Motorola telephones usually play third (or fourth) fiddle to Samsung and Google, however the winds are altering. Motorola is now one of many fastest-growing cellular corporations on the earth, and the corporate claims its Razr folding smartphones are the primary within the flip class in North America. The corporate has additionally been experimenting with colourful Android telephones and enjoyable textures, making its gadgets stand out from the ocean of boring glass handsets.
For those who’re an purchaser, selecting one of the best Motorola telephone might be robust as a result of the corporate launches many fashions yearly. I’ve examined virtually all of them, and on this information, I break down the professionals and cons and steer you towards my favourite Moto fashions—from the Moto Razr to the Moto G Stylus 2025.
Try our cellular shopping for guides for extra, together with the Greatest Android Telephones, Greatest Samsung Telephones, Greatest Low-cost Telephones, Greatest Pixel Telephones, and Greatest Telephones With a Headphone Jack.
Up to date April 2025: We have added the Moto G Stylus 2025 and Motorola’s new Razr gadgets.
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What’s WIRED About Motorola Telephones
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{Photograph}: Julian Chokkattu
Motorola telephones have a easy Android interface. This implies the corporate hasn’t carried out a lot to gunk up the software program. It’s easy and simple to make use of. There’s more and more plenty of bloatware, however you’ll be able to simply uninstall virtually all of it.
They arrive with a lot of storage. The corporate stuffs 256 GB as commonplace into most of its smartphones, even among the low-cost fashions. Most Android flagship gadgets nonetheless include simply 128 GB. Motorola can also be one of many solely telephone manufacturers to nonetheless embody a microSD card slot to broaden storage on lots of its gadgets, and the Moto G telephones retain the headphone jack.
There’s broad provider assist. Whereas some Android telephone manufacturers have inconsistent provider assist within the US, like Nothing, Motorola telephones usually work on most if not all networks (the corporate lists provider assist particulars within the Specs part of all its telephones). All of them work on the massive three—T-Cellular, AT&T, and Verizon. Be sure to purchase them unlocked.
The costs dip very often. By no means purchase a Motorola telephone at its MSRP. They virtually at all times go on sale a number of months (or weeks) after launch, generally at steep reductions.
What’s TIRED About Motorola Telephones
Motorola’s software program updates are lackluster. The corporate is slowly bettering right here—it guarantees to ship three Android OS updates and 4 years of bimonthly safety updates to its high-end smartphones however nonetheless lags behind its friends. Many of the Moto G telephones solely obtain one OS Android replace—although that is altering in 2025 with new gadgets getting two upgrades—together with three years of safety updates. Fewer updates imply you miss out on new Android options shortly. Even when a telephone is promised updates, they take a lengthy time to reach.
The cameras are lackluster. Among the many issues placing Motorola behind the likes of Samsung and Google are the cameras. Moto telephones can take advantageous photographs however they’re eclipsed by their friends. Motorola made some enhancements with its high-end telephones nevertheless it’s nonetheless behind.
There’s no always-on show. Most Android telephones have a setting you’ll be able to toggle on if you’d like an always-on show that can present a clock in your display even when the display is “off.” Motorola has Peek Show, which requires you to maneuver the telephone or faucet the display to see something. It’s not a giant deal, nevertheless it’s a function you may miss should you’re coming from one other telephone. The 2024 Razr gadgets lastly broke the mould with always-on shows, nevertheless it’s nonetheless not current in different gadgets.
The Greatest Motorola Telephone
If you are going to purchase a Motorola and cash is not a lot of a priority, it ought to be an announcement telephone just like the Razr+ (2024). This third-gen folding flip smartphone (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is rather more refined, including options you’ve got come to count on in a modern-day handset, like an IPX8 water resistance score that retains it secure from dips within the pool and a vivid 165-Hz OLED display that’s straightforward to learn in sunny situations. And sure, you’ll be able to flip open the telephone to reply a name and flip it shut to finish it.
When closed, the enlarged 4-inch OLED cowl display can present you notifications, apps, and useful widgets to verify the climate, calendar occasions, and information. It even allows you to play some enjoyable mini-games. You need to use the superior main cameras—sometimes on the “again” of the telephone however are actually on the entrance—to snap selfies and see previews on this exterior display. They’re among the sharpest selfies you’ll snap.
Open it up and there is a 6.9-inch display that capabilities like a normal telephone. There’s nonetheless a crease on the display the place the gadget folds, however I did not discover it annoying. It is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset, a barely lesser-performing processor versus the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 discovered on different high-end Android gadgets in 2024. That stated, efficiency was easy, because of the 12 GB of RAM, even when enjoying video games. You get different standard-fare accouterments like NFC for tap-to-pay by way of Google Pockets, wi-fi charging, and 256 GB of inner storage.
This Razr+ completely makes use of Motorola’s new Photograph Enhancement Engine, which the corporate says makes use of synthetic intelligence to supply higher photographs. Certainly, these photographs are among the finest you may snap on any Motorola telephone, nevertheless it’s nonetheless enjoying catch-up with a lot of the competitors. Photographs take a while to course of, too, so you may should get used to that. It isn’t an ideal digicam system, however I used to be usually proud of a lot of the outcomes.
