices benefit from faster video streaming and downloading while on the go. However, 4G LTE is still quite capable and ubiquitous. Unless you plan on tackling cloud gaming or have a lot of large files to regularly upload from your phone, there’s hardly anything yet that truly requires a 5G connection.
Another miss for me is that the Moto G 5G, like all Moto G phones, will receive only one software update and three years of security updates.

Moto G 5G photography
The Moto G 5G’s photos are colorful with plenty of detail when taken in daylight. While on that aforementioned Central Park picnic, both regular pictures and portrait mode photos came out vibrant with a pronounced bokeh effect on the latter. However, the mix of bright highlights, like clouds and shadows under the trees show just how limited the Moto G 5G’s dynamic range is.


I took the photo below with the 8-megapixel front-facing camera. This was inside of a well-lit elevator, but the photos has more details than I would have expected.

Below are closeups of pets and food, which look OK.


And here are the pictures that I took at that Motorola event with Kim Petras and Cirque Du Soleil. The Moto G 5G struggled to document the action so poorly that I switched to my personal phone to share photos with friends.



But these camera pluses and minuses aren’t isolated to the Moto G 5G. I had the roughly the same camera challenges across the Moto G Stylus, Moto G 5G and the Moto G Power 5G. Since you’re not getting better camera quality by paying more for the Moto G 5G, Motorola’s cheaper option could be the better choice as long as you don’t mind sacrificing 5G.
In my comparison photos below of the grass wall in CNET’s office, all three phones were similarly able to differentiate between the different shades of green featured in the decoration.



While I’m still in the process of testing the $200 Samsung Galaxy A14 5G, I took a comparison photo of the same grass wall, finding the image quality to be a little more saturated by comparison.

Moto G 5G bottom line
The $250 Moto G 5G does include a lot of value for its price. You get a 120Hz display at one of the cheapest prices I’ve seen so far, along with 5G compatibility. Its processor can stand up to most tasks, even if it struggles with some multitasking. And if your carrier ends up subsidizing the phone to a price that’s free or close to free, it’s a very appealing option for someone that just wants a basic 5G phone.
But if you aren’t getting a carrier subsidy, I recommend you either consider Motorola’s cheaper Stylus or phones that are $50 more expensive. The 4G-only $200 Moto G Stylus includes much of the same functionality as the Moto G 5G along with a built-in stylus, but it comes with 64GB of storage, a noticeable step down.

