The 2026 edition of the Motorola Moto G Play is an affordable Android phone with features that match its low $179.99 price. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; it handles basic tasks like browsing, light gaming, and media playback well. But its screen and cameras don't impress. Moreover, with a meager 64GB of storage, it all but demands you spend extra money on a memory card. For just $20 more, the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G ($199.99) easily surpasses the Moto G Play in value thanks to its sharper screen, better cameras, generous storage, and more software updates, making it our Editors' Choice for affordable Android phones.

Design: Big, Textured, and Hard to Hold

The Moto G measures 6.58 by 3.01 by 0.33 inches (HWD) and weighs 7.13 ounces, making it wider and heavier than its predecessor, the 2024 Moto G Play (6.45 by 2.95 by 0.33 inches, 6.53 ounces). Meanwhile, the Galaxy A16 is close in size and shape to the updated Moto (6.47 by 3.07 by 0.31 inches, 7.05 ounces).

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

Most of the front is dedicated to the screen, with noticeable bezels on three sides and a thick chin below the screen, a common design trait across low-priced devices. The screen is protected by 2013-era Corning Gorilla Glass 3, the same material used in last year’s model. Textured vegan leather (a soft-to-the-touch plastic) covers the rear panel, including the raised camera bump, in a single continuous piece. It adds visual interest to the phone, though I do wonder how well it'll wear over time. Motorola offers the G Play in only one color: Pantone Tapestry (darkish green).

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

The vegan leather feels nice to the touch and provides a grippy surface, but the phone's sides are smooth, hard plastic. I have large hands and had trouble getting a secure grip on the phone because of its width and slippery sides. It would be easier to hold and use if the side edges had a touch more grip, or if the phone were not as wide.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

Like last year’s model, the G Play has an IP52 rating to protect it from dust and dripping water. It is not fully dust or waterproof. The Galaxy A16, in comparison, is rated IP54, making it more water-resistant than the G Play, although still not 100% waterproof. It can handle sweat and rain, but not submersion.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

A combined microSD/SIM tray is on the left side, while a 3.5mm headphone jack, USB-C port, and speaker are on the bottom edge. Two volume keys and a combined power button/fingerprint scanner are on the right side. The location of the volume keys makes it difficult for me to reach them, but I didn't experience the same issue with the fingerprint sensor, which proved reliable and responsive during testing.

Display: Smooth Motion, Soft Detail

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The G Play features a 6.7-inch LCD with a resolution of 1,604 by 720 pixels, a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz, and a peak brightness of 1,000 nits. In size, refresh rate, and brightness, the updated version improves upon the 2024 model, which has a 6.5-inch display with 1,600 by 720 pixels, a fixed 90Hz refresh rate, and a maximum brightness of 500 nits. But it's disappointing that Motorola didn't boost the resolution along with the refresh rate and brightness for the 2026 model.

The Galaxy A16 also features a 6.7-inch display, but it offers a higher resolution of 2,340 by 1,080 pixels, providing crisper images. It has a 90Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 800 nits.

During my time with the Moto G Play, I found the display adequate indoors and out. The colors looked realistic, and the animations were smooth.

Performance: Snappy Enough for Everyday Use

This Moto G Play is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 6300 processor with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. You can quickly fill it up by loading a few games. Although you can expand the storage capacity by up to 1TB using a microSD card, this adds to the cost. The 2024 Moto G Play is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 processor with the same RAM and storage. By comparison, the Galaxy A16 uses a Samsung Exynos 1330 processor with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and it supports microSD cards up to 1.5TB.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

To objectively gauge performance, I run a series of benchmarks. Here, I compare the 2026 G Play with the 2024 model and the Galaxy A16.

( Credit: Geekbench/PCMark/GFXBench/PCMag)

On Geekbench 6, which measures raw computing power, the G Play scored 795 on the single-core test and 2,055 on the multi-core test. This is a big improvement over the 2024 model's scores of 411 and 1,321, but on par with the Galaxy A16's marks of 883 and 2,020. 

In the PCMark Work 3.0 test, which measures how a phone performs general mobile tasks, the 2026 G Play scored 12,732. Again, this is significantly better than the 2024 model (7,861) and similar to the A16 (11,589). 

To assess graphics performance, I use the GFXBench Aztec ruins test. The 2026 G Play achieved 19 frames per second (fps), surpassing both the 2024 G Play (11fps) and the A16 (8.7fps). For reference, the flagship Moto Razr Ultra ($1,299.99) reaches 80fps on this same test.

