Motorola g32 4G – well-equipped at $299 (smartphone review)
The Motorola g32 4G joins the plethora of Moto g-series phones filling all niche markets (and then some). It is a well-priced, well-equipped smartphone.
With apologies to Motorola, it seems a bit like Groundhog Day, where we keep reviewing its g-series smartphones, each just that little different yet strangely similar. You see, its screens are just slight variations on a theme, its primary camera is invariably a Samsung SK5JN1, and they all have 5000mA batteries.
So much is common to the g-series that I could have just copied one review – except that I did not. More than 70 tests show slight differences.
It is the Qualcomm processor version of the Motorola g22 – cheap and cheerful (smartphone review) and pretty well the 4G version of the Motorola g62 5G – everything you need for $399 (smartphone review).
Spoiler Alert: Another superbly priced, fully-featured smartphone you won’t regret buying.
Australian review Motorola g32 4G, 4/128GB, Dual sim and dedicated microSD, Model XT2253-3, Retapac firmware
| Website | Product Page |
| Price: | $299 |
| Colours | Satin Silver and Mineral Grey |
| From* | JB Hi-Fi, Telstra, Optus, Officeworks, Woolworths, Big W |
| 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, and it purchased Motorola Mobility from Google in 2014. Most of Lenovo’s smartphone business is now under the Motorola brand, with grand plans to become a ‘top five’ smartphone maker. |
| More | Other CyberShack Motorola news and reviews |
* Grey market – no Australian warranty
We strongly advise you to buy a genuine model with Australian firmware. It is easy to identify the Australian version – under Settings, About Phone, and Regulatory Labels, there is an Australian RCM C-tick mark. There is also an RCM C-Tick on the box.
Do not buy models PAUU0015IN / PAUU0016IN.
Deep-Dive review format
It is now in two parts – a 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.
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.
First Impression – Pass
Yes, folks, it is another well-made glass slab, plastic back and frame, and it is all you need. The fingerprint sensor is on the power button, and the three-sensor camera is on the rear. All the buttons are on the right side at the ideal height for one-handed use.
It is a mid-sized 6.5” phone at 161.83 x 73.84 x 8.49 mm x 184g.
Screen – 6.5″ is just about right – Pass
It is a relatively bright and colourful 1080p FHD+ with a choice of Auto/60/90Hz. On auto, it swaps between 60 and 90Hz, and the latter takes about a 10% toll on battery life. Leave it on 60Hz.
It is daylight readable (just – in the shade), but you cannot expect more at this price.
Screen orientation is an issue. The combo Accelerometer and Gyroscope are very sensitive, and the slightest movement sends it to landscape. I had to turn autorotation off.
Summary: Good IPS screen for the price
Processor – Pass but throttles
It is fit for purpose, but not for games as it throttles badly under load. This will not worry Joe and Jane Average, but gamers and power users beware.
We love that it still has dedicated microSD storage expansion to 1TB and that you can mount an external portable SSD via OTG, although USB 2.0 means about 30MBps data transfer rates.
Comms – it is all there – Pass+
Wi-Fi 5 AC is all you can expect, and it connects at 433Mbps. The antenna strength is quite good, out to 10m on the 5Ghz band.
BT 5.2 has Qualcomm standard codecs – SBC, AAC, aptX (most versions) and LDAC.
The dual GPS is welcome, but it easily loses satellites on cloudy days (and we are in the middle of a 100-year rain bomb). NFC supports Google Pay.
Phone – dual sim, dual ringtone, and solid signal strength
It is a dual SIM with a dedicated MicroSD. Only one can be active at a time. It has two ringtones that are excellent for home and business users.
All you need to know is that it supports all Australian 4G/LTE bands. It is a great city, suburbs, and limited regional areas with decent coverage.
Battery – 5000mAh for two days of use – Exceed
The battery is 5000mAh and comes with a 33W fast charger that fills it in 1 hour and 16 minutes. Thank you, Motorola.
