Motorola G55 5G – A $299 phone with the lot (smartphone review)

The Motorola G55 5G is all the average user needs to get a well-featured 5G phone with decent city and suburb reception and an eSIM.

Add a dedicated microSD slot, 3.5mm earphone port, heaps of Bluetooth codecs, including aptX/HD, a camera that performs quite well, wrapped in an attractive vegan leather package, and Gorilla Glass 5.

It is the successor to the Motorola G54 and, as such, shares most of its features. The main changes are the later, slightly faster MediaTek Dimensity 7025. On the negative side, RAM has been cut in half to 4GB, but you can add virtual RAM to make it think it has 8GB.

While we perform over 70 tests, this mini-review covers the main features and tests. If you are interested, a complete data set is included at the end of the review.

Australian Review: Motorola G55 5G

Brand	Motorola
Model	Motorola G55 5G
Model Number	XT2435-2
RAM/Storage Base	4/128
Price base	$299
Warranty months	12-month ACL
Tier	5G entry-level
Website	Product page
From	Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Big W, Lenovo Online, Officeworks
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, with grand plans to become a ‘top five’ smartphone maker.
Test date	5-25 November 2024
Ambient temp	20-25°
Release	September 24
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.
More	CyberShack Motorola news and reviews CyberShack smartphone news and reviews

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+

Motorola pretty well owns the vegan leather space, and this is no exception. This phone looks good in pretty Smokey Green (my favourite), Forest Grey, and Twilight Purple.

It has a 3.5mm earphone port, a dedicated microSD slot, a single SIM and, unusual for this price bracket, an eSIM.

Screen- Pass

The IPS LED 2400 x 1800 screen is bright and clear and can reach 1000 nits (tested 967) in high brightness mode. Not that you need it, as it is quite bright at 445 nits typical. This screen has variable refresh rates to help save energy.

One important feature is that it does not use PWM (pulse width modulation) dimming, so people sensitive to PWM can use it.

The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 5.

Processor – Pass

While it is a tad more powerful than last year’s G54, RAM has been reduced to 4GB. You will notice some lag if you load too many apps. You can expand this by 4GB of virtual RAM that borrows from slower storage. The processor is similar in speed to a Qualcomm SD4 Gen1.

Throttling (reducing speed under load) is good—a maximum of 12%—and acceptable, given that you won’t be gaming on this.

Comms – Pass

It has Wi-Fi 5 2.4/5GHz, which means it has a maximum of 433/433Mbps. It is quite solid, up to 10m from the router on the 5GHz band.

You will find a GPS that is accurate to 1m, so you can use it in the car but route recalculation is a little slow.

NFC is also there for Google Pay.

4/5G – For city and suburbs only

As with most MediaTek modems, it is a phone for cities and suburbs only. To get a decent city/suburbs/regional phone, read Best Android phones 11/2024. In our tests, the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion – the best value smartphone with Edge benefits is the best lowest-cost 5G phone.

In 5G (NSA) Mode, it does not find any 5G signals at usable speeds. It finds the closest 4G band 3 signal at -86/2.5 pW (picoWatts), which is adequate. It also finds band 28 at 199.5 fW (femtowatts), just enough to make an emergency call.

Battery – Pass+

It has a 5000mAh battery with a 33W charger (excellent). It tends to charge at 9V/2A/18W and fills in about 1.5 hours. Typical users can expect 24 hours. Heavy users 15 hours.

• Video loop: 17 hours 30 minutes
• PC Mark 3: 16 hours 22 minutes
• 100% load: 5 hours 12 minutes

How does it sound? Passable

I want to say awful, but that is not entirely fair. All low-cost phones focus on clear voice, making music crisp and unpleasant. But the great range of Bluetooth codecs, including Qualcomm aptX/HD and Sony LDAC, make it great with headphones.

Hands-free use is acceptable, although the volume is a tad low.

