motorola India recently introduced its newest moto g Series smartphone – the moto g85 5G pack with premium features such as a 144 Hz curved AMOLED screen, 7.59 mm ultra-slim design in vegan leather/acrylic glass back, Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 SoC, stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support, IP52 rated dust and splash-resistant rating, a 5,000 mAh battery with 33W fast charging, and Android 14 out-of-the-box with moto gestures. Here’s what we have to say about the smartphone in our moto g85 5G review.
moto g85 5G Specifications & Features
- Display & Design: 6.67-inch LTPS pOLED Endless Edge Display, 10-bit color depth (1.07B colors), Full HD+ resolution (2400 x 1080 pixels), 144 Hz refresh rate, 240/360 Hz touch sampling rate, 1600 nits brightness, 20:9 aspect ratio, 100% DCI P3, SGS Low Blue Light, SGS Low Motion Blur, IP52 dust and spash resistant, PU Vegan Leather OR 3D PMMA acrylic glass design, 7.59 mm thickness, 179 grams in weight
- Operating System: Android 14 operating system, My UX on top
- CPU: 6nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 octa-core SoC clocked up to 2.3 GHz
- GPU: Adreno 619 Graphics (900 MHz)
- Memory: 8 GB OR 12 GB LPDDR4x RAM, up to +12 GB RAM Boost feature
- Storage: 128 GB OR 256 GB UFS 2.2 internal storage, no microSD card support
- Main Camera: Dual cameras (50 MP f/1.8 Sony LYT-600 OIS main + 8 MP f/1.67 ultra-wide 119° FOV + macro)
- Selfie Camera: 32 MP f/2.4
- Connectivity & Others: USB Type-C, In-display fingerprint scanner, Face Unlock, Stereo Speakers, Dolby Atmos, Spatial Sound
- Cellular: 5G network, dual SIM, VoLTE support
- Battery & Charging: 5,000 mAh, over 34 hours of battery life, 33W TurboPower fast charging
- Colors: Olive Green (Vegan Leather), Cobalt Blue (Vegan Leather), Urban Grey (3D PMMA)
- Price: ₹ (8 GB RAM + 128 GB Storage), ₹ (12 GB RAM + 256 GB Storage)
- Availability: 16th July 2024 on Flipkart.com, motorola.in, and retail stores
- Offers: ₹1,000 discount on Axis bank cards
Design, Display, & Build Quality
Looking at the moto g85 5G, it flaunts its gorgeous 3D curved pOLED display with an ultra-slim 7.59 mm vegan leather design in IP52 dust and spash resistant-rated body giving you a premium feel. The smartphone is very light in weight about 179 grams and is available in three color options plus in two design variants i.e. Olive Green in Vegan Leather), Cobalt Blue also in Vegan Leather, and Urban Grey in 3D PMMA acrylic glass. The overall build and looks are solid and highly premium for this budget (under ₹20,000).
On the front side, the smartphone offers a stunning 6.67-inch LTPS pOLED Endless Edge Display with 10-bit color depth (1.07B colors), Full HD+ resolution (2400 x 1080 pixels), and a high 144 Hz refresh rate. Other display features include 1,600 nits brightness, 360 Hz touch sampling rate, 100% DCI P3, 20:9 aspect ratio, SGS Low Blue Light, and SGS Low Motion Blur. The display is bright and offers a curved view making it stand against the high-end flagships.
The rear side offers a dual setup with a very minimal bump, a 50 MP Sony LYT-600 OIS primary camera which is also found on smartphones with a budget over ₹25,000. The front side offers an in-display fingerprint scanner and it also comes with stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support.
Moving to the buttons, ports, connectivity, and audio, the right side offers volume controls and a power button while the left side has nothing. You get a dual SIM tray at the bottom without microSD card support, plus a USB Type-C port, loudspeakers (stereo), and a microphone whereas the top has another microphone and Dolby Atmos branding.
Software, User Interface, & Features
The moto g85 5G runs on the near-stock Android 14 operating system to get you a clean Android experience with very minimal pre-installed apps or no bloatware. The interface includes great Moto additions like Moto Gestures, Moto Personalize, and Moto Secure. The Android 14 operating system includes a security patch dated 1st May 2024 while the brand claims to offer 2 years of assured OS upgrades along with 4 years of security updates.
The interface is clean, bloatware-free, runs smooth and responsive (144 Hz refresh rate) and only comes with the additional apps/features including ThinkShield for Mobile, Smart Connect, Moto Unplugged, and Family Space. The moto g85 5G allows you to access your favorite features and apps in a snap allowing you to make use of the Moto gestures, customize the interface, personalize the homescreen, and enhance privacy management.
Aside from all the native Android 14 features, you get additional perks from Moto to enhance the smartphone experience. You can make use of the Moto gestures like Quick Launch, Quick Capture, Fast Torch, Swipe to split, Lift to unlock, Flip for Do Not Disturb, and Side Bar. The Side Bar enables the opening of a mini window for apps or tasks launched from it.
