Moto G84 Review: Moto says hello to the Moto G magic again!

It is one of the biggest brands in the smartphone world, and in spite of having seen its fair share of ups and downs, Motorola has always managed to get its head above the water after every hiccup. And after a brief lull, the brand seems to have set its sights on getting back to becoming a significant player in the Indian smartphone market.

While Motorola has launched some very high-end, innovation-forward smartphones (check the latest Razr foldables), the real stars of the Moto show are the mid-range smartphones that the company has been launching in recent times. To strengthen this mid-segment portfolio even further, the brand recently released the Moto G84, part of the iconic G series that spearheaded its comeback in 2013-14.

With a price tag of Rs. 18,999, the Moto G84 brings a number of strong specs and features to the table. But is that enough to help the phone survive in the uber-competitive price segment and make consumers go “Hello, Moto” in large numbers again?

Moto G84 Looks and design: A very Moto aesthetic, with a touch of Pantone

There is a new trend in the smartphone world, one where each brand launches phones with a very similar design language. May it be veterans like Apple, Samsung, or Google or a newbie like Nothing, all launch phones that look like they belong to the particular brand and the particular brand alone. Moto has also been following the same design thought, and the Moto G84 is part of it. The phone comes with a very distinct and a very Moto aesthetic.

The phone comes with flat sides, a slightly raised squarish camera unit with a metallic sheen, and two circular camera sensors paired with a flash. There is the iconic Moto logo bang in the middle, and the back comes with a vegan leather texture, which is a refreshing touch in the sea of glass and plastic backs (and glass and plastic trying to look like metal) in the tech world. Thanks to its partnership with Pantone, Motorola also has exclusive rights to its color of the year in the phone space – the Viva Magenta color, which is Pantone’s color of the year. While the color on the back is the same, the metallic shine of the camera unit provides a much-needed contrast from the slightly muted texture of the rest of the back. For those who prefer their phones to be a little subtle, the G84 also comes in two other more ‘regular’ colors but with basic plastic backs.

The left side of the frame holds the SIM card tray, while the right side is home to the volume buttons and the power/lock button. The top of the phone is plain, while the base does all the heavy feature lifting. It holds the speaker grille and the USB Type C port, and there is even a 3.5 mm audio jack there. The front is pretty regular looking where the face is basically all display paired with really thin bezels and dot notch to hold the selfie camera. Moto also uses a PoLED display on the G84 and brings a chin that is in symmetry with the rest of the bezels on the display.

The device weighs 167 grams and measures 160 x 74.4 x 7.6 mm. The Moto G84 is a very good-looking device. While it may seem like a “regular” mid-segment smartphone from afar, the vegan leather finish on the back, the stand-out Viva Magenta color, and the symmetrical bezels on the front all together give it a very premium look up close. It sits quite well in hand, does not feel too big or heavy, and comes with IP 54 splash and dust resistance as well.

Moto G84 Specs and Performance: Solidly mid-segment, with lots of memory!

The Moto G84 is powered by the slightly old-ish Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 paired with a surprising 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage – this sort of RAM and storage is rare at this price point. Yes, there are phones with better and newer processors in the range, but the Snapdragon 695 performs quite well in everyday use and those dollops of memory help. The Moto G84 brings a 6.5-inch PoLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1300 nits. The display is quite pleasant to use, bright enough to be used on a sunny day, and produces punchy and vibrant colors, making it great for content consumption. The phone comes with stereo speakers and even has a 3.5 mm audio jack for wired audio support, giving it a very strong media consumption edge.

The Moto G84 easily sailed through most regular tasks and moved from one app to another with ease. We could easily jump ship from a messaging app to a social media app to Netflix without any struggle. The Moto G84 works quite well in the casual gaming zone as well. Those who spend time Candy Crushing their way through the day or like running from the Police in Subway Surfer would really enjoy the experience on the Moto G84. That said, high-end gaming fanatics should steer clear of the phone. It can handle some heavy-duty games, but one would have to tone the settings down, which means you are not likely to get a full-blown, proper high-end gaming feel. 5G support means you can jump onto the fast network without missing a beat.

Moto G84 Cameras: Say cheese mainly to the main sensor

The Moto G84 comes with a 50-megapixel main sensor on the back with PDAF and OIS paired with an 8-megapixel ultrawide sensor. The star of the show is obviously the 50-megapixel main sensor, which captures pictures with rich, vibrant colors. It’s almost a bit too rich at times. Those who like realistic colors might get a bit turned off by this, but in a general sense, the colors from the main sensor are quite eye-pleasing.

It also delivers very impressive details in ample light conditions, and zooming in a little does not destroy the quality of the images completely. The highlight of the main camera has to be OIS, which helps in taking good low-light shots and proves to be very handy while capturing videos, even when things get a little shaky. That said, videos are also limited to 1080p at 30/60 fps. While the 8-megapixel sensor is average in terms of details, it delivers decent colors. We would recommend sticking to the main sensor for most of your shots.

The phone comes with a number of shooting modes as well, including Portrait and Pro modes. The portrait mode works quite well, with the edges of the subject not blurring and the bokeh produced being quite deep. The Pro mode allows you to tweak settings, letting your creative side take control. The Macro mode is, however, not as useful with details taking a hit. The 16-megapixel selfie sensor is quite decent as well and actually seems a little more realistic in terms of colors as compared to the main sensor. Some might find the colors to be a little muted, but we think it delivers good social media selfies.

Moto G84 Battery and OS

The Moto G84 is equipped with a 5,000 mAh battery, with support for 33W charging, and yes, there is a 33W charger in the box. The phone can easily see you through a day of heavy usage, which is quite decent in our book. It also gets charged at a good clip – 60 percent in about 30 minutes and completely in slightly over an hour and a half.

Their OS is one of the selling points of Moto phones, especially in the sub-Rs. 20,000 zone where not many devices come with stock Android. The Moto G84 runs on Android 13 out of the box. The interface is clean and clutter-free, which is very refreshing in a sea of phones that often come loaded with third-party apps and full-to-the-brim features.

The Moto G84 has a few added features that come pre-installed and a couple of third-party apps, but nothing too overwhelming. Those who like their devices loaded might not like the relatively plain sight of the Moto G84, but other than that, most would like the simple UI of the Moto G84. While stock Android is a major plus, Motorola only promises one OS upgrade, which is a bit of a letdown, as many brands offer at least two major updates.

Moto G84 Review Verdict: Should you buy it?

At its price of Rs. 18,999, the Moto G84 5G is a great prospect for those looking for a good all-rounder below Rs 20,000. It is in a very competitive zone, though – the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite comes with the same processor, almost similarly clean interface, and good cameras at a slightly higher price, while the Poco X5 Pro actually brings a more powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 778 chip and a very good display at almost the same price (thanks to a price cut). There is also the Samsung Galaxy M34, which has a slightly dated design but brings some very good specs and a superb camera to the table.

The fact that the Moto G84 can stand out in this zone tells you just how good a deal it is. The phone comes with a very premium, distinct design – that vegan leather back and the Viva Magenta color really stand out in the segment – as well as a good main 50-megapixel sensor with OIS, stock Android interface, good speakers, and a staggering amount of RAM at its price. The single-year OS upgrade and the slightly older processor might feel a bit limiting to some, but the Moto G84 still has enough to make it one of the top choices for anyone looking for a phone under Rs. 20,0000. In many ways, this is a classic Moto G, delivering a lot for not too much.

Buy Moto G84