Motorola Moto G34 5G Review: Budget Bargain

At a look

Professional’s Score

Professionals

• Very reasonably priced
• 5G help
• Clear software program
• Nice battery life

Cons

• Some efficiency stutters
• Low-light images is common
• 720p decision show

Our Verdict

In case you’re searching for an inexpensive and cheerful Android cellphone for teenagers, older relations or just as an affordable handset for your self, the Moto G34 5G has loads going for it. Good show, first rate efficiency and cameras that may seize good pictures when there’s loads of gentle. It has its flaws, however at this worth, it appears churlish to complain an excessive amount of.

Value When Reviewed

Unavailable within the US

Motorola has at all times been an amazing model for these seeking to decide up an affordable however high quality smartphone. Now, the corporate is providing a brand new mannequin that prices lower than most of its rivals however boasts some first rate specs.

Can something this low-cost, simply £149, be any good? I take the Moto G34 5G for a subject take a look at to search out out.  

Design & Construct

• Fairly gentle and compact
• Aspect-mounted fingerprint sensor
• Vegan leather-based model out there

If you first decide up the Moto G34 5G it’s stunning how gentle and comfy it feels within the hand.

The 162.7 x 74.66 x 8.19mm dimensions make it compact moderately than small, with the facility button on the suitable flank sitting just below the thumb as you maintain it in your hand. That is good because it additionally homes the fingerprint sensor to unlock the cellphone, which labored effectively all through my time with the gadget.  

The truth is, the development is similar to the nice Moto G13 that I reviewed a short while again, and which is remarkably even cheaper than this gadget. 

A steel chassis and plastic rear panel reduces the heft, whereas additionally giving an inexpensive degree of grip. This may be elevated for those who go away the matt end model (Charcoal Black or Ice Blue) and plump for the vegan leather-based version that is available in Ocean Inexperienced. 

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There’s no case within the field, in contrast to the Moto G13 and a number of the Chinese language fashions on this worth vary, however you do get a charger and cable, which is one thing of a novelty nowadays. 

As I’ve mentioned, it’s a light-weight gadget, weighing in at 179g (or 181g for the vegan leather-based model), however that doesn’t imply that Moto has skimped on options.

You get a 6.5-inch LCD show, twin rear cameras, USB-C charging port, nano-SIM tray with house for a microSD card, all packed right into a slimline case that appears fashionable and good. 

Controls embody quantity up and down, that are located above the facility button on the suitable flank, and on the prime and backside edges you’ll discover the only devoted speaker, 3.5mm headphone jack and microphone. Just about the whole lot you want.  

Motorola states that the G34 5G is water-repellant moderately than waterproof. This implies that you could’t submerge the gadget, however it ought to survive the odd spill or wet downpour.

We don’t anticipate IP68 and even IP54 scores on telephones this low-cost, so this can be a first rate degree of safety on this worth bracket. 

Display screen & Audio system

• 6.5-inch LCD show
• 120Hz variable refresh charge
• Stereo audio system and three.5mm headphone jack

A 6.5-inch LCD IPS show is the panel of selection on the G34 5G.

Surprisingly it runs with a 120Hz refresh charge (even 90Hz can be spectacular at this worth), maintaining issues clean more often than not. There are some juddering moments when shifting by means of menus and web sites with loads of graphics or pictures, however for almost all of actions it’s a pleasant display to make use of.

The refresh charge is definitely variable, between 60- or 120Hz, and I discovered it greatest to enter the settings and set it completely to 120Hz if you would like the optimum efficiency. This does value battery life although. 

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The decision tops out at 720p, which can appear slightly underwhelming in nowadays of Full HD+ or Quad HD panels, however once more it’s essential think about the worth.

That being mentioned, this doesn’t really feel like a finances panel that it’s essential make excuses for, because the rendering is vivid, vibrant and sharp. I measured the utmost brightness at round 500 nits, which is lots to make issues seen when outdoors, though it could actually wrestle in excessive daylight.  

Motorola has Dolby Atmos marked on the highest fringe of the G34 5G, however I wouldn’t get your hopes up. The audio can get loud, however the stereo soundscape comes from the devoted speaker on the underside edge and the cellphone speaker on the prime.

This delivers a combined bag of tones, with music sounding skinny and with distorted edges whenever you push the quantity. It’s satisfactory, however not spectacular. 

Fortunately there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack you should utilize to up the standard by plugging right into a pair of first rate cans, plus the 5.1 Bluetooth capabilities will fortunately join the G34 5G to any variety of exterior audio system. 