- PC Mark 3.0 battery test is one of the more accurate tests for heavy use and gave 21 hours and 41 minutes – terrific.
- Accubattery was a little more conservative at 15 hours and 39 minutes.
- GFX Benchmark Manhattan stresses the device a little more and gave 10.59 hours
- GFX Benchmark T-Rex is a good 1080p video benchmark, giving 5.73 hours.
- Our video loop on-device storage, 50% screen and aeroplane mode was 17 hours and 20 minutes.
- 100% drain screen-on was 5 hours and 25 minutes.
It has excellent 2-day battery life and fast charge.
Sound – Stereo but more for clear voice – Pass(able)
It has an Analytical: (bass/mid recessed; treble boosted) – crisp but not pleasant for most music. It will decode Dolby Atmos and downmix it to the earpiece and down-firing bottom speaker.
The soundstage is limited to the phone width, which, as is usual for earpiece/speaker, has a definite bottom bias. The maximum volume is 80dB. Hands-free is adequate, but the sound is a little tinny.
Build – solid – Pass
It is well-made and should withstand the knocks, especially with a clear bumper cover. However, IP52 is a joke – ‘Vertically dripping water shall have no harmful effect when the enclosure tilts at an angle of 15° from its normal position.’ Still, it should withstand light rain.
There is no disclosed screen protection.
Android 12– you will get 13 – Pass+
It ships with Android 12 and Motorola’s overlay My UX. You can reasonably expect Android 13 soon and two years of updates.
Android is almost pure, and the MY UX adds things like a camera app and Moto gestures.
Motorola g32 4G camera – Pass
Let’s face it – it is an entry-level Samsung SK5JN1, 50MP with tiny .64um pixels binned to 12.5MP and 1.28um. Add to that the Qualcomm SD480+ has entry-level AI image processing, which is adequate.
It has an Ultra-wide 8MP Samsung SK53H7 sensor that takes decent shots and a 2MP macro sensor.
The result is generally good photos in Day or office light. It struggles with low light introducing a lot of noise, but you will not see that on a 4×6″ print.
- 1X Day Primary sensor – the colours are good reasonable dynamic range. Lack of details in the background/ shadows/ and highlights.
- 2X Day Primary sensor – colours are good. The background is getting noisy.
- 8X Day: Primary sensor: Forget it
- Ultra-wide: S8MP sensor: Good colour and details/ although you can tell it is a different sensor to the primary.
- Macro: The 2MP sensor takes reasonable macro shots, but as usual, 4cm focus is critical
- Indoor office light: Colours are excellent, and the dog’s face/ears are deep black.
- Bokeh Depth: The depth calculations are wrong, resulting in the wrong focus.
- Dark <40 lumens: The standard (not night mode) has too much noise, and the monitor screen is blown out. Not recommended.
- Night mode brings up the detail and removes a lot of noise, but it is not a good shot.
- Selfie: The 16MP selfie has natural skin tones and details and a range of filters to enhance any image. Best in a day and office light
- Video (we are not video experts): You can shoot at 1080p@30fps for adequate video.
CyberShack’s view – the Motorola g32 4G is everything you need
At $299, it gives Joe and Jane Average everything they need. It is a safe buy and yet another reason Motorola is shooting up the charts.
Let’s look at the 4G competition.
- OPPO A54S 128GB
- Samsung Galaxy A13 128GB
- OPPO A76 4G – honest, reliable and fast charging (smartphone review) 128GB
- OPPO A54 5G 64GB
- Moto G22 128GB
The OPPO A76 is very similar – the same processor, RAM/ROM, battery/charger and similar size. It has a 60/90Hz 720p screen, better sound, better warranty, no throttling, and not as good a camera.
The Motorola g32 4G is the $299 class leader. Its weakness is the camera; you would need to spend more to get a better camera.
