Moto g24 4G 2024 – a step up is worth it (smartphone review)

The Moto G24 4G 2024 costs $229 – a $50 step up from the entry-level Moto G04—but for that, you get a better processor, more storage, faster Wi-Fi, and a significantly better camera.

Our Moto g04 4G 2024 – If $179 is all you have, then go for it review shows that you can get everything you need, but this review shows that $50  more gets you much more of what you want. Either is good value and has Motorola’s pedigree to back it up.

New review format

We are experimenting with our review format. Where we used to put all the raw data in tables at the end, we will now break them up and briefly comment on the various parts. Why? Readers who want to know more will paw over the tables. Readers who wish to see if it’s a good phone can just read the comments. Of course, we still have CyberShack’s’ View and rating explanation at the end – do make sure you read that.

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

We are also tightening up on grading. From now on, Pass, for example, means meeting expectations for the price bracket. We consider a Pass mark to be 70+/100 with extra points added for class-leading and excellence.

Australian Review: Moto g24 4G 2004, dual SIM, dedicated microSD, 4/128GB, Model XT2424-2

Brand	Motorola
Model	Motorola g24 4G 2024
Model Number	XT2424-2
RAM/Storage Base	4/128
Price base	$229
Warranty months	12 months retail 24-months Telco carrier
Tier	Entry-level
Website	Product Page
From	Motorola Online, Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Bing Lee, Retravision, Australia Post, Big W, Officeworks
Country of Origin	China
Company	It is owned by Lenovo (founded in 1984), a multinational technology company with its primary operational headquarters in Beijing and Morrisville, North Carolina. Lenovo is the world’s largest PC maker. In 2014, Lenovo purchased Motorola Mobility from Google. Most of Lenovo’s smartphone business is now under the Motorola brand, with grand plans to become a ‘top five’ smartphone maker.
More	CyberShack Motorola news and reviews Cybershack smartphone news and reviews
Test date	1-7 May 2024
Ambient temp	15-18°
Release	Feb 2024
Other models not for Australia (Don’t buy)	Please read Don’t buy a grey market smartphone (updated guide)

First Impression – Pass

It is largely identical to the Moto g04 with different colourways (I love the Ice Green), and the camera hump has two sensors and a separate flash.

I particularly like the way the rear camera hump flows over the matte, fingerprint-resistant PMMA back.

Apologies if you read the Moto G04 review first—much of the information is the same. The key differences are processor, storage, Wi-Fi, and Camera.

Screen – Pass

It is a fit for purpose720p IPS LCD 20.1:9 screen with a 60 or 90Hz fixed or stepped refresh rate. It does not list screen protection, so you may want to invest in a screen protector.

Two hundred nits brightness cannot defeat direct sunlight, and its off-angle viewing shows colour shifts and loss of definition. Summary – fit for purpose.

Size	6.6″
Type	IPS LCD
Flat, Curve, 2D, 3D	Flat with centre o-hole
Resolution	1612 x 720 (Same as Moto g04)
PPI	269
Ratio	20.1:9
Screen to Body %	84.9%
Colours bits	8-bit 16.7m colours
Refresh Hz, adaptive.	Auto or select 60 or 90Hz
Response 120Hz	N/A
Nits typical, test	Test 227
Nits max, test	High Brightness mode 537 nits (Test 522)
Contrast	Not specified (1100:1)
sRGB	Test 95%
DCI-P3	Not Tested
Rec.2020 or other	No
Delta E (<4 is excellent)	N/A, but above 4
HDR Level	SDR
SDR Upscale	No
Blue Light Control	Yes
PWM if known	No
Daylight readable	No
Always on Display	Peak display option
Edge display	No
Accessibility	Usual Android features
DRM	L1 for HD SDR content
Gaming	Not for gaming
Screen protection	Unknown
Comment	Blueish cast – best to use a Natural setting. Fit for purpose

Processor – Pass

More than 136 brands/models use the MediaTek Helio G85. It is a cheap and cheerful processor that has since largely been replaced by the MediaTek Dimensity 5G Systems on a Chip.

The 4GB RAM is virtually expandable (but it uses the slower 128GB eMMC 5.12 storage). Still, it is smooth enough during typical operations.

