Motorola G54 – Under $300 for a 5G smartphone (review)

The Motorola G54 is its entry-level 5G offering that has every feature you could want for $299. It has a new vegan leather Indigo Blue colour that is quite fetching.

It replaces the G53, adding an FHD screen, but loses the Qualcomm processor/modem (that makes it a better phone for regional and regional areas). The Motorola G54 is purely a city and suburbs phone where there is good tower coverage.

What is entry-level?

To bring phones in at this price point, you must expect compromises. So, we judge this not by specs and performance but by functionality commensurate with the price – it is called fit-for-purpose.

This phone meets or exceeds everything you could expect:

• Decent processor and 8/128GB
• Adequate 1080p screen
• Wi-Fi, BT, NFC, GPS
• Make and receive calls/SMS
• Better than social media-class camera
• 5000mAh battery, two-day use, and charger inbox

Does it excite? No, it is what it is, and Motorola should sell truckloads of them.

Australian Review: Motorola G54, 5G, 8/128GB, SIM/eSIM and dedicated microSD, Model XT2343-2

Website	Product Page
Price	$299
Colours	Midnight Blue and Indigo Blue (vegan leather)
From *	Harvey Norman, Australia Post, JB HiFi, The Good Guys, Big W, Bing Lee, Amazon and motorola.com.au.
Warranty	Retail 12-months ACL
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, 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, and 5G won’t work

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 R-NZ C-tick mark. There is also an R-NZ C-Tick on the box. They use unique Australian 5G sub-6Ghz and 5G low-band frequencies, requiring local activation first. Read Don’t buy a grey market phone (guide).

In particular, avoid versions with 12/256GB, 6000mAh battery, 8MP Macro and other colours. Avoid these.

Deep-dive

We perform over 70 tests, and the full specs are in a table at the end. The first part is an essential summary only.

First Impression – Pass

Like any Motorola phone, there is a good build quality, but it is still a plastic and glass slab. The vegan leather version is quite fetching – read What is vegan leather seen on some smartphones?

Screen: 1080p, 120Hz IPS/LCD – Pass

It has decent colours and brightness but not near the advertised 580nits peak brightness – that is in a 1% window when playing HDR content. It is not daylight readable and has a cold blue cast (you can adjust this).

Processor – MediaTek Dimensity 7020 – Pass

It is a reasonably powerful processor for the price. But it throttles (not for gamers) and will not run OpenCL or Vulkan tests, so the GPU may fall over in some games.

RAM/Storage/microSD slot are commensurate with the price.

Comms – it is all there – Pass

Wi-Fi 5 AC, BT 5.2 (not 5.3 as on the website), NFC, GPS (Dual <3m accuracy), and USB-C 2.0 (480Mbps) for OTG cut and paste flash/SSD.

Phone – SIM and eSIM – Pass

The weakest feature of the Motorola G54 is its low phone signal antenna strength. It finds only the closest tower at -90dBm and 500fW to 1pW – it is for the city and suburbs with good tower coverage.

If you want more signal strength, look at phones with a Qualcomm SoC/modem.

Battery – 5000mAH for two or more days of use – Pass+

It comes with a 20W charger (charges at 15W) and takes 3 hours and 10 minutes to charge.

The SDR 1080p video loop is 17 hours and 10 minutes – excellent.

Sound – Stereo and Dolby Atmos – Passable

It advertises Dolby Atmos stereo sound, but there is no spatial sound from the speakers. There is a distinct volume bias towards the bottom speaker over the top earpiece, and it has an Analytical sound signature: (bass-and-mid recessed; treble boosted) – crisp but not pleasant for most music.

It has a 3.5mm 4-pole port.

Summary: The speakers are purely for clear voice, and music is unpleasant. Use earphones where DA adds more effect.

Build – Pass

It is well-made and should withstand the knocks, especially with a clear bumper cover.

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.

It has a fingerprint reader on the power key and is reliable.

