The Moto G Power 2025 is Motorola’s budget-friendly mid-range smartphone, priced around $300. This device promises impressive features for the price, including IP68 water resistance, wireless charging, and an ultra-wide camera with autofocus—unusual for budget phones.
But with all that power packed into an affordable price tag, how does the Moto G Power 2025 stack up against other smartphones in its price category? In this review, we’ll take a detailed look at the phone’s design, performance, camera quality, and battery life to determine whether it’s truly worth the investment or just another phone with too many compromises. Let’s find out.
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Design and Build
The Moto G Power 2025 offers a clean and solid design with a plastic frame and an Eco leather back panel, which feels premium despite being a budget device. The flat back seamlessly integrates into the camera housing, which houses a 50MP main camera and an 8MP ultra-wide camera.
The phone feels large but is solid in hand, with just the right amount of heft to indicate durability. The inclusion of IP68 water and dust resistance is a pleasant surprise, especially at this price point, meaning the device can survive submersion in water and can withstand splashes and dust.
In addition, the Moto G Power 2025 also meets military-grade standards for durability against extreme temperatures, which is a remarkable feature for a phone in this segment. Despite being built out of polycarbonate, the device feels durable and can handle daily use without feeling fragile. The side-mounted fingerprint reader is integrated into the power button, making it convenient for quick unlocks.
However, the phone’s overall design remains straightforward, with thick bezels around the display that make it feel slightly dated compared to more modern phones that have smaller bezels. Overall, the Moto G Power 2025 is a solid phone that offers a good balance of durability and design, though it doesn’t break any design boundaries.
Display, Multimedia, and Biometrics
The Moto G Power 2025 comes with a 6.8-inch LCD display, offering a 120Hz refresh rate, which is an excellent feature for the price. The large size of the screen makes it ideal for media consumption and browsing, though it’s an LCD, not an OLED. The display is sharp enough for everyday tasks, but the lack of deep blacks that OLED screens offer is noticeable. The backlighting of the screen is uneven, which can sometimes result in a less-than-ideal viewing experience. Additionally, the display is more reflective than typical OLED panels, making outdoor use under direct sunlight somewhat difficult. On the bright side, the maximum brightness can reach around 550 nits, and with auto mode, it can go as high as 1,000 nits, which is decent for an LCD.
In terms of multimedia, the Moto G Power 2025 has stereo speakers that offer good volume levels and decent sound quality at lower volumes. However, there is distortion at higher volumes, so while the audio is serviceable for casual media consumption, it doesn’t reach the quality expected from more premium devices. The phone also has a 3.5mm headphone jack, so users can enjoy wired audio if they prefer, which is a welcome feature for audiophiles.
For biometrics, the side-mounted fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button works quickly and reliably, providing fast access to the device. Additionally, the Face Unlock is available, but the performance can be inconsistent in low light, so it may not be the most reliable method of unlocking the phone.
OS, Apps, and UI
The Moto G Power 2025 ships with Android 15 and Moto UI, which provides a clean, stock Android experience with some additional Moto-specific features. Motorola’s Moto app allows users to customize gestures, personalization options, and security settings.
Moto Actions such as chop twice to turn on the flashlight and twist to launch the camera are simple yet practical features that improve the overall user experience. One standout feature is Moto’s Smart Connect Hub, which allows users to connect their device to a PC, tablet, or display for better productivity and multitasking. This functionality was previously known as Ready For, and it’s great to see this included on a budget phone.
While the Moto G Power 2025 doesn’t come with an overwhelming number of customizations, the UI is intuitive and easy to navigate. The phone also comes with some bloatware in the form of pre-installed apps such as TikTok, WPS Office, and Block Blast, though most of these can be uninstalled. Motorola has promised at least two major software updates and three years of security patches, which is impressive for a budget device and ensures the phone will be supported for a reasonable amount of time.
Performance and Benchmarks
The Moto G Power 2025 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6300, an entry-level 5G chipset designed for budget devices. It offers decent performance for everyday tasks such as browsing, streaming, and light gaming, but it does fall behind when compared to higher-end chipsets in terms of raw power.
Benchmarks show that the Dimensity 6300 places the Moto G Power 2025 on the lower end of the performance spectrum. While you won’t experience thermal throttling due to the modest nature of the chipset, the phone can struggle with more demanding tasks, and you’ll likely encounter frame drops in graphically intensive games.
During our testing, basic games like PUBG Mobile ran at low settings with occasional frame rate drops. Modern games are not going to be smooth on this device, so it’s clear that the Moto G Power 2025 is best suited for daily tasks and casual use, rather than for power users or serious gamers. The device is also limited in multitasking capabilities, with slower app switching and lag if too many apps are open at once.
Battery Life
The Moto G Power 2025 is equipped with a 5,000mAh battery, which is a generous size for a budget phone. Despite its large battery, the phone delivers average battery performance. In our PCMark battery test, it scored 11 hours and 56 minutes, which is a decent result, but it’s not quite as long-lasting as some other devices in this price range. On a typical day, users should expect to get through the day with moderate use, including streaming, browsing, and social media, but it won’t be a standout performer in terms of battery endurance.