There’s a lot to gain from stretching your budget beyond the Moto G 5G’s $250 price, if you can. For example, the $300 Moto G Power 5G offers twice the storage, while the $300 OnePlus Nord N30 provides exceptionally fast charging.
The Moto G 5G does include many essential features that I want to see in a cheaper phone, but it just feels lost compared with other options in this price range. In some ways it’s so similar to $200 phone options, that it doesn’t stand out enough to justify the extra money. Yet it also doesn’t stand out enough at $250 when phones that cost just a little bit more are including tangible features that can increase how useful your phone can be.
Moto G 5G vs. Moto G Stylus vs. Moto G Power 5G vs. OnePlus Nord N30 5G vs. Google Pixel 6A
Moto G 5G (2023) | Moto G Stylus (2023) | Moto G Power 5G (2023) | OnePlus Nord N30 5G | Google Pixel 6A | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Display size, resolution | 6.5-inch HD Plus LCD display (720p resolution); 120Hz refresh rate | 6.5-inch IPS LCD; 1,600×720; 90Hz refresh rate | 6.5-inch LCD display; 2,400×1,080 pixels; 120Hz refresh rate | 6.72-inch FHD (1080p resolution); 120Hz refresh rate | 6.1-inch OLED; (1,080 x 2,400); 60Hz |
Pixel density | 269 ppi | 269 ppi | 405 ppi | 391 ppi | 429 ppi |
Dimensions (inches) | 6.45 x 2.95 x 0.33 in. | 6.41 x 2.91 x 0.36 in. | 6.41 x 2.94 x 0.33 in. | 6.51 x 2.99 x 0.32 in. | 6.0 x 2.8 x 0.35 in. |
Dimensions (millimeters) | 163.94 x 74.98 x 8.39mm | 162.9 x 74.1 x 9.2mm | 163 x 75 x 8.45mm | 165.5 x 76 x 8.3mm | 152.2 x 7.18 x 8.9mm |
Weight (ounces, grams) | 189g (6.66 oz.) | 195 g | 185 g (6.52 oz.) | 195g (6.97 oz.) | 6.3 oz.; 178g |
Mobile software | Android 13 | Android 13 | Android 13 | Android 13 | Android 12 |
Camera | 48-megapixel main, 2-megapixel macro | 50-megapixel (main), 2-megapixel (macro) | 50-megapixel (main), 2-megapixel (macro), 2-megapixel (depth sensor) | 108-megapixel main, 2-megapixel macro, 2-megapixel depth sensing | 12.2-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel ultra wide) |
Front-facing camera | 8-megapixel | 8-megapixel | 16-megapixel | 16-megapixel | 8-megapixel |
Video capture | 720p at 30 fps | 1080p at 30 fps | 720p at 60 fps | 1080p at 30 fps | 4K |
Processor | Snapdragon 480 Plus | MediaTek Helio G85 | MediaTek Dimensity 930 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 | Google Tensor |
RAM/Storage | 4GB + 128GB | 4GB + 64GB; 4GB + 128GB | 4GB RAM + 128GB; 6GB RAM + 256GB | 8GB + 128GB | 6GB RAM/128GB storage |
Expandable storage | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | None |
Battery/Charger | 5,000 mAh (15W charging) | 5,000 mAh (15W charging) | 5,000 mAh (15W wired charging speed, 10W adapter included) | 5,000 mAh (50W wired charging) | 4,410 mAh capacity; 18-watt fast charging (adapter sold separately) |
Fingerprint sensor | Side | Side | Side | Side | Under display |
Connector | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
Headphone jack | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | None |
Special features | 5G enabled, dual stereo speakers, Moto Gestures | Stylus, Moto Gestures | Estimated 38-hour battery life, Moto Gestures, stereo speakers | 50W SuperVooc fast charging, 108-megapixel main camera, game mode, dual stereo speakers | 5G-enabled, 18W fast charging, WiFi 6E, security updates for 5 years, Android OS updates for 3 years, dual SIM, IP67 water resistance |
Price off-contract (USD) | $250 | $200 | $300 | $300 | $349 ($299 when on sale) |
Price (GBP) | N/A, Converts to £195 | Converts to £158 | Converts to £240 | Converts to £238 | £349 |
Price (AUD) | N/A, Converts to £380 | Converts to AU$295 | Converts to AU$445 | Converts to AU$443 | AU$599 |
How we test phones
Every phone tested by CNET’s reviews team was actually used in the real world. We test a phone’s features, play games and take photos. We examine the display to see if it’s bright, sharp and vibrant. We analyze the design and build to see how it is to hold and whether it has an IP-rating for water resistance. We push the processor’s performance to the extremes using both standardized benchmark tools like GeekBench and 3DMark, along with our own anecdotal observations navigating the interface, recording high-resolution videos and playing graphically intense games at high refresh rates.
All the cameras are tested in a variety of conditions from bright sunlight to dark indoor scenes. We try out special features like night mode and portrait mode and compare our findings against similarly priced competing phones. We also check out the battery life by using it daily as well as running a series of battery drain tests.
We take into account additional features like support for 5G, satellite connectivity, fingerprint and face sensors, stylus support, fast charging speeds, foldable displays among others that can be useful. And we balance all of this against the price to give you the verdict on whether that phone, whatever price it is, actually represents good value.
Technologies
OpenAI, Microsoft and Anthropic Pony Up $23M to Teach Teachers About AI
Educators will learn about AI in a program created by the American Federation of Teachers.

The American Federation of Teachers is using $23 million in funds from three tech companies to launch a program to train educators on artificial intelligence.
On Tuesday, the country’s second-largest teachers’ union announced $12.5 million from Microsoft, $10 million in funding and technical resources from OpenAI and $500,000 from Anthropic will be used for a New York-based hub to teach AI. The AFT is working in partnership with the United Federation of Teachers, a union representing New York school workers.
The hub will be called the National Academy for AI Instruction, and according to OpenAI, will serve 400,000 educators to develop AI fluency by 2030 through workshops, online courses and hands-on training sessions. The plan, according to the company, is to start in New York and scale nationwide, including additional hubs elsewhere in the country. The effort will begin with a focus on K-12 educators.
(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)
In a post on X, AFT President Randi Weingarten wrote, «This will be an innovative new training space where educators will learn not just about how A.I. works, but how to use it wisely, safely and ethically.It will be a place where tech developers and educators can talk with each other, not past each other.»
The announcement was not met with unanimous praise. On a post on the UFT’s Facebook page, commenters were not happy. «AI use has been proven to reduce brain activity but sure, why not,» one commenter wrote.
Another wrote, «This is absolutely a horrible decision by the Union. It is undermining our work and also doesn’t take in consideration the ramifications of AI in education.»
Technologies
The HBO Max Name Change Is Here. Here’s What to Know
The streaming service is getting a rebrand. Again.