Android 13 – you will get 14 – Pass

It ships with Android 13 and Motorola’s overlay My UX. You can reasonably expect Android 14 and three years of bi-monthly security updates.

Android is almost pure, and the MY UX adds things like a camera app and Moto gestures.

Camera – Pass

It has a 50MP Omnivision OPV50D wide sensor that bins to 12.5MP. It has OIS (optical image stabilisation) to help reduce blur. The secondary camera is a 2MP Macro sensor – not used for anything else. In short, all the image quality comes from one sensor and whatever AI post-processing the MediaTek SoC does.

We call it better than social media standards. The test images were on an overcast day, which accounts for some of the loss of dynamic range. All shots were taken at least three times to ensure accuracy.

Selfie is 16MP Hi1634 that bins to 4MP. We don’t show selfies for privacy reasons, but it is passable.

Camera Comments

• 1X Day Primary sensor: lacking dynamic range, and colours are muted. Good HDR details in the shadows and highlights.
• 4X Day Primary sensor: Pushing its limits with a noisy, out-of-focus background.
• 6X Day Primary sensor: Forget it.
• 8X Day Primary sensor: Forget it.
• Ultra-wide: N/A
• Macro 2MP sensor: critical about 4cm focus distance.
• Indoor office light: Slightly muted colours and good details
• Bokeh Depth: Using AI, and without a human subject, it does not know how to separate foreground and background, so it is all bokeh.
• Dark <40 lumens: The standard mode (not night mode) is quite decent, picking up details from the monitor screen, but it is very noisy.
• Night mode: Brightens the scene but blows out details – needs work.
• Selfie: The 16/4MP is adequate.

Video (we are not video experts):

• Primary sensor: You can shoot at 1080p@60/30fps with OIS, and the day/office light results are adequate. Poor low light results.
• Selfie: 1080p@30fps, but the results are barely adequate. Fine for video conference.

Overall video is good but lacks dynamic range, especially in low light.

CyberShack’s view – The Motorola G54 meets the expected performance parameters for a $299 device

While I would like to be effusive, this is a low-cost 5G phone that matches the feature/price parameters. If $299 is all you have and you want 5G then you cannot go wrong.

But I don’t think 5G is really all that useful as mobile data packages still cost a lot more than 4G – this market is all about value. If you include 4G phones the competition widens.

• Samsung A04S 128GB $279
• OPPO A38 128GB $259
• Motorola G53 2022 (with Qualcomm modem) 128GB $242 Motorola G53 5G – features and value that are hard to beat

Motorola G54 Ratings (as a $299 phone)

• Features: 90 – it has everything you need
• Value: 95 – great price and you don’t have to use 5G
• Performance – 80 – plenty of power but phone antenna strength is an issue
• Ease of Use: 85 – One year warranty, one OS upgrade and three years of security patches are good.
• Design: 80 – all plastic glass slab.

Summary: Yet another of the extensive Motorola lineup to fill every niche. Overall, it is a suitable device for $299 – nothing outstanding but nothing wrong either.

Pro

• Motorola build quality.
• At $299, it is a competent phone
• Great battery life albeit with a slow charge
• Android 13 and OS/Patch upgrade policy is suitable for this price

Con

• City/suburbs phone antenna strength only
• Adequate but unimpressive processor performance
• No ultra-wide or depth sensors – would have preferred that over a 2MP macro sensor
• The camera is best for daylight use
• Peak brightness does not equal screen brightness – not daylight readable.

Motorola G54 5G

Brand	Motorola
Model	Motorola G54 5G
Model Number	XT-2343-2
Price Base	8/128GB
Price base	299
Warranty months	12-month ACL
Tier	Upper entry-level
Website	Product page
From	Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Big W, Lenovo Online, Officeworks, Bing Lee
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, with grand plans to become a ‘top five’ smartphone maker.
Test date	20-31 October 2023
Ambient temp	20-25°
Release	September 2023
Other models not for Australia (Don’t buy)	Must have an R-NZ C-Tick. Only approved resellers – any other outlet is likely to be grey market. There are models with 12/256GB, 6000mAh battery and 8MP Macro – not for Australia.

