Motorola g22 – cheap and cheerful (smartphone review)

The $299 Motorola g22 is one of its ‘bullet-proof’ g-series that has earned a solid reputation for reliability with consumers and in the business fleet world. It is also currently on special at JB Hi-Fi for $239, making it a pretty compelling buy in the entry-level range.

No, it is not a powerhouse with a MediaTek Helio G37 processor (entry-level), it is 4G (all you need), and the screen is 6.5” (720p/90Hz) – all perfectly acceptable compromises at this price. On the plus side, it has a reasonable daylight point and shoot, 50+8+2+2MP rear camera and 16MP selfie, NFC (and fingerprint reader); 3.5mm headphone jack; long-life 5000mAh battery (and a massive 21-hour screen-on time) and can charge at 15W although it comes with a 10W charger.

Motorola is on a rapid ascent and it is doing that by offering what the people want at prices they can afford. Its range includes (special prices from JB Hi-Fi at 2/6/22)

• e7 32GB (was $139 now $111l)*
• e7 Power 32GB (was $169 now $135)*
• e32 64GB (was $229 now $183)*
• g8 Plus 64GB (was $249 now $199)*
• g10 64GB (was $249 now $199)*
• g22 128GB (this review normally $299 now $239 on special)
• g50 128GB 5G $399*
• g51 128GB 5G (normally $399 now $299 on special)
• Edge20 Fusion 128GB 5G (was $499 now $399)*
• Edge20 128GB 5G (was $699 now $559)*
• Edge30 128GB 5G (normally $699 now $559 on special)
• Edge20 Pro 256GB 5G (was $899 now $719)*
• Edge30 Pro 128GB 5G (normally $999 now $799)

* These are 2021 runout models, and new models are coming soon. In any case, there are some real bargains there.

5-minute review Motorola g22, 4/128GB, 4G Dual Sim, Model XT2231-3, Retapac firmware

Website	Product Page
Price:	$299 but on special at JB for $239)
Colours	Pearl White or Cosmic Black
From:	Special prices from JB Hi-Fi
Warranty:	12-months ACL
Country of Manufacture:	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 grand plans to become a ‘top five’ smartphone maker.
More	Other CyberShack Motorola news and reviews

Deep-Dive review format

It is now in two parts. As this is a low-cost device, we will do a brief summary and a separate 300+ line database-driven spec, including over 70 tests to back up the findings. It also helps us compare different phones and features.

Most section headings have FAIL (did not meet expected standards), PASS (all you can expect) or EXCEED (better than you can expect).

Don’t buy grey market

The Motorola g22 must have RCM C-Tick, 4/128GB, and a dual sim. Don’t buy models ending in XT2331 – 1, 2, 4, and 5.

First Impressions – another glass slab – Pass

Sorry, but there is nothing exciting about a typical glass slab smartphone as this format is the best way to deliver value. Motorola is no exception.

It has a flat glass front, flat PMMA plastic back (not a fingerprint magnet but quite slippery), quad-camera hump (use the bumper case), the important 3.5mm jack on top; and a dual sim and dedicated microSD slot. The power button (with fingerprint sensor) and volume rocker are on the right side.

Screen: 6.5”, 1600 x 720, 268ppi, 90Hz, 20:9 LCD – Pass

720p is all you can expect at this price. It has an auto 60/90Hz refresh, or you can select 60 or 90Hz (all tests are at 60Hz). No screen protection is specified, but Motorola usually use PandaGlass (like GG3)

Unfortunately, it has an L3 DRM rating which means that streaming video content only plays at 480p SDR – if at all.

It is supposed to have a 400 nit screen and a 1500:1 contrast ratio. Compared to other similar spec phones, it is definitely not as bright and blacks are grey.

Due to cost and time, we don’t test lower-cost phones for colour gamut, brightness, contrast etc. Let’s say that it is OK for brightness (we estimate 300 nits, and you will run it at 75-100% – it is not for direct sunlight viewing); off-angle viewing is not great (it loses colour); there is a cold blue tint (you can remove this by selecting the natural mode and/or changing colour temperature).

