The sweet spot for cost for many of Motorola’s smartphones these days is somewhere around the £200 mark; however, the Moto G62 5G achieves that pricing aim dead-on (well, you’ll receive 1p change from that). It is going to be a strong contender for a lot of folks who are searching for a reasonable 5G-ready phone that doesn’t break the bank.
It’s the kind of affordable phone that can check off a lot of boxes, thanks to its fluid 120Hz display, its 50Mp camera, its robust construction, its 5G connectivity, and the brand’s incredibly streamlined software. However, is it able to stand out in a crowded market, and will the inevitable tariff imposed by 5G be money well spent?
Design & Build
- The body is made of solid, clean plastic.
- USB-C, a port for headphones of 3.5 millimeters, and stereo speakers
- Integrated fingerprint reader in the power button on the side
For better or for worse, Motorola is the undisputed king of producing low-cost devices that are incapable of leaving a lasting impression on the consumer. The Moto G62 features a design that is not very unique or distinctive but using it on a day-to-day basis is relatively easy and uncomplicated.
The design of the phone, like the price of the phone, is just right, like Goldilocks. It does not stand out for being incredibly portable due to its dimensions of 161.8 x 74 x 8.6mm and its weight of 184g, but neither is it overly difficult to manipulate either.
The phone has a sturdy and unobtrusive plastic shell, and the back panel has a pleasingly smooth texture and a softly curved design. The overall feel of the phone is reassuring, but it is also easy to forget about.
There is also a model available in a darker Midnight Grey color, in addition to the lighter Frosted Blue that is featured on the review unit that I have. According to the results of this test model, none one of them is expected to have exceptionally light sweating fingerprints. The body of the phone is treated with a water-repellent coating, which Motorola characterizes as “water-repellent.” This coating allows the phone to withstand the occasional splash of rain, but it does not provide the expensive peace of mind of a true IP classification.
Although it’s not exactly what you’d call quick, there’s a fingerprint sensor tucked away behind the power button on the right edge of the device. It’s not perfect, but it’s dependable enough. The 3.5mm jack, the USB-C port, and one of the two speakers that deliver an accurate stereo sound profile when the phone is held in the landscape viewing orientation are all located on the bottom of the device.
When viewed in its entirety, the design of the Moto G62 is unmistakably Motorola; it is robust, secure, and comfortingly mundane. In other words, exactly what the majority of people are looking for when spending $200.
Screen
- 6.5in FHD+ LCD
- 120Hz refresh rate
- Solid color accuracy
In previous years, Motorola has developed the unfortunate practice of equipping some of its more cheap phones with small 720p displays. As a result, I am glad to inform you that Motorola has upgraded the display on the Moto G62’s 6.5-inch screen to Full HD+ (1080 x 2400) resolution. The ease with which one can use the phone is drastically improved as a result of this.
Since it is still just an IPS LCD, the colors aren’t particularly vibrant, and the blacks have a rather muted appearance in comparison to even the most basic of OLED displays. However, once you set it all the way up to its maximum brightness—which I measured to be an unremarkable 438 nits with the auto-brightness feature disabled—it becomes relatively easy on the eyes.
As a result of Motorola’s implementation of a full 120Hz refresh rate, navigating menus and web content feels very smooth and natural. Or at the very least, it has the potential to be, provided that the restricted processor and RAM of the phone aren’t generating any micro-hitches (more on that below).
When it comes to the accuracy of the colors displayed, the Saturated display mode, which is the default setting, produces a slightly exaggerated profile that works better with the more saturated DCI P3 color space. If you switch to the alternative Natural mode, you will end up with something that is more accurate in the more traditional sRGB area. It will have a gamut coverage of 97.1%, a gamut volume of 99.1%, and a strong average Delta E score of 1.19.
To put it another way, the display on the Moto G62 may not have an extremely vivid or dazzling appearance, but it is quite precise.