While it has benchmark speeds like the Moto g04 UNISOC T606, it seems to have more AI photo-processing performance, which shows in the photo samples.

Brand, Model	MediaTek Helio G85 It is used in 136 models and brands, including Motorola, OPPO, realme, and vivo.
nm	12
Cores	2 x 2GHz & 6 x 1.8GHz
Modem	4G Cat-7
AI TOPS	Estimate <4
Geekbench 6 Single-core	413
Geekbench 6 multi-core	1400
Like	Benchmarks
GPU	ARM Mali G52 MCP MP2
GPU Test
Open CL	554
Vulcan	1034
RAM, type	4GB LPDDR4 (expandable to 8GB Virtual)
Storage, free, type	128GB eMMC 5.1 – slower than UFS storage.
micro-SD	Up to 1TB – dedicated slot
CPDT internal seq. Read MBps sustained	283 Jazz maximum 297
CPDT internal seq. write MBps sustained	152 Jazz maximum 179
CPDT microSD read, write MBps	75/48
CPDT external (mountable?) MBps	1TB test unit identified in My Files but not seen in CPDT – not mountable
Comment	The processor adds some much-needed speed compared to the Moto G04. However, eMMC storage makes data transfers very slow.
Throttle test
Max GIPS	159,403
Average GIPS	139,318
Minimum GIPS	108,712
% Throttle	26%
CPU Temp	55°
Comment	This is a 15-minute test under full load, similar to gaming or filming a very long video. It is acceptable for a phone used primarily for this purpose. All MediaTek 12nm chips run hot.

Comms – Pass

Where the g04 would only connect at 2.4GHz, this is fine on 5GHz as well. The signal strength is more stable, too, achieving 433Mbps (maximum) to past 10m from the router. We had no issues streaming 720p content or in file transfer.

Wi-Fi Type, model	Wi-Fi AC 2.4/5Ghz tested 5GHz.
Test 2m -dBm, Rx/Tx Mbps	-43/433/433 (maximum)
Test 5m	-44/433/433
Test 10m	-49/433/419
BT Type	5
GPS single, dual	Single 1m accuracy
USB type	USB-C 2.0 480Mbps
ALT DP, DeX, Ready For	No
NFC	Yes
Ultra-wideband	No
Sensors
Accelerometer	Yes -combo with Gyro is very sensitive
Gyro	Yes
e-Compass	Yes
Barometer
Gravity
Pedometer
Ambient light	Yes
Hall sensor
Proximity	Yes
Other	Sensor Hub
Comment	Speeds as expected with Wi-Fi AC.

LTE and 5G

It gains points for dedicated dual SIMM and microSD slots and is suitable for all Australian 4G bands (not for use on international phones).

The MediaTek modem finds only one tower and connects at average signal strengths – typical of this 2020 chip. It does not find the adjacent four towers, so it is only suitable for city and suburban use.

SIM	Dual sim and dedicated microSD
Active	Only one active at a time
Ring tone single, dual	Dual
VoLTE	Carrier dependent
Wi-Fi calling	Carrier dependent
4G Bands	1/3/5/7/8/28/40/41
Comment	All Australian 4G bands
5G sub-6Ghz	N/A
Comment	N/A
mmWave	N/A
Test Boost Mobile, Telstra
DL/UL, ms	14.5/8.7/32ms – below average
Tower 1 -dBm, fW or pW	-87 to -92/631fW to 1.6pW – average single tower
Tower 2	No
Tower 3	No
Tower 4	No
Comment	Typical of low-cost MediaTek and strictly for areas with many towers – city and suburbs.

Battery – Passable

Nothing is wrong with the battery life—it loses points for not being supplied with a charger or cable. The good news is that it only uses 5V/2A/10W, so any older charger and USB-C cable will work. It will also recharge from a PC USB port, which may take longer.