Summary: Not the brightest but fit for purpose.

Processor – MediaTek Helio G37– Pass

It has a 12nm MediaTek Helio G37 with 4 x 2.3GHz and 4 x 1.8GHz octa-core CPU and 680MHz IMG GE8230 GPU. Let’s just say this is entry-level, and you must accept that there will be lag under load, especially with 4GB of RAM.

• With a Vulcan score of just 89 (it does not appear to support Open CL), It is not for gaming.
• Geekbench 5 single/multi-core was 171/960, which is far lower than a similar Qualcomm SD460 in the g10 that it replaces. It is also found in the Motorola g power and TCL 30/30+.
• Throttling is minimal – 7% over 15 minutes.
• RAM is 4GB DDR
• Storage is the slower eMMC 5.1 type (flash memory versus UFS)

Summary: It is a three-cylinder, no turbo!

Comms – Wi-Fi 5 AC, BT 5.0 and NFC – Pass

Wi-Fi 5 AC has a theoretical maximum of 433Mbps. Our tests show a maximum of 390Mbps with reasonable signal strengths out to 10m.

As it is not a Qualcomm SoC, it does not have its aptX sound codecs, which means you are limited to SBC and AAC with 200+ms latency – too high for gamers.

It has NFC – not expected at this price.

GPS performance is adequate and accurate to <10 metres but the phone takes a long time to recalculate routes.

Phone – Pass with caveats – for capital city and suburbs only

As seems typical of MediaTek Helio SoCs, it could only find the nearest tower, albeit at quite a good signal strength, to earn it a Pass for capital city users.

On the bright side, it has dual ring tones. On the not so bright side is that it does not (according to Motorola website specs) have band 28 (750Mhz), so necessary for low signal strength areas hence the caveat.

Battery – 5000mAh – Exceed with caveats

We have had past issues with MediaTek SoCs with GFX Bench and Geekbench 5 performance testing software.

This would not run GFXBench Manhattan or T-Rex battery tests. So, at best, we can tell you that PC Mark 3 battery test (screen on and typical use) lasted 21 hours and a video loop about 18 hours. We could not Netflix stream either (due to L3 DRM restrictions) – this is a better indication of Wi-Fi use. 100% load screen on drain was 7 hours.

Charge time with the supplied 5V/2A/10W charger was 3 hours 29 minutes, and with a 5V/3A/15W was 2 hours and 7 minutes. It can use any USB-C PD charger but that will not reduce the 15W charge time.

Sound – Mono Pass

We don’t test mono speaker smartphones as there is no sound stage, and the sound signature is set for clear voice (1-4kHz).

The maximum volume was 80dB with distortion. Hands-free was a little quiet, and the single bottom mic needs to be close to your face for decent effect and to avoid background and wind noise.

Build – Exceed

Never mind the plastic frame or PMMA (Polymethyl Methacrylate shatter-proof glass substitute) back – it is probably more shatterproof than glass. It is very well-made and should be a keeper. Warranty is 1-year (same as Samsung) which we think should be longer – OPPO and Google offer 2-years.

It is IPX4 – not very water-resistant.

Android – almost pure – Exceed

It ships with Android 12 and Motorola’s overlay My UX 3.0. You can reasonably expect Android 13 and two years of updates.

Android is almost pure, and the MY UX adds things like a camera app and Moto gestures. See the table for all features.

Missing – all good

For a $299 ($239) phone, it is missing nothing.

Camera – Motorola g22

In theory, it is a decent 50+8+2+2MP camera setup. We know the 50MP Samsung S5KJN1 sensor and we know what to expect. It is used in more than 100 smartphones including a few Motorola g-series, Samsung Galaxy A13/23, TCL 30-series, realme 8/9i, vivo 21T, OPPO A96 and several 2022 models coming here.

