Motorola G75 5G – for a few pennies more, you get a whole lot more (smartphone review)

The Motorola G75 5G is proof that you can get a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, an IP68 MIL-STD-810H build, regional/rural phone reception, 5+6-year OS upgrades/security patches, and a Qi charge, all for under $500.

We have just finished reviewing the Motorola G55 5G – A $299 phone with the lot. It is one of Motorola’s lowest-cost 5G phones yet meets its quality and serviceability requirements. In fact, it is a class leader for that niche.

The Motorola G75 5G looks spectacular on paper and is the class leader in the $400-499 bracket. Its main competition is the $599 Motorola Edge 50 Fusion – the best-value smartphone with Edge benefits.

Motorola G75 5G quick specs

Screen	6.8” 2388 x 1080, 120Hz, 1000 nits, IPS display
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 (latest 4nm SoC)
RAM/Storage	8GB (expandable to a virtual 16GB), 256GB Storage, and hybrid microSD
Phone	SIM and eSIM and city/suburb/regional/rural phone signal strength.
Camera	Rear dual-camera 50+8+Flicker sensor (It detects the frequency of pulsed lights (fluorescent lights, LEDs) and adjusts shutter speed and ISO). 16MP selfie
Comms	Wi-Fi 6E, BT 5.4, GPS and NFC
Battery	5000mAh battery, 30W charger (inbox) and 15W Qi wireless charge.
Build	IP68, MIL-STD-810H and Gorilla Glass 5
Android policy	Android 14 with 5 OS upgrades and 6 years of bi-monthly security patches.

As we often say, we don’t know how Motorola does it, but we are sure glad they do.

Australian Review: Motorola G75 5G

Brand	Motorola
Model	Motorola G75 5G
Model Number	XT2437-3
RAM/Storage Base	8/256
Price base	499 includes Moto Buds
Warranty months	24-month
Tier	lower mid-range
Website	Product Page
From	Harvey Norman, Officeworks, Big W, The Good Guys, Bing Lee, Amazon, JB Hi-Fi (online only) and motorola.com.au
Country of Origin	China
Company	It is 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.
More	CyberShack Motorola news and reviews
Test date	5-25 November 2024
Ambient temp	20-25°
Release	October 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.

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 – Nice and stylish for a black slab!

Motorola likes colours – Succulent Green (vegan leather), Charcoal Grey (PMMA), and Aqua Blue (Vegan) for this great value 5G phone.

It looks like it has three camera sensors, but one is a flicker sensor (more later).

It also includes Moto buds in the box, offering high-quality sound, a water-repellent design and Dynamic Active Noise Cancellation. It also has an inbuilt DAC that allows you to use USB-C headphones without an external DAC.

Things we like (and there is nothing not to like)

• IP68 rating for water and dust protection
• Mil-Std-810H build
• It is faster than the Snapdragon 480/ 680/ 695 and MediaTek Helio/Dimensity 6100/6300-based phones, and it even has basic AI capability with Google Gemini.
• 15W Wireless charging – unheard of at this price
• Primary and Ultrawide camera with OIS and 4K/30fps video support
• City, suburbs, regional and rural phone reception strength
• Clean Android software with a useful and light Hello UX
• 2+5+6 Warranty, OS upgrades and security patches.

Screen – Pass+

It is big at 6.8” and taller, rather than wider, at a 19.9:9 ratio. It has accurate colours, some daylight readability, and no Pulse Width Modulation—flicker-free. It is relatively scratch-resistant with Gorilla Glass 5 (Mohs hardness 5).

Size	6.8″
Type	IPS LCD
Flat, Curve, 2D, 3D	Flat
Resolution	2388 x 1080
PPI	387
Ratio	19.9:9
Screen to Body %	86.9
Colours bits	8-bit 16.7m colours
Refresh Hz, adaptive.	Auto: 45, 60, 90, 120Hz Fixed: 60 or 120Hz
Response 120Hz	240
Nits typical, test	Not disclosed. Tested 432 nits
Nits max, test	Claimed 1000 nits HBM. Test 983 in 2% Window.
Contrast	2500:1 (tested 2420:1)
sRGB	Claim 83% NTSC (72% is approx. 100% sRGB).
DCI-P3	The 8-bit screen supports about 60% of the Wide Colour Gamut and can show 1000 nits HBM in a small window with HDR content, but it is not an HDR-certified screen.
Rec.2020 or other	No
Delta E (<4 is excellent)	3.4
HDR Level	Downscales HDR10 to SDR panel capability
SDR Upscale	No
Blue Light Control	No, but there is a night light setting that adds an amber tint.
PWM if known	No – highly suitable for PWM-sensitive people.
Daylight readable	Yes, but nowhere near OLED readability
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	Basic mobile gaming to the extent that the SD 6 Gen 3 supports it.
Screen protection	Gorilla Glass 5
Comment	It is an excellent screen for the price.

