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The latest Moto G Play wants to put entertainment above all else
Display and battery features were developed with streaming in mind
With every new smartphone that debuts, the bar is raised for manufacturers to develop even better products with more robust features. Gaming, photography, and video streaming are just some of the many activities we engage in on our smartphones, and they demand ample power and heightened performance. With that in mind, Motorola has developed a new device to meet all of these needs, and it will be universally unlocked.
Motorola’s new Moto G Play (2023) is a 2022 phone with 2021 specs and 2020 ambitions
A basic budget phone to kick off the new year
Although Motorola constantly works to impress us with affordable flagships and throwback clamshell foldables, the company's real legacy is its value-minded G-series. Before the arrival of the Pixel 3a and any of Samsung's Galaxy A-series of smartphones, Motorola managed to burst onto the scene with an affordable lineup of devices. As we barrel towards the new year, the Moto G Play is newly upgraded for 2023, but whether it'll make a big enough splash in an increasingly-crowded marketplace remains to be seen.
This Moto Razr deal saves you enough to buy a second phone for when you break it
Plus savings on more conventional Motorola devices, too
Although most of our attention might be on Google, Samsung, and OnePlus these days, Motorola still makes a ton of great phones to choose from across a variety of price points. Whether you're looking for a flagship gadget or a secondary device on a budget, there's a little something for everyone in the company's lineup. Motorola is currently having a sitewide sale in celebration of the anniversary of the original Moto Razr, making it a perfect time to finally pick up its foldable successor.
Moto G Play 2021 review, two months later: Updates are already a problem
A monster of a budget phone, but it's already four months out of date
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Every budget phone has its own mix of features and compromises, and this difference in the cocktail from model to model and brand to brand makes them unique. Some combinations are better than others, though, and the Moto G Play comes very near striking an ideal blend. It has good performance (for the price), pleasant software, fantastic battery life, and a big screen, all for just $170. But there is one big drawback: Motorola can't even keep up with Google's minimum requirements for updates a mere two months after the phone's release.
Motorola refreshes Moto G line, introduces new budget phones priced as low as $170
Plus, Moto's cheapest 5G phone yet
The original Moto G pioneered the mid-range phone space, and subsequent released have offered at least respectable value. After a few stumbles, we quite liked last year's Moto G Power and G Stylus. A new generation of budget Moto phones launch this very month, and three of them are Moto G phones. There are new, more powerful versions of the G Power and G Stylus, as well as a G Play priced at just $170. If you want to step up from the G, Motorola also has the new Motorola One 5G Ace, which is its cheapest 5G phone yet at $400.
We're fast approaching MWC with some of the major highlights of the event, like the Moto G5, seeing some serious leaks. Like I mentioned yesterday, good phones from last year should not be discounted simply because they're a year old. Such is the case with this returning deal here. The Moto G4 Play is available for $99.99 from B&H with a promo code, a total savings of $50.
If there's one thing Lenovorola (Motonovo?) has been consistently good at for its past few phones, it's releasing kernel source code quickly. The Moto G4 Play was made available for sale just last month, but its source code has already been published. This might be one of their quickest turnarounds yet.