While flagship phones capture most of the tech world’s attention, there’s a large market forbudget and midrange devicesacross the globe. While companies like Samsung have a foothold in this segment thanks to its A series of phones, brands like Motorola aren’t too behind, as we saw with theMoto G Play (2023). The Lenovo-owned manufacturer is now gearing up to release a successor to this sub-$200 phone, with leaked renders beginning to pop up.
These renders come courtesy of famed leakedOnleaksworking in collaboration with Czech publicationSmartmania(viaPhone Arena). A quick look at the rear panel of this upcoming midranger reveals that it will house just one camera, supposedly a 50MP Quad Pixel unit, whereas the Moto G Play (2023) features three rear sensors. The Moto G Play (2024) also gets a generously sized space for the LED flash just below the solitary rear camera.
On top of these high-quality renders detailing the Moto G Play (2024) from all angles, Smartmania also managed to obtain some info on the phone’s hardware. The same 6.5-inch screen is said to be retained on the upcoming successor but with an FHD+ resolution, up from the predecessor’s more basic HD+. Meanwhile, the refresh rate will supposedly remain unchanged at 90Hz, which should be decent for a budget phone.
There’s some uncertainty over the make of the processor going into the Moto G Play (2024), but the source says it will be a Qualcomm unit this time, replacing the 12nm MediaTek Helio G37 chip seen on its 2023 counterpart. While the predecessor lacked 5G connectivity, there’s some hope that the 2024 iteration would support it, although there’s no confirmation of this at the moment.
The 3.5mm headphone jack is also back, giving users the option to plug in theirheadphonesthe old-fashioned way. Motorola is also sticking to the same 5,000mAh battery underneath, per the source, potentially offering a day or more of usage on a full charge. Unfortunately, the older Android 13 could be the software of choice for the Moto G Play (2024), though Smartmania predicts an update toAndroid 14could be on the cards.
A design change worth pointing out is the relocation of the fingerprint scanner from the back panel to the side-mounted power button. Much like the 2023 version, Motorola’s first budget phone of the new year will also make it to the US, reportedly at the same$170price tag. While it could be available in multiple colorways, the leak could only confirm the Sapphire Blue model.
Moto G Play 2023
The G Play 2023 is Moto’s long overdue update to the Moto G Play 2021. This is for those who need a solid device and are sticking to a tight budget. Despite some compromises, the Moto G Play (2023) is one of the best sub-$150 phones you can get today.