Motorola g32 4G, Motorolag32 4G, Motorola g32 4G
Motorola g32 4G tests and detailed specs
| Brand | Motorola |
| Model | Moto g32 4G |
| Model Number | XT2253-3 |
| Price Base | 4/128 |
| Price base | $299 |
| Warranty months | 12-months ACL |
| Tier | Upper entry-level |
| Website | Product page |
| From | Motorola online/ 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. |
| Test date | 1-8 September 2022 |
| Ambient temp | 10-20° |
| Release | Jul-22 |
Screen
| Size | 6.5″ |
| Type | IPS LCD |
| Flat/ Curve/ 2D/ 3D | Flat |
| Resolution | 2400 x 1080 |
| PPI | 405 |
| Ratio | 20-9 |
| Screen to Body % | 89.7 |
| Colours bits | 8-bit 16.7m colours |
| Refresh Hz/ adaptive | Auto/60/90Hz |
| Response 120Hz | N/A |
| Nits typical/ test | 450 (398) |
| Nits max/ test | 600 (500) |
| Contrast | 1500:1 (1360:1) |
| sRGB | Natural 90% |
| DCI-P3 | Vivid around 50% of the 16.7m gamut |
| Rec.2020 or other | No |
| Delta E (<4 is excellent) | 4.5 |
| HDR Level | No |
| SDR Upscale | No |
| Bluelight control | Yes |
| PWM if known | No |
| Daylight readable | Difficult, even on maximum brightness |
| Always on Display | No |
| Edge display | No |
| Accessibility | Usual Android features |
| DRM | L1 for HD SDR playback |
| Gaming | 40fps at best |
| Screen protection | Unknown – Motorola usually use PandaGlass (similar to GG3) |
| Comment | Best on Natural setting – closer to real colours. Overall a fit-for-purpose screen that is better than expected for this price. |
Processor (Soc)
| Brand/ Model | Qualcomm SD680 |
| nm | 6 |
| Cores | 4×2.4GHz + 4×1.9GHz |
| Modem | X11 LTE |
| AI TOPS | Estimate 7-10 |
| Geekbench 5 Single-core (power/battery) | 365 |
| Geekbench 5 multi-core (power/battery) | 1601 |
| Like | Single-core between SD660 and SD845 and multi-core like SD732G |
| GPU | Adreno 610 |
| GPU Test | |
| Open CL | 440 |
| Like | Low result |
| Vulcan | 584 |
| RAM/ type | 4GB LPDDR4X |
| Storage/ free/ type | 128GB (97GB free) UFS 2.1 |
| micro-SD | Up to 1TB (dedicated slot) |
| CPDT internal seq. Read MBps | 706 |
| CPDT internal seq. write MBps | 441 |
| CPDT microSD read/ write MBps | 86/29 and mountable as storage |
| CPDT external (mountable?) MBps | 30/15 OTG Only |
| Comment | All are fit for purpose and price |
| Throttle test | |
| Max GIPS (power/battery) | 176,174 |
| Average GIPS | 145,167 |
| Minimum GIPS | 124,378 |
| % Throttle | 27% |
| CPU Temp | 78° |
| Comment | While throttling is a concern, it only affects power users and gamers. We repeated the tests three times, and all were between 75-78%. |
Comms
| Wi-Fi Type/ model | Wi-Fi 5 AC WCN3990 2×2 MU-MIMO |
| Test 2m -dBm/ Mbps | -18/433 |
| Test 5m | -42/433 |
| Test 10m | -58/202 |
| BT Type | 5.2 |
| GPS single/ dual | Dual but tends to lose satellites on cloudy days. Accuracy <10m. |
| USB type | USB-C 2.0 480Mbps |
| ALT DP/ DeX/ Ready For | No |
| NFC | Yes |
| Ultra-wide-band | 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 | SAR sensor |
| Comment | Speeds as expected with Wi-Fi 5 AC and quite strong to 10m |
LTE and 5G
| 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, 2, 3, 7, 8, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28 38, 40, 41 |
| Comment | All Australian 4G bands |
| Test Boost Mobile/ Telstra | |
| UL/ DL/ ms | 25.2/20/32 – average |
| Tower 1 -dBm/ fW or pW | -84/2-4pW |
