Motorola Moto G Energy (2026) Overview: Rinse And Repeat

The Moto G Energy line has been a go-to for anybody who desires a succesful Android telephone with out spending flagship cash, and the 2026 model continues that custom at $299. It is basically constructed to be a do-it-all system that does all the things decently properly, whereas providing a long-lasting battery and a sturdy construct. In comparison with the 2025 mannequin, nonetheless, anybody hoping for main {hardware} enhancements may stroll away a bit of disillusioned. That is basically the identical telephone as earlier than, and in some methods, it is really worse than final 12 months’s iteration.

After all, the competitors on this worth vary has been getting higher too. Does the 2026 mannequin earn that price ticket, or is the Moto G Energy beginning to fall behind? I have been utilizing it for just a few weeks. The takeaway? In order for you a reliable telephone that may take a beating, there’s so much to love. However in the event you’re after significant enhancements from final 12 months, you may need to hold buying.

The Motorola Moto G Energy (2026) has a vegan leather-based again, and whereas it feels extra like rubber than leather-based, I really fairly like the general really feel of it. It positively provides to the sturdiness of the system — a rubberized fake leather-based goes to take extra abuse than glass would. It is available in two Pantone-inspired colours — Night Blue and Pure Cashmere — and I am reviewing the Night Blue mannequin, which appears good.

Sturdiness is, fortunately, the place the design of the telephone excels. Past the fake leather-based, the system affords IP68 and IP69 water-resistance, which implies it will possibly deal with high-pressure water jets, not simply the occasional splash or dunk. Motorola additionally says it meets the MIL-STD-810 commonplace throughout 14 completely different classes –- together with drops, excessive temperatures, humidity, and so forth. In the event you work outside or simply have a behavior of dropping issues, this may be useful.

The format is what you’d anticipate. There is a USB-C port on the underside, together with a quantity rocker and energy button on the proper edge, which doubles as a fingerprint sensor. I discovered the sensor to be quick and responsive nearly all of the time. Motorola additionally saved a 3.5mm headphone jack on the underside of the telephone, which is uncommon to see nowadays, plus there are stereo audio system in-built to the system — and so they sound fairly good.

At 8.7mm thick, the telephone has some heft to it. It is a bit of chunky by fashionable requirements, although it by no means feels awkward to carry. The 6.8-inch show provides you loads of display to work with. On the again, the digicam module retains a comparatively low profile, mixing in quite than protruding dramatically such as you see on plenty of flagship telephones.

You may inform it is plastic whenever you decide it up, which is not stunning at this worth. The supplies do not feel overly low-cost, however set your expectations accordingly. General, the 2026 Moto G Energy appears and feels strong.

The Moto G Energy (2026) comes with a 6.8-inch IPS LCD display with Corning Gorilla Glass 7i safety. You may get a 2388 x 1080 decision, which works out to 385 PPI, and a 120Hz refresh charge that makes scrolling and animations really feel easy.

The display appears wonderful, however not unimaginable. It is vibrant sufficient, however as an LCD display as an alternative of OLED, you will not get these deep black ranges and excessive distinction you will discover on flagship telephones. It is also value remembering that not way back, telephones on this class shipped with 720p screens –- the 1080p decision and excessive refresh charge characterize strong enhancements over the previous few years.

Motorola says peak brightness hits 1000 nits, and once more, I discovered it vibrant sufficient for many use. Indoors, you will not have any points. Direct daylight is a bit of difficult at instances, and you might have to squint a bit of. It wasn’t an enormous situation for me in every day use, and I think most individuals could have an analogous expertise.

Underneath the hood, the Moto G Energy (2026) runs a MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chip, paired with 8GB of RAM. That is mainly the identical setup because the 2025 mannequin, and I’d have favored to see a slight bump in processing capabilities.

Day-to-day, although, the telephone handles typical duties properly sufficient. Apps load comparatively rapidly and the 120Hz show retains navigation feeling easy. Social media, messaging, and productiveness apps will all work simply wonderful. Push it a lot more durable, and the processor will begin to present its limits. Cell gaming specifically can really feel a bit of sluggish, with body charges and loading instances that lag behind pricier choices.

In the event you’re primarily utilizing your telephone for calls, texts, internet looking, and social media, the Moto G Energy (2026) delivers strong efficiency. Gaming lovers or anybody with extra demanding wants ought to most likely take a look at units with stronger chipsets, even when which means spending extra.

