The Motorola g05 and g15 are almost identical twins, with the latter offering a marginally better camera, double storage, and a slightly higher-resolution screen. They both represent superb value.
While we usually delight in reviewing premium models, getting back to basics grounds us. What does an entry-level phone need?
- Good signal strength for city and suburbs – ✅
- Decent, readable screen – ✅
- At least a full day’s battery life and reasonable recharge times – ✅
- Adequate processing power, RAM and storage for everyday use – ✅
- Quality and longevity – even at these prices, you need it to last a few years – ✅
- Android 15 and reasonable security upgrades – ✅
The Motorola g05 and g15 ace these requirements
What, no AI? Thank goodness!
There is a distinct digital divide – read Smartphone buying patterns are changing – AI is not the driver! This is an honest smartphone with some minor AI camera assistance for better photos and videos. It does support Google Gemini AI Assistant and basic in-cloud AI.
Which one for you?
The g05 stands out for its longer battery life and a whiter, visibly brighter 720p screen. If money is tight, the g05 is the pick, as you lose no functionality.
The g15 stands out for its ultra-wide/macro sensor, which gives the camera a bit more flexibility. Both have the same 50MP main sensor and take almost identical shots.
Australian Review: Motorola g05 and g15
Note: As these are essentially the same devices, we will show the g15 results in brackets after the g05 results. This is a mini-review, but you will still find over 300 data points and tests for each phone in the tables at the end of the review. Where they are the same, we will leave the g15 table blank.
| Brand | Motorola | |
| Model | Motorola g05 | Motorola g15 |
| Model Number | XT2523-10 | XT2521-4 |
| RAM/Storage Base | 4/64 | 4/128 |
| Price base as at 1/4/25 | $179 | $229 |
| Warranty | 2 years | |
| Teir | Entry-level | |
| Website | Product Page | Product page |
| From | JB Hi-Fi Plum Red, Forest Green and Misty Blue at Harvey Norman, JB Hi Fi, The Good Guys, Officeworks, Big W, Bing Lee, Amazon Motorola store, and motorola.com.au Big W: Fresh Lavender | Vegan leather Gravity Grey, Sunrise Orange and Iguana Green at Harvey Norman, JB Hi Fi, The Good Guys, Officeworks, Big W, Amazon, and motorola.com.au. |
| Made in | China | |
| Company | Owned by Lenovo (Est 1984), a multinational technology company with its primary operational headquarters in Beijing and Morrisville, North Carolina. It is the world’s largest PC maker. It purchased Motorola Mobility from Google in 2014. Most of Lenovo’s smartphone business is now under the Motorola brand, and it has ambitious plans to become one of the top five smartphone makers. | |
| Test date | March 2025 | |
| Ambient temp | 20-30° | |
| Release | February 2025 | |
| Other models not for Australia (Don’t buy) | Only purchase from Motorola or its approved retailers. This is the Australian model. |
Test ratings
We use the following ratings: Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations), and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) for many of the items listed below. We occasionally give a Passable rating that is not as good as it should be and a Pass+ rating to indicate it is good but does not quite meet the Exceed standard. You can click on most images for an enlargement.
First Impression – Looks Great
The vegan leather colour choices and the excellent camera hump ‘lava flow’ treatment make this phone look a lot more expensive and premium. Add Gorilla Glass 3 screen protection (against scratches, not drops) and a two-year warranty, and it should last quite a few years. That is important to the value market.
The best thing is that it’s all you need for everyday use, including NFC for Google Pay, a camera that surpasses social media standards (g15 adds ultrawide angle and macro capabilities), all-day battery life, and surprisingly good city and suburb phone reception.
The downside is that it can be laggy– a characteristic of lower-end processors. 4GB RAM is the minimum, but the extra 8GB virtual RAM helps lower the available 64GB (128GB) storage.
Screen – 6.7” 720 (1080p) – Pass
These are both IPS LCDs, which means no Pulse Width Modulation dimming like high-end OLEDs (Read PWM – Is your phone making you sick?).