Build – Pass+

I have been reviewing Motorola phones for over a decade with its owners, including Motorola, Google and now Lenovo. Lenovo has nailed build quality and quality control. Add Gorilla Glass 5 (unheard of on a $299 phone), which will last quite a few years. It is not waterproof at IP52, but an occasional splash won’t hurt it.

It has an optical fingerprint sensor under the screen and 2D facial recognition.

Android – Pass+

It has Android 14, and it will receive two OS upgrades and four years of bi-monthly security patches. You cannot ask for more.

Like most low-cost phones, bloatware (paid to be placed on the phone) includes Facebook, TikTok, Adobe, Block Blast, Blockdoku, Woodoku, Booking.com, LinkedIn, Solitaire, Temu, and more. All can and should be uninstalled.

Hello Moto UX is a light touch over Android that offers some added functionality.

All Google Apps are available, and it uses them by default for a clean Android experience.

Motorola G55 5G rear camera – Pass

This is a two-sensor rear camera – a 50MP that bins to 12.5MP and an 8MP ultra-wide/macro.

The primary sensor, Samsung S5KJNS, won’t win awards, but it is pretty good in day and office light. Video 1080p@30fps is of a reasonable quality but we found the sound levels wanting.

We will let the photos tell the story, but for a $299 phone, these are pretty good.

Motorola G55 5G selfie camera

The 16MP sensor bins to 4MP, which is fine for video conferencing and single and small group selfies.

Cybershack’s view: The Motorola G55 5G offers good features for its $299 cost

If you consider it an entry-level 5G phone and adjust your expectations, it is pretty good. It does not lack any critical specs, and as long as you realise that it is a city and suburb phone, only then have we done our job.

Competition

The $200-299 category is littered with 4G phones and a few 5G.

Motorola has the 2024 G84 on runout at $246, and it is a great buy. Read Motorola G54 – Under $300 for 5G.

OPPO has the A60 with very similar specs but lacks a charger inbox. Read OPPO A60 5G – the best low-cost 5G smartphone.

Motorola G55 5G rating

• Features: 85—It is an entry-level 5G phone. There is not a lot wrong with it, but nothing is outstanding either. The most limiting feature is the 4 GB RAM. eSIM is excellent.
• Value: 85 – It has all the necessary features at a great price
• Performance: 80 – It is a value SoC, and you get fit-for-purpose performance. It is not for gamers.
• Ease of Use: 85—Moto Hello is a nice upgrade from My UX and a light overlay on Android 14. Add the 1+2+4 warranty, OS upgrades, and security patches, and it is a good device.
• Design: 80 – I like the vegan leather and Gorilla Glass 5; otherwise, it is a glass slab.

Motorola G55 5G raw data

Screen

Size	6.5″
Type	IPS LCD
Flat, Curve, 2D, 3D	Flat
Resolution	2400 x 1800
PPI	405
Ratio	20:9
Screen to Body %	85.7%
Colours bits	8-bit 16.7m colours
Refresh Hz, adaptive.	Auto: 30, 60, 90, 120Hz Fixed: 60 or 120Hz
Response 120Hz	N/A
Nits typical, test	Not disclosed. Test 445 nits. Brightness distribution was a little patchy.
Nits max, test	Claimed 1000 nits HBM Test: 967 in a 2% Window
Contrast	2500:1
sRGB	Saturated (test 99% sRGB) Natural is more colour-accurate
DCI-P3	No – SDR only
Rec.2020 or other	No
Delta E (<4 is excellent)	3.1
HDR Level	Downscales HDR10 to SDR panel capability
SDR Upscale	No
Blue Light Control	No
PWM if known	No
Daylight readable	Yes. While the typical brightness is 400 nits, it can reach far higher with auto brightness engaged.
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
Screen protection	Gorilla Glass 5
Comment	Great screen for the price.

