The Moto G (2026) is Motorola's latest affordable phone that isn't the very cheap G Play or the slightly beefier G Power variant. The humble Moto G is a down-the-center handset with acceptable performance and admirable style. It doesn't innovate too much from last year's Moto G (2025), but it's a nice-looking phone, even if it's less powerful.
Motorola has refined its budget phones over the years, gradually incorporating features from premium handsets while making strategic compromises to keep the price low. However, at $200, this year's Moto G is a decent value that, fortunately, doesn't resemble a cheap device. It's nice to bring out an affordable phone that doesn't look like it's sheathed in thin plastic that could break at the slightest drop.
Three things I like about the Moto G (2026)
The rubber texturized back of the Moto G 2026 feels nice in hand. David Lumb/CNET
1. Colorful rubber design
I've already spoiled it, but the Moto G's design sets it apart from other $200 phones and is the first thing I like about it. The shiny metal sides are too reflective for my taste, but they blend well with the textured rubber material layered over the back of the phone. With a tasteful curve around the camera block and a subtle pattern, the material has a nice look and feel. Plus -- and this is rare for a bold color -- I actually like the fuchsia color and would pick it over the simpler black hue that the phone also comes in.
The Moto G 2026 only has one camera, a 50-megapixel main, but it's flanked by a 2-megapixel macro sensor for close-up shots, an ambient light sensor and a flash. David Lumb/CNET
2. One decent camera
I also like the cameras. Although there's essentially just the main 50-megapixel shooter, augmented by a 2-megapixel depth camera and an ambient light sensor, these components combine to produce good daylight photos and respectable low-light performance. I took some shots of an outdoor market as the sun set and a hotel lobby as daylight filtered in through the windows, both of which captured foreground detail and background sky. While I'd love the utility of an ultrawide camera, it's far more important for the main camera to be refined to take good shots with decent light balance. The 32-megapixel front-facing camera is a nice upgrade on last year's model, capturing selfies with light and a lot of detail.
3. OK software support for a $200 phone
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