What we don’t know until we test is the level of AI the MediaTek SoC provides. In this case, it is not a lot at under 4 TOPS so it needs reasonable light levels to get the best out of it. We compared it to the Motorola g51 with the same sensor and a Qualcomm SD480 SoC and the results are decidedly inferior.

Frankly, we were a little disappointed at the g22 camera and we suspect that it is easily fixable via firmware updates. Don’t get us wrong – it is better than social media class.

Camera summary

• Photos
• 50MP with no AI and HDR daylight has good colours and details.
• 12.5MP binned with AI lacks accurate colours and details
• UW upscales 8MP to 12.5MP and has soft images but the colours don’t match the primary lens
• Macro – must be at 4cm or blurred. We could not get good shots.
• <40 lumens – camera struggles
• Night mode – reasonably good
• Portrait and bokeh – Focus issues, noisy and loses detail.
• Selfie ok in good light
• Video: Poor dynamic range leads to washed-out colours and lack of detail in light and dark areas.

CyberShack’s view – Motorola g22 is the phone to get when you can’t afford more.

Sorry if we have not been effusive. But at $299 ($239) you can’t go wrong.

See Best Android phones under $500 – some are real gems! (May 2022) to see where this sits.

CyberShack Smartphone comparison v 1.1 (E&OE)

Motorola g22

Brand	Motorola
Model	Moto g22 4G
Model Number	XT2231-3
Price Base	4/128
Price base	$299 (JB $239)
Warranty months	12-months ACL
Tier	Upper entry-level
Website	Product Page
From	Motorola online, Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Big W, Good Guys, Catch
Country of Origin	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 grand plans to become a ‘top five’ smartphone maker.
More	CyberShack Motorola news and reviews
Test date	5/5 to 2/6/22
Ambient temp	18-22°
Release	Mar-22
Other models not for Australia (Don’t buy)	Must have RCM C-Tick. 4/128GB dual sim. Don’t buy models ending in XT2331 – 1, 2, 4, and 5. Also, Lenovo g22 is not for Australia.

Screen

Size	6.5″
Type	IPS LCD
Flat, Curve, 2D, 3D	Flat
Resolution	1600 x 720
PPI	268
Ratio	20:9
Screen to Body %	89.03
Colours bits	8-bit 16.7m colours
Refresh Hz, adaptive	Auto or select 60 or 90Hz
Response 120Hz	Not disclosed
Nits typical test	Claim 400 – approx. 300
Nits max, test	Approx. 400
Contrast	Claim1500:1 – approx. 1000:1
sRGB	Not tested
DCI-P3	Not tested
Rec.2020 or other	N/A
Delta E (<4 is excellent)	N/A but above 6
HDR Level	SDR
SDR Upscale	No
Bluelight control	Yes
PWM if known	No
Daylight readable	No
Always on Display	Yes dimmed
Edge display	No
Accessibility	Usual Android features
DRM	L3 (lowest) – 480p at best but Netflix will not play
Gaming	No – 46ms G-t-G
Screen protection	Unknown – Motorola usually use PandaGlass (similar to GG3)
Comment	Fit for purpose. Blueish cast – best to use Natural setting. Major off-angle viewing screen washout.

Processor

Brand, Model	MediaTek Helio G37
nm	12
Cores	4 x 2.3GHz and 4 x 1.8GHz
Modem	4G Cat-4, Cat-7 DL / Cat-13 UL
AI TOPS	Estimate <4
Geekbench 5 Single-core	171
Geekbench 5 multi-core	960
Like	No comparison as its entry-level
GPU	680MHz IMG GE8230 GPU
GPU Test
Open CL	Would not run
Like	FAIL
Vulcan	89 (way too low for games)
RAM, type	4GB LPDDR4
Storage, free, type	128 (907 Free) eMMC (slow)
micro-SD	Claims up to 1TB but did not accept several test devices and corrupted all of them.
CPDT internal seq. Read MBps	238
CPDT internal seq. write MBps	140
CPDT microSD read, write MBps	78/35
CPDT external (mountable?) MBps	1TB test unit caused reboot and corrupted drive
Comment	We experienced several hangs and needed to perform a hard reboot during tests—laggy performance under load.
Throttle test
Max GIPS	101871
Average GIPS	96777
Minimum GIPS	90665
% Throttle	7
CPU Temp	50
Comment	Good thermal management for a 5W TPD SoC

