Masking the fundamentals with out breaking the financial institution, the Motorola G14 is the candy spot for these buying on a really tight finances.
Whereas it’s nice to personal the most recent flagship smartphone with all of the bells and whistles, typically the function set and price ticket are far past the wants of many individuals. As of late there’s an amazing vary of mid-range telephones that match the invoice, though even these can appear overkill in case your wants are easy and your finances is tight.
Fortunately, there are many choices on the desk for those who want change from $250, otherwise you’re buying on behalf of household and pals with primary wants. The $229 Motorola G14 provides spectacular worth for cash for individuals who require an reasonably priced however reliable Android smartphone of their pocket.
Motorola G14 first impressions
Motorola makes an enormous vary of handsets nowadays and it’s settled on an ordinary design that provides loads of actual property whereas nonetheless becoming in your hand and your pocket.
The Motorola G14 contains a 6.5-inch show, which is tall however not too large due to the 20:9 side ratio. It suggestions the scales at 177 grams, making certain it’s not too heavy to your hand, pocket or bag.
The ability button is on the suitable, near the centre of the handset with the amount buttons above. This places the ability button, with its built-in fingerprint reader, properly beneath your thumb (or your pointer finger for those who’re a southpaw). On a tall cellphone, this makes life simpler than reaching for an onscreen fingerprint reader on the backside of the show.
The Moto G14 contains a plastic body with a shiny faux-metallic end and a textured colored plastic again – dubbed vegan leather-based – which give it a sublime appear and feel.
It’s not blessed with slender curved edges, which supplies it a bit much less of a premium look, however in return, it’s simpler to maintain a grip on the handset – particularly for those who’re utilizing the provided clear protecting case. It’s a welcome addition that provides some affect and scratch safety, however doesn’t appear as sturdy as one thing like a Tech 21 case.
Fireplace up the display and its sharpness and colors are respectable, however these with a watch for element will choose that the IPS LCD display isn’t fairly as wealthy and vivid as a mid-range AMOLED display, which in flip isn’t as spectacular as a prime shelf OLED display. You additionally miss out on the upper refresh charges discovered on many handsets nowadays.
There’s no display notch for the entrance digicam, only a pinhole, however the reality it sits in the midst of the Android standing bar implies that it’s unlikely to get in the way in which.
As for connectors, you’ve USB-C for 10W charging – however no quick charging or wi-fi charging – and an old-school 3.5 mm headphone jack.
Motorola G14 specs
| Show measurement | 6.5-inch, 20:9 side ratio |
| Show decision | 2400×1080 pixel, 405 ppi |
| Show know-how | IPS LCD |
| Audio | Stereo audio system and Dolby Atmos assist Moto Spatial Sound assist 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Bands | 3G, 4G |
| Chipset | Unisoc Tiger T616 |
| CPU | 1.8 GHz octa-core CPU |
| GPU | 50 MHz Arm Mali-G57 MP1 |
| Rear digicam | 50 MP sensor (f/1.8, 0.64 µm) 4 in 1 with 1.28 µm | PDAF | Quad Pixel know-how |
| Entrance digicam | 8 MP (f/2.0, 1.12 µm) | FF |
| RAM | 4 GB |
| Onboard storage | 128 GB |
| microSD slot | as much as 1 TB |
| Charging | USB-C 10W AC charger provided |
| Battery | 5000 mAh |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac | 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz | Wi-Fi hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 |
| Working system | Android 13 |
| Safety | Fingerprint reader, Face Unlock |
| Ruggedness | Water-repellent |
| Dimensions | 161.46 x 73.82 x 7.99 mm |
| Weight | 177 gm |
| Colors | Metal Grey, Pale Lilac |
| Worth | $229 RRP |
| Guarantee | 24 months from carriers, 12 months for retail |
| Official web site | Motorola Australia |
Options
The Motorola G14 runs Google’s Android 13 smartphone working system, with minimal bloatware that ensures a clear interface that’s more likely to attraction to on a regular basis customers.
Whereas Motorola guarantees three years of bi-monthly safety updates, it’s solely assured one OS replace, taking it to Android 14. That appears a bit stingy when many Android handsets are promised no less than two OS upgrades nowadays.
As you’d anticipate on this value vary, you received’t discover a high-performance Qualcomm Snapdragon powerhouse beneath the bonnet, only a primary Unisoc accompanied by 4 GB of RAM. That’s actually sufficient for primary day-to-day duties, conserving in thoughts that the Moto G14 isn’t geared toward individuals who prefer to push their telephones to the restrict. Those that do would like no less than 6 GB of RAM, to not point out a much bigger energy plant.
In relation to pictures, the Moto G14 packs in a dual-camera rear array. There’s a 50 MP major shooter and a couple of MP macro, whereas the entrance sports activities a single 8MP selfie digicam.
In relation to audio, you’ve bought stereo sound however, not like some high-end Android handsets, there isn’t a devoted speaker alongside the highest edge. As an alternative, you’re counting on the earpiece speaker that you simply use for listening to calls.
One other key concession is that the cellphone can solely benefit from 4G LTE and never Australia’s new superfast 5G networks. That’s not unreasonable at this value level, however one thing to remember for those who’re eager to get a style of 5G speeds.
The middling processor, normal refresh price and lack of 5G all assist enhance the battery life, which is already beneficiant due to a big 5000 mAh battery which ought to simply go a day between fees.
Take care because it’s solely a “water-repellent design” so that you don’t need it to go for an surprising dip. Extra sturdiness is reserved for the $699 Motorola Edge 40 which comes with a robust IP68 design.
High quality
The GeekBench 6 benchmarks actually emphasise the very fact that is an entry-level mannequin, with the cellphone scoring 450 on the CPU single-core check and 1587 on the multi-core, plus 508 GPU OpenGL. It’s sufficient grunt to stay responsive when performing primary on a regular basis duties, however it’s actually not geared toward severe multitaskers or players.
In relation to pictures, that fifty MP digicam determine sounds spectacular however megapixels aren’t every part. The cellphone’s image high quality displays its price ticket and small sensor pixels, producing cheap pictures in good mild however falling a bit of brief with regards to element and colors. That mentioned, its low-light capabilities are surprisingly good, no less than for this value vary.
Who’s the Motorola G14 for?
Realistically, the Motorola G14 is for somebody who completely wants change from $250 when shopping for a finances Android cellphone which nonetheless does the job. Its almost certainly market is pre-teens and pensioners, as even tech-savvy youngsters could find yourself hitting its efficiency limitations.
To be honest, it makes compromises in all the suitable locations to hit the candy spot on this value vary. In case your finances will stretch a bit of additional there are different choices from Motorola and some different Android handset makers worthy of your consideration. If not, the Motorola G14 may hit the spot.
