Motorola Moto G84 5G review: Surprisingly good
In recent years, Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco in particular have dominated the smartphone market between 200 euros and 300 euros with high-priced devices. In my opinion, Samsung, OnePlus, OPPO and Co. couldn't quite keep up. Fortunately, the Motorola Moto G84 5G is now a very interesting smartphone for a fair price that doesn't have to hide from Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco.
For a recommended retail price of 299 euros (current market price around 229 euros), customers may have to make compromises on the processor on paper, but the 120 Hz OLED display, the 5.000 mAh battery and the 50 megapixel dual camera give a lot of hope. You can read how the Moto G84 performed after a few days of intensive use in this detailed test report.
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Conclusion
The Motorola Moto G84 5G is an entry-level smartphone that does not have any significant weaknesses. It impresses with a light and slim design, a bright OLED display with 120 Hertz, almost pure Android, a long battery life, solid stereo speakers and a decent main camera. Even the performance is surprisingly good despite the outdated Qualcomm Snapdargon 695, so there is no reason for me not to choose the Moto G229 for currently around 84 euros. Keep it up Motorola!
Buy Motorola Moto G84 5G
Design and display – above average
When I picked up the Motorola Moto G84 5G for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised by its weight and thickness. It weighs just 166,8 grams and, at just 7,6 mm, is currently one of the thinnest smartphones on the market. Paired with the well-made frame and the high-quality back made of vegan leather, this means that the G84 sits comfortably in the hand and can be easily operated with one hand in many situations. Despite the angular frame, it looks anything but sharp-edged and the “Viva Magenta” color provides a refreshing change. If you like something a little more subtle, you can also choose the model in “Marshmallow Blue” or “Midnight Blue”, which are only made of “normal” plastic.
The front is dominated by a 6,5-inch OLED display, which is made of...prosurrounded by thin edges. I would like to give Motorola a lot of praise here, because from the front this smartphone definitely doesn't look like an entry-level device. Samsung in particular can learn a lesson here.
I find the quality of the screen to be above average for the price offered. Thanks to the smooth refresh rate of 120 Hertz, animations are played back as smoothly as butter, which significantly improves the user experience. The resolution of 2.400 x 1.080 pixels is completely satisfactory and colors are displayed intensively but still sufficiently realistically. A positive highlight is the maximum brightness of over 1.000 nits. Even in bright environments, content on the display can still be read easily.
Software & Performance – better than expected
Almost pure Android 13 is used as software. It is very simple, but still comes with some useful functions. The Moto gestures are of course back on board. The G84 should be provided with security updates for three years, which is absolutely fine for under 300 euros.
Under the hood is the Snapdragon 695 from Qualcomm, which is now a bit outdated. I would have liked to have seen a more recent processor, but the everyday performance is actually quite good, which I would not have thought. Apps start up quickly and stuttering occurs very rarely. The G84 is not impressively fast, but it runs nice and consistently and smoothly. Switching between multiple apps also works perfectly thanks to the 12 GB of RAM. The processor only quickly reaches its limits when playing (intensive games).
The internal memory is an impressive 256 GB, which is not something you find very often in this price range. In addition, the memory can procan be easily expanded via a MicroSD card.
Battery - lasts a long time
Inside is a 5.000 mAh battery, which can be fully charged in around 30 minutes using the included 90-watt power adapter. This is by no means a top value, but for under 300 euros I am completely satisfied with the charging speed. Wireless charging is of course not possible in this price range - except for that Telekom T-Phone Pro – no other current smartphone offers.
I had no problems with the battery life during my test phase. I am always proI got through a day without charging without any problems and even 1,5 days were often possible. At the end of the day, with a screen-on time of 3 to 5,5 hours, I still had at least 38 percent and a maximum of 64 percent battery left. Even heavy users should be able to get through a day without charging with the Motorola Moto G84 5G.
Camera – decent main sensor
There is space for a dual camera on the back, which is set up as follows.
- 50 megapixel main camera (1/1.5 inch), f/1.9, OIS
- 8 megapixel ultra wide angle camera (1/4.0 inch), f/2.2, 120˚
For under 300 euros, the main camera delivers rock-solid results. In good lighting conditions, many details are retained, even if shots occasionally appear slightly over-sharpened and the noise level increases significantly towards the edges. The dynamic range, on the other hand, is really good and colors are mostly reproduced naturally. In poor lighting conditions I would have expected photos to be rather unusable, but that's not the case! The night mode ensures pleasantly bright, color-fast and sufficiently sharp lowlight shots.
The ultra-wide-angle camera, on the other hand, is much less spectacular. Here you get the usual standard fare from the entry-level class. She proUnfortunately, it produces quite blurry and washed-out images, but it can still be used (to some extent) for one or two snapshots.
Other – stereo speakers, vibration motor etc.
The Moto G84 is equipped with stereo speakers, which is unfortunately anything but a given for less than 300 euros. I would like to praise Motorola for this, but is the sound quality also convincing? Yes and no! A stereo sound is produced, which in my opinion sounds better than mono sound, but it sounds relatively thin. Especially at high volumes, the sound quality is no longer good and sometimes even slightly unpleasant. However, at low volume I am completely satisfied with the sound. Compared to the competition with mono speakers, the Moto G84's stereo speakers are significantly better.
With the vibration motor you get the usual standard fare. It doesn't give a particularly high-quality feel in the hand, but at least it's not as annoying as some other smartphones in this price range. The competition from Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco are noticeably superior to the Moto G84 when it comes to the vibration motor.
Last but not least, I would like to talk about the fingerprint sensor. This is located under the display and unlocks the smartphone quickly and reliably. However, it could be positioned a little higher up for my taste.