Processor

Brand, Model	MediaTek Dimensity 7025
nm	6 TSMC
Cores	2×2.2GHz & 6×2.0GHz
Modem	MediaTek
AI TOPS OR Multi-thread Integer Operations Per Second (INOPS) GINOPS = billion	Geekbench AI CPU 538/538/1016 GPU 132/236/147 NNAPI N/A AI Benchmark 6 N/A AiTuTu 40710 GFLOPS 9.74 GNOPS 10.09
Geekbench 6 Single-core	957
Geekbench 6 multi-core	2103
Like	Similar to Exynos 1280 or Qualcomm SD4 Gen 1 Benchmarks
GPU	IMG BXM-8-256
GPU Test
Open CL	Would not run
Vulcan	150 – limited GPU
RAM, type	4GB with virtual RAM expansion to 8GB
Storage, free, type	128GB UFS 3.1 90GB free
micro-SD	Up to 1TB
CPDT internal seq. Read MBps sustained/peak	475 – slower than expected for UFS 3.1 MAX 872
CPDT internal seq. write MBps sustained/peak	336 Max 528
CPDT microSD read, write MBps	77/42 mountable for photos
CPDT external (mountable?) MBps	30/24MBps OTG only (Tested with 2TB SSD)
Comment	All are fit for purpose and price.
Throttle test
Max GIPS	213129
Average GIPS	200767
Minimum GIPS	171781
% Throttle	12%
CPU Temp	50°
Comment	Decent power for an entry-level phone. Throttling is acceptable, given that it is not really for gaming.

 Comms

Wi-Fi Type, model	Wi-Fi 5 AC 2.4/5Ghz IT/IR
Test 2m -dBm, Rx/Tx Mbps
Test 5m
Test 10m
BT Type	5.2 (Website says 5.3)
GPS single, dual	Dual accuracy 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 Flicker
Comment

4/5G

SIM	SIM and eSIM and dedicated microSD
Active	DSDS – dual sim, dual standby (one at a time)
Ring tone single, dual	Dual
VoLTE	Yes
Wi-Fi calling	Yes
4G Bands	1/2/3/5/7/8/20/26/28/32/38/40/41/42/66
Comment	All Australian 4G bands
5G sub-6Ghz	n1/n3/n5/n7/n8/n20/n26/n28/n38/n40/n41/n77/n78
Comment	All Australian 5G sub-6 and low bands
mmWave	No
Test Boost Mobile, Telstra
DL/UL, ms	127.7/13.9/25ms excellent
Tower 1 -dBm, fW or pW	-86/2.5pW Band 3 4G
Tower 2	-97/199.5fWBand 28 4G
Tower 3
Tower 4
Comment	Strictly a city and suburb phone with good tower coverage.

Battery

mAh	5000
Charger, type, supplied	33W charger inbox 5V/3A/15W 9V/3A/27W 12V/2.5A/30W 11V/3A/33W It tends to charge at 9V/2A/18W.
PD, QC level	PD 2.0 PPS capable
Qi, wattage	N/A
Reverse Qi or cable.	N/A
Test (60Hz or adaptive screen)	Adaptive
Charge % 30mins	46%
Charge 0-100%	1 hour 35 minutes
Charge Qi, W Using Belkin Boost Charge 15W fast wireless charge	N/A
Charge 5V, 2A	2 hours 28 minutes
Video loop 50%, aeroplane	17 hours 30 minutes
PC Mark 3 battery	16 hours 22 minutes
GFX Bench Manhattan battery	Would not run
GFX Bench T-Rex	377.3 minutes (5.62 hours) 3902 frames
Drain 100-0% full load screen on	5 hours and 12 minutes
mA Full load screen on	1000-1050mA
mA Watt idle Screen on	200-250mA
Estimate loss at max refresh	Auto mode maximises battery life, so we expect about a 20% penalty should you fix on 120Hz
Estimate typical use	Typical users can expect 24-36 hours. Heavy users 15-20 hours.
Comment	Decent all-day (possibly two-day) battery life. Charger in-box

