I tested the Moto G Play (2026) for two weeks — here’s my pros and cons

I love me a good budget phone, but spending $500 for the Pixel 9a is still a fortune to some people. That’s why the sub-$200 cost of the Moto G Play (2026) is so appealing, especially when it comes with a sizable 6.7-inch 120Hz display, large 5,200 mAh battery, and what appears to be a confident 32MP rear camera.

For a phone that costs half as much as the cheapest iPhone, these are all very attractive qualities — but I know very well the trade-offs that come with making any phone this low. In my Moto G Play (2026) review, I’ll tell you exactly which areas this phone makes its compromises, some of its stronger selling points, and if it's really a best cheap phone contender.

Moto G Play (2026) review: Specifications

Moto G Play (2026) review: What I Like

Affordable cost

Above all, I can’t deny how the Moto G Play's $179 price is tough to overlook — it’s an immense amount of savings for a brand new phone. I could buy almost three of the Moto G Play (2026) for the same cost for one Pixel 9a.

Even though it’s not what I’d want for my daily driver, the Moto G Play does exactly all the basics that I need in a phone — like making phone calls, watching video reels to pass by the time, and replying back to important emails. I will add that the Moto G Play (2026) makes for a decent backup phone in the event my main one is somehow lost, misplaced, or getting repaired.

Long lasting battery life

Getting good battery life isn’t determined solely on whether a phone’s a flagship or not — and the Moto G Play (2026) confirms that sentiment. Its 5,200 mAh battery delivers surprisingly long-lasting results in our battery drain test, reaching a time of 18 hours and 50 minutes. That's better than other budget phones like the CMF Phone 2 Pro, Nothing Phone 3a, and Pixel 9a.

This easily catapults the Moto G Play into the top five of our best phone battery life list, with pricier models dominating the list. You’ll get all-day battery life with the Moto G Play (2026), which means you’ll be able to leave home for work and back with plenty of gas still left in the tank by the end of the day.

Charming design

Typically speaking, budget phones often look and feel cheap. But that’s not the case for the Moto G Play (2026) as it offers a convincing, somewhat fashionable design that surprises me.

Even though it follows the same design language as other recent Moto releases, like the ultra-thin Moto Edge 70, I really dig how the Play's vegan back leather casing gives it a charming look. That’s attributed to the Pantone Tapestry color it’s rocking, which contrasts nicely with its metallic frame.

All of this combines to not only make the Moto G Play look attractive for a budget phone, but it also feels incredibly well built.

Moto G Play (2026) review: What I Don't Like

Poor quality display

From the moment I turned on the Moto G Play, I could tell that it’s rocking a low quality screen despite the really good specs that come with it. For example, its 6.7-inch LCD panel comes with a 120Hz refresh rate, which is still pretty impressive to find on a phone that’s under $500 — let alone one that’s $179.

Unfortunately, the Moto G Play suffers from a shockingly low 1,604 × 720 resolution, weak brightness output, and heavy distortion at different viewing angles. Its pixel density count comes out to an anemic 263 ppi (pixels per inch), which is a far cry from the 400+ ppi you get in other phones. Likewise, its peak 941 nits of brightness makes it unusable outdoors while the sun’s out. Finally, there’s heavy distortion at even the slightest angles.

Sluggish performance

Another big trade-off here is the sluggish performance of the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 powering the latest Moto G Play. It’s simply not equipped to handle more demanding operations, such as editing video or playing graphically intensive games.

I’m able to get away with playing games to pass the time with titles such as Retro Drift, but graphically intensive ones like Diablo Immortal and Age of Origins play terribly in my experience. Controls are nowhere as tight, which is apparent in first person shooters.

Over on the productivity side, the Dimensity 6300 suffices for basic things like surfing the web, shopping on Amazon, and sending emails. I will say that its 120Hz display refresh rate helps to smoothen out animations, but it still exhibits jerky responses every now and then.

Camera underperforms

At first glance, it would seem that the Moto G Play (2026) is rocking a triple camera system of some kind by just looking at the camera arrangement on the back — but there’s only a single 32MP camera there. The other two lenses are just placeholders and do nothing more than give the illusion of a triple camera system.

I’m actually shocked by this because other budget Android phones come with at least two cameras: a main and ultrawide at the very least. This means that the 32MP rear camera is used for just about every kind of shoot — whether it’s a portrait, landscape, macro, or zoom.

I’m not surprised that the camera underperforms overall, but under the best settings it still puts out decent results. Take the shot of the New York City Public Library, which holds up nice to the OnePlus 15’s main camera.

Indoors, however, I really don’t like how the colors of the different kinds of peppers on the shelves appear washed out.

Those same muted colors become more exemplified with the macro shot of the flow I caught above, which also lacks the sharper and more detailed shot of the OnePlus 15.

Since it lacks a telephoto camera, all zooming is handled by the 32MP main camera. Due to the amount of digital zoom it needs to apply, you can see how it looks way softer with less detail at 8x zoom compared to the iPhone 17 Pro.

Under low light situations, the Moto G Play (2026) is darker, more noisy, and softer with its dedicated night mode. Despite its below average performance, I do like how Motorola adds a bunch of different shooting modes — including a Pro mode with access to manual controls.

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Moto G Play (2026) review: Verdict

Unless you’re really desperate, I’d recommend looking elsewhere for a cheap phone. Despite its attractive $179 cost, the Moto G Play (2026) just underperforms in too many areas to justify the savings. Cameras and performance top my list in what I value most in a phone, which are areas where the Moto G Play (2026) really compromise the most

For $100 more, the CMF Phone 2 Pro offers a more compelling package complete with a more versatile triple camera system, better software experience, and double the storage and RAM. There’s also the Moto G (2026) that’s a smidge more at $199, but could offer better value with its 50MP AI-powered camera, faster 30W wired charging, 128GB storage, and perhaps brighter screen. Stay tuned for our full review of that phone.