The Moto Connect allows you to boost the gaming experience by connecting the smartphone to a larger screen. It also enhances the video calling experience, as well as extends your workspace by using apps on a desktop display.
Additional features include Moto Secure for phone security, Moto Unplugged to disconnect from digital distractions and Family Space, a designated area for kids with limited app access. Other than that, you have the Dolby Atmos and Spatial Sound support aided by Stereo speakers to contribute to an immersive audio experience.
Hardware, Performance, & Gaming
Moving to the internals, the moto g85 5G is powered by a 6nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 octa-core SoC, clocked up to 2.3 GHz and laced with an Adreno 619 GPU clocked at 900 MHz. It comes in an 8 GB or 12 GB LPDDR4x RAM model with 128 GB or 256 GB UFS 2.2 storage respectively.
The Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 is manufactured in a 6nm process and consists of a total of eight Kryo cores clocked up to 2.3 GHz. The two are based on ARM Cortex-A78 performance cores clocked at 2.3 GHz whereas the rest six are based on ARM Cortex-A55 power-efficient cores clocked at 2.0 GHz.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 5G is a close competition to the rival MediaTek Dimensity 7050 midrange SoC and you might get a similar performance. You get the RAM Boost feature which provides you additional RAM of up to 12 GB depending on the model you choose. The storage cannot be expanded via microSD cards.
For gaming, it offers a fast performance while you game, the Adreno 619 GPU, you can play games smoothly with graphics set to Medium/High and expect the performance to be highly suitable for daily use and good for mainstream gaming.
Cameras
The moto g85 5G comes with a dual package of 50 MP f/1.8 primary with Sony LYT-600 sensor and supports OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) and an 8 MP f/1.67 ultra-wide 119° FOV (Field of View) + macro vision camera while the front side offers a 32 MP f/2.4 selfie camera for selfie and video calling needs.
The Sony Lytia 600 is the sensor seen on recent smartphones with a price bracket of ₹25,000 to ₹30,000. This makes the moto g85 5G ahead in terms of camera offerings. The camera package is pretty much great for this price, it offers a superior sensor in the segment, a wide-angle camera, as well as a macro camera, and a bunch of camera features such as Spot Color, Dual Capture, Auto Smile Capture, and more. We got some impressive image results from the moto g85 5G’s camera, the photos are sharp and slightly saturated. The overall performance of the camera is fairly good for this price.
The camera features and modes available on the phone are Ultra-Res, Dual Capture, Spot Color, Night Vision, Macro Vision, Portrait, Live Filter, Panorama, AR Stickers, Pro Mode (w/ Long Exposure), Smart Composition, Auto Smile Capture, Google Lens integration, Active Photos, Timer, High-res Digital Zoom (Up to 8x), RAW Photo Output, HDR, Burst Shot, Assistive Grid, Leveler, Watermark, Barcode Scanner, Quick Capture, Tap Anywhere to Capture, and more for the rear cameras.
The front camera includes Dual Capture, Spot Color, Portrait, Live Filter, Group Selfie, Pro Mode (w/ Long Exposure), Auto Smile Capture, Gesture Selfie, Active Photos, Face Beauty, Timer, Selfie Animation, RAW Photo Output, HDR, Assistive Grid, Leveler, Selfie Photo Mirror, Watermark, Burst Shot, and Tap Anywhere to Capture.
We took some camera samples to see how the camera performs and here are the results below.
moto g85 5G Camera Samples
Battery Runtime & Charging
The moto g85 5G packs a typical 5,000 mAh battery which you see on most smartphones nowadays while it supports a 33W TurboPower fast charging which is sufficient to keep you on the go although some rivals in this price segment (under ₹20,000) offer faster charging speeds of 44W or 45W. You may want to opt a faster charging speed if your priority comes at fast charging as much as possible in this budget.
Verdict – moto g85 5G Review
The moto g85 5G packs premium features at an affordable price, starting with its gorgeous 3D curved pOLED display with 144 Hz refresh rate, its ultra-slim design with vegan leather, impressive Sony camera results, swift Snapdragon processor, and a bunch of moto gestures. It supports 33W fast charging which is sufficient to keep you on the go although some competitors offer faster charging speeds 44W/45W in this budget. At the end, all these features makes the moto g85 5G an excellent choice for those who want reliable performance in a premium design without breaking the bank, the price starts at ₹17,999 or ₹19,999 depending on the variant which can be grabbed with exciting launch offers.
moto g85 5G – Where To Buy
The moto g85 5G is priced at ₹17,999 for its 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage and ₹19,999 for its 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage. The smartphone is available on Flipkart.com, motorola.in, and retail stores with a discount of ₹1,000 on Axis bank cards.