The g05 720p screen is visibly brighter than the g15 1080, but that is because it uses a ‘cooler blue’ temperature default, whereas the latter is a little more natural. Neither has Blue-light protection, but it is not expected at this price.
The other minor issue is that the g15 1080p screen requires more energy, resulting in a few hours less battery life.
Summary: Fit for purpose
Processor – Pass
The MediaTek Helio G81 Extreme, released in 2020, is built on a 12mm die. It runs hotter and uses more energy than the later MediaTek Dimensity or Snapdragon Gen 4 or 6 processors.
However, it is the primary reason that Motorola can offer a phone at this price. 4GB of RAM is the bare minimum for Android 15 (some OS models have 8GB – do not buy these), and consequently, the phone can be laggy and slow under load. It is not for gamers.
It has RAM Boost, which borrows 8GB of virtual RAM from the storage, reducing its quantum. Although it does not significantly improve speed and reduces available storage, we recommend using it.
This processor lacks any real AI or NPU capabilities. The GPU is not fast enough for recent games, and the CPU throttles 27% under load.
Summary: Fit for Purpose
Comms – Not bad at all – Pass
Wi-Fi 5 AC reaches 433/433 Mbps (maximum speed) on the 5 GHz band out to about 15 m—good. Bluetooth 5 lacks a multi-point connection (two concurrent devices).
GPS is also a surprise – it is a single-band system (Beidou, Galileo, Glonass, GPS) but has an accuracy of less than 1m, making it suitable for in-car navigation. However, the processor can be pretty slow in recalculating routes
Summary: No issue here
4G – A surprise – Pass
To be polite, MediaTek G series modems are generally only for good reception areas. Motorola has addressed this issue with a better antenna and tuning, enabling it to find two of the four towers in our test area at respectable picowatt speeds. So, it is good for the city and suburbs and anywhere you have decent band 28 access.
It has dual SIM slots (and a dedicated 1TB microSD slot) and, best of all, dual ringtones, which are great for travel. The modem is DSDS (Dual SIM, Dual Standby), meaning only one can be active at a time.
Battery – Pass (would have been more if there was a charger inbox)
It has a 5200mAh battery (approximately 19Wh) that will last 24+ hours (not 40 as claimed) with typical use. It can charge at up to 9V/2A/18W (and this drops off as the battery fills) in under two hours.
The biggest difference is that the g15, with its 1080p screen, uses more energy and has about 1-3 hours less battery life (depending on load).
Sound – same as it ever was for most phones – almost passable
It is impossible to get decent sound from two differently sized micro-speakers – the earpiece and bottom speaker. It is also impossible to get any low and mid bass or mid and high treble, leaving the music dull and lifeless. Conversely, it is fine for as a phone for clear voice with decent Mids.
Bluetooth 5.0 is a single-point connection (to one device) and supports SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, LDAC, and LHDC V3/5 16-bit 44100/48000Hz codecs. If you have LDAC headphones, you’ll enjoy a higher-resolution experience. It has a 3.5mm 4-pole jack for a combo cabled mic and stereo headphones.
It decodes Dolby Atmos (it does not decode Dolby Vision content), but the speakers offer no DA spatial effects. You get good DA with headphones.
Build – Pass+
It has a plastic frame, faux vegan leather back and Gorilla Glass 3 (scratch-resistant, not drop-resistant cover glass). The look is great with the lava flow over the camera hump.
It has a basic IP52 water-repellent coating – don’t dunk this one.
Add a 2-year warranty and you cannot go wrong.
Android – Pass+
It comes with Android 15, but there are no OS upgrades – not expected at this price, anyway. It has two years of security patches, which is a bonus.
Hello UI is a light overlay on pure Android and adds lots of value without screwing up Android. I like it far more than the bloated, heavy Samsung One UI that has become a nightmare to navigate, much less maintain any privacy.
The lower the phone’s cost, the more bloatware Motorola is paid to include. When removed, you regain over 5GB of storage space!
Interestingly, these phones (technically the same under the hood) run different Android versions – g05 V26 1/1/25 and g15 V15 1/12/24.