The video loop was over 14 hours, the charge time was around two hours, and you should get two days of physical use between charges.

mAh	5000
Charger, type, supplied	Not supplied – 5V/3A/15W capable Out tests did not see this above 5V/2A/10W.
PD, QC level	No PD, but you can use PD chargers.
Qi, wattage	N/A
Reverse Qi or cable.	N/A
Test (60Hz or adaptive screen)	Adaptive
Charge 0-100%	2 hours 12 minutes
Charge Qi, W Using Belkin Boost Charge 15W fast wireless charge	N/A
Charge 5V, 2A	Over 7 hours
Video loop 50%, aeroplane	14 hours 52 minutes
PC Mark 3 battery	13 hours 23 minutes Accubattery 17 hours 49 minutes
GFX Bench Manhattan battery	Would not run – Typical of MediaTek
GFX Bench T-Rex	486.5 minutes (8.11 hours) 2972 frames
Drain 100-0% full load screen on	5 hours 8 minutes Accubattery 4 hours 5 minutes
mA full load	1150-1250
mA Watt idle Screen on	250-350
Estimate loss at max refresh	N/A
Estimate typical use	A typical user should get two days.
Comment	Reasonable battery life, slowish charge times and no charger.

Sound – Passable

It is a mono speaker focusing on clear voice. It can decode Dolby Atmos and output via Bluetooth to earphones. Hands-free was a little soft, and it had no background noise cancelling.

Speakers	Mono earpiece in phone mode and mono bottom speaker in hands-free or music.
Tuning	No
AMP	AW87 mono
Dolby Atmos decode	Yes, for 2.0 earphones only
Hi-Res	No
3.5mm	Yes
BT Codecs	SBC, AAC, free aptX and aptX HD, LDAC, LHDC V3 and V5 16-bit/44100/48000
Multipoint	Unknown – likely not
Dolby Atmos (DA)	Smart, Music, Film, Game, Podcast, and Custom EQ
EQ	See DA
Mics	Single bottom mic
Test dB – all on EQ flat DA off
Volume max	80 – good
Media (music)	76
Ring	80
Alarm	80
Notifications	75
Earpiece	60 – good
Hands-free	Slightly low volume, no noise-cancelling, so keep it close to your face.
BT headphones	Average volume and channel separation

How does it sound? – Pass

We don’t usually test the native frequency response for a mono speaker – but we did anyway. It has no bass, almost no low-and-mid mid, decent high-mid and low-mid treble for clear voice and limited high treble.

If you use earphones for music, this is fine.

Deep Bass 20-40Hz	Nil
Middle Bass 40-100Hz	Nil
High Bass 100-200Hz	Starts at 100Hz and slowly builds to 1kHz
Low Mid 200-400Hz	Slowly building
Mid 400-1000Hz	Slowly building
High-Mid 1-2kHz	Flat
Low Treble 2-4kHz	Flat
Mid Treble 4-6kHz	Flat
High Treble 6-10kHz	Decline to 8kHz to avoid harshness and then climbs to 9kHz
Dog Whistle 10-20kHz	Flat to 18kHz, then off a cliff
Sound Signature type	Mid for clear voice. The music quality is poor, with no bass, treble, or vitality.
Soundstage	Mono – none
Comment	Suitable for voice but not for music. Similar to the Moto g04

Build – Pass

It is well-built and should last a few years. We call out the lack of a charger and cable, but Motorola compensates with a silicon bumper cover.

Size (H X W x D)	163.49 × 74.53 x 7.99mm
Weight grams	181
Front glass	Not specified
Rear material	PMMA
Frame	PMMA
IP rating	IP52 Water-repellent coating
Colours	Matte Charcoal Ice Green Pink Lavender
Pen, Stylus support	No
In the box
Charger	No
USB cable	No
Buds	No
Bumper cover	Yes
Comment	Loses points due to no included charger or cable

OS – Pass

This is a full-fat 64-bit Android. It has no OS upgrade but a reasonable two years of security patches from the launch date. Moto adds some excellent usability features, and its UI is a light touch over Android, so it is easy to use.

Android	Android 14
Security patch date	1 March 2024
UI	Display: Ambient display Gestures: Fast torch, Three-finger screenshot, Sidebar, Double press power button, Press and hold power button
OS upgrade policy	No
Security patch policy	Two years of security patches from launch.
Bloatware	Booking.com, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok
Other	Moto apps – some duplicate Google apps.
Comment	There is a lot of added functionality in MY UX, which leaves the underlying Android alone.
Security
Fingerprint sensor location, type	On power button – 8/10 test
Face ID	Yes – 2D only
Other	Usual pin etc.
Comment

Moto g24 rear camera – Pass

Whereas the G04 has a single 16MP sensor, this has a Samsung SK5JN 50MP that bins to 12.5MP and a 2MP Macro sensor. It relies heavily on AI post-processing, which the Helio G85 does better than the G04 UNISOC.