| Tower 2 | -87/1-2pW |
| Tower 3 | -99/100fW (verging on unusable) |
| Tower 4 | -119/unusable |
| Comment | Reception is as expected for a Qualcomm SoC. Suitable for city, suburbs, and regional use where there is good coverage |
Battery
| mAh | 5000 |
| Charger/ type/ supplied | 33W 5V/3A/15W/ 9V/3A/27W/ 11V/3A33W/ 12V/2.5A/30W Supplied USB-A to USB-C cable supports 3W. |
| PD/ QC level | PD capable – Overcharge protection may influence results |
| Qi/ wattage | No |
| Reverse Qi or cable | No |
| Test (60Hz or adaptive screen) | |
| Charge % 30mins | 25% |
| Charge 0-100% | 1 hour and 16 minutes (excellent) |
| Charge Qi/ W | N/A |
| Charge 5V/ 2A | 3 hours 25 minutes |
| Video loop 50%/ aeroplane | 17 hours 20 minutes |
| PC Mark 3 battery | 21 hours 41 minutes Accubattery 15 hours 39 minutes |
| GFX Bench Manhattan battery | 635.1 minutes (10.59 hours) 825.8 frames |
| GFX Bench T-Rex | 343.7 minutes (5.73 hours) 1632 frames |
| Drain 100-0% full load screen on | 5 hours 25 minutes |
| Watt full load | 1150-1250mA |
| Watt idle Screen on | 250-350mA |
| Estimate loss at max refresh | 10% |
| Estimate typical use | Given that screen on time is over 5 hours and both Accubattery and PC Mark are over 15 hours, this is a two-day phone. |
| Comment | Thanks, Motorola, for putting a 33W charger inbox. |
Sound
| Speakers | Earpiece and stereo down-fixing speaker |
| Tuning | No |
| AMP | Qualcomm Aqusitic sound |
| Dolby Atmos decode | Only for headphones – it makes no difference to the speaker |
| Hi-Res | No |
| 3.5mm | Yes |
| BT Codecs | SBC/ AAC/ LDAC and aptX/ HD/ TWS/ Adaptive |
| Multipoint | Yes |
| Dolby Atmos (DA) | Only for headphones – it makes no difference to the speaker |
| EQ | Not for speaker – choice of smart/ music or movie for headphones. |
| Mics | Dual with noise cancelling |
| Test dB – all on EQ flat DA off | |
| Volume max | 80 |
| Media (music) | 72 |
| Ring | 80 |
| Alarm | 80 |
| Notifications | 72 |
| Earpiece | 55 |
| Hands-free | While it has dual mics and some noise-cancelling, the volume is just adequate. |
| BT headphones | Good volume and channel separation |
| Sound quality | |
| Deep Bass 20-40Hz | Nil |
| Middle Bass 40-100Hz | Nil |
| High Bass 100-200Hz | Slow build to 200Hz |
| Low Mid 200-400Hz | Still building |
| Mid 4000-1000Hz | Still building |
| High-Mid 1-2kHz | Still building to 2kHz |
| Low Treble 2-4kHz | Flat to 6kHz |
| Mid Treble 4-6kHz | Drop and flatten |
| High Treble 6-10kHz | Flat |
| Dog Whistle 10-20kHz | declining to 12kHz the off the cliff |
| Sound Signature type | Analytical: (bass/mid recessed; treble boosted) – crisp but not pleasant for most music |
| Soundstage | As wide as the phone |
| Comment | At the price/ this is all you can expect. The speaker is purely for clear voice, and music is unpleasant. Use earphones where DA adds more effect. |
Build
| Size (H X W x D) | 161.78 x 73.84 x 8.49mm |
| Weight grams | 184g |
| Front glass | Glass – not specified |
| Rear material | Plastic |
| Frame | Plastic |
| IP rating | Water repellent IP52 |
| Colours | Satin Silver Mineral Grey |
| Pen/ Stylus support | No |
| In the box | |
| Charger | 33W |
| USB cable | USN-A to USB-C 3W cable |
| Buds | Y |
| Bumper cover | Yes |
| Comment | Nice of Moto to have a 33W charger inbox |
OS
| Android | 12 |