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Specs & Efficiency

• Snapdragon 695G 5G chipset
• 4GB RAM (expandable through digital RAM)
• 128GB storage (expandable as much as 1TB)
• A couple of app crashes and glitches

As an on a regular basis gadget, the G34 5G performs competently.

The interface is clear, apps work effectively, and also you solely discover the restrictions of the Snapdragon 695G 5G chipset when launching apps or utilizing extra demanding purposes. There is usually a few stutters and pauses right here and there, which may be off placing for those who’re used to sooner telephones, however you quickly regulate.  

Motorola consists of 4GB of RAM as normal, with an additional 4GB of digital RAM out there for those who’re keen to give up that quantity out of your onboard storage. I’d suggest you do, as 4GB is low even for a finances smartphone in 2024.

Even with the increase, I did run into a number of glitches right here and there. 

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Probably the most persistent was with the digicam app. A number of instances I discovered that taking a fast take a look at the picture I’d simply captured inside the app, then going again to the reside digicam would typically trigger the app to both clean out the show or crash fully. It’s laborious to know whether or not this can be a particular glitch within the software program, which may be cured by an replace, or the shortcoming of the gadget to cope with calls for of the applying. 

I examined out the gaming prowess of the gadget by a session in Asphalt 9 Legends, all of which ran easily and with an appropriate quantity of warmth within the rear of the chassis. I’m not satisfied it might deal with extra concerned 3D video games, reminiscent of Genshin Impression, however for a fast little bit of leisure whereas ready for the bus or a mate to show up, the Moto G34 appears as much as the job. 

There’s loads of storage on provide if you wish to play video games, with 128GB of inner capability that may be expanded by an additional 1TB for those who match a microSD card. You additionally get NFC, Wi-Fi 5, GPS, and Bluetooth 5.1 capabilities, making the Moto an excellent all rounder. 

Maybe one of many largest attracts right here, particularly at below £150, is the inclusion of 5G help.

For probably the most half, the G34 5G was dependable and strong, if slightly ponderous when requested to modify between apps, however the digicam concern was a bit disappointing. 

Right here’s the way it fared in our normal set of benchmarks so you possibly can see the way it holds up towards its closest rivals. 

Motorola Moto G34 5G benchmarks

Cameras & Video

• 50Mp f/1.8 major digicam
• 2Mp f/2.4 macro digicam
• 1080p @ 30fps video

Cameras can typically be the place cheaper telephones fall down.

It’s an attention-grabbing method then from Motorola, because it avoids the overkill issue that so many finances fashions have adopted just lately, with triple or quadruple lenses, and as an alternative retains issues good and easy.

Within the rear module, you’ll discover the primary 50Mp f/1.8 digicam, accompanied by the 2Mp f/2.4 macro. Now, admittedly, the latter is normally not price bothering with on most telephones, however it does permit for depth notion when utilizing the portrait mode, so its inclusion is justified. 

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The primary sensor makes use of pixel-binning to create pictures, whereby 4 pixels are blended into 1, making the ultimate picture 12.5Mp moderately than 50Mp. Once more, all completely acceptable and a method employed on most fashionable gadgets now. 

Technical jargon apart, the Moto G34 5G can take good footage.

Give it some first rate gentle and it’ll return strong pictures that might be greater than high quality for social media. Colors can seem considerably oversaturated at instances, however this may be solved by modifying or making use of a filter. There is usually a slight delay when it’s darker, and evening pictures (with or with out Night time Mode) are rather less spectacular, as digital noise creeps in. That being mentioned, it’s nonetheless very first rate total for a cellphone that prices as little because the G34 5G.

Portrait modes make a decent fist of blurring the background and selecting out foreground topics, though the digicam can have bother differentiating delicate edges (reminiscent of hair) if the background is busy. This may end up in delicate edges that don’t look actual.

Selfies are taken by the 16Mp f/2.4 entrance going through digicam and are crisp, clear and high quality for posting on Fb, Snapchat or your different social platform of selection

Right here’s a gallery of digicam samples taken on the Moto G34 5G:

Video tops out at 1080p/30fps, so it’s not the very best high quality, however once more the theme with the Moto G34 5G is that the whole lot is nice sufficient and by way of video this stays true. Focussing is correct and monitoring, as long as there’s a wholesome quantity of sunshine out there, retains up with shifting topics. 

Battery Life & Charging

• 5000mAh battery
• 18W charging speeds
• Charger and cable included within the field

As I discovered with the Moto G13, the battery life on the G34 5G is nice. Within the two weeks of testing, I repeatedly ended the day with 30% of cost nonetheless out there and extra on a number of events. This included utilizing the Moto as a navigation gadget in my automotive, with the display on for a few hours, in addition to listening to podcasts, checking social media and a little bit of internet browsing.