Specs & Performance
- Snapdragon 480+ 5G processor
- 4GB of RAM
- 5G connectivity
A Snapdragon 480+ 5G processor may be found inside the Moto G62 that was developed by Motorola. This is essentially the same entry-level processor that is used in the Nokia XR20 and the Oppo A54 5G; the only difference is that a handful of the cores in this processor run at a faster speed.
The Moto G62 follows in the footsteps of those two phones in that it was not exactly known for its quick performance, and this is especially true given that it only has a meager 4GB of RAM supporting it.
The aforementioned competitors, as well as the Poco M4 Pro 5G with its MediaTek Dimensity 810, are bested by the Poco M4 Pro 5G’s multi-core Geekbench score of 1712. It’s about on par with the Redmi Note 11 and its Snapdragon 680 in terms of performance.
In terms of the GPU, the Moto G62 scores consistently slightly higher than the Poco M4 Pro 5G, and significantly higher than the Redmi Note 11 across all of the GFXBench tests that I put it through. This makes it a little more remarkable.
Moto G62 benchmarks
Aside from that, the Moto G62 has a storage capacity of only 64GB, which isn’t exactly impressive. However, there is a microSDXC slot available in case you want to enhance the storage capacity.
Another remarkable feature of the Moto G62 is its ability to connect to 5G networks. It is not unheard of to pack super-fast network access onto a device that costs less than £200, but I have never seen it paired with a display that refreshes at 120 hertz and a processor that is just minimally improved from the Snapdragon 480+.
Naturally, I would argue that cramming expensive 5G technology into a phone with such a low price tag would unnecessarily hinder its performance in other areas. If, however, you insist on having top-notch network speeds for your £200 investment, you will do well to find a better option elsewhere.
Cameras
- 50Mp wide camera
- 8Mp ultra-wide
- Pointless 2Mp macro sensor
The primary camera on the Moto G62 from Motorola features a resolution of 50 megapixels, a 1/2.76-inch sensor, and does not have optical image stabilization (OIS).
This is supported by an ultra-wide camera with only 8 megapixels and a macro camera with only 2 megapixels. There is a 16-megapixel sensor located around the front of the device for taking selfies.
From what I can see, the camera system on this and the more affordable Moto G22 are very much identical, with the exception that the latter includes a 2-megapixel macro sensor.
As was the case with the Moto G22, the primary camera on this device is able to take photographs that are fairly detailed and accurate in terms of color reproduction — at least when the available light is sufficient. When the light level is reduced even slightly, such as when shooting indoors during the day, there is a significant loss of detail and an increase in noise.
The images captured in night mode are awful, with an excessive amount of grain and an overall washed-out tone. It is quite evident that this situation is not helped by having a tiny sensor, not having OIS, and having restricted processing capability for images.
The 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera, just like the one on the Moto G22, has a terrible loss of detail. Even while Motorola matches the tone of the main sensor more effectively than many other budget phone manufacturers, you shouldn’t put too much stock in this sensor because it’s not very accurate.
Selfies taken using the front camera, which has a resolution of 16 megapixels, have an appearance that is generally hazy and lacks distinction, and the color palette is washed out. In general, the G62 is adequate for producing social media postings that are usable when shot under inadequate lighting.
Battery Life & Charging
- 5000mAh battery
- Genuine two-day potential
- Very slow 15W charging
The Moto G62 includes a battery that has a huge capacity of 5000mAh. When combined with the phone’s relatively simple hardware, it will allow you to go through a day of heavy use with plenty of power left over.
I discovered that I could make it through a long day of 16 hours with only 4 hours and 30 minutes of screen time, and I would still have a little bit more than half a tank left to play with afterward. This is an impressive performance, especially when one takes into account the fact that this was accomplished while maintaining a refresh rate of 120 Hz. I have a sneaking suspicion that you would be able to get through a full two days of intensive use without too much trouble if you used the device in its default auto mode.
The typical PCMark Work 3.0 battery test was impossible for me to complete because it would always result in an error notice at the very end. On the other hand, I did try a looping video while the airplane mode was engaged, and it worked for a total of 17 hours and 36 minutes before it ran out of battery.
Although that is not the best result available, in comparison to other phones in its price range, it is fairly competitive.