Processor – Pass+

This is an excellent choice that is not often found in $499 phones. It has plenty of power for daily tasks and no lag when opening multiple browser windows.

It is not an AI phone except that it supports Google Gemini search and has enough AI photo processing power.

Brand, Model	Similar to SD695, Exynos 1280 or MT Dimensity 6080 Benchmarks
nm	4 Samsung 4LPE
Cores	4×2.4 GHz & 4×1.8 GHz
Modem	Qualcomm 5G RF Sub 6GHz
AI TOPS OR Multi-thread Integer Operations Per Second (INOPS) GINOPS = billion	Geekbench AI CPU 725/642/1304 GPU 187/242/245 NNAPI 53/54/136 QNN 54/54/8554 AI Benchmark 6 1,014 AiTuTu 52,172 GFLOPS 13.52 GNOPS 14.51
Geekbench 6 Single-core	963
Geekbench 6 multi-core	2458
Like	Similar to SD695, Exynos 1280 or MT Dimensity 6080 Benchmarks
GPU	Adreno 710
GPU Test
Open CL	1755
Like	Exynos 1380 or SD860
Vulcan	2257
RAM, type	8GB LPDDR4X and virtual expansion to 16GB using slower SSD.
Storage, free, type	256GB UFS 2.2 205GB free
micro-SD	Up to 1TB
CPDT internal seq. Read MBps sustained/peak	928 – this is fast for UFS 2.2 Maximum 1780
CPDT internal seq. write MBps sustained/peak	447 Maximum 616
CPDT microSD read, write MBps	79/39 mountable for photos
CPDT external (mountable?) MBps	29/20MBps mountable but slow (Tested with 2TB SSD)
Comment	USB-C 2.0 480Mbps external speeds. Internal storage speeds reflect higher rates than typical for UFS 2.2.

Throttle Test – Pass+

It remains cool under 100% load and has minimal throttling.

Max GIPS	231363
Average GIPS	222108
Minimum GIPS	204987
% Throttle	8%
CPU Temp	50°
Comment	Minimal throttling

Comms – Pass+

Wi-Fi 6E is 2.4/5/6Ghz tri-band, achieving maximum speeds of 2500/2500Mbps full duplex.

Wi-Fi Type, model	Wi-Fi 6E achieves maximum speed at 2m from the router
Test 2m -dBm, Rx/Tx Mbps	-49/2500/2626
Test 5m	-51/2340/2386
Test 10m	-58/1922/2162
BT Type	5.2 BLE (Website says 5.4)
GPS single, dual	Dual L1 and L5 accuracy 2m QZSS, Galileo, Beidou, GLONASS, NavIC, GPS
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	SoC simulation
Ambient light	Yes
Hall sensor
Proximity	Yes
Other	SAR sensor Sensor Hub Flicker
Comment	The fingerprint sensor is on the power button.

4/5G – Exceed

Qualcomm modems usually find all four test towers, and this is no exception. It had excellent phone signal strength and earns our recommendation for city, suburb, regional, and rural use. The only caveat is that you must have some 4G band 28 reception. We recommend setting the phone to 4G unless you need 5G, as it increases signal strength and improves battery life.

It is great to see eSIM in a phone at this price.

SIM	Single SIM and microSD slots. It also has eSIM.
Active	DSDS – dual sim, dual standby (one at a time)
Ring tone single, dual	Yes
VoLTE	Yes
Wi-Fi calling	Yes
4G Bands	1/2/3/5/7/8/20/26/28/32/38/40/41/41(2535 – 2655 MHz)/42
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	42/21/31ms – above average
Tower 1 -dBm, fW or pW	-78 to -87 and 15.8 to 2pW (Band 3)
Tower 2	-86 to -88 1.6 to 2.5pW (Band 28)
Tower 3	-87 to -88 1.6 to 2.5pW
Tower 4	-99 to -103 125 to 50fW
Comment	This shows excellent signal reception strength and is suitable for city, suburb, regional, and rural use if there is some band 28 signal. The results were with the phone set to the 4G network, as it found no 5G signal at usable strengths.