Motorola g05 and g15 rear camera – Pass
Both have a Samsung S5KJN1 50MP quad-pixel sensor. It defaults to binning at 12.5MP, which enables basic AI to select the best pixels and produce a better image. The sensor is really meant for lower-cost phones and uses a .64um pixel (bins to 1.28um). Still images are fine in daylight, OK in office light, and poor in low light.
You notice the image quality most when you blow them up to A4 or more (and I am using a 32” 4K reference monitor), so when viewed on a phone, the images appear good. Digital zoom is 6X, but it tends to be very noisy.
Video is 1080p@30fps without stabilisation and is better in daylight. The single bottom mic has poor far-field audio pickup.
The g15 has a 5MP fixed-focus ultra-wide/macro generic sensor that takes reasonable ultra-wide images, but the colours are different to the main sensor. Macro is good, but the fixed focus means you need to be precise with focal distance.
Summary: The rear camera provides better than social media class images.
Motorola g05 and g15 front camera – Passable
It is an 8MP, fixed-focus generic sensor with f/2.0 and 1.12um pixels, good in daylight or under brighter office lights. The field of view is just wide enough for dual selfies. Selfies are lacklustre, with colour image issues, but still quite acceptable.
Summary: Fit for purpose.
CyberShack’s view: The Motorola g05 and g15 are excellent entry-level phones
You may recall that at the beginning of the review, I mentioned ‘grounding’ or coming back to earth. As a 25-year smartphone reviewer, I am acutely aware that not everyone needs a $1000 or $2000+ phone.
What they need is functionality, and these two devices meet or exceed any average phone user’s needs.
I take my hat off to Motorola for being one of the few companies (OPPO is the other) that bother with entry-level where profit margins are razor thin and owners’ expectations are conversely quite high (Champagne tastes and lemonade budget).
As a company, Motorola has made some spectacular phones that eat major brand names for breakfast. Its Motorola Razr 50 Ultra raises the flip smartphone bar yet again and is vastly better than the Samsung Flip. The $999 Motorola Edge 50 Pro, an excellent upper-midrange smartphone, was our 2024 smartphone of the year, passing all 15 criteria (the Samsung S24 Ultra had an honourable mention but did not meet several important criteria). Motorola’s mid-rangers offer way more bang for your buck than Samsung’s A-series.
It seems that in 2025, Motorola will raise the bar again.
Reviewers final comment
These are entry-level devices replacing the g04/g14. The G15 adds an ultra-wide and macro camera with the same main camera and 1080p screen, 1080p screen and 128GB storage. They both get our buy recommendation. However, the following comments are not about the phones but about the way that the website portrays them.
Its websites make claims that are not accurate.
- The camera is more for daylight – not exceptional in low light.
- There is no next-level sight and sound – it is an IPS LCD screen in either HD or FHD SDR and typical micro-speakers. 7X bass – there is no low and mid bass and a very small amount of late high bass.
- There is no way any user will get 40 hours of battery life – much less half that.
- 4GB RAM and 64/128GB eMMC are not fast, nor is the processor. RAM boost is useless for most applications.
- Dolby Atmos decode does not provide spatial sound via the speakers.
- The screen cannot be seen clearly in the sun – it is not daylight readable.
- The screen colours are good for sRGB Standard Definition.
- Unleash the speed of a powerful octa-core processor – not.
Our point is that all brands write effusive copy to sell a product, and who can blame them? It is more prevalent with Chinese brands, which tend to overhype the product. The Australian website is the same as the global sites, so we can’t blame the fine folk at Motorola AU.
Perhaps we are more sensitive to unsubstantiated claims than most. This has enough good features that on a bang-for-buck basis, it is hard to beat. Motorola, please take note, as we believe that focusing on the value proposition will help you sell more.
Competition
At $179, the g05 has no competition. It is far better than the HMD Aura with the Unisoc processor. The $199 OPPO A38 with a MediaTek 85 has more storage and a similar camera.
