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We might solely be a few weeks into the brand new yr, however Motorola has already launched its third Moto G telephone for 2026, and I have been utilizing it for the previous few weeks. After testing final yr’s Moto G Energy 2025, I had pretty tepid expectations for the Moto G Energy 2026, and rightfully so; the most recent mannequin is merely a minor spec bump over its predecessor, and in some methods, a downgrade.
There are some advantages to getting the newer mannequin, from having the most recent OS to the slight enhance in battery capability. Nevertheless, after a number of weeks with the Moto G Energy 2026, it hasn’t fairly satisfied me that it ought to exist, and Motorola might have been higher off skipping a yr, because it did with the Moto G Play in 2025.
Opening the field, you’ll be forgiven for mistaking this for the Moto G Energy 2025. The telephones are just about an identical in design; even the scale are the identical, right down to the millimeter. That stated, there are delicate variations within the digicam housing: The Moto G Energy 2025 was extra of a closed rectangular form, whereas the 2026 mannequin has a extra open form that followers out towards the system’s body.
It took me some time to note as a result of these two telephones are so comparable. Nevertheless, what I observed nearly instantly is how the telephone feels. Motorola’s marketing campaign towards glass pack panels continues into 2026, and the Moto G Energy 2026 has probably the most fabric-like texture I’ve seen or felt on a Motorola telephone, save for the Alcantara Razr Extremely 2025.
The way in which the feel is applied on the again makes it appear and feel like material till you get a more in-depth look, and even then, it could possibly nonetheless be arduous to inform. However regardless of its artificial nature, it makes the Moto G Energy 2026 really feel fairly grippy and a tad extra premium than even its predecessor.
It additionally means you may by no means have to fret about fingerprints smudging the system. It additionally helps with sturdiness; there is not any glass on the again to fret about breaking, and the spectacular MIL-STD-810H spec and IP68/IP69 water- and dust-resistance score imply I haven’t got to fret concerning the inclement Seattle climate ruining the telephone. The more durable Gorilla Glass 7i also needs to show extra sturdy than its predecessor, however I happily have not needed to put that to the check.
Sadly, a lot of the design kind of goes towards that premium really feel. The body matches the colour properly, however the telephone is slightly thick and barely boxy attributable to its flat sides. It is the identical 8.7mm thickness because the 2025 mannequin, however at a time when telephones are slimming down, it does really feel a bit unwieldy, even for a midrange system.
Then, shifting to the entrance, the slightly giant and uneven bezels additionally remind you that it is a low cost Android telephone. Fortuitously, the show itself is not too dangerous. It is solely a 120Hz LCD panel, however in my use, I discovered the colours surprisingly vibrant, and the brightness feels pretty enough, even at simply 1,000 nits. My solely challenge is that the auto brightness typically feels too aggressive or not aggressive sufficient, prompting me to manually alter it.
Except for the design, the Moto G Energy 2026 additionally borrows its predecessor’s processor. The MediaTek Dimensity 6300 is a succesful chip, nevertheless it’s not probably the most performant nor environment friendly. Curiously, it is also the identical chip used within the lower-end Moto G Play 2026 and Moto G 2026, though Motorola makes up for it right here with extra RAM. The result’s a telephone that may deal with each day duties, akin to shortly opening and juggling apps, however not a lot past that.
|
Class |
Moto G Energy 2026 |
|---|---|
|
Software program |
Android 16 |
|
Software program replace promise |
Two OS upgrades, three years of safety updates |
|
Show |
6.8-inch FHD+ (2388 x 1080), LCD, 120Hz refresh charge |
|
Chipset |
MediaTek Dimensity 6300 |
|
Storage |
128GB, expandable |
|
Reminiscence |
8GB |
|
Rear Digital camera 1 |
50MP wide-angle, f/1.8, 1.22μm (by way of pixel binning) |
|
Rear Digital camera 2 |
8MP ultrawide+macro imaginative and prescient, f/2.2, 1.12µm |
|
Rear Digital camera 3 |
Ambient gentle sensor |
|
Selfie Digital camera |
32MP, f/2.2, 1.28μm |
|
Water Resistance |
IP68/IP69 |
|
Safety |
Gorilla Glass 7i, MIL-STD-810H Certification |
|
Battery & Charging |
5,200mAh, 30W wired charging |
|
Connectivity |
5G, Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi 5, FM Radio |
|
NFC |
✔ |
|
Dimensions |
166.62 x 77.10 x 8.72mm |
|
Weight |
208g |
|
Colours |
PANTONE Night Blue, PANTONE Pure Cashmere |
Gaming is doable, however you may be unable to adequately get pleasure from graphics-intensive video games on the highest settings. I will play Honkai: Star Rail at excessive settings and 30fps, however something past that can noticeably push the telephone, with the body charge dropping to 10-20fps even in 60fps mode. To get smoother gameplay, you may wish to play in medium graphics settings, which can present nearer to 30fps on the expense of some graphics high quality.