Comms

Wi-Fi Type, model	Wi-Fi 5 AC
Test 2m -dBm, Mbps	-18/390 (good)
Test 5m	-44/390
Test 10m	-48/390
BT Type	5.0
GPS single, dual	Single
USB type	USB-C 2.0 480Mbps
ALT DP, DeX, Ready For	No. Miracast, not Chromecast
NFC	Yes – unusual at this price
Ultra-wideband	No
Accelerometer	Yes -combo with Gyro is very sensitive
Gyro	Yes
e-Compass	Yes
Barometer	No
Gravity	No
Pedometer	No
Ambient light	Yes
Hall sensor	No
Proximity	Yes
Other	Fingerprint Notification LED
Comment	Speeds as expected with Wi-Fi AC, although the tests are a little below maximum.

4G LTE

SIM	Dual sim and dedicated microSD
Active	Only one active at a time
Ring tone single, dual	Dual – excellent for travellers
VoLTE	Carrier dependent
Wi-Fi calling	Carrier dependent
4G Bands	1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 38, 40, 41 the modem supports only 9 bands, so it is not a world phone
Comment	Missing band 28, so it is not for use outside city limits
5G sub-6Ghz	N/A
Comment	N/A
mmWave	N/A
Test Boost Mobile Telstra network
UL, DL, ms	17.5/9.1/39ms – below average
Tower 1 -dBm, fW or pW	-87/2-10pW (excellent single tower strength)
Tower 2	No (typical of MediaTek modems)
Tower 3	No
Tower 4	No
Comment	Typical of low-cost MediaTek and strictly for areas with lots of towers – city and suburbs. The lack of band 28 is an issue for low signal strength areas.

Battery

mAh	5000
Charger, type, supplied	10W supplied and capable of 15W
PD, QC level	No PD but can use PD chargers
Qi, wattage	N/A
Reverse Qi or cable	N/A
Test (60Hz or adaptive screen)
Charge % 30mins	11%
Charge 0-100%	3 hours and 29 minutes
Charge Qi, W	N/A
Charge	5V/3A/15W 2 hours 7 minutes
Video loop 50%, aeroplane	18 hours Unable to test with Wi-Fi and streaming video due to L3 DRM
PC Mark 3 battery	21 hours
GFX Bench Manhattan battery	Would not run
GFX Bench T-Rex	Would not run
Drain 100-0% full load screen on	7 hours
Estimate loss at max refresh	20%
Estimate typical use	Given PC Mark and the video loop, we feel it should give you three to five days of typical use.
Comment	Moto should have provided a 15W faster charger for the pittance that would cost. Oh well, a cost-saving measure. Note the provided cable is for charging only and will not handle 5V/3A/15W, so you need a higher 3W rating cable.

Sound

Speakers	Earpiece and mono down-fixing speaker
Tuning	No
AMP	AW87 mono
Dolby Atmos decode	No
Hi-Res	No
3.5mm	Yes
BT Codecs	SBC and AAC only
Multipoint	Unknown
Dolby Atmos (DA)	No
EQ	No
Mics	Single
Test dB – all on EQ flat DA off
Volume max	80 (adequate)
Media (music)	70
Ring	75
Alarm	75
Notifications	75
Earpiece	55, but it is very tinny
Hands-free	Slightly low volume, no noise-cancelling, so keep it close to your face
BT headphones	Good volume and channel separation
Sound quality	Not for music
Deep Bass 20-40Hz	N/A
Middle Bass 40-100Hz	N/A
High Bass 100-200Hz	N/A
Low Mid 200-400Hz	N/A
Mid 4000-1000Hz	N/A
High-Mid 1-2kHz	N/A
Low Treble 2-4kHz	N/A
Mid Treble 4-6kHz	N/A
High Treble 6-10kHz	N/A
Dog Whistle 10-20kHz	N/A
Sound Signature type	Mono – focus on 1-4kHz
Soundstage	Mono
Comment	Suitable for voice but not for music