At $229, the g15 competes with the $259 OPPO A40, which has a Snapdragon 6S Gen 1 processor, 6/128GB RAM/Storage and offers better performance and better phone reception but its $30 more. Both severely outclass the $229 HMD Pusle.
Motorola g05 and g15 ratings
Remember that 70 is a Pass Mark. The g05 scores 78, and the g15 scores 77 – well above pass and excellent for entry-level phones..
- Features: 75 – It has basic features commensurate with the price. No points were deducted for no charger inbox
- Value: 90 (85) – It has the bare necessities at a reasonable price
- Performance: 70 – The processor is fit for purpose, and 4/64 and 4/128GB are all you can expect. The mark is more about knowing that it won’t be blindingly quick and play games, etc.
- Ease of use: 75 – My UX adds some value to stock Android. The two-year warranty is great. No OS upgrades and 2 years of security patches are fine for the price
- Design: 80 – Nicely finished in faux leather and Gorilla Glass 3. Looks more premium than the price.
Motorola g04 and g15 data points and test results
Screen
| Size | 6.7″ | |
| Type | IPS LCD | |
| Flat, Curve, 2D, 3D | Flat with centre o-hole | |
| Resolution | 1604 x 720 | 2400 x 1080 |
| PPI | 263 | 391 |
| Ratio | 20:9 | |
| Screen to Body % | 90.15% | 91.64% |
| Colours bits | 8-bit 16.7m colours | |
| Refresh Hz, adaptive | Auto or select 60 or 90Hz | 60Hz fixed |
| Response 120Hz | N/A | |
| Nits typical, test | Not stated. Test 388 nits | Not stated. It is not as bright as the G05, and the test result was 365 nits. |
| Nits max, test | Claim 1000 nits High Brightness Mode with Automatic Light Sensor. | Not stated. It is hard to measure High Brightness Mode as it is in a very small window. |
| Contrast | 1500:1 (Test 1542:1) | 1500:1 (Test 1467:1) |
| sRGB | Test: 99% of 16.7m colours | Test: 94% of 16.7m colours |
| DCI-P3 | Test: 65% of 16.7m colours | Test: 62% of 16.7m colours |
| Rec.2020 or other | No | |
| Delta E (<4 is excellent) | 2.1 | 2.9 |
| HDR Level | SDR Will display HDR/HDR10/HDR10+/Dolby Vision as SDR. | |
| SDR Upscale | No | |
| Blue Light Control | No (Nightlight feature) | |
| 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 | |
| Gaming | Not for gaming | |
| Screen protection | Gorilla Glass 3 | |
| Comment | Slight blueish cast – best to use Natural setting. Fit for purpose. | The warm cast makes it duller than the G05. Fit for purpose. |
Screen tests
Both meet standard colour tests for an 8-bit screen. The g05 (left) is noticeably brighter.
Processor
| Brand, Model | MediaTek Helio G81 (circa 2020) | Same – minor performance differences |
| nm | 12 | |
| Cores | 2×2.0GHz + 6×1.7GHz | |
| Modem | 4G MediaTek Maximum DL/UL 150/50Mbps | |
| AI TOPS | Geekbench AI – not relevant – NP NPU GFLOPS: 7.54 GINOPS: 6.90 | |
| Geekbench 6 Single-core | 407 | |
| Geekbench 6 multi-core | 1339 | |
| Like | Slower than an SD662 Benchmarks | |
| GPU | Arm Mali-G52 MC2 820MHz | |
| GPU Test | ||
| Open CL | 951 | 955 |
| Like | Too low to compare | |
| Vulcan | 894 | 892 |
| RAM, type | 4GB LPDDR4X (plus virtual RAM boost to 12GB using storage) | |
| Storage, free, type | 64GB eMMC (35GB free reflects 8GB dedicated to RAM boost) | 128GB eMMC (90GB free reflects 8GB dedicated to RAM boost) |
| micro-SD | Up to 1TB – dedicated slot | |
| CPDT Read MBps | 297.7 sustained 336 Max | 243.6 Sustained 312 Max |