Battery: Excellent Endurance for the Price

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Motorola packs a 5,200mAh battery capable of charging at up to 18W in the phone's large body. This is a small upgrade over the 2024 model’s 5,000mAh cell, which charges at a slightly slower 15W.

In our battery rundown test, in which I stream an HD video over Wi-Fi with the phone's screen at full brightness, the G Play lasts 15 hours and 45 minutes. The 2024 model lasts 11 hours and 5 minutes in the same test, while the Galaxy A16 runs for 13 hours and 46 minutes. This puts the new phone well ahead of the others.

Charging the depleted phone with a compatible fast charger, it reached 15% in 15 minutes, 29% in 30 minutes, and 100% in 2 hours and 5 minutes. This is about how long it took the old model to recharge. The phone doesn't support wireless charging.

Connectivity: 5G Arrives, But Wi-Fi Lags Behind

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The outgoing version of G Play is a 4G-only phone, but the 2026 version adds support for 5G (sub-6GHz, including C-band, but not mmWave). The unlocked model works with the three major US wireless carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon); however, check Motorola's website to confirm your network's compatibility. For example, the G Play does not work on Ting or Xfinity Wireless. 

The G Play packs Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, and Wi-Fi 5 onto its radio, as well. Wi-Fi 5 is an older spec that limits the phone's performance to a degree. The phone can hold one physical SIM card and one eSIM. 

When tested on T-Mobile's network in New York City, the G Play achieved speeds of 528Mbps down and 60.1Mbps up. A Google Pixel 9a ($499) tested on T-Mobile in the same location reached 573Mbps down and 59.6Mbps up—very close to the Moto G Play. 

Connecting the G Play to a Wi-Fi 6 network, it reached 264Mbps down and 22.6Mbps up. Meanwhile, the Pixel 9a performed better, hitting 403Mbps down and 22.0Mbps upload. Moving both devices to the edge of my Wi-Fi network saw speeds dip a little. The G Play managed 246Mbps down and 22.1Mbps up, while the Pixel 9a hit 112Mbps down and 15.3Mbps up. 

Audio: Loud Volume, Limited Depth

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In test calls, call quality is satisfactory, and voices could be clearer. The G Play struggles to remove background noise, so call quality in noisy areas suffers accordingly. I checked the earpiece speaker's loudness with a decibel meter right on top of it, and it reached 84.7dB. The speakerphone’s maximum volume, measured at 6 inches, reached 76.8dB. I find volumes around or above 70dB easy to hear, so the G Play meets this threshold quite easily.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

On quiet acoustic tracks like the Beatles’ “Blackbird,” the speakers sound thin and reminiscent of AM radio, while hard rock songs sound hollow and lack punch. Audio separation is good, though. The G Play’s maximum volume reached 99.0dB, which is quite loud, although the lowest notes of our bass test track, The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” are barely audible. For better audio, plug in a pair of wired headphones or connect to a pair of Bluetooth headphones. 

Cameras: Serviceable, But Short on Detail

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The camera module houses a single rear camera. It has a 32MP f/2.2 sensor that uses pixel binning to produce 8MP images. Strangely, this is a step down from its predecessor's 50MP sensor with an f/1.8 aperture, which produces 12.5MP images. 

The main camera captures what looks to be fine detail at first glance, but upon zooming in, the colors are muddy. The camera app has a 2x zoom button, but the image processing makes a mess of things. For example, photos of text taken at 2x are less legible than the text is if you simply zoom in on a 1x photo.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

The 2026 and 2024 phones appear to have the same 8MP f/2.0 front-facing camera, so there are no upgrades here. The images look good, but fine details are hard to spot, and the colors appear a little dark. 

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

Front- and rear-video recording tops out at 1080p at 30 frames per second (fps). Video carries over the same color and tonal character as the camera’s still photos. There is no optical image stabilization, so the video can be shaky. The G Play is okay for on-the-go snaps, but you should carry around a real camera for serious photography.

Software: Clean Android With Modest Update Support

The Motorola Moto G Play ships with Android 16, the latest version of the mobile operating system. The phone will receive two OS updates and three years of bi-monthly security fixes. For comparison, the Galaxy A16 offers six years of OS updates and security fixes. The 2024 G Play won't be updated past Android 14.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

This is Android as you know it, but with a few Motorola extras. The G Play supports a number of gestures, configurable in Settings or the Moto app. If you want, a double-chop motion activates the flashlight, while holding three fingers on the screen takes a screenshot. I find gesture support helpful, but if you don’t, you can turn it off. You won't find any AI on board, and you shouldn't expect it at this price.