Screen

Size	6.5″
Type	IPS LCD
Flat, Curve, 2D, 3D	Flat
Resolution	2400 x 1080
PPI	405
Ratio	0.839583333
Screen to Body %	0.86
Colours bits	8-bit 16.7m colours
Refresh Hz, adaptive	60Hz or 120Hz fixed or Auto – stepped to 30/60/90/120Hz.
Response 120Hz	N/A
Nits typical, test	470 (uneven – ranged between 440-480)
Nits max, test	560 Peak Brightness auto (this is for HDR10 content in a 1% window and we measured 470 in a 2% window)
Contrast	1500:1 (test 1550:1)
sRGB	Saturated (test 99% sRGB) Natural is more colour-accurate
DCI-P3	around 50% of the 16.7m gamut
Rec.2020 or other	No
Delta E (<4 is excellent)	4.5
HDR Level	Downscales HDR10 to SDR panel capability
SDR Upscale	No
Blue Light Control	No
PWM if known	No
Daylight readable	Not really – typical brightness is around 350 nits.
Always on Display	No
Edge display	No
Accessibility	Usual Android features
DRM	L1 for FHD SDR playback (we were unable to stream HDR content)
Gaming	PUBG Mobile in the HD/High 30fps but 37mms GTG is slow.
Screen protection	Not stated – usually Panda Glass.
Comment	Very blue cast. Use Natural setting and adjust colour temperature towards warm. This slightly reduces contrast. As expected for the price.

Processor

Brand, Model	MediaTek Dimensity 7020 processor (Updated Dimensity 930)
nm	6
Cores	2×2.2GHz & 6×2.0GHz
Modem	MediaTek
AI TOPS	Around 8
Geekbench 6 Single-core	919
Geekbench 6 multi-core	2338
Like	Similar to Exynos 1280 or Qualcomm SD4 Gen 1
GPU	IMG BXM-8-256
GPU Test
Open CL	Would not run
Vulcan	Would not run
RAM, type	8GB LPDDR4X
Storage, free, type	128GB UFS 2.2 (Maybe 3.0) 96GB Free
micro-SD	Up to 1TB (Tested with 2TB – fine)
CPDT internal seq. Read MBps	669
CPDT internal seq. write MBps	392
CPDT microSD read, write MBps	80/30 and mountable for photos
CPDT external (mountable?) MBps	30/24MBps OTG only
Comment	All are fit for purpose and price.
Throttle test
Max GIPS	191310
Average GIPS	172561
Minimum GIPS	139656
% Throttle	0.2
CPU Temp	53°
Comment	Decent power for an entry-level phone. Throttling is acceptable, given it is not really for gaming.

Comms

Wi-Fi Type, model	Wi-Fi 5 AC 2.4/5Ghz 1T/1R
Test 2m -dBm, Mbps	-27/390
Test 5m	-47/390
Test 10m	-50/390 (15m -55/390)
BT Type	5.2 (Website says 5.3)
GPS single, dual	Dual accurate to 3m
USB type	USB-C 2.0 480Mbps
ALT DP, DeX, Ready For	No
NFC	Yes
Ultra-wideband	No
Sensors
Accelerometer	Yes
Gyro	Yes
e-Compass	Yes
Barometer
Gravity
Pedometer
Ambient light	Yes
Hall sensor
Proximity	Yes
Other	SAR sensor Sensor Hub
Comment	Speeds as expected with Wi-Fi AC although 5 and 10m tests are a little below average.