In general, Motorola equips its more affordable phones with charging bricks that are less efficient, and the Moto G62 is not an exception to this rule. As with the Moto G22, you only get a pitiful 15W charger in the package, which was only enough to bring my battery up to 21% after thirty minutes of charging. It took an agonizing 2 hours and 44 minutes to completely charge the battery from empty.
Software
- Android 12
- Subtle yet useful embellishments
- Only impacted by slow hardware
When it comes to software, a Motorola phone is never a bad choice because the company has the good taste and good wisdom to leave things alone when they are working properly.
This is Android 12 in a form that is very close to the stock version; the only things that quickly identify it as a Motorola device are a custom clock widget and some elegant wallpapers that the user has created themselves. Despite the fact that this display is not an OLED one, the business has also implemented a genuinely helpful always-on mode for it.
The majority of the significant adjustments are stealthily tucked away in the Moto app, which offers a convenient (and once again, tastefully handled) color-coded center for all of your personalization needs, including gesture-based shortcuts, lock-screen customization, and game-enhancing capabilities.
Motorola’s user interface is the one that comes to mind when I think about which Android version should serve as a model for other manufacturers of low-cost phones.
The most significant disadvantage of the Moto G62’s user interface, which is shared by Motorola’s other budget-friendly smartphones, is that it does not respond particularly smoothly. This is a hardware issue rather than a software issue, but it does have a negative impact on something that, if it weren’t for this, would be a very smooth and user-friendly experience.
Price & Availability
The Moto G62 can be purchased for a price of £199.99 in the United Kingdom and €249.99 in Europe. Although there is only one storage capacity option (4/64GB), customers in the UK can choose between Midnight Grey and Frosted Blue for their device’s casing.
It is available for purchase from Motorola, Currys, Amazon Argos, John Lewis, and Laptops Direct, among other places. In order to access the 5G service in the United States, you will need to purchase the $399 Moto G 5G rather than this phone because it is not available there.
The Moto G62 will have to compete with a wide variety of low-cost smartphones, such as the Realme 9i and the Redmi Note 11, given its price point. If, on the other hand, we’re talking about phones with 5G capabilities that cost approximately £200 and are accessible in the UK, then you’re looking at devices like the Oppo A54 5G and the Samsung Galaxy A22 5G, neither of which are younglings.
In point of fact, when examined through the lens of 5G, the Moto G62 possesses some rather competitive specifications, particularly with its 120Hz display.
You can find further possibilities in our table of the best budget phones and the best inexpensive 5G phones.
Verdict
It can appear to be a rather run-of-the-mill phone, but if you search about it, you could have a hard time finding another phone that provides you with the same exact features that the Moto G62 does.
Despite the fact that it does not stand out in any one particular area, the combination of a 120Hz display, a very current Snapdragon 480+ chipset, 5G connection, and a price tag of £200 is surprisingly tough to find in other smartphones. It has great endurance, and the light-touch user interface that Motorola uses is still the best of its kind in the inexpensive phone market.
The most significant disadvantage of this scenario is a common one. At this point in the market, where margins are so thin, 5G connection appears to be an unnecessary extravagance. It is one that invariably takes a toll on the performance, storage space, and charging speeds of the device.
Consider purchasing a phone that solely supports 4G if you want to get the most out of your £200 investment. However, if you are adamant about having 5G connectivity, the Moto G62 is one of the more cost-effective options available to you.
Specs
- Android 12
- 6.5in, FHD+, LCD, 120Hz, flat display
- Side-mounted fingerprint sensor
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 480+ 5G
- 4GB LPDDR4 RAM
- 64GB storage
- 50Mp, f/1.8 main camera
- 8Mp ultra-wide camera
- 2Mp macro
- Up to 1080p @ 60fps rear video
- 16Mp front-facing camera
- Stereo speakers
- Dual-SIM
- Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
- Bluetooth 5.1
- 5000mAh battery
- 15W charging
- 161.83 x 73.96 x 8.59 mm
- 184g
- Launch colors: Midnight Grey, Frosted Blue