| CPDT write MBps | 153.8 sustained 183 Max | 164.21 sustained 184 Max |
| CPDT microSD read, write MBps | 75/25 Can be used for app and media storage | |
| CPDT external (mountable?) MBps | N/A | |
| Comment | It is slow and laggy when under any sort of load, often hanging for a second or more. It is the quintessential lowest-cost phone. |
Throttle test
| Max GIPS | 112,088 | |
| Average GIPS | 89,222 | |
| Minimum GIPS | 76,444 | |
| % Throttle | 27% loss (in some subsequent tests, it throttled to 41%) | |
| CPU Temp | 50 | |
| Comment | It throttles almost immediately and then maintains about 73% efficiency. It is not for gamers. |
Comms
| Wi-Fi Type, model | Wi-Fi 5 AC 2.4/5GHz | |
| Test 2m -dBm, Rx/Tx Mbps | -44/433/433 | |
| Test 5m | -45/433/433 | |
| Test 10m | -57/433/433 | |
| BT Type | 5 | |
| GPS single, dual | Single Beidou, Galileo, Glonass, GPS 1m accuracy but slow to recalculate. | |
| USB type | USB-C 2.0 480Mbps | |
| ALT DP, DeX, Ready For | No | |
| NFC | Yes Requires power button fingerprint authorisation and third-party mobile app (Google Pay) | |
| 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 | Fingerprint reader on power button SAR sensor Sensor Hub | |
| Comment | Wi-Fi 5 AC speeds reach 433/433 maximum (good) and show decent 5GHz signal strength to 10m (even more) |
4G
| SIM | Dual SIM and dedicated microSD slot | |
| Active | Only one active at a time DSDS | |
| Ring tone | Dual | |
| VoLTE | Carrier dependent – yes | |
| Wi-Fi calling | Carrier dependent – yes | |
| 4G Bands | 1/2/3/5/7/8/18/19/20/26/28/38/40/41 | |
| Comment | All Australian 4G bands | |
| 5G sub-6Ghz | N/A | |
| Comment | N/A | |
| mmWave | N/A | |
| Test Boost Mobile, Telstra | ||
| DL/UL, ms | 18.6/17.8/29ms – below average | |
| Tower 1 -dBm, fW or pW | -81 to -107/20fW to 7.9PW Band 3 | |
| Tower 2 | -82 to -85/3.2pW to 6.3pW Band 28 | |
| Tower 3 | No | |
| Tower 4 | No | |
| Comment | MediaTek modems typically only find the first tower, but the fact that it found both bands 3 and 28 is good. It is more suitable for the city and suburbs or where you have a good band 28 signal strength. |
Battery
| mAh | 5200 – nominal | |
| Charger, type, supplied | Not supplied 9V/2A/18W capable It started at 18W and dropped to 11W at 30% full. | |
| PD, QC level | PD and PPS compatible | |
| Qi, wattage | N/A | |
| Reverse Qi or cable. | N/A | |
| Test (60Hz or adaptive screen) | Adaptive | |
| Charge 0-100% | 1 hour 37 minutes at 18W | 1 hour 42 minutes at 18W |
| Charge Qi | N/A | N/A |
| Charge 5V, 2A | Over 7 hours | |
| Video loop 50%, aeroplane | 17 hours 36 minutes | 15 hours 12 minutes |
| PC Mark 3 battery | 14 hours 57 minutes | 13 hours 39 minutes |
| GFX Bench Manhattan battery | Would not run | Would not run |
| GFX Bench T-Rex | 621.8 minutes (10.36 hours) 1166 frames | 492 minutes (8.2 hours) 734 frames |
| Drain 100-0% full load screen on | 5 hours 12 minutes | 4 hours 27 minutes |
| mA Full load screen on | 1000-1050 | 1350-1450 |
| mA idle Screen on | 250-300 | 300-350 |
| Estimate loss at max refresh | N/A | |
| Estimate typical use | The claim is for 40 hours of mixed use and standby time. Clearly, this is closer to 24 hours of typical use. | The 1080p screen has quite an impact on energy use. |