Battery – Pass+

The battery will last typical users over a day and heavier users 15-20 hours. It charges relatively quickly, at 1 hour 22 minutes from the 33W charger inbox.

You can charge by 15W QI wireless or use any PD or PPS charger and a 3W cable. Again features not expected at this price.

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/3A/27W
PD, QC level	QC 4+ PPS
Qi, wattage	15W
Reverse Qi or cable.	N/A
Screen setting test	Adaptive
Charge % 30mins	Claim 50%+
Charge 0-100%	1 hour and 22 minutes
Charge Qi, W Using Belkin Boost Charge 15W fast wireless charge	Not tested – expect 3-4 hours.
Charge 5V, 2A	2 hours and 25 minutes
Video loop 50%, aeroplane	19 hours 49 minutes
PC Mark 3 battery	17 hours 35 minutes
GFX Bench Manhattan battery	Would not run
GFX Bench T-Rex	304.2 minutes (5 hours) 5843 frames
Drain 100-0% full load screen on	5 hours 6 minutes
mA Full load screen on	1450-1500mA – slightly higher than expected.
mA Watt idle Screen on	300-350mA – slightly higher than expected.
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	It draws more current than expected but not overly so. Typical users can expect an entire day—power users 15-20 hours.
Comment	Decent all-day (possibly two-day) battery life. Charger in-box

Sound hardware – Pass+

The Pass+ is for extensive Bluetooth codecs with 24-bit/48000Hz high-res capability.

It uses the Qualcomm Aqsitic sound but supplements it with a stereo amp and a stereo DAC that allows the use of USB-C headphones without a separate DAC.

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	No, but it has a USB-C DAC for USB headphones.
BT Codecs	SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX TWS+LDAC, LHDC 2/3/5 with 24-bit/48000Hz
Multipoint	No
Dolby Atmos (DA)	Yes – Spatial, Smart Audio, Music, Movie, Game, Podcast, Custom
EQ	Yes, all DA presets, and custom settings can be altered via an EQ with manual, brilliant treble, bass boost, and vocal boost.
Mics	2 with noise cancellation
Test dB – all on EQ flat DA off
Volume max	75
Media (music)	73
Ring	76
Alarm	76
Notifications	76
Earpiece	55
Hands-free	Dual mics and some noise-cancelling with adequate volume.
BT headphones	Excellent left-right separation and DA makes quite a difference with DA content.

Sound quality – Passable

Like most phones, it has no low-mid-bass and almost no mid-high treble. It is a mid-signature for clear voice. Headphones are excellent for music, and the Dolby Atmos setting adds some spatial effects.

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 6kHz
Low Treble 2-4kHz	Flat to 6kHz
Mid Treble 4-6kHz	Flat to 6kHz
High Treble 6-10kHz	Steep decline
Dog Whistle 10-20kHz	Decline to 15kHz and then off the cliff
Sound Signature type	This is a mid-signature (bass recessed, mid boosted, treble recessed) for a clear voice. It is not easy to listen to as it lacks bass (low notes are muddy or absent), and the high treble is choppy, harsh, or non-existent.
Soundstage	It is as wide as the phone. DA content slightly widens it and adds limited 3D spatial height. The top and bottom speakers are well-balanced.
Comment	The sound signature is average, helped with a bit of high bass. Use headphones

Motorola G75 5G build – Exceed

It’s unusual to find IP68 at this price, and it is unheard of to find MIL-STD-810H construction. Add a 33W charger inbox, a set of BT buds, and more, and it’s impressive.

Size (H X W x D)	166.09 x 77.24 x 8.44mm
Weight grams	205-208
Front glass	Gorilla Glass 5
Rear material	PMMA or Vegan leather
Frame	Plastic
IP rating	IP68 MIL-STD-810H
Colours	Charcoal Grey Aqua Blue Succulent Green
Pen, Stylus support	No
In the box
Charger	33W
USB cable	USB-C to USB-C 3W capable cable
Buds	Yes – USB-C
Bumper cover	Yes – USB-C
Comment	It has a charger inbox (Samsung does not), BT buds and bumper cover. Well made.

OS – Android 14 and massive update policy – Exceed

Motorola is setting the bar almost impossibly high for a $499 device with a 2+5+6 warranty, OS upgrades and security patches. That is enough reason alone to buy it.