Rear Primary	Wide
MP	50MP bins to 12.5MP
Sensor	Samsung S5KJN
Focus	PDAF
f-stop	1.8
um	.64 bins to 1.28
FOV° (stated, actual)	62.9 (H) x 74.9 (D)
Stabilisation	No
Zoom
Rear 2	Macro
MP	2MP
Sensor	SmartSens SC202
Focus	Fixed 3-5cm
f-stop	2.4
um	1.75
FOV (stated, actual)
Stabilisation	No
Zoom	No
Video max	Rear main camera: FHD (30fps) Rear macro camera: HD (30 fps)
Flash	Yes
Auto-HDR	Yes
	Shooting modes: Photo Night Vision Portrait Live Filters Panorama Pro Mode (w/ Long Exposure) Burst Shot Digital Zoom (up to 4x) Macro Vision Artificial intelligence: Google Lens™ integration Auto Night Vision Other features: HDR Timer Assistive Grid Leveller Watermark Barcode scanner
QR code reader	Yes
Night mode	No

Moto g24 4G 2024 Test shots

Moto g24 4G 2024 front camera – Pass

An 8MP fixed-focus selfie with a relatively tight field of view means it is for single selfies only (g04 5MP). It also seems happier with 720p@30fps video.

MP	8MP
Sensor	Samsung S5K4H7
Focus	FF
f-stop	2
um	1.12
FOV (stated, actual)	67.1 (H) X 79.4 (D)
Stabilisation	No
Flash	Screen fill
Zoom	No
Video max	1080p@30fps
Features	Shooting modes: Photo Portrait Live Filters Artificial intelligence: Face Retouch Mirror Shooting modes: Video Timelapse Other features: Snap-in Video Recording
Comment	It is adequate for single selfies, and 720p video is better.

CyberShack’s view – The Moto g24 4G 2024 is worth the extra $50

The g04 and the g24 are virtually identical apart from the processor and camera. The Moto g24 4G 2024 is a more accomplished performer that will bring a little more joy in use than its sibling.

It is a fine low-cost phone for city and suburbs use.

Moto g24 4G 2024 rating

We remind you that it is an entry-level phone, and we rate it as such.

Ratings	New for 2024 – 70 is a pass mark.
Features	75
	All you need including a reasonable camera and 5GHz Wi-Fi.
Value	75
	It offers a little more usability than the bare necessities.
Performance	75
	It is a value SoC, and you get fit-for-purpose performance. It is not for gamers.
Ease of Use	70
	My UX adds some value to stock Android. At this level, no OS upgrade and two years of security patches are acceptable.
Design	70
	All PMMA plastic is fine – it looks like a more expensive smartphone.
Rating out of 10	73
Final comment	It is worth spending more to get a faster processor, more storage, a better camera and 5GHz Wi-Fi.

Moto g24 4G 2024

Pro
1	My UX is a light touch over Android. Good security policy
2	It is worth spending more to get this over the Moto g04
3	Reasonable battery life (but no charger)
4	Better camera than the g04
5	Seems smoother with less lag.
Con
1	Mono speaker (all we expect)
2	It can get a little hot under load (as all Helio 85 can)
3	No charger inbox
4	Capital city/suburbs phone use only
5	Dull, inaccurate colour, poor viewing angle display

Motorola Privacy and Terms and Conditions – Pass

We remind you that these are in addition to Google Android policies – read Can you trust Google? Yes, but it depends on your definition. If you are privacy conscious, we advise using Google Apps where possible and avoiding Motorola sign-on and experiences.

You can still use the phone without signing up to Motorola and adjust privacy settings, so we will classify the privacy policy and terms and conditions as benign.

But know that its Privacy Policy (9474 words) and Terms and Conditions (2236 words) allow it to collect every possible piece of information that the phone can provide. Motorola states that it does not sell personal information but does provide it to business partners. It does not state where its cloud data is stored but states that it complies with the laws of the countries it sells in.