Summer is usually a time for blockbusters, but Warner Bros. Discovery is giving us more than Superman this year. Max brought back its former name, HBO Max, on Wednesday, according to a press release.
The company first announced the change to the streaming service during its Upfront presentation in May, and judging by this meme it shared, the media giant has a sense of humor about it.
The streaming service was originally rebranded as Max in May of 2023 when it merged content from HBO Max and Discovery brands. During the past two years, we’ve seen the logo change from purple to blue and then black, along with the name flip. What’s the reasoning behind the revamp this time around?
«The powerful growth we have seen in our global streaming service is built around the quality of our programming,» said Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, according to a May press release. «Today, we are bringing back HBO, the brand that represents the highest quality in media, to further accelerate that growth in the years ahead.»
Your home screen will change to reflect the streamer’s updated name and logo, but it’s unclear whether HBO Max’s library will change. The platform is home to content for HBO, Max Originals, Warner Bros., the DC universe, HGTV, B/R Sports, Adult Swim and more.
During the event, J.B. Perrette, CEO of streaming, explained how the move aligns with the platform’s programming. «We will continue to focus on what makes us unique — not everything for everyone in a household, but something distinct and great for adults and families,» he said. «It’s really notsubjective, not even controversial — our programming just hits different.»
Technologies
Prime Day Deal: The AirFly Pro Is 25% Off Right Now. Here’s Why I Never Fly Without It
Today’s Prime Day deal drops the AirFly Pro Bluetooth dongle to just $41, making it even easier to ditch those awful airline earbuds.

Amazon Prime Day deal: Right now you can grab the Twelve South AirFly Pro for $41 at Amazon, one of the lowest prices I’ve seen all year. That’s 25% off its usual $55 and an easy yes if you’ve ever been annoyed by those crackly in-flight headphones. The Prime Day sale ends on July 11, but that doesn’t mean it’ll stay in stock, so don’t wait.
If you fly often, you already know the routine. You settle into your seat, start messing with the in-flight entertainment screen, then remember that your AirPods won’t connect. That means reaching for the airline’s wired headphones that feel flimsy, let in every engine roar and make everything sound muffled. Just the worst.
This is one of the most frustrating parts of flying, especially on long trips when decent audio can make all the difference. Between the engine noise, crying babies and that one guy snoring in 14C, you need a better option. The good news is there’s a simple device that fixes the problem completely and makes flying feel a lot more like streaming at home.
The AirFly Pro has become a must-pack item in my travel bag. It’s a simple Bluetooth dongle that lets you connect your wireless earbuds (like my AirPods Pro) directly to the airplane’s entertainment system, no adapters or wired workarounds required. Since I started using it, I’ve stopped dreading in-flight audio and finally get to enjoy movies the way they were meant to be heard. If you fly often, this little gadget could completely change how you travel.
The AirFly Pro lets me enjoy in-flight entertainment
The AirFly Pro from Twelve South is a minimally designed dongle that lets me connect to the 3.5mm headphone jack in my airplane seat to listen to in-flight entertainment on my noise-canceling earbuds. All I have to do is pair the AirFly Pro with whichever Bluetooth headphones I’m using, like my AirPods Pro, plug the AirFly Pro into the display in front of me, and I’m all set. I don’t even need to use my phone to connect the two devices.
There are four versions of the AirFly: the AirFly SE, which sells for $35 on Amazon and connects to just one set of headphones, the AirFly Pro at $41, the Pro V2 at $60, which is the newest version of the AirFly Pro, and the Pro Deluxe at $70, which comes with an international headphone adapter and a suede travel case.
Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.
I use the AirFly Pro, which has been a game-changer for me on flights. I’ve never had to worry about battery life since the AirFly Pro lasts for more than 25 hours and can fully charge in 3 hours. I can also pair two separate pairs of headphones to a single AirFly Pro, in case I’m with someone else on a flight and want to watch the same movie or show. And if that’s not enough, the AirFly Pro also doubles as an audio transmitter, so I can turn any speaker with a headphone jack, like my old car stereo, into a Bluetooth speaker.
The AirFly Pro makes a great gift for any traveler
The AirFly Pro is the perfect present to give to someone who’s planning to travel this year. Besides my Anker MagSafe battery pack, the AirFly Pro really has become my most treasured travel accessory when I fly, which is why I consider it to be one of those can’t-go-wrong gifts. For more travel gear, here are our favorite tech essentials to travel with and our favorite travel pillows.
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