Clearly, for those who lock the refresh charge at 120Hz and spend all day in vivid daylight the place the auto brightness maxes out, then these numbers will lower. However throughout a number of typical days, the Moto by no means left me worrying about the place the charger was.

In the usual PCMark battery take a look at we run on all telephones (with brightness set to 200 nits), the G34 5G scored 12 hours and 42mins, which is fairly spectacular.  

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It must be famous that the place corporations like Apple have lengthy since stopped supplying charger within the containers with its stupidly costly gadgets, Motorola has extra compassion for its prospects. The package deal features a 20W charger and USB-C cable within the field so that you’re good to go with no need anything.    

Placing the charger to make use of returns the absolutely discharged battery to 100% in round 1 hour and 50 minutes, which is fairly poor nowadays. That is regardless of Motorola calling it ‘TurboPower charging’. The cellphone truly attracts 18W of energy, not the total 20W of the provided adapter.

For a fast top-up, the gadget reached 19% after quarter-hour and 37% at half-hour. At this worth it’s hardly any shock that there’s no wi-fi or quick charging, so that you’ll need to bear in mind to cost this in a single day.

Software program & Apps

• Android 14
• One assured Android improve
• Safety updates till 2027

Motorola has at all times been probably the greatest manufacturers for clear variations of Android.

That’s the case with the G34 5G, which options an nearly untouched model of the working system, with a number of instruments that allow you to customise themes, icons and stuff like that. There are a collection of Moto apps that vary from security-based ones to digital detox, however they don’t take up a lot room and can doubtless be fairly helpful.

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The interface itself is easy and straightforward to become familiar with, and you’ll resolve whether or not to have software program navigation buttons on the backside of the display or use gestures as an alternative. Bloatware is saved to a minimal, with just a few third-party apps pre-installed, all of which may be deleted. 

You get Android 14 with the Moto, and also you’re assured an improve to Android 15 when it launches. There’s additionally three years of safety updates, so the G34 5G might be usable till no less than 2027. 

Value & Availability

You should purchase the Moto G34 5G from Motorola within the UK for £149.99 or in mainland Europe for €179.99, however it received’t be launched within the US. On the time of writing, it wasn’t listed on Amazon, however with a lot of Motorola’s vary out there from the retailer, it ought to solely be a matter of time.

In order for you a good cheaper mannequin, the Moto G13 is a superb little cellphone and prices round £130, though you do miss out on 5G help.

One other good choice is the Xiaomi Poco M4 Professional, which retails for round £189, has quick charging and an AMOLED show, but in addition misses out on 5G.

To see the fashions we at present suggest on this sector of the market, try our greatest finances telephones and greatest finances Chinese language telephones roundups.

Must you purchase the Motorola Moto G34 5G?

Finances telephones can typically be an excercise in compromise and, to a sure extent, that’s true with the Motorola G34 5G.

For a really reasonably priced worth, you get a pleasant design, beneficiant storage (which is expandable), principally strong efficiency, and first rate cameras. There’s additionally a little bit of lag within the reponse instances, stuttering efficiency, and the cameras aren’t actually as much as a lot when the lights drop.

Nonetheless, the purpose right here appears to be ‘adequate’, and the Moto is certainly that.

Want an inexpensive cellphone for WhatsApp, social media, listening to podcasts or music, plus some internet shopping? It’s all right here.

Need a gadget to offer to the children or an aged relative who desires a cellphone however doesn’t want bells and whistles? The Moto has you coated.

Is it the most effective cellphone round? No, clearly not.

Is it probably the greatest discount? Properly, now, that’s a unique story.

Specs

• Android 14
• 6.5-inch IPS LCD panel, 1600 x 720 decision, 20:9 facet ratio, 120Hz refresh charge
• Snapdragon 695 5G Cellular Platform with 2.2GHz octa-core Kryo 560 CPU, 840M Hz Adreno 619 GPU
• 4GB RAM (boosted by as much as 4GB of digital RAM)
• 128GB storage (expandable by as much as 1TB through microSD)
• 50Mp f/1.8 major digicam
• 2Mp f/2.4 macro digicam
• 16Mp selfie digicam
• Fingerprint sensor in energy button
• Stereo audio system (together with cellphone speaker)
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Bluetooth 5.1
• NFC
• GPS
• Wi-Fi 5
• USB-C (USB 2.0) charging port
• 5000mAh battery
• 20W charger (gadget able to 18W charging)
• 162.7 x 74.66 x 8.19mm
• 179g (181g vegan leather-based)