4/5G

SIM	SIM and eSIM
Active	Allegedly, 5G SA + 5G SA but we could only get DSDS (only one active at a time).
Ring tone single, dual	Dual
VoLTE	Yes
Wi-Fi calling	Yes
4G Bands	1/2/3/5/7/8/20/26/28/32/38/40/41/42|
Comment	All Australian 4G bands
5G sub-6Ghz	n1/3/5/7/8/20/26/28/38/40/41/77/78
Comment	All Australian 5G sub-6 and low bands
mmWave	No
Test Boost Mobile, Telstra
UL, DL, ms	18/12/40ms – below average
Tower 1 -dBm, fW or pW	-90/500fW to 1pW
Tower 2	No
Tower 3	No
Tower 4	No
Comment	Typical of low-cost MediaTek and strictly for areas where there are lots of towers – city and suburbs.

Battery

mAh	5000
Charger, type, supplied	5V/3A/15W 10V/2A/20W 12V/1.67/20W Charges at 5V/3A15W max.
PD, QC level	PD capable – Overcharge protection may influence results.
Qi, wattage	N/A
Reverse Qi or cable	N/A
Test (60Hz or adaptive screen)	Adaptive
Charge % 30mins
Charge 0-100%	3 hours 10 minutes
Charge Qi, W Using Belkin Boost Charge 15W fast wireless charge	N/A
Charge 5V, 2A	Approx 8 hours
Video loop 50%, aeroplane	17 hours 10 minutes
PC Mark 3 battery	16 hours 11 minutes Accubattery 17 hours 49 minutes
GFX Bench Manhattan battery	Would not run
GFX Bench T-Rex	412.9 minutes (6.88 hours) 3895 frames
Drain 100-0% full load screen on	5 hours 28 minutes
mA full load	1000
mA Watt idle Screen on	250-300
Estimate loss at max refresh
Estimate typical use	It is a one-to-two-day phone.
Comment	Decent all-day (possibly two-day) battery life. Charger in-box

Sound

Speakers	Stereo earpiece and down-firing bottom speaker
Tuning	No
AMP	2 x AW87 each 2.3W @10% THD
Dolby Atmos decode	Dolby Atmos decode to 2.0 speakers.
Hi-Res	No
3.5mm	Yes
BT Codecs	SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, LDAC, LHDCV2/3 16-bit/44100/stereo
Multipoint	It did not work with Windows.
Dolby Atmos (DA)	Yes – auto/ movie/ music/ voice and games mode
EQ	Smart, music or movie for headphones.
Mics	Dual – limited noise cancelling
Test dB – all on EQ flat DA off
Volume max	83
Media (music)	70
Ring	73
Alarm	73
Notifications	78
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. Multipoint BT did not work.

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 to 1kHz
Mid 4000-1000Hz	Still building to 1kHz
High-Mid 1-2kHz	Flat to 8kHz
Low Treble 2-4kHz	Flat to 8kHz
Mid Treble 4-6kHz	peaking
High Treble 6-10kHz	declining
Dog Whistle 10-20kHz	declining to 12kHz, then off 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. DA content widens it a little, but there is no 3D spatial height. Distinct bias to the bottom speaker.
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)	161.56 x 73.82 x 7.99mm
Weight grams	177
Front glass	Not stated
Rear material	Plastic
Frame	Plastic
IP rating	Water-resistant coating – IP 52 rating
Colours	Indigo Blue vegan leather Midnight Blue
Pen, Stylus support	No
In the box
Charger	20W (charges at 15W)
USB cable	UBS-C to USB-C 3W
Buds	No
Bumper cover	Yes
Comment

OS

Android	13
Security patch date	1/8/23 (Tested October 2023)
UI	My UX Personalise: Theme, Wallpaper  Display: Attentive Display   Gestures: Quick Capture, Fast torch, Three-Finger Screenshot, Flip for DND, Pick Up to Silence, Lift to Unlock, Swipe to Split, Quick Launch  Play: Media Controls, Gametime
OS upgrade policy	1 OS update
Security patch policy	Three years of bi-monthly patches
Bloatware
Other	No
Comment	There is a lot of added functionality in MY UX which leaves the underlying Android alone.
Security
Fingerprint sensor location, type	On the power button – 9/10 test
Face ID	Yes, 2D not tested
Other	Lenovo Think Shield security for registered businesses – not for consumers
Comment