The phone supports 30W fast charging, though it ships without a compatible charger. Using a third-party charger, we managed to charge the device from 0 to 51% in about 30 minutes. A full charge takes just under 1.5 hours, which is fairly quick for a budget device. Additionally, there’s 15W wireless charging, which is an unexpected bonus at this price point. While the charging speed is decent, the battery life isn’t groundbreaking, and you may need to charge it more often compared to other budget phones with larger batteries.
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Connectivity
The Moto G Power 2025 supports 5G, Wi-Fi 5, and Bluetooth 5.0, providing fast and stable connectivity options. During our testing, we didn’t encounter any issues with Wi-Fi or cellular connections. The phone also features dual SIM capabilities, which is great for users who need separate lines for work and personal use. Call quality is clear, and we didn’t experience any connectivity drops during our time with the phone. NFC is also included for contactless payments, adding further value to the device.
Cameras
The Moto G Power 2025 is equipped with a 50MP main camera and an 8MP ultra-wide camera, both offering decent photo quality for a budget device. In daylight, the main camera produces vibrant colors and good contrast with wide dynamic range, but the detail retention is not great.
Photos can appear soft upon closer inspection, and zooming into images reveals loss of fine detail and some upscaling artifacts. While the camera does a good job with general shots in well-lit conditions, it’s clear that it’s not a top-tier sensor. The two-times zoom shots are acceptable but still suffer from the same issues of softness and lack of clarity.
The ultra-wide camera on the Moto G Power 2025 offers good dynamic range and punchy colors, but as with the main camera, it does not perform well in low-light conditions. It can take decent macro shots thanks to the autofocus feature, but the detail is still lacking when the light isn’t optimal.
Interestingly, there’s no automatic night mode, which can be a bit of a dealbreaker. Night shots look soft, noisy, and lack fine details, although enabling the night mode improves sharpness and reduces noise, albeit with artificial sharpening. The phone also struggles with noise and upscaling artifacts in low light.
The 16MP front-facing camera delivers solid selfie performance with natural colors and good dynamic range, though detail retention could be better. Overall, the Moto G Power 2025 is decent for quick snaps but doesn’t compete with higher-end devices in terms of photo quality, especially when dealing with low-light conditions or zoom shots. Video recording is limited to 1080p at 30fps, and while the footage is stable, it can be noisy and lacks sharpness, with the ultra-wide video being nearly unusable due to its poor quality.
Price
At around $300, the Moto G Power 2025 offers good value for its price. While it doesn’t excel in performance or camera quality, it does provide solid battery life, 5G support, and useful features like wireless charging and IP68 water resistance, which are hard to find in this price range. It’s an affordable choice for budget-conscious buyers who need a reliable smartphone for everyday use.
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Conclusion
The Moto G Power 2025 is a solid budget-friendly option for those who want good performance, reliable battery life, and decent cameras without breaking the bank. While it’s not the fastest phone on the market and has some camera limitations, it excels in offering premium features like 5G, IP68 water resistance, and wireless charging at an affordable price.
The Moto G Power 2025 is best suited for basic tasks, streaming, and light gaming, making it an excellent choice for budget-conscious consumers looking for a dependable device. However, if you’re seeking premium performance or advanced camera features, there are better options available.
FAQ About the Moto G Power:
1. How is the camera performance of the Moto G Power 2025?
- Answer: The Moto G Power 2025 features a 50MP main camera and an 8MP ultra-wide camera. While it delivers decent photos in well-lit conditions, low-light performance is lacking, and the camera lacks sharpness and detail, particularly in zoom shots.
2. Does the Moto G Power 2025 have wireless charging?
- Answer: Yes, the Moto G Power 2025 supports 15W wireless charging, which is a convenient feature typically found in higher-end smartphones but is a great addition in this budget range.
3. How long does the battery last on the Moto G Power 2025?
- Answer: The Moto G Power 2025 comes with a 5,000mAh battery, offering solid battery life that can easily last through a full day of moderate use, including streaming, browsing, and social media.
4. What’s the screen quality like on the Moto G Power 2025?
- Answer: The Moto G Power 2025 features a 6.8-inch LCD display with a 120Hz refresh rate. While it provides a smooth experience, the screen suffers from uneven backlighting and is more reflective than an OLED, making it difficult to use in bright sunlight.
5. Can the Moto G Power 2025 handle gaming?
- Answer: The Moto G Power 2025 can handle light gaming well, but demanding games will struggle on the Dimensity 6300 chipset. For titles like PUBG Mobile, you’ll need to play on lower graphics settings to avoid frame drops.
6. Is the Moto G Power 2025 a good value for money?
- Answer: Yes, the Moto G Power 2025 offers great value for money, with features like 5G, IP68 resistance, and wireless charging, making it an ideal budget smartphone for those looking for solid everyday performance.