Sound hardware

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	Should be
Dolby Atmos (DA)	Yes – auto/ movie/ music/ voice and games mode
EQ	No
Mics	Dual – limited noise cancelling
Test dB – all on EQ flat DA off
Volume max	79
Media (music)	72
Ring	73
Alarm	73
Notifications	78
Earpiece	55
Hands-free	While it has dual mics and some noise-cancelling, the volume is 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 400-1000Hz	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 cliff
Sound Signature type	Analytical: (bass, mid recessed; treble boosted) – crisp but not pleasant for most music
Soundstage	It is as wide as the phone. DA content slightly widens it, 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 8.19mm
Weight grams	179-182
Front glass	Gorilla Glass 5
Rear material	PMMA or Vegan leather
Frame	Plastic
IP rating	Water-resistant coating – IP 52 rating
Colours	Smokey Green Forest Grey Twilight Purple
Pen, Stylus support	No
Teardown
In the box
Charger	30W
USB cable	UBS-C to USB-C 3W
Buds	No
Bumper cover	Yes
Comment	Ten points to Moto for the charger inbox

Android

Android	14
Security patch date	1 October (tested December)
UI	Personalize: Theme, Wallpaper, Layout, Fonts, Colours, Icon shape, Display Size and Text, Sounds, Dark mode Display: Attentive display, Lock Screen Gestures: Quick capture, Fast torch, Three-finger screenshot, Flip for DND, Pick up to silence, Lift to unlock, Swipe to split, Quick launch, Sidebar Moto Secure: Secure folder, Phishing detection, Auto-lock, Network protection, Lock screen security, PIN pad scramble, Privacy dashboard, Security & Privacy, Permission manager, Privacy controls Play: Media controls, Games, Dolby Atmos Tips: Take a tour, What’s new in Android 14
OS upgrade policy	2
Security patch policy	4 bi-monthly to Sept 2028
Bloatware	Creeping in with Facebook, TikTok, Adobe, Block Blast, Blockdoku, Woodoku, Booking.com, Linkedin, Solitaire, Temu
Other	Google Apps (necessary) and Moto Apps]
Comment	It is a very reasonable  1+2+4 warranty, OS upgrades and security patches.
Security
Fingerprint sensor location, type	Under Glass optical
Face ID	Yes 2D only
Other	Lenovo ThinkShield is more for enterprise use.
Comment

Camera rear

Rear Primary	Wide
MP	50MP bins to 12.5MP
Sensor	Samsung S5KJNS
Focus	PDAF
f-stop	1.8
um	.61 bins to 1.22
FOV° (stated, actual)
Stabilisation	OIS
Zoom	8X crop factor 6.6X
Rear 2	Ultrawide/macro
MP	8
Sensor	Samsung SK54H7
Focus	AF
f-stop	2.2
um	1.12
FOV (stated, actual)	118°
Stabilisation	No
Zoom	No
	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	Yes
Night mode	Yes
DXO Mark	G54 is rated 85, but the Motorola G55 5G has a more useful ultra-wide/macro sensor.

 Camera Front

MP	16MP bins to 4MP
Sensor	HI1634 (can be Samsung S5K3P9)
Focus	Fixed
f-stop	2.4
um	1 bins to 2
FOV (stated, actual)	70.9 to 83.4°
Stabilisation	No
Flash	Screen fill
Zoom
Video max	1080p@30fps
Features	Spot Colour Portrait Live Filter Pro Mode (w/ Long Exposure) Auto Smile Capture 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

Ratings

Features	80
	It is an entry-level 5G phone. Nothing is wrong with it, but nothing is outstanding. The most limiting feature is the 4GB RAM.
Value	85
	It has all the necessary features at a great price.
Performance	80
	It is a value SoC, and you get fit-for-purpose performance. It is not for gamers.
Ease of Use	85
	Moto Hello is a nice upgrade from My UX.
Design	80
	Like the vegan leather finish.
Rating out of 10	82
Final comment	Yet another of the extensive Motorola lineup to fill every niche. Overall, it’s a suitable device for $299 – nothing outstanding, but nothing wrong either.

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