Motorola G54 rear camera

Rear Primary	Wide
MP	50MP bins to 12.5MP
Sensor	OV50D
Focus	PDAF
f-stop	1.8
um	.61 bins to 1.22
FOV° (stated, actual)	60.7-72.4
Stabilisation	OIS
Zoom	8X digital
Rear 2	Macro
MP	2
Sensor	SC202
Focus	fixed 4cm
f-stop	2.4
um	1.75
FOV (stated, actual)	N/A
Stabilisation	No
Zoom	No
Video max	1080p@30/60fps with OIS
Flash	LED
Auto-HDR	Primary lens, sensor only
	Dual Capture Spot Colour Night Vision Macro Vision Portrait Live Filter Panorama Pro Mode (w/ Long Exposure) Auto Smile Capture Google Lens™ integration Active Photos Timer High-res Digital Zoom (Up to 8x) RAW Photo Output HDR Burst Shot Assistive Grid Leveller Watermark Scan Quick Capture Tap Anywhere to Capture
QR code reader	Via Google Lens
Night mode	AI

Motorola G54 front camera

Front	Selfie
MP	16MP bins to 4MP
Sensor	HI1634
Focus	Fixed
f-stop	2.4
um	1 bins to 2
FOV (stated, actual)	70.9-83.4
Stabilisation	No
Flash	Screen fill
Zoom
Video max	1080p@30fps
Features	Dual Capture Spot Colour Portrait Live Filter Pro Mode (w/ Long Exposure) Auto Smile Capture9 Gesture Selfie Active Photos Face Retouch Timer Selfie Animation RAW Photo Output HDR Assistive Grid Leveller Selfie Photo Mirror Watermark Burst Shot Tap Anywhere to Capture
Comment	1X Day Primary sensor: lacking dynamic range and colours are muted. Good HDR details in the shadows and highlights. 4X Day Primary sensor: Pushing its limits with a noisy, out-of-focus background. 6X Day Primary sensor: Forget it. 8X Day Primary sensor: Forget it. Ultra-wide: N/A Macro 2MP sensor: critical about 4cm focus distance. Indoor office light: Slightly muted colours and good details Bokeh Depth: Using AI, and without a human subject, it does not know how to separate foreground and background, so it is all bokeh. Dark <40 lumens: The standard mode (not night mode) is quite decent, picking up details from the screen, but it is very noisy. Night mode: Brightens the scene but blows out details – needs work. Selfie: The 16/4MP is adequate. Video (we are not video experts): Primary sensor: You can shoot at 1080p@60/30fps with OIS, and the day/office light results are adequate. Poor low-light results. Selfie: 1080p@30fps, but the results are barely adequate. Fine for video conference. Overall video is good but lacks dynamic range, especially in low light.

Motorola G54 5G Ratings

Ratings	As a $299 phone
Features	9
	It is an entry-level 5G phone.  There is not a lot wrong with it, but nothing is outstanding either.
Value	9.5
	It has all the features at a great price.
Performance	8
	My UX adds value to stock Android and a decent warranty, but one OS and three years of patches are not competitive.
Ease of Use	8.5
	My UX adds value to stock Android and a decent warranty, but one OS and three years patches are not competitive.
Design	8
	All plastic is boring but fine.
Rating out of 10	8.6
Final comment	Yet another of the extensive Motorola lineup to fill every niche. Overall, it is a suitable device for $299 – nothing outstanding but nothing wrong either.

Pro
1	Motorola build quality
2	At $299 it is a competent phone.
3	Great battery life – albeit slow charge
4	Good point-a-shoot camera but video is for daylight only.
5	Android 13 and OS/Patch upgrade policy
Con
1	City/suburbs phone antenna strength only
2	Adequate but unimpressive processor performance
3	No ultra-wide or depth sensors – would have preferred that over a 2MP macro sensor
4	Peak brightness does not equal screen brightness.
5

Motorola G54, Motorola G54