If you can’t wait for CES, Motorola has you covered. This morning, the company announced three updates to its beloved G-series smartphones along with the Motorola One 5G Ace, its least expensive 5G phone to date.
Moto G-Series
The new budget trio is made up of the Moto G Play, Moto G Power, and Moto G Stylus. If those names sound familiar, it’s because Motorola discontinued its sequential naming convention last year. And although the names may be the same, the entire lineup got a sleek makeover for 2021, with each phone sporting a unique style.
Coming in at $169.99, the Moto G Play is the least expensive of the bunch and is available in blue and gray. It sports a 6.5-inch HD+ display with a teardrop notch for the 5MP selfie camera. On the back you’ll find Motorola’s familiar fingerprint sensor, but the round camera module that has graced the back of Motorola’s phones for years is gone. In its place you’ll find a square camera stack with a 13MP primary lens and a 2MP depth sensor.
Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 processor and 3GB of RAM, the G Play should handle basic tasks and games with ease. There’s 32GB of storage on board and a 5,000mAh battery.
If you’re willing to spend a little more money, the Moto G Power hits the sweet spot for budget phones. Starting at $199.99, the G Power sports a 6.6-inch HD+ display. A 8MP selfie cam peeks out from the hole punch at the top of the screen. It’s available in blue, gray, and silver.
There’s the same square camera module on the back of the phone as you’ll find on its less expensive sibling, albeit with a 48MP primary lens and 2MP macro and depth lenses. And that familiar Motorola fingerprint sensor we mentioned has been replaced with one integrated into the power button on the side of the phone.
The G Power features a midrange Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 chipset that should provide plenty of power for most casual users. The base model comes with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, but there’s a 4GB/64GB option available for an extra $50. Its 5,000mAh battery should get even the most aggressive users through a full day.
Rounding out the bunch is the Moto G Stylus. Available in black and white, the phone sells for $299 and features an integrated stylus for note taking and photo edits. The front of the phone is dominated by a 6.8-inch FHD+ display with a hole punch for its 16MP camera.
Flip the G Stylus over, and you’ll find rectangular camera stack on in the left corner with a 48MP primary lens, 8MP ultra wide lens, and 2MP macro and depth sensors. Following the lead of the G Power, the G Stylus’ fingerprint sensor is integrated into the power button.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 678 processor paired with 4GB of RAM offers plenty of power for multitasking and gaming. There’s 128GB of storage on board and a microSD slot for additional storage. The G Stylus’ 4,000mAh battery should easily get heavy users through the day without topping up.
Moto One 5G Ace
In addition to the G-series lineup, Motorola also announced its least expensive 5G phone. Starting at $399.99, the Motorola One 5G Ace works on sub-6GHz 5G networks.
Available in gray and silver, the One 5G Ace features a near bezel-less 6.7-inch FHD+ display with a hole punch for the 16MP camera. A square camera stack with a 48MP primary lens, 8MP ultra wide lens, and 2MP macro and depth sensors sit on the back of the phone.
Powered by a snappy Qualcomm 750G chipset, the One 5G Ace should be able to chew through just about anything you throw at it. In the US and Canada, the phone ships with 128GB of storage and 6GB of RAM. A 64GB/4GB version of the phone will be available in other regions. Motorola claims the One 5G Ace’s 5,000mAh battery will last two days between charges with average use.
Although Motorola’s newest additions offers something for just about every budget, there’s one drawback: All four phones ship with Android 10. Motorola says Android 11 upgrades are upcoming, but did not announce when users can expect to get it. The Android 11 upgrade is the only update the company will guarantee in addition to two years of security patches. That means Android 12 may never be in the cards for these phones.
The new Moto G series and the Motorola One 5G Ace are available for pre-order on the Motorola website now and will be available online and in stores on Jan. 14. In the coming months, you’ll be able to order the phones through most US carriers.