| Comment | No charger is provided, but it can be charged from any PD charger supporting 9V, 2A, and 18W. Be aware that intelligent battery settings can slow charging overnight and stop at 90%. |
Sound hardware
| Speakers | Stereo earpiece and down-firing bottom speaker | |
| Tuning | No | |
| AMP | MediaTek | |
| Dolby Atmos decode | Yes | |
| Hi-Res | No | |
| 3.5mm | Yes | |
| BT Codecs | SBC, AAC, free aptX and aptX HD, LDAC, LHDC V3/5 16-bit 44100/48000Hz | |
| Multipoint | Unknown – likely not | |
| Dolby Atmos (DA) | Yes, but mainly for connected headphones. No Dolby Vision decode. | |
| EQ | Smart, Music, Movie, Game, Podcast, and Custom EQ and Spatial Audio | |
| Mics | Single bottom mic | |
| Test dB – all on EQ flat DA off | ||
| Volume max | 72 (all slightly below average) | |
| Media (music) | 64 | |
| Ring | 71.4 | |
| Alarm | 67.5 | |
| Notifications | 61.5 | |
| Earpiece | 52.8 | |
| Hands-free | The volume is slightly low, and there’s no mic noise cancellation, so keep it close to your face. | |
| BT headphones | Average volume and channel separation. |
Sound quality
| Deep Bass 20-40Hz | Nil | |
| Middle Bass 40-100Hz | Nil | |
| High Bass 100-200Hz | Starts at 100Hz and builds very slowly to 700Hz | |
| Low Mid 200-400Hz | Slowly building | |
| Mid 400-1000Hz | Slowly building 700Hz | |
| High-Mid 1-2kHz | Flat | |
| Low Treble 2-4kHz | Flat | |
| Mid Treble 4-6kHz | Flat top 5kHz | |
| High Treble 6-10kHz | Dip to avoid harshness. | |
| Dog Whistle 10-20kHz | It steadily declines to 14 kHz, then drops off the cliff. | |
| Sound Signature type | Mid for clear voice. The music quality is poor, lacking bass, treble, and vitality. We find this with all low-end MediaTek amps, which also induce distortion, frequency clipping and choppy Mids. | |
| Soundstage | As wide as the phone. DA adds no perceptible speaker height or spatial effects. DA via headphones is fine. | |
| Comment | Suitable for voice but not for music |
Build
| Size (H X W x D) | 165.67 x 75.98 x 8.17mm | |
| Weight grams | 189g | 190g |
| Front glass | Gorilla Glass 3 | |
| Rear material | Vegan faux leather | |
| Frame | PMMA | |
| IP rating | IP52 Water-repellent coating | |
| Colours | Forest Green Plum Red Misty Blue Fresh Lavender (Big W only) | Sunrise Orange Gravity Grey Iguana Green |
| Pen and stylus support | No | |
| In the box | ||
| Charger | No | |
| USB cable | 3W cable | |
| Buds | No | |
| Bumper cover | Yes | |
| Comment | Loses points due to no included charger |
OS and Security
| Android | Android 15 | |
| Security patch date | 1/1/25 (Ver VVTA35.51-28-26 | 1/12/24 (Ver VVTA35.51-28-15 |
| UI | Display: Attentive Display Gestures: Fast torch, Three-finger screenshot, Flip for DND, Pick up to silence, Media Controls, Lift to unlock, Sidebar, Double press power key, Press and hold power button | |
| OS upgrade policy | No | |
| Security patch policy | To 12/26 | |
| Bloatware | Block Blast, Booking.com, Bottle Jump 3D, Candy Crush Saga, Candy Crush Soda, Crossword Master, Facebook, Fitbit, Ganes, LinkedIn, Raid, Temu, TikTok, Thief Puzzle – the lower the cost, the more bloatware. Uninstalling unnecessary apps can give you 5GB or more of extra space. | |
| Other | Moto apps – some duplicate Google apps. | |
| Comment | MY UX offers a significant amount of added functionality, which leaves the underlying Android system intact. | |
| Security | ||
