Could the Moto G64 beat the Pixel 8a, Galaxy A55 in the mid-range game and become a “mid-range killer”?

*Header image: the Moto G54 Power Edition

And for the price that it’s going to be available in (it will first be released in India at the rough equivalent of just $275, direct conversion), I can’t help but wonder. Is the Moto G64 capable of kicking the yet-unannounced Pixel 8a and the recently-released Galaxy A55 out of their otherwise secure job positions? Are we going to have a “mid-range killer”? Let’s discuss it!

Moto G64: top aspects to get you all fired up

The Moto G64 is advertised under the banner of “Unleashing the beast” and will come with a new upper mid-range chip – the Dimensity 7025, a humongous 6,000mAh battery, and excellent charging capabilities (according to rumors, 33W fast charging).  

Apart from that, the phone is expected to come equipped with a big and gamer-friendly 6.5-inch display with FHD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and 240Hz touch sampling rate. All this is coupled with 12 gigs of RAM for seamless multitasking…

All in all, at least on paper the phone sounds very good for that price. It sounds even better than a phone for the price of around $300 tops. It’s a mid-range phone (despite this being a somewhat elusive category to define) so it’s bound to be able to take on the yet-unannounced Pixel 8a and Galaxy A55.

Moto G64 facing the Pixel 8a and the Galaxy A55

Before I dive into the comparison, I want to explain why the term “mid-range killer” is something that came to mind with this phone. The term (yep, it’s made up) takes its inspiration from the term “flagship killer”. This depicts a phone that’s cheaper than a flagship but in terms of specs and performance is as good as a flagship or even better.
That’s why I thought of the Moto G64 as a potential “mid-range killer”. Its expected price (around $275) is cheaper than the one expected for the Pixel 8a (which is by all means a mid-range phone), or the Galaxy A55. The 8a is expected to be priced at $499, while the Galaxy – €479. We’re met with a glaring price difference of more than $150-200. And the Moto comes with some very exciting specs…
The Moto G64 is said to come with a Dimensity 7025 chip. The Moto G54 Power Edition, which is somewhat almost the same phone as its ‘successor’ comes with MediaTek’s Dimensity 7020 processor.

For reference, check out how the Dimensity 7020 performs against the A55 and the Pixel 7a (we obviously haven’t tested the 8a yet, as it’s not official).

We expect the Dimensity 7025 to come with a better result. How much better it will actually be, however, is still unknown. We don’t expect a huge jump in performance though, so expect something along those lines.

As you can see, performance-wise the G64 isn’t a killer, per se, but as I like to underline, benchmarks aren’t necessarily indicative of real-life use. Our own Sebastian found the G45 Power a joy to use in real life, despite the weaker benchmark result.

He says in our Moto G54 Power review:

Of course, there are other things that come into play when we talk performance. Like, for example, software. But more on that, later.

The G64 is said to come with a huge 6,000mAh battery cell, which obviously blows the Pixel 8a‘s rumored 4,500 mAh and even the Galaxy A55‘s 5,000 mAh out of the water. For people who consider battery life one of the most important aspects of a phone (like me, for example), this is a huge deal. I’m always ready to forego portability and be stuck with a bigger phone just so I don’t have to ‘baby’ its battery every day. But what’s even cooler is that maybe the compromise I talk above may not have to be made here. Moto advertises the G64 as ‘thin and lightweight’ and it’s said to weigh just 192g, which would mean you get a big battery but you don’t have to carry a 300g phone for that.

As for charging, rumors expect the A64 to support 33W fast charging. The Pixel 8a is rumored to support 27W charging, and the Galaxy A55 comes at 25W. One bonus with the Moto though: you get the TurboPower charger in the box, something the other two contenders can’t really boast with.

Last but definitely not least in the list of strong sides of the Moto we have design. Images of the phone show fresh colors and an overall interesting look. I’m all about colorful phones done right, and at least judging by the renders of the device, this is one such case. We have a beautiful violet color, a sophisticated green, and a refreshing blue.

The Galaxy A55 colors

As for the material, the Moto is most likely going to be a plastic phone. Unfortunately, that’s where it could lose to the Galaxy A55‘s more premium glass feel. As for the Pixel, rumors are not saying if it will remain with a plastic back. However, if you’re one of the people who will snap a case on your phone anyway, the plastic back might not be a big deal breaker (and it’s more difficult to drop and destroy).  

What are the weak points in the otherwise very good Moto G64?

Nothing comes perfect in life, and although the Moto G64 has big potential, there have to be compromises for that price. And one big compromise is software updates.

It is said the phone will come with just one major Android update and three years of security updates. The Galaxy A55, on the other hand, has four years of Android updates secured, and five years of software patches. The Pixel 8a has a rumored software support of 7 years (we’ll see if this ends up true). One year just doesn’t cut it with the competition.

Also, another potential weak point for the Moto is the camera. On paper, it does have what it takes: a 50MP OIS camera with an 8MP ultra-wide and 8MP for macro and depth. The G54 Power has a similar camera setup (minus the 8MP macro which is 2MP). But the photos aren’t ideal, and they look pretty only under certain conditions.

I’m not going to delve into the camera too much as it’s possible Motorola has improved it with this year’s model. But you can clearly see that the Pixel and the Galaxy are way better at capturing realistic and beautiful photos. Just look at the blues and greens, and also look at sharpening, and you’ll get what I mean.

My prediction is that the Moto photos will remain pretty much similar to the G54 Power. This, put quite frankly, is another point that could prevent the Moto from ‘mid-range killing’ the other two guys.

Moto G64 vs Galaxy A55 vs Pixel 8a specs compared

(Keep in mind that the Pixel 8a specs are all as rumored, while some of the Moto G64 are confirmed)

*Unconfirmed Moto G64 specs

So, will the Moto G64 succeed in fighting off the Pixel and the Galaxy?

As you can see, this phone has a huge potential but some serious drawbacks as well. It will probably not have enough to kick the Pixel and the Galaxy out of contention, but it’s nonetheless an exciting opportunity to enjoy some serious power for a lower cost.

For some people, it will be exactly a ‘mid-range killer’, but for the majority, maybe it won’t. But as I said, the potential is there, so I’m feeling quite optimistic. If anything, tough competition is always a healthy thing.