| Security patch date | 1-Jun-22 |
| UI | Personalise: Styles, Wallpapers Display: Peek Display, Attentive Display Gestures: Power Touch, Quick Capture, Fast torch, Three-finger screenshot, Flip for DND, Pick up to silence, Lift to unlock, Swipe to split Play: Media controls, Gametime |
| OS upgrade policy | Should 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 | Fingerprint sensor |
| Face ID | Yes/ 2D not tested |
Motorola g32 4G rear Camera
| Rear Primary | Wide |
| MP | 50MP bins to 12.5 |
| Sensor | Samsung S5KJN1 |
| Focus | PDAF |
| f-stop | 1.8 |
| um | .64 bins to 1.28 |
| FOV° (stated/ actual) | (63) |
| Stabilisation | EIS only |
| Zoom | 8X digital |
| Rear 2 | Ultra-wide |
| MP | 8 |
| Sensor | Samsung SK54H7 |
| 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 |
| Special | |
| Video max | 1080p@30fps |
| Flash | LED |
| Auto-HDR | Primary lens/ sensor only |
| Burst Shot/ Auto Smile Capture/ AR stickers (via furture Playstore update)/ Spot Color/ Smart Composition/ Shot OptimizatioN/Active Photo/ Dual Capture/ Live Filter/ Portrait Mode/ Panorama/ HDR/ Night Vision/ Pro Mode/ 50MP High Reslution Mode/ Super Resolution | |
| QR code reader | Via Google Les |
| Night mode | AI |
Motorola g32 4G front camera
| Front | Selfie |
| MP | 16MP |
| Sensor | Hynix HI1634 |
| Focus | Fixed |
| f-stop | 2.4 |
| um | 1 |
| FOV (stated/ actual) | 70.7/83.1 |
| Stabilisation | No |
| Flash | Screen fill |
| Zoom | 8X digital |
| Video max | 1080p@30 |
| Features | Burst Shot/ Gesture Capture/ Auto Smile Capture/ Group Selfie/ Selfie Animation/ Spot Colour/ Shot Optimisation/Active Photo/ Dual Capture/ Live Filter/ Face Beauty/ Portrait Mode Beauty/ HDR/ Auto Night Vision |
| Comment | 1X Day Primary sensor – the colours are good reasonable dynamic range. Lack of details in the background/ shadows/ and highlights. 2X Day Primary sensor – colours are good. The background is getting noisy. 8X Day: Primary sensor: Forget it Ultra-wide: S8MP sensor: Good colour and details/ although you can tell it is a different sensor to the primary. Macro: The 2MP sensor takes reasonable macro shots, but as usual, 4cm focus is critical Indoor office light: Colours are excellent, and the dog’s face/ears are deep black. Bokeh Depth: The depth calculations are wrong, resulting in the wrong focus. Dark <40 lumens: The standard (not night mode) has too much noise, and the monitor screen is blown out. Not recommended. Night mode brings up the detail and removes a lot of noise, but it is not a good shot. Selfie: The 16MP selfie has natural skin tones and details and a range of filters to enhance any image. Best in a day and office light Video (we are not video experts): You can shoot at 1080p@30fps for adequate video. |
Ratings
| Features | 9 |
| It is a 4G phone at a lower price. | |
| Value | 9 |
| There is a lot of competition at this price | |
| Performance | 8 |
| Throttling is an issue for power users, but overall it performs well enough. | |
| Ease of Use | 9 |
| My UX adds some value to stock Andriod | |
| Design | 9 |
| All plastic is fine | |
| Rating out of 10 | 8.80 |
| Final comment | A $299 4G phone that does not sacrifice features for the price. Competition OPPO A54S 128GB Samsung Galaxy A13 128GB OPPO A76 128GB OPPO A54 5G 64GB Moto G22 128GB |
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