Build

Size (H x W x D)	163.95 x 74.94 x 8.49mm
Weight grams	185
Front glass	No specified
Rear material	PMMA
Frame	Plastic
IP rating	IPX4
Colours	Pearl White Cosmic Black
Pen, Stylus support	No
In the box
Charger	5V/2A/10W
USB cable	USB-A to USB-C 2W capable – no data lines and requires 3W cable with optional 5V/3A/15W charger
Buds	Yes
Bumper cover	Yes
Comment	Nice of Moto to provide a charger – it should have been 15W.

OS

Android	12
Security patch date	1-Feb-22
UI	My UX Personalise: Styles, Wallpapers, Layout Display: Peek Display, Attentive Display Gestures: Power Touch, Quick capture, Fast torch, Three-finger screenshot, Pick up to silence, Screenshot toolkit, Media controls Play: Gametime Audio
OS upgrade policy	May get Android 13
Security patch policy	Two years of security patches
Bloatware	Facebook (uninstallable)
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 not tested

Camera – Motorola g22

Rear Primary	Wide
MP	50 bins to 12.5
Sensor	Samsung S5KJN1
Focus	PDAF
f-stop	1.8
um	.64 bins to 1.28
FOV° (stated, actual)	77 (65.6-77.8)
Stabilisation	EIS only
Zoom	5X digital
Rear 2	Ultra-wide
MP	8
Sensor	Samsung S5K4H7
Focus	Contrast Autofocus
f-stop	2.2
um	1.12
FOV (stated, actual)	118
Stabilisation	No
Zoom	No
Rear 3	Macro
MP	2
Sensor	Galaxy Core GC02M1
Focus	Fixed 4cm
f-stop	2.4
um	1.75
FOV (stated, actual)	88.8
Stabilisation	No
Zoom	No
Rear 4	Depth
MP	2
Sensor	Galaxy Core GC02M1
Focus	FF
f-stop	2.4
um	1.75
FOV (stated, actual)	88.8
Stabilisation	No
Zoom	No
Special
Video max	1080p@30fps
Flash	Yes
Auto-HDR	Primary lens only
	Portrait; Photo Video; Pro Mode; Night Vision; Face Beauty; Assistive Grid; Watermark; HDR; Timer; Mirror
QR code reader	Google Lens
Night mode	Yes, but minimal post-processing power
Front
MP	16
Sensor	Omnivision OV16A19
Focus	FF
f-stop	2.45
um	1
FOV (stated, actual)
Stabilisation	No
Flash	Screen fill
Zoom	No
Video max	1080p@30fps
Features	Snap-in video record Face Beauty; Assistive Grid; Watermark; HDR; Timer; Mirror
Comment	Video: Poor dynamic range leads to washed-out colours and lack of detail in light and dark areas. Photos Daylight has good colours and details but lacks details in the shadows. 50MP mode – no AI and no HDR UW upscales 8MP to 12.5MP and has soft images. Macro – must be at 4cm or blurred. Low light – reasonably good in night mode Portrait and bokeh – OK, but noisy and loses detail. Selfie ok in good light

Ratings – Motorola g22

Features	8
	It has all that you could expect and need for this price.
Value	9
	Terrific value, especially if you can get it for $239
Performance	6
	It is an entry-level value SoC, and you get fit for purpose performance. It is not for gamers.
Ease of Use	9
	My UX adds some value to stock Android.
Design	8.5
	All plastic is fine – it looks like a more expensive smartphone.
Rating out of 10	8.1
Final comment	At $299 ($239 on special), it is one of the best – you can’t go wrong. Don’t expect blazing performance but do expect excellent battery life.

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