I want Motorola had saved the ultrawide digicam. In its predecessor, utilizing the entrance display as a preview made it easy to take selfies with others. Now, with the default 50-MP most important digicam, becoming extra individuals into the body is a problem. The ultrawide has been changed by a 2X telephoto lens. Whereas I am often a fan of zooming in, the zoom degree is underwhelming, and the standard is mediocre.
There is a 4,000-mAh battery on the Razr+, and it will get you thru a full day with common use, however heavy customers most definitely might want to high up earlier than the day’s finish. That is nearly the one most important gripe I’ve with this telephone. It is tremendous enjoyable and satisfying to make use of, appears to be like nice within the new sizzling pink colour, and runs properly with a strong digicam system. My professional tip? Look ahead to a sale.
That is the most affordable folding telephone you should purchase within the US, particularly on sale. In comparison with the Razr+, the Razr (7/10, WIRED Recommends) has a barely smaller entrance display. You may’t see as a lot info at a look, nevertheless it’s nonetheless sufficiently big to view some apps, notifications, and entry widgets. Inside is the same OLED 6.9-inch display with as much as a 120-Hz refresh charge. It retains the ultrawide as a substitute of the telephoto, and the digicam system is general strong—not horrible, not superb. The 4,200-mAh battery does last more than the Razr+, although the gadget falls quick in efficiency. Powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 with 8 GB of RAM, I simply encountered extra sluggish habits that generally made it annoying to make use of.
The Greatest Trad Moto Telephone
This telephone is incessantly on sale for $330, and it is a no-brainer for anybody on a funds. You get a big 6.6-inch AMOLED display with a 144-Hz display refresh charge and speedy efficiency because of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset. It isn’t a flagship chipset, however sufficient to ship snappy app launches and lag-free gameplay, and it is leagues higher than the efficiency you may discover on the opposite Motorola telephones featured beneath.
It has all of the fundamentals from NFC so you’ll be able to pay along with your telephone by way of Google Pockets, plus an IP68 water resistance score, making certain it will not succumb to a drop within the pool. It helps wi-fi charging, comes with 256 GB of storage, and packs some fairly loud Dolby Atmos stereo audio system. I used it as my each day telephone for 2 weeks, and it carried out remarkably properly. The 5,000-mAh battery comfortably lasts a full day with common use and sometimes can go properly into the second day earlier than a top-up. Use the Edge closely, and it is firmly within the charge-once-a-day territory.
I do have a number of gripes, although. The Edge makes use of a so-called waterfall show, the place the glass on the entrance curves into the perimeters for a extra immersive look. It definitely appears to be like fancy, however I’ve had a number of moments the place my fingers holding the telephone’s edges disrupted an motion I used to be making an attempt to finish with my different hand. This has lengthy been a difficulty on telephones with curved screens. It is easy to get used to and alter your grip shortly, nevertheless it’s annoying.
Second, the 50-MP most important digicam has a little bit of shutter lag, which might be irritating if you’re making an attempt to seize transferring topics (like my canine, who will not sit nonetheless). The pics you may get out of it are strong, completely acceptable photographs in the course of the day. The distinction is just a little too robust generally, and it would not deal with high-contrast scenes all that nice, however there’s good element. In low mild, you may encounter a number of extra blurry photographs as a consequence of that shutter lag and shaky arms, but when the situations are proper, you may get some sharp, in-focus photographs. That is the place a telephone just like the Google Pixel 9a handily beats the Edge 2024.
Sadly, Motorola guarantees solely two Android OS upgrades (as much as Android 16) and three years of safety updates to the Edge 2024. The Pixel 9a will get seven years of software program assist. That is one in all Motorola’s largest weaknesses, however this is probably not as a lot of a difficulty at its frequent $330 sale value. For those who’re questioning a few successor, the Motorola Edge launched in June 2024, so you’ll be able to count on a follow-up this summer season.
Greatest Moto G Telephone
The Moto G Stylus 2025 is one of the best Moto G telephone proper now, which is perhaps a given contemplating it is the priciest mannequin within the household. Nonetheless, for $400, it is among the finest smartphone values in the marketplace. Because the title suggests, it comes with a built-in stylus—the one different telephone with that function is Samsung’s $1,300 Galaxy S25 Extremely.
It is a slim and superbly blue telephone. My mother stated it regarded good. Even a stranger stopped me to ask what telephone I used to be utilizing! The Surf the Internet blue actually pops with the vegan leather-based again, although you may get it in a extra muted Gibraltar Sea colour. You may discover a headphone jack on the underside, a rarity in right this moment’s smartphone local weather, and pop open the SIM tray to discover a spot so as to add a microSD card, one other quickly disappearing function. Motorola additionally contains 256 GB of storage, a pleasant bump in comparison with pricier smartphones that provide solely 128 gigs.
You get a 120-Hz AMOLED 6.7-inch display that is lots vivid in sunny situations, and passable, stutter-free efficiency with the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset. It may not really feel the speediest, however that is the smoothest-performing Moto G; I’ve hardly ever seen uneven animations within the interface. Talking of, there’s a great deal of bloatware apps within the Android 15 working system, however they’re straightforward to uninstall.
The 5,000-mAh battery in tow has incessantly lasted a full day for me with roughly 35 % left by bedtime, with common to excessive use. It isn’t fairly a two-day telephone. You may high it again up pretty shortly with Motorola’s 68-watt TurboPower charging system, however I’ve largely juiced it with my Qi wi-fi charger with no issues.