The Moto G Energy (2026) affords a 5,200 mAh battery, which is fairly huge. Positive, there are telephones with bigger batteries, however they’re dearer, particularly those who have newer silicon-carbon batteries. The battery within the Moto G Energy gives sufficient energy for prolonged use between costs. Motorola says the battery retains over 80 p.c capability after 1,000 charging cycles, which is nice information in the event you plan on holding onto this telephone for just a few years.

How lengthy it really lasts on a cost closely is determined by how you employ it. Lighter utilization, like calls, texts, and social media, will simply make it by way of a full day and doubtlessly stretch into day two. In the meantime, those that are streaming and gaming all day will see that the Dimensity 6300 is not probably the most environment friendly chip round, and even simple duties like video playback draw extra energy than they might on flagship units. Nonetheless, for the supposed viewers, battery life is greater than serviceable.

Charging occurs through 30W wired quick charging with Motorola’s TurboPower chargers. In my testing, the telephone went from 1 p.c to full in simply over an hour, which is not dangerous — and it bought to twenty% in solely round 10 minutes. Sadly, nonetheless, Motorola eliminated wi-fi charging from this 12 months’s mannequin, though the 2025 model had it. This can be a real step backward, and it is laborious to justify, particularly with wi-fi charging persevering with to realize steam by way of new requirements like Qi2.2.

The digicam setup features a dual-lens rear system, that includes a 50-megapixel principal sensor with an f/1.8 aperture and optical picture stabilization, in addition to an 8-megapixel ultrawide digicam with an f/2.2 aperture and 13mm focal size. On the entrance, there is a 32 megapixel digicam with 1080p video functionality.

In good lighting, the primary digicam captures fairly vibrant pictures that work wonderful for informal images. Colours look correct sufficient, and the optical picture stabilization helps cut back blur from shaky arms. For social media posts and on a regular basis snapshots, the outcomes are acceptable at this worth. As you attempt to zoom in, although, picture high quality degrades comparatively rapidly, and on the most zoom, which is simply 8x, pictures look fairly tough.

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The ultrawide does its job adequately, supplying you with a wider discipline of view for landscapes and group pictures. Outcomes do not rival flagship telephones, however they serve their function. Element and colour consistency fall a bit wanting the primary sensor, which is typical for secondary cameras on this worth vary.

Low mild is the place it will get dicey, as you’d anticipate. The primary digicam manages to provide usable pictures in dim situations, although particulars soften noticeably in comparison with well-lit pictures. The outcomes really exceeded my preliminary expectations, however in the event you’re used to flagship-level evening modes, you will see the distinction instantly. The ultrawide struggles extra in darkness, with high quality dropping. Pictures nonetheless work in some eventualities, however mood your expectations.

The Moto G Energy (2026) comes with Android 16. Motorola retains its Android method comparatively hands-off, so that you get a principally clear software program expertise, which is all the time good. All the things seems the place you’d anticipate, and navigation feels intuitive with no need to be taught a bunch of customized options.

Sadly, the out-of-box expertise contains quite a few preinstalled apps. Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Fb are all pre-installed on the telephone, together with shortcuts to video games you will most likely by no means open. Motorola’s personal additions embody apps like Moto Safe and Household House. The excellent news is that many of those could be uninstalled or disabled, so you’ll be able to reclaim cupboard space and clear up your app drawer.

Regardless of the bloatware, the general software program expertise stays constructive. Motorola’s additions to Android are delicate and purposeful quite than intrusive.

The Motorola Moto G Energy (2026) lands as a strong finances smartphone possibility. It delivers reliable on a regular basis efficiency, good sturdiness, and a clear software program expertise at an inexpensive worth. For anybody who simply desires a no-frills system that handles calls, texts, social media, and internet looking reliably, it checks these containers with out grievance.

However the lack of significant upgrades from the 2025 mannequin is a bit of disappointing, particularly the removing of wi-fi charging. In the event you’re contemplating the Moto G Energy (2026), you will need to be comfy with some limitations in efficiency and digicam high quality — however for a lot of, the nice battery life and sturdiness will make it well worth the trade-off.

The competitors

A couple of options are value within the $250-$350 vary. Samsung’s Galaxy A15 5G and A25 5G are first rate rivals, although I want Motorola’s software program expertise to Samsung’s One UI.

In the event you’re prepared to spend a bit of extra, then the Nothing Cellphone (3a) is value contemplating as an alternative. It performs a bit of higher, plus it has a triple digicam system and a clear, approachable software program expertise.

Ought to I purchase the Motorola Moto G Energy (2026)?

Possibly, but additionally think about the Nothing Cellphone (3a).