| Fingerprint sensor location, type | On power button – 8/10 test | |
| Face ID | Yes 2D |
Motorola g05 and g15 Rear Camera
| Rear Primary | Wide | |
| MP | 50MP bins to 12.5MP | |
| Sensor | Samsung S5KJN1 | |
| Focus | PDAF | |
| f-stop | 1.8 | |
| um | .64 bins to 1.28 | |
| FOV° (stated, actual) | 62.9 to 74.9 | |
| Stabilisation | No | |
| Zoom | 6X Digital | |
| Rear 2 | Ultra-wide/macro | |
| MP | 5MP | |
| Sensor | GalaxyCore gc05a2 | |
| Focus | Fixed | |
| f-stop | 2.4 | |
| um | 1.75 | |
| FOV (stated, actual) | ||
| Stabilisation | No | |
| Zoom | No | |
| Rear 3 | Ambient light sensor | |
| Special | Google Photos Editing: Magic Eraser Photo Unblur Magic Editor Portrait Blur Portrait Light Sky Colour Pop Cinematic Photos. | |
| Video max | 1080p@30fps OK video in good light. Poor audio pickup. | |
| Flash | Yes | |
| Auto-HDR | Yes | |
| Night Vision Mode Auto Night Vision Portrait Panorama Pro Mode Live Filter HDR Face Retouch Selfie Photo Mirror Snap in Video Recording Google Lens™ integration QR/ Barcode Scanner Google Photos Editing – Magic Eraser – Photo Unblur – Magic Editor – Portrait Blur – Portrait Light – Sky – Colour Pop – Cinematic Photos | ||
| QR code reader | Yes | |
| Night mode | Yes | |
| DXO Mark | N/A |
Motorola g05 and g15camera test
Both use the 50MP binned to 12.5MP sensor and take largely identical photos with it. The g15 adds ultra-wide and a proper macro.
Motorola g05 and g15 Front Camera
| MP | 8MP | |
| Sensor | Galaxy Core gc08a8 or Omnivision ovo8D10 | |
| Focus | FF | |
| f-stop | 2 | |
| um | 1.12 | |
| FOV (stated, actual) | 66.4 to 78.6 | |
| Stabilisation | No | |
| Flash | Screen fill | |
| Zoom | No | |
| Video max | 1080p@30fps | |
| Features | ||
| Comment | Have seen better colour accuracy. |
Ratings
| Ratings | 70+ is a pass mark | |
| Features | 75 | |
| It has basic features commensurate with the price. No points are deducted for no charger inbox. | ||
| Value | 90 | 85 |
| It has the bare necessities at a class-leading price | More serious price competition. | |
| Performance | 70 | |
| It is an entry-level, 5-year-old value SoC that offers fit-for-purpose performance, albeit laggy. However, it is not for gamers. | ||
| Ease of Use | 75 | |
| My UX adds some value to stock Android. The two-year warranty is great. No OS upgrades and 2 years of security patches are fine for the price. | ||
| Design | 80 | |
| Nicely finished in faux leather and Gorilla Glass 3. It looks more premium than the price suggests. | ||
| Rating out of 10 | 78 | 77 |
| Final comment | This is an entry-level device replacing the g04 and offers the option of the g15 with a better camera and 1080p screen. |
Motorola g05 and g15, Motorola g05 and g15, Motorola g05 and g15, Motorola g05 and g15, Motorola g05 and g15
| Pro | ||
| 1 | My UX is a light touch over Android. Good security policy | |
| 2 | As low as you can go and still get a decent smartphone | |
| 3 | Reasonable battery life (but no charger) | |
| 4 | Adequate point-and-shoot camera, but the video is only suitable for daylight conditions. | |
| 5 | 720p screen is good for the price | The 1080p screen is good, but it uses more battery. |
| Con | ||
| 1 | ||
| 2 | Processor crawls | |
| 3 | No charger inbox | |
| 4 | ||
| 5 |
CyberShack Verdict
Motorola g05 and g15 entry-level smartphones
$179/229
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