The identical goes for The place Winds Meet, which can expertise lots of pop-in whereas taking part in, which will be distracting. That stated, it’s a very massive recreation, and you would be higher off taking part in it on a console.
Sadly, the 128GB of inside storage might maintain you from downloading too many high-quality video games anyway, though assist for expandable storage might assist if in case you have a microSD card mendacity round. I’ve needed to delete loads of gadgets with the intention to totally set up Honkai: Star Rail and The place Winds Meet.
As for the software program, the Moto G Energy 2026 runs the most recent model of Moto UX based mostly on Android 16. The general expertise is not a lot totally different from Motorola’s Android 15 software program, with seemingly no occasion of Google’s Materials 3 Expressive. That stated, you get the brand new Modes possibility borrowed from the Pixel that roughly takes over the Do Not Disturb button, letting you simply swap between pre-programmed or personalized modes.
I used to be totally shocked to see that bloatware was stored to a minimal. You could possibly decide in to put in some apps, however the one factor I needed to disable after setup was the Video games folder, which tries to shoehorn recreation suggestions from the Play Retailer. The Look lock display screen, tucked away in settings as “Sensible lock display screen,” can also be disabled by default, which I used to be joyful to see.
Sadly, there is no such thing as a At all times On Show, however you continue to get Motorola’s Sleep show, which helps you to work together with notifications and music controls with out totally waking up the system. Motorola’s gestures are additionally right here, akin to chopping the telephone twice to activate the flashlight, twisting it to activate the digicam, and a customizable quick-tap gesture that allows you to double-tap the again of the telephone. I used to be additionally joyful to see the Sidebar possibility right here for fast entry to my favourite apps.
Whereas AI is seemingly all over the place as of late, do not count on a lot of it right here. The MediaTek chipset does not appear too succesful in that regard, so that you’re restricted to Circle to Search and Gemini. Fortuitously, these are arguably two of a very powerful options Google has launched lately, so I am joyful that no less than these two are current.
Sadly, there have not been any notable enhancements within the digicam division. Many of the sensors are the identical as these on the 2025 mannequin, save for a brand new 32MP front-facing digicam. That is to not say picture high quality is dangerous, however you will not be notably impressed by the pictures. You may get some first rate pictures through the day with good lighting, however the pictures lack element and may get noisy in any other case.
That goes for the ultrawide digicam too, which doubles as a macro sensor. You’d suppose there is a third digicam sensor on the again, given the structure of the digicam housing, however what seems like a 3rd digicam is definitely an ambient gentle sensor that does not seem to supply a lot profit.
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The Moto G Energy 2026 actually shines within the battery division, due to the 5,200mAh battery. It is 200mAh bigger than its predecessor, and whereas I’d’ve hoped for a considerably bigger capability to actually drive residence the “Energy” in its title, it presents loads of energy. Motorola estimates as much as two days, though I have been capable of common simply over at some point with considerably heavy use.
The 30W charging helps, although it’s going to take about 40 minutes to go from 1 to 50% and just below 2 hours to succeed in a full cost. Given the big battery, that is not too sudden, though sooner charging could be good. Sadly, there is not any wi-fi charging, which is an odd omission given its presence on last-year’s mannequin.
In the end, the Moto G Energy 2026 is a stable telephone that feels an excessive amount of like its predecessor. The $300 worth is engaging sufficient that there is little motive to not purchase one should you’re in search of an inexpensive Android telephone, however you can even get away with final yr’s mannequin with roughly the identical expertise.
In fact, with Android 16 on board, you get OS upgrades as much as Android 18 and updates till 2029, in order that’s an additional yr of assist should you actually look after it. Nevertheless, for a similar worth, you can even take into account competing telephones with longer software program assist, akin to final yr’s Galaxy A26.
The Moto G Energy 2026 begins at $300 and is out there now at Verizon, with different carriers to observe within the coming months. Nevertheless, you could be higher off ready for the subsequent Moto G Stylus if you would like an excellent, inexpensive telephone.
Motorola
Moto G Energy 2026
Stable and low cost
The Moto G Energy 2026 could also be almost an identical to its predecessor, nevertheless it stays a stable telephone with nice battery life and a processor that may deal with each day duties.
