Moto G45 Full Review The Moto G series has long been a staple in the budget and mid-range smartphone market, delivering a balance of affordability and performance. The Moto G45, the latest addition to this lineup, aims to continue this tradition while incorporating modern features that cater to a tech-savvy audience. But does it live up to expectations? Let’s dive into a detailed review covering its design, display, performance, camera, battery life, and software experience.
Design and Build Quality
The Moto G45 sports a sleek and modern design, boasting a plastic back with a matte finish that feels premium in hand. Motorola has managed to keep the phone lightweight despite its sizable battery, making it comfortable to use for extended periods. The device features a water-repellent design, adding an extra layer of durability against accidental spills.
The rear panel houses a dual-camera setup along with the LED flash, neatly aligned in a vertical module. The fingerprint sensor is embedded in the power button, ensuring a natural and convenient unlocking experience. On the front, the phone features a punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera, keeping the display mostly uninterrupted.
Display Quality
One of the highlights of the Moto G45 is its 6.6-inch Full HD+ LCD display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The high refresh rate ensures smooth scrolling and enhances the overall user experience, making animations and transitions feel fluid. The color reproduction is decent, with good contrast levels, but it lacks the deep blacks and vibrant colors of an OLED panel.
Outdoor visibility is acceptable, though not outstanding, as the maximum brightness could have been slightly higher. However, for a mid-range device, the display is impressive, especially considering the addition of the high refresh rate at this price point.
Performance and Hardware
Under the hood, the Moto G45 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 chipset, paired with 6GB or 8GB of RAM, depending on the variant. This combination is sufficient for everyday tasks such as browsing, social media, and light gaming. Multitasking is generally smooth, thanks to the well-optimized My UX interface running on top of Android 13.
When it comes to gaming, the Moto G45 handles casual titles like Candy Crush, Subway Surfers, and Clash Royale with ease. However, for more demanding games like Call of Duty: Mobile and Genshin Impact, the performance is moderate at best. While the phone can run these games on low to medium settings, occasional frame drops may occur during intense gameplay sessions.
Storage-wise, the device comes with 128GB of internal storage, which is expandable via a microSD card slot. This is a welcome feature for users who require additional space for apps, photos, and videos.
Camera Performance
The Moto G45 is equipped with a dual-camera setup, consisting of a 50MP primary sensor and a 2MP depth sensor. While this may seem minimal compared to some competitors offering triple or quad-camera setups, Motorola has focused on delivering quality over quantity.
Primary Camera
The 50MP sensor captures sharp and detailed images in good lighting conditions. Colors appear natural, and the dynamic range is decent, ensuring that shadows and highlights are well-balanced. However, in low-light scenarios, the camera struggles, producing noticeable noise and a loss of detail.
Portrait and Depth Sensing
The 2MP depth sensor assists in capturing portrait shots with a good level of background blur. Edge detection is reasonably accurate, but it may occasionally blur parts of the subject’s outline.
Front Camera
On the front, the Moto G45 features a 16MP selfie camera housed in the punch-hole cutout. Selfies come out well under proper lighting, with good skin tones and adequate sharpness. The portrait mode for selfies also works well but suffers from the same edge-detection inconsistencies as the rear camera.
Video Recording
Video recording on the Moto G45 maxes out at 1080p at 30fps. The lack of 4K recording might be a letdown for some, but stabilization is decent thanks to electronic image stabilization (EIS). Low-light video quality, however, is underwhelming, with noticeable grain and a drop in sharpness.
Battery Life and Charging
Battery performance is one of the strong points of the Moto G45. The device is packed with a 5000mAh battery, which easily lasts a full day with moderate to heavy usage. Whether you’re streaming videos, browsing social media, or playing games, the phone can handle it without requiring frequent recharges.
The Moto G45 supports 30W fast charging, which, while not the fastest in its segment, is a reasonable addition. Charging the battery from 0 to 100% takes approximately 75-90 minutes. A charger is included in the box, which is a plus considering some manufacturers have started omitting chargers from their packaging.
Software and User Experience
Motorola’s My UX interface is one of the closest you’ll get to stock Android, and that remains true with the Moto G45. Running on Android 13, the user experience is clean and free from unnecessary bloatware. Motorola also includes some useful features like gestures (chop to turn on the flashlight, twist to open the camera) and a customizable user interface.
One area where Motorola could improve is in software updates. While the company has promised at least one major Android update and two years of security patches, some competitors offer longer software support. If longevity is a concern, this is something to keep in mind.
Connectivity and Extras
The Moto G45 offers 5G connectivity, making it future-proof in terms of network capabilities. Other connectivity options include Bluetooth 5.1, Wi-Fi 5, NFC, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Having a headphone jack is a plus, as many brands have started phasing it out.
The stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support provide a decent audio experience. While they’re not the loudest speakers in the segment, the sound quality is clear, with balanced mids and highs.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
✔ 120Hz refresh rate enhances display smoothness
✔ Clean, near-stock Android experience
✔ Solid battery life with fast charging support
✔ 5G connectivity for future-proofing
✔ Decent primary camera performance in good lighting
Cons:
✖ Snapdragon 680 struggles with demanding tasks
✖ No AMOLED display, which could have improved contrast and vibrancy
✖ Limited low-light camera performance
✖ Software update policy not as robust as some competitors
Verdict: Is the Moto G45 Worth It?
The Moto G45 is a solid mid-range device that excels in areas like battery life, software experience, and display refresh rate. While it may not be the most powerful phone in its category, it holds its own for everyday tasks and casual gaming. The clean Android interface and 5G support further add to its appeal.
However, if you’re a heavy gamer or prioritize an exceptional camera experience, you might want to explore other options. But for those looking for a well-rounded phone with a smooth display, reliable battery life, and a near-stock Android experience, the Moto G45 is certainly worth considering.