Android	14
Security patch date	1 November 2024
UI	Hello UX
OS upgrade policy	5
Security patch policy	6 bi-monthly to Sept 2030
Bloatware	Creeping in with Facebook, TikTok, Adobe, Booking.com, and LinkedIn.
Other	Google Apps (necessary) and Moto Apps for added features
Comment	Superb 5+6 OS upgrades and security patches make this the pick of the crop.
Security
Fingerprint sensor location, type	On the power button – 8/ 10 test
Face ID	Yes 2D only
Other	Lenovo ThinkShield is more for enterprise use.
Comment	Pure Android, light and useful overlay and an amazing upgrade/patch policy for a $499 phone.

Motorola G75 5G camera – Pass+

We test as Joe and Jane Average would use it – point and shoot, taking enough photos to ensure some are perfect.

It features a Sony Lytia 600 primary sensor with better low-light performance. The Ultrawide also acts as a macro. There is a flicker sensor that detects the frequency of pulsed lights (fluorescent lights, LEDs) and adjusts shutter speed and ISO).

Add the AI processing power of the SD6 Gen 3, and you have a nice point-and-shoot camera that Joe and Jane Average will love. Let the test pictures tell the story.

Test images

Rear camera specs

Rear Primary	Wide
MP	50MP bins to 12.5
Sensor	Sony LYTIA 600 (IMX882)
Focus	AF
f-stop	1.79
um	.8 bins to 1.6
FOV° (stated, actual)	69.9 to 82.3
Stabilisation	OIS
Zoom
Rear 2	Ultra-wide/macro
MP	8MP
Sensor	Samsung SK54H7
Focus	AF
f-stop	2.2
um	1.12
FOV (stated, actual)	118°
Stabilisation	No
Zoom	No
Rear 3	Flicker sensor
Special
Video max	4K@30fps
Flash	Single
Auto-HDR	Yes
	Night Vision Mode Auto Night Vision16 Portrait Panorama Pro Mode Live Filter 16 Tilt-shift HDR Scan Macro Vision Ultra-Res Auto Smile Capture 14 Photo Booth Gesture Selfie Face Enhance Face Retouch Selfie Animation Selfie Photo Mirror Snap in Video Recording Google Lens™ integration Auto Enhance High-res Digital Zoom (up to 10x)16 Burst shot QR/ Barcode Scanner RAW Photo Output Selfie Stick Support Google Photos Editing – Magic Eraser – Photo Unblur – Magic Editor – Portrait Blur – Portrait Light – Sky – Colour Pop – Cinematic Photos
QR code reader	Via Google Lens
Night mode	AI

Motorola G75 5G Selfie – Pass

It takes reasonably natural selfies and has room for a small group selfie.

Front	Selfie
MP	16MP bins to 4MP
Sensor	Samsung S5K3P9
Focus	Fixed
f-stop	2.45
um	1 bins to 2.0
FOV (stated, actual)	71.1 to 83.6
Stabilisation	No
Flash	Screen fill
Zoom	No
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

CyberShack’s view: The more I used the Motorola G75 5G, the more I liked it

You get a feeling about something you review—you will either love it or not. I love it because it is precisely the phone you need and can afford. Sure, it does not meet a power user’s needs, but it is perfect for the other 99%.

Motorola is doing some special stuff, filling niches and price brackets with class-leading phones. No Samsung (even its A25 lags behind) or other brands compete. See Best Android phones 11/2024.

This gets the tick for usability, phone reception strength, camera, power, screen, battery and Android policy.

Its main competition is the excellent $599 Motorola Edge 50 Fusion – the best value smartphone with Edge benefits and the Edge wins by a tiny margin.

Motorola G75 5G ratings

Features	85
	It shows what you can do to make a great mid-range phone with plenty of power, a decent camera, excellent phone reception, and 2+5+6 support.
Value	90
	It exceeds our value parameters and is class-leading, even in the following price category.
Performance	85
	Good SoC and reasonably low throttling. Excellent phone signal strength.
Ease of Use	85
	Moto Hello UX is a nice upgrade from My UX.
Design	80
	Like the vegan leather finish.
Rating out of 10	85
Final comment	The more I used this, the more I liked it. It has everything Joe and Jane’s Average needs and exceptional phone reception. Well done, Motorola.